Welcome back, friends! After our first day of welcoming summer by galavanting around New York City, we really kicked it up a notch for Memorial Day. Adventures included:
It was the sweetest of days with some of our besties <3
American Museum of Natural History
With so many amazing museums in NYC it can be hard to pick just one for kiddos, but I’m sure glad we went with this one. We only had time for our two extra experiences, the dinosaur exhibit and the Room With the Whale, but gosh was it worth it.This Invisible Worlds exhibit was giving Meow Wolf vibes, but with a much better story and on a much more tame scale.How small do your problems seem in an exhibit like this, though. I mean, really.The girls LOVED it!Dinosaurs were a huge hit too, obviously.Rawwwwwring like dinosaurs!Even Em was intrigued <3I wasn’t sure how the 30-minute planetarium show would go over, but the girls loved it! And Carla, Fiona & Jake were able to join us, too.The whale room never disappoints.Cuties.
Alice’s Tea Cup
After the museum we walked over to Alice’s which, while thoroughly expensive (it was a full tea service that, let’s be honest, mostly got thrown out) was a true NY experience, as well. I’m really glad we did it!
“What’s this stuff?!”The whole gang. And how gorgeous is this room?!
Central Park
We left Alice’s around 2:30 and had reservations at 4 for Top of the Rock, so we took our time wandering through Central Park to get there.
Good ole’ Uncle Brizz.Enjoying live music at Strawberry Fields in Central Park.
Top of the Rock
This is one of Chris’ favorite spots in the city, so it was fun to take the girls there to experience the city the way that birds do <3
Walking through the Rockefeller Center area is always a joy, too.Chris had some extra help pulling the baggage.Gotta love a girl who only loves her snacks, no matter where she may be!More cuteness <3So much love for this girl of mine <3And this one <3And all of them!Plus this one. Carla. My freshman year roommate at JMU, whom I’ve known for 22 years (yikes!). We’ve been to Germany & Salzburg & Nashville together, survived college and our first years as babies living in NYC. She’s a doll and I love her immensely <3
After a very long day, it was back on the subway to head to our home away from home.
Seeing the sites is one thing, but catching up with your loves … that’s everything.
Christmas Day was surprisingly joyful, considering what came before and after …
As the final days of 2021 wind down, I’m hoping that you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy. Our trip to New York for the holidays got disrupted by an outbreak of Covid within our family (extended family, at least, so far the five of us are still Covid-free), so we ended up cutting it short by a week. Still, we managed to pack in a lot of celebrating before things turned ugly.
While I’m grateful for the positive things that came this year — vaccines, three healthy daughters who turned five, four and one, a husband who loves me and takes care of us in this roller coaster of a life, a career that I really love, and so much more — I also won’t be sad to see it go.
Here’s hoping there’s even more to look forward to in 2022. Bis bald, friends … and happy New Year!
The “Calm” Before the Storm
The week heading into our trip was crazy for us, as well, with my stepdad flying in for a visit, Grace turning four and Emilia turning one. We managed to get in a lot of partying before we even boarded the plane.
My sweet, sassy middle daughter. I hope you never, ever change <3She insisted on having her dinosaurs with her in this picture. Just one of the many reasons I love her so.My last baby. Emilia turning one has been bittersweet for me. It’s the most fun to watch her grow, and also the saddest to leave the baby phase behind.Never. Not. Happy. We took the family to see the holiday lights at Chatfield Farms before we flew out to New York, which ended with freezing cold kids and lots of tears … but it was pretty while it lasted!Early Christmas at home before we left meant another excuse to wear our matching Christmas pajamas … not that I ever need an excuse. Thank you, Denver Airport, for having all the fun holiday entertainment! Emilia hadn’t met Santa yet, so this helped me tick that item off my bucket list 😉As a surprise to no one, Emilia is a champion traveler.At Grandpa’s …. pre-Covid confirmations :/
New York City for a Day
We had always planned to head into the city for a day during this trip, but we got spooked by Covid numbers the morning we were meant to catch the train. So we ditched the public transport idea and decided to rent a car, instead. I’m so glad we did, because it ended up being a highlight of the trip. It was the first visit for Emilia, and seeing the city we love all decked out for the holiday … well, there’s really nothing quite like it.
We stuck to the touristy parts of midtown — Grand Central, Bryant Park, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and the Saks Fifth Avenue holiday window displays — and seeing these things through the kids’ eyes, for the first time, was so much fun.
Ah, the allure of a mini-van. I won’t lie … it was definitely nice having this extra room! We love our Highlander, but a mini-van … let’s just say I get it now.There is nothing like that skyline.This is the building where it all started for me. My first real job in magazines — an internship at More and then a full-time gig at Parents — was right here, and I must have walked these streets hundreds of times. To be back there, taking a photo with my girls, really meant a lot to me <3Of all the places in the city to visit on a holiday trip, Bryant Park is my absolute favorite.And of course no NYC trip is complete without a big ole’ street vendor pretzel! Times Square was freezing! But the ball was up, and the girls thought the craziness was so much fun!Grace was very excited by the Rockefeller Christmas Tree 😉We spent a lot of time in front of these window displays, and Lotte would have stayed even longer! She was so thoroughly entranced by them, and it was the cutest thing in the world to see.We ended our visit with a trip to Grand Central, where Chris showed the girls the parabolic curve (where you can talk to people on opposite sides!) and the pretty main hall.And the Grand Central Market for treats, of course!Love ya, NYC. Until next time …
Christmas and the Days Before It
We learned the day after we got back from the city that my stepdad had Covid, so we hightailed it out of his house and went over to my sister’s (after we all got negatives on our rapid tests, of course). This ended up being futile, since our Christmas morning tests were negative again, and by the next day my brother-in-law and then sister had it, as well. Still, for those couple of days, we continued on, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Chris and I had already decided that we would be leaving early, and we had already cancelled our Airbnb trip to a lake house in PA (THANK YOU AIRBNB FOR ISSUING A REFUND!) and had moved our flights up by a week to return home (THANK YOU SOUTHWEST FOR ALLOWING US TO DO THIS FOR ONLY THE COST OF THE FLIGHT CHANGE, A MEASLY $150!). We figured if we’re going to get sick, we’d want to be at home when that happened.
Plus, we had nowhere to stay. We officially had Covid cases in both of the family homes where we could go.
I know a lot of people had their holidays ruined or changed due to Covid this year, and I can only hope that by next year, we’ll be in a better place. Who knows, really, but for now, like I said, I’m counting my blessings …
At least there was snow on Christmas Eve!Christmas Eve gifts from elves, courtesy of my sister <3At-home manicures were a big hit!The cutest.Also the cutest!Christmas morning cuties!Grace’s face pretty much says it all … does it not?!
And that was our trip in a (shortened) nutshell, friends. We made it back home in one piece, which is pretty much all that I can ask for at this point, and we’ll be ringing in the New Year together as a family of five <3
