The Southerns take Manhattan!

I'm sure everyone has been wondering where I've been, right? Drew and I were off on another fun adventure last week. We went to New York City on a kid-less vacation! We had such a blast.

Let me back up and write about the whole week. Last Monday Lindy had a busy day with physical therapy in the morning and her hearing therapy in the afternoon. It was over a week ago so I don't really remember the specifics, but I think both therapies went well.

Tuesday morning we loaded up the kids and the car and we drove about 9 hours to my parents house in Avon Lake, Ohio. Our kids are great travelers! We got there in time for dinner and to hang out a bit before bed. My dad was out of town but one of my mom's good friend from Missouri had flown in for a visit and to help my mom out while she babysat the kids. When we got there the kids got to open a few more birthday presents. They each got a Cozy Coupe and my dad made the kids there very own little Adirondack chairs. They were so cute in the chairs and cars!

Bright and early (like 5:15am) Drew and I were out the door to the airport and to NYC! We stayed with my friend Callie and her husband Chris. Callie and I met in graduate school. They have an apartment in the south end of Manhattan in Battery Park City. We had so much fun seeing them and touring NYC. Callie was able to go out and show us around a bit. It was like having our own tour guide and our own photographer. I've never had so many pictures of Drew and I together! Callie is almost 8 months pregnant! We took lots of water and eating breaks so that we didn't send her into labor!Wednesday afternoon we toured the Financial District, Ground Zero, Wall Street, SOHO, Little Italy, and Chinatown. We also walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. Wednesday night Callie made us some awesome quesadillas! Thursday we went up to Midtown and we walked around Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue, Grand Central Station, the NY Public Library, and Bryant Park. That night Drew and I went for dinner in the West Village and we went and saw Mary Poppins. It was a great show. We had amazing seats, 8 rows from the stage! After the show we met up with a friend of Drew's from college, Ross, for a drink. Friday morning Drew and I headed back uptown and we rented bikes and rode around Central Park. You might think Central Park would be a nice flat place to ride a bike, but it's not. I realized just how out of shape I really am. Riding that bike for 4+ miles about did me in! That afternoon we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and then we went to the Top of the Rock for some amazing NYC views. Friday night we had dinner with Drew's friend Ross and his wife Ewelina and we met up with Chris and Callie after dinner. Saturday morning we ate bagels by the Hudson River and then headed to the airport. Drew flew back to North Carolina and I flew back to Ohio. I'm in Ohio now with my mom. We are enjoying our time with Nana and Papa!

It was the perfect little get away. We really felt like we saw a ton of NYC and we really enjoyed seeing our friends. The kids had a great time with my mom and Barb. Lindy loves her little car and they both love the little log cabin playhouse they borrowed from their neighbors. I'm pretty sure they didn't miss us!

And because I can't do a post without a lot of pictures.....here they are!

Sitting in Papa's chairs!

Ground Zero

NY Stock Exchange

Good times in the subway! Callie and Drew

Riding in subway cars with Callie.

On the Brooklyn Bridge.

Drew on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Sunset in Battery Park.

The theatre where we saw Mary Poppins.

In Times Square.

Drew in the Public Library.

In Grand Central Station.

Taking a break at the Rink Bar in Rockefeller Center.

At the Rink Bar.

NY Cheesecake!

Hanging outside the Today show studios. St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Headed out to dinner Thursday night.

"Old Rusty", my cruiser that tried to kill me!

At the Top of Rock on a really clear NY day!

Central Park in the background.

Top of the Rock!

The New Years Eve ball.

Headed out to eat Friday night.

2nd Birthday Recap

The kids are officially two! We have had a good time celebrating with them this week. We had a birthday party for them on Saturday.

On Thursday, their actual birthday, we got their 2 year pictures taken bright and early. The kids did great and we got some great pictures. Lindy was a little model. She had a great time. Will was pretty apprehensive but in between not being sure about everything he would smile and so we got great shots of him too. We took the kids out to lunch for their birthday to Buffalo Wild Wings (so maybe it was more for us!). Will loved his chicken but Lindy didn't seem to like it much. Will was in hog heaven with all the tv's in there. Then we took them to the mall and they got to ride the carousel for the first time ever. They were so cute! We think they enjoyed their special treat!

Thursday was also spent opening presents and talking (okay listening) to family on the phone and computer. Drew and I got the kids a kitchen and so far they LOVE it! They also got a picnic table from my sister, cool chairs with their names on them from Mimo and Aunt Anna, a t-ball set, aquadoodle, and clothes from Grandbob and Suzette, play food for the kitchen from Uncle Ed, Jamie, Molly and Corbyn, and lots of great clothes from many other people.

Saturday was the day of their birthday party. Because of changing plans and sickness from our friends and their kids, we ended up with a small family party. It turned out nice though and the kids had a great time. They didn't have a clue that their friends weren't able to come.

We had a monkey birthday party for the kids. We had a monkey invitation and it said, "Monkey See, Monkey Do, Lindy and Will are turning 2!" It was perfect for them since they copy each other all the time. We had monkey plates, cups, and napkins. Drew and I made a monkey bean bag toss game. We drew and painted a monkey. I made monkey material bean bags for the game. I even had a monkey pinata but we didn't end up using it since there were no kids. We had pizza for dinner and monkey cupcakes and chocolate covered bananas for dessert. The kids ate pizza for the first time ever and seemed to enjoy it, even though it took them a long time to chew up the crust. They really loved their cupcakes! Just as she did on Thursday evening, Lindy made a mess of the cupcake and herself. Will on the other hand ate his quite deliberatly and therefore stayed pretty neat and clean. A big difference between the two! Lindy enjoyed swinging and playing with her cousin Molly and aunt Anna. Will enjoyed playing t-ball and running wildly through the yard. You can definitely tell when Little Man eats sugar!

We hope the kids had a wonderful second birthday. Drew and I had fun celebrating with them. I still can't believe they are 2!

7/30/09

7/30/09
It's our 2nd birthday!

Happy Birthday Lindy and Will!

The kids love the phone that came with the kitchen.

Listening to one of the many well wishers who called on Thursday.

Lunch at BWW.

Their first carousel ride!

Whenever he would see me he'd throw up his hand and yell "Hi!"

Talking to Hayley and Aunt Amy on the computer.

Opening presents and talking to Nana and Papa on the computer.

He was saying, "MMMMM" in this picture!

Messy girl!

Drew and his birthday kids.

Me and my birthday kids.

Hey, what's that?

We love our new table!

The kids in their birthday party outfits!

Jamie and Molly

Janice and Lindy

Will

Lindy

Lindy, Will and Mimo

Aunt Joan and Uncle Curtis

The dessert table. We lit our candle for Adam.

The monkey cupcakes!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Lindy, Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Will, happy birthday to you!

Lindy knows how to enjoy a cupcake!

He finally got a little messy on his face.

Do you think they had fun?

Sitting in their cool new chairs!

"Hey, what's that say back there?"

Relaxing after opening some presents.

Grandbob teaching Will how to hit the ball.

He really liked his new toy!

Lindy and Aunt Anna

Lindy swinging and looking cool with Molly.

Mimo and Lindy

Drew playing the bean bag toss. (Which by the way, I won!! I got one in from the farthest distance!)

Our little family.