NYC: Part 1

That's right, Part 1, because we have a ton of pictures from our trip a couple of weeks ago. So, here goes...

My mom's roommate from college, Michael, was here visiting in November. He is an actor in New York, who recently finished his tour of Phantom of the Opera, so he was heading home. He mentioned that we should come up and visit him now that he's finally home, and that he would be happy to have us stay with him. Ha! Little did he know we would take him up on it and invade his apartment a few weeks later. I'm kidding, he was actually really excited to see us again (I think).

I was super scared of the plane ride with Ethan being a lap child and all, but he pleasantly surprised me. We had to bring along the car seat because Michael was picking us up from the airport, so we thought to bring it to the gate and just see if we could get an actual seat for E. We got lucky and got one, so he slept on the plane for about 2 hours, and spent the rest perfectly happy in his seat. I actually got to read a magazine and have a soda in peace, it was truly amazing. However, I did have to deal with a few side-eyes from other parents as they paced the aisles with their kids while mine slept like an angel. Eh, I got over it pretty quickly.

We arrived and headed out to dinner with Michael after getting settled. The first thing Ethan did?

Why, he found a stick, of course.

The weather the whole time we were there barely topped off at 33 degrees. Freaking cold I tell you, but we were sufficiently layered and no one complained too much. Ethan spent the first half of the week being worn in an Ergo I borrowed, and the last couple of days we broke out the stroller. I think he preferred being worn more, and the bonus to that is he's been extra snuggly with us ever since.

Mom and I have been to New York several times, but Cory had only spent a day there in his teens, and of course this was Ethan's first time, so we did a perfect mixture of touristy stuff and regular hanging out while we were there.

I'll try to tell the rest in pictures, and hopefully you don't get too bored.

Cute row houses in Harlem

Bethesda Fountain in Central Park

Michael, Me, Mom, and Ethan (asleep in the Ergo).

Cory, me, Mom, and E in front of the fountain

Strawberry Fields

Ethan taking a stroll in Central Park. It took him awhile to get used to wearing all those clothes. He stumbled for the first few minutes after being let down.

The Dakota, where Lennon once lived (and died in front of). Yoko still lives there, as well as Jerry Seinfeld and other richey riches.

Cory had the best cookie of his life here. Cookies are very important to him, so this was indeed a highlight of the trip.

In Times Square.

Still in Times Square.

Grand Central Station, where we also had great NY pizza at Two Boots.

Empire State.

In front of Macy's. I'm a big fan of Christmas, so I have been dying to see NYC at Christmas. Beware of lots of Christmas decor pictures to come.

Inside Macy's.

Columbus Circle/Time Warner Center.

Huge snowflake in the middle of an intersection on 5th Ave.

Pretty, huh?

FAO Schwarz, which I prefer far more than the huge ToysRUs in Times Square. We bought Ethan a great (stick) wooden push toy.

Ethan in his new Pea Pod. We needed something easier to haul than a Pack n Play, so Cory found this on Craigslist. I was skeptical, but Ethan fell asleep in this like a champ. After the first night, he even fell asleep while we were like 10 feet away watching TV and talking. In the morning he would just pop his head up, peek out the window, and say "Mama" to wake us up. Too cute.

Strolling in Riverside Park.

Leaves are fun.

A playground in Riverside Park. It was deserted being 28 degrees and all, but E didn't mind the cold at all.

Me and Micheal in front of the Washington Square Park Arch.

My favorite building, the Chrysler.

Grand Central and it's HUGE wreath.

Of course, we saw the Rockefeller Tree, but more on that next time...

Santa!!

Until I can get the NYC and Christmas pictures together and posted, this will have to do.

E got to visit Santa on Christmas Eve just in time to get his wish list in. There weren't any smiles, but there weren't any tears either, so we were happy.

Hope your Christmas was merry!

Ice Skating!!

Ever since Ethan came into our lives, I've waited for the day his foot was a size 6. Why, you ask? Because 6 is the smallest size skate that the ice rink carries. By no means do I hope the kid takes up skating as a hobby, because I know how freaking expensive it can be and I've already spent too much of my life in a cold rink, but I've always thought it'd be a fun family activity. I'm so glad we got to take him in the winter because it seems like such a perfect time to do it.

My aunt, Paula used to skate with me a lot when I was a kid, so we brought her along, as well as Cory, and my mom because she doesn't like to miss any of E's "firsts." I kind of thought he might be one of those screaming toddlers I saw too often when I worked there, but he wasn't at all. He was enthralled with the weird things on his feet and he tried so hard to walk in them. He finally got the hang of standing on his own a little, and he loved trying to march around the ice. His favorite part was when I took him around really fast. I think we'll definitely be going again soon.

Testing the skates out off-ice first.

Standing with Mama.

Trying to get the hang of it.

Fast skating.

Total enjoyment for all :)

Zilker Tree

Last Tuesday, we had a farewell dinner for Rebecca, the girl I've been watching for over 5 years now. She had never been to Zilker tree in all of her 11 years, so I promised to take her. She and her family moved this week to South Carolina, and Ethan and I are going to miss them like crazy.

Our last hurrah was a lot of fun though, and I know both she and Ethan enjoyed themselves. Ethan is definitely a big fan of Christmas lights. Plus, his Nana bought him a pretty cool new lighted toy, so he was a happy dude.

Spinning under the tree.

With Nana.

Becca and Ethan. She's kind of like a big sister to him, I know he'll miss seeing her every day.

Cory was actually the one taking pictures for once.

Nana took some pictures too. A very rare picture of me and Cory.

Playing with his new toy.

Yeah, he's licking it. Gross, but cute.

Our Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving Day at my aunt and uncle's house (Mark and Diana) this year. I particularly enjoyed not being in charge of dinner for the first time in 13 years. My mom was equally excited as she is usually in the kitchen with me, but this time we relaxed, sampled various beverages, and visited with family. Ultimately we ended up in the kitchen helping a little, but it was mostly out of our hands, and it was nice. There was a ton of food of course, a guest list of around 20, a lot of dessert, and a disappointing football game that I just don't want to talk about.

Ethan had a blast entertaining everyone, once he overcame his initial shyness anyway. I didn't take many pictures, but here's what I have.

E of course found a stick to play with.

And then he went outside and found another stick.

And then he went inside, but he really wanted back outside. When Cory went outside for a drink, Ethan stood at the window expressing just how badly he wanted out. I think he was trying to bribe him with goofy faces. These are some of my absolute favorite pictures, and I couldn't choose, so you're going to have to see them all.

I hope you had a great holiday as well!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope yours is great!

Wordless Wednesday

Some of E's new toys

Well, they're not necessarily new anymore, but Gramma reminded me she never saw pictures, so I thought I'd better oblige her.

We were kind of in a rut in the toy department since Ethan had outgrown all his "baby" toys that he received last Christmas and birthday, and he was getting a little bored in the playroom. Cory and I were at Costco picking up a few things and grabbed a Christmas present for Ethan from us, and picked up a play kitchen that was supposed to be a Christmas present from Nana. We got it home, and Nana decided Christmas was too far away, so we call it his half birthday present. He's a lucky kid.

He loves the thing. It has drawers and cabinets to open and empty, silverware to hide in the couch cushions, buttons to press, and a bunch of fake food to chew on. It also has a stove that knows if you're using the sauce pan or the frying pan and will boil or sizzle accordingly. How smart is that??

We had to hide the telephone for awhile because apparently it was always for me or Cory, and Ethan insisted that we talk to them right that very second or he might throw a fit.


Ethan also LOVES to be outside, so we picked up this baby for cheap on craigslist:

Yeah, I know he doesn't look too thrilled in this picture, but I swear he likes it.

He loves climbing and sliding, so we thought this would be a hit.

See, proof he likes the slide.

Oh, and it also has a steering wheel. He's a fan of steering wheels. We honestly thought he'd play with it a lot more than he does, but he'd much rather carry a stick around the backyard. What can you do?


Last new thing was as much a present for me as it was for Ethan. He absolutely hates when I go in the kitchen to cook and leave him in the gated living room, so we thought maybe he'd like to help. We found a good deal on a learning tower type thing, so we went ahead and got it. Plus, it's collapsible, which is a must in my teeny tiny kitchen.

His favorite thing to do so far is stir. He also likes to have his snack in the tower, which usually gives me time to throw dinner in the crockpot.

Ah, the things they make for kids these days. We'll have to see if we can control ourselves for Christmas because there are so many cool things I'd like to get him.