February Break fun...

The boys had a week off of school for mid-winter break so we decided to make a family vacation of sorts out of it. Jon was able to take the week off of work which was so nice. We were all recovering from some kind of illness or the other at the beginning of the week, but got better in time to enjoy the rest of the week. We headed up to gma's house for the first weekend where we were able to get out of the city and relax. The boys love going up there because they can roam around in her yard and have the luxury of a car for transportation! Jon met us after his weekend shift and we were able to hit some playgrounds, feed the ducks at a nearby park, and do some good ol' suburban bowling!

Then we headed out to the Poconos for a night's stay at the Great Wolf Lodge. We had been about 2 years ago and Noah couldn't stop talking about it, so we decided to make another trip! This trip seemed much less stressful for us as the boys are 2 years older and a lot less likely to drown... so it was much less hands-on for us and a lot more fun. Gabriel was really into it this time and it was so much fun to watch them enjoy themselves -- and wear themselves out!!! Our good friends, the Copes, joined us for the first afternoon and it was lots of fun to have more friends with us. We will definitely be going back!

We topped off the week with a trip to the AMNH -- we hadn't been in over a year, so it seemed like a great cold-weather activity. We enjoyed the first hour or so, but then Gabriel quickly decided that he had enough. It was nothing that a little pizza couln't fix, so we headed out for lunch.

It was really nice to just have a break from our usual weekly routine and to have Jon around. Much-needed February fun!

brothers on gma's stoop

feeding the ducks

playground time!

exploring Algonquin Park

hammin' it up

bowling time!

GWL pool

little fish

breakfast buffet... yum!

off to the waterpark!

waterslides!

Gabriel's favorite

GWL in all it's glory

slam dunk!

relaxing in the hot tub

the very exciting wave pool

warming up

Gabriel's dream meal:

a hamburger, spaghetti, and chocolate milk

Noah's dream dining experience:

eating while watching Spongebob

air hockey

kid-sized bowling alley

AMNH dinosaurs!

what a ham!

lunch at UNO Chicago Grill

thank goodness for kid-friendly restaurants in NYC!

Winter Playground Adventures!

We have had a seriously MILD winter this year (knock on wood!). Only 2 snow storms and even some amazing random 60 degree days!

So we have been hitting the playground scene as much as we can to take advantage of the great weather. Here are some pics from some recent playground adventures...

96th Street & CPW: Rudin Family Playground

68th Street & CPW: Tots Playground

NY Botanical Garden Train Show

We finally made it to the NY Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show this year! I was really excited about taking the boys to this -- especially because of Gabriel's ridiculous obsession with ANYTHING trains! The added bonus was of course that there was a special Thomas the Train "performance" complete with Thomas himself, his conductor, and a photo op with the him. Gabriel was so excited! This definitely made me feel better about not making it down to Macy's this year to see Santa! Who needs a picture with Santa when you can get one with Thomas?!?

We had a great time and will definitely be making this a yearly tradition!

it's finally our turn!

a little star-struck!

Cheese!

George Washington Bridge!

another peek at Thomas

It's a...

GIRL!!!

We can't believe it either!  I'm pretty sure I was convinced that my body wasn't able to produce one :)
But we found out the good news today, and can't be more thrilled.  Noah is especially excited.  When we told him we were expecting another baby, he said, "it's a girl, right?!?"  We explained that it's possibly a girl or boy.  He responded by saying that he already had a brother and doesn't want another one.  Understood.

Luckily, he got his wish!

Gabriel's response was much more age-appropriate.  When I told him there was a baby in my tummy, he said (as any competitive younger brother would say), "Well, get it out so I can race it!"  (He's been losing several races lately and probably figured he'd have a good shot at beating a baby.)  At least he understands some of his role in all of this.

It's going to be quite the adventure with 3 kids in this crazy city, but we feel really blessed and excited to have another child and can't wait to meet her.

Expected arrival date: July 3, 2012

Christmas 2011

We had a very relaxing Christmas this year. We opted to stay close to home and celebrate with close friends and family.

Noah's class had a holiday party where we decorated sugar cookies which was loads of fun. I had volunteered to make the cookies because it seemed like the people planning the sugar cookie party didn't actually know how to make them! So, I planned on this being my once-a-year-sugar-cookie baking experience (not a huge fan of making sugar cookies!). Six dozen cookies later, I brought them into his class and someone had bought a bunch and had already handed out them out! I felt a little frustrated by this especially since I was pretty sure my homemade cookies tasted way better, but just ended up keeping my cookies and giving them out to friends as gifts! After all was said and done, it was a fun party and the kids had a great time.

The boys made out like bandits as usual this year. Thomas trains, Angry Birds, and Transformers seemed to be the general theme! We spent a nice Christmas at home after going to church and had Christmas dinner with my parents that evening.

The next day we ate Danish pancakes that I made with my new Ebelskiver pan (yum!) and then headed down to mid-town to be tourists for the day. PS -- the day after Christmas is a great day to see the Rockefeller tree and other such Christmas sights. So, we saw the tree and then went to the Top of the Rock. We've done the Empire State Building before but the Top of the Rock was a first for us. It was really fun! The boys are really into maps right now, so it was fun to have our map out while we checked out the different sights from 70 stories up.

Merry Christmas!