Checklist

#1. See the tree

Check...definitely worth going again to see closer

#2. Send out Christmas cards

Check...thanks to a girl who could spend hours playing with stickers

#3. Make gingerbread houses.

Check...although I was lucky we were at least able to do one. Graham crackers ended up being a crumb-y way to do it

#4. Make orange rolls

CHECK! Rachel's class had a Family Feast on Monday as a part of their family/culture and traditions unit. I thought long and hard about what dish I could bring and I decided to try my Grandma's famous orange rolls since it's the one staple at every holiday meal. I was really nervous that they would turn out. But they rose okay, they looked good and then Jake put me to the test. I think he had at least 5 when they first came out. Success!!! I was super excited, and dancing all over the kitchen. It must be in the name :)
The feast was a lot of fun. Rachel is one of the only white American in her class. There's Mexican, Columbian, Phillipino, Chinese, Israeli, etc, etc. So there was some really fun food!

#5. Santaland at Macy's
Check. We went Wednesday morning before we left town. We had heard of long lines...like up to 3 hours, but we went right when it opened and walked right through! It was almost too fast. Enchanted forest, trains, dancing bears...very decorated and VERY FUN!

#6. Make it to Austin, Texas
Ch....eck. So those who know us know that we always have a story to tell when it comes to flying. So, you tell me, was it good, or bad:

• The good thing is that we decided to take a taxi with 3 kids and luggage
• The bad thing is that both kids got car sick in the stop and go of the city
  
• The good thing is that we fit all of our stuff (presents and all) in carry-ons
• The bad thing is that security almost ruined our Christmas as they searched through our bags and pulled out the "large electronics"
• The good thing is that we arrived in plenty of time
• The bad thing is that we had too much time
• The good thing is that we had a direct flight
• The bad thing is that we had a girl who had a cold/fever=extreme pressure in the ears and a boy who was still motion sick
• The good thing is that we had all our clothes, so we could change him...3 times. He couldn't even keep water down

We're here and enjoying family, the mild temperatures, and having Daddy around. Have a wonderful Christmas everybody!!!

Stuff you don't see everyday

Here's what we saw Sunday on our way home from church
And this morning Tommy got his rain boots and asked if it was raining. I told him to look out the window and that's when I noticed and pointed out that there was snow on the ground..."no that's not snow, that's just bird poop down dere."

Oh, the city life.

Santa and Window Walk

Santa and his sleigh :)
Our one stop shop for Christmas shopping, Target in New Jersey
No tears this year
Macy's windows


The tree. This is as close as we got, we were kind of done with crowds at this point.
We went to see some gingerbread houses that were designed after movies made in New York. This was my favorite one

Snow, it starts

Now I know I can't complain...with family and friends in Utah who have had their fair share of snow and freezing temperatures already and we only had flurries today, but winter has officially hit. I'm just not used to this! Yesterday it took my legs an hour to thaw from walking home from the subway after church. Crazy cold!! And I've been told this is nothing. I had hot apple cider for lunch, potato soup for dinner and hot chocolate for dessert :) And I'm looking into wool tights and thermal underwear...any other ideas?

Anyway, here's a few random pictures:

The cold is a lot easier to handle when there's no wind, but there is sometimes crazy wind in this city, especially where we live, being just off the Hudson river. This happened to Jake when he came out to interview for his internship 6 years ago. It's a common occurrence.On Saturday we went to a work party, where families were invited. Rachel and Lucy showed up in the same shirt. I couldn't stop laughing, it was too cute! This is the same family we did Thanksgiving with. We wish they lived closer.I really slacked on the picture taking this week. Sorry.

The ultimate NYC weekend

Thanksgiving morning as soon as the kids woke up we headed uptown to the Macy's Parade. Luckily we had great weather...cold temperatures but no wind (which for me makes all the difference). We bundled really good just in case and we ended up unzipping our coats and taking off our gloves and hats. We got there at 8:30 (we talked to people at church who went at 5:30). We couldn't see the street very well, but we didn't really need to because we could still see the floats and the balloons. It was pretty crowded...people trying to push through to the front and people getting mad at those people, but it wasn't too bad. We had some really nice people next to us who helped hold up Rachel and Tommy so they could see. The balloons were really something else and it was really fun to see live what I have grown up watching on TV.Big eyes for those big balloons
Dad of the year right there!! Holding Tommy with Rachel on his shoulders.
Sailor Mickey
Rachel's favoriteSpider Man (for you Dan)
Horton
Seeing Buzz Lightyear come
To infinity and beyond!
After the parade we took a train to Connecticut to have dinner with a family Jake knows from his HR rotational group at Citi. Depite Tommy taking a spill and getting a huge lip and Katelyn cranky and not sleeping for more than 10 minutes we had a great time. It was once again nice to get out of the city and enjoy a relaxed evening with really good food. All the kids got along so well it was almost as if they weren't even there.
On Saturday we took Rachel (for part of her birthday) to the Rockettes Christmas Show. It truly was SPECTACULAR!! Honestly, I don't think I can find the right words to tell you how amazing it was. It's even hard to pick a favorite amongst all the routines. It was also fun for me because it took me back to my days of doing the Nutcracker and Drill Team.In the beginning you put on 3D glasses as you ride with Santa Claus through New York City to the Music Hall. So fun! Then the Rockettes did a fabulous tap number to the Twelve Days of Christmas. The parade of the wooden soldiers was phenomenal. Here's a couple of pictures I took from the web.Then the Rockettes get on a sightseeing bus and take you for a tour through New York City. It was neat how the bus would turn with the video behind it to get the real feel of driving through the streets. I loved going through Central Park and how they brought out a mini ice rink and then a fun dance in Times Square.The multiplying Santa Claus scene was really fun too!
The finale Nativity Scene was remarkable...live camels, gorgeous costumes and we were so impressed that they were not ashamed to show their Christianity.
It was a great way to start the season and to get us in the right spirit. When we got back home Rachel handed me a note that said, "DER MOM AND DAD THAK YOU FOR TAKENG ME TO THE ROCETES" Worth every penny right there. There's just something about gratitude and appreciation that melts your heart.
Our "front yard" to our apartment
I go in and out of "love affairs" (as they like to call them) with New York City and right now I'm really loving it. It's so fun to see the city get all decorated for the holidays and there's so many fun things to see and do this month. I'm really excited.

Oh, these kids

Right now I'm experiencing a rare treat of having both kids asleep. Why am I not napping? Well, it seems my kids have radars and will wake up as soon as my head hits a pillow. So instead, let me tell you about them.

Katelyn
Getting SO big! She had her 2 month check up today (a few weeks late, I know...long story) but she is now 11 pounds 14 ounces and 23 inches tall. I have gotten a lot of comments from everyone about how big she is getting.

I love the one little dimple she has on her left cheekKatelyn's a bit of a cat napper (no surprise, all my babies are) but she takes some really good naps (3-4 hours) in the carrier. So I get to see this sweet little face a lot.I've been wanting to capture her blue eyes because I think they are so beautiful. I hope they stay but the probability is not in our favor.
She's been giving me some rough nights lately, but we finally got a good one last night. Too bad the doctor said that her shots may ruin her sleeping a little bit.The Tom Bom
This kid is going forwards and backwards. The big news is we're all aboard the "potty train." We've been putting the idea of it in his head without any force for the past few months and one day he decided to do it. Maybe the suckers were better motivation than the M&M's, who knows? For the past 4 or 5 days now, no wet accidents...although we still have yet to master #2.And in going backwards...we have put him back in the crib (pack n play) for naps. He is being pretty strong-willed against them lately.

He's such a character and can really make us laugh. He loves his big sister and it's pretty funny to see the things he picks up and copies from her.

He is big into Toy Story right now and we watch it (the first one) everyday. I think I have the whole movie memorized!

Rachel
She may not have homework, but I think she kind of wishes she did. This is where you will find her every day after school. Coloring pictures, making cards, writing stories, etc. I love it!This is a little picture from a movie night we had about a week ago...Sound of Music. Rachel says it's her new favorite!
Well, now it's time to wake them all up and go pick her up!

Statue of Liberty

Rachel had a half day of school on Tuesday for parent teacher conferences (which went great!) and he took me and the kids to see the Statue. It's true we see it everyday and we've seen it on the ferry dozens of times, but it was really neat to see it like this. And to see and learn a little bit about how it was built.My dad got some amazing shots of it on his camera
Holding itBeing itLoving it
Thanks again Grandpa! We had lots of fun with you here!!!

Katelyn's blessing

We blessed Katelyn on Sunday. With an extra hour from daylight savings, we thought we'd have plenty of time to get dressed and get pictures, but we still ended up rushing out the door to catch the bus. While ironing Katelyn's Belgian lace dress I tried using the steamer and ended up blowing mineral deposits all over it. Luckily, Tide to Go saved the day.
Kate got a little stage fright at first but when Jake started the blessing she calmed down. Jake did a beautiful job and it was great to have my dad there for the special occasion. He's been to all three of my kids' blessings.

A Rare Roadtrip

My dad came in town last weekend for a visit. Jake took off work and Rachel skipped school so we could head upstate for a little weekend getaway.

First time in car seats in 4 months. The picture doesn't show it but they were pretty excited. Tommy really enjoyed going fast.They kept themselves well entertained too.
A quick stop on the way at the cloisters.First stop, the town of Sleepy Hollow. I grew up watching the cartoon Ichabod every Halloween with my dad so it was fun to do this with him.Washington Irving's homeLyndhurst castle...or something like thatStonebarn Farm. We barely missed their egg collecting, which I think would have been a lot of fun. And we wanted to eat at the restaurant that uses all their ingredients from the farm but it was too fancy. Plus handling kids over a four course meal would have been a bit of a challenge. We still had a great time. Here they are running with the chickens.The next day, after some fun in the hotel pool we went to Cold Spring, a historic village on a fjord, just across the river from West Point.

It was so nice to get away from the city for a couple of days, a beautiful time of year to do it too. I loved driving on the country roads with the leaves falling. It was like a breath of fresh air.