Claire's Day

Claire has been planning this day for months. Any time we talk about birthdays she would start her new idea with... "For my Birthday we are going to..." and it was usually followed by something spectacular like having a slumber party at the Plaza. With each of her new ideas I would follow up with, "That would be great!" But in the end we had to come up with something really special for our Princess. So weeks before I asked her where in NY she wanted to celebrate her birthday and she picked Central Park. That was the easy part so we fill the rest of the day in with New York's finest.

First of all Claire wanted to bring Molly, her American Girl Doll, so Molly was Claire constant companion. Not once did Molly need to take a ride in the stroller. Our first stop was to our little red lighthouse. I read that it was going to be open and visitors could climb to the top for a great view.

So up we all climbed. It was a little unnerving to see Lance and Jack lean a little too far over the rail. One by one they admitted to me that they were a little scared and liked the view from the ground better.

The spiral stair case and the great echo made the trip down a treat.

Jack was so excited to finally reach that door that earlier he had tried to squeeze through the gate to get to.

Lance was excited to find more nooks to climb in and to be able to run in circles around the light house.

After a picnic lunch the kids enjoyed climbing on the rocks and watching a few boats pass by.

From there we took the train downtown to 5th and 49th to where little girl's (and Mommy's) dream's come true... The American Girl Doll Store. Claire saved her birthday money and had in mind what she wanted before we entered the store. In the end Molly was dressed in a new birthday dress, and added a swim suite and PJ's to her wardrobe. Claire was so excited and had to change Molly right away!

From there we went to "Crumbs" and everyone chose their favorite sugar rush. Claire chose Cookies and Cream...

Lance Candy....

Jack Carrot....

And Daddy, Chocolate along with a bite of Lance's. Mommy enjoyed a Black and White. We all sat on the grass in Central Park, sang to Claire, and ate 1/4 of our treats to save the rest for breakfast in the morning.

With that much energy we ran off some steam at the playground and in the sprinklers.

Some of us had a sugar melt down and needed to go home.

To top off Claire's day we walked to Gray's Papaya and ate our hot dogs at the 69th Street station. What a great NY birthday. The weather was perfect and the kids enjoyed being in the city. I can't believe that my baby is 6, I am so proud of who she is turning out to be and look forward to exploring with her through many more birthdays.

Monticello

The day following our adventure to Mount Vernon we decided to try one more historical landmark. This time we travel 2 hours from our gracious host's home to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson our 3rd President.

Monticello was build on a hill and means beautiful hill. Touring Monticello had a very different feeling than Mount Vernon. While Mount Vernon was spread wide, Monticello climbs to the sky.

Beautiful trees surround the home, while along the outlining path is Mulberry Row, the slave's homes and shops.

There was a children's center that allowed the kids to explore what life was like in Thomas Jefferson's time. There was a slave home that the kids are able to prepare a meal over a fire.


Lance lounged in a replica of Jefferson's bed. In his home he built this bed in a alcove between his bedroom and his office. That way he was never too far from either.

They also had wooden blocks that we all enjoyed building our own Monticello.


We enjoyed the beautiful gardens. There was a wonderful breeze and we laid on the grass to take in the smell of nature that we don't get very often.

All of three of the kids took off in different directions and explored nature to the fullest.



After a tour of the home the kids enjoyed foot races in true Jefferson fashion. Jefferson would go on the front lawn with his grandchildren and drop a handkerchief to signal the start of the race. Matt used a tissue to start our race and the kids took to be the first to Daddy.

While in the children's center a woman that worked there gave each of our kids a nickle. She explained who was on the coin and that his home was on the back. Jack loves to look at his nickle and tell us all about going to Thomas Jefferson's home.

This was a small pond that Jefferson built in his garden. The reflection of Monticello was breath taking and the kids loved throwing rocks into the water and watching the water ripple.

An amazing part of history that we were able to share with our little family. Jack can still tell you who is on the nickle. The kids watch movies with historic places and figures and talk about being there, I would not miss this for the world. The other day the kids even talked about meeting George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and we teased that they were entertaining Grandpa...we all got a good giggle out of that.

Red, White and NY

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. And like may holidays it means dressing in holiday colors. So bright and early Sunday morning we all dressed in red, white and blue.

After church the celebration started with bright red frosting and sprinkles. We made "funfetti" cupcakes with red and blue dots and went on a sugar rush. Then with hot dogs and fries to top it off, we were off into the city for fireworks.

We took the train to 59th and then walked to 57th all the way west. We found a spot in the middle of the street and spread out our Texas blanket. "Where was Jack?", you may ask...

Where most kids should be at 9:00 at night, asleep in their stroller.

We watched a beautiful sunset across the Hudson River while dripping sweat. It was in the mid 90 and the fireworks were about to start.

A few thousand or our little friends joined our street party. This was a view just to the north of of us. The crowds went from 59th Ave to 12th Ave.

Once the fireworks started Jack was up and the kids were climbing on the police barrier in front of us.

The show was amazing with new fireworks that I had never seen before.

When it was all over we went with ALL of our new friends to the the train... and then took a taxi home. It was a great night, and as Matt says something we never need to do again :)

Mount Vernon

On Tuesday, May 11th, Matt and I packed up our little family and drove to Reston, VA. The Keller's had volunteered to take our kids for the week while Matt and I went on a action packed week in California. The trip to California was a real whirlwind. Seeing family, celebrating my Dad's life and taking in the sights made for a fast paced trip that could not be missed. Without the Keller's, we could not have done it. They are destined for the Celestial Kingdom!

After our California adventures, we decided to slow it down and go sight seeing in Virgina for a bit. First on our list was Mount Vernon, the home of our first President, George Washington. Being married to Matt, I have learned to appreciate history more. And being my parents' daughter, I love a good adventure.

We drove about 45 minutes and arrived at the home of George Washington. The grounds were open for visitors to wander the plantation along with a tour of his home. This was the gate to the garden and his Greenhouse. I felt that I had stepped back in time and I felt the peace and tranquility of my surroundings.

The kids loved wandering through the garden. Looking at the beautiful flowers as well as the crops that were being grown and tended by volunteers. The kids were also given a treasure map with clues that helped them to earn a reward at the end. With the help of our maps and the clues, we all learned a lot.

After a tour of the house that held original artifacts, we rested a spell on the porch and took in the view of the Potomac River.


The kids ran, climbed the gate and picked flowers.



Another favorite game was rolling down the hill. Being that close to history was amazing.

These are the "HAHA walls" that we learned about thanks to our treasure map. George needed a way to keep the cattle in the meadow and not close to the house without a tacky wall. So he built these short walls. The house was on top of the wall and the animals below, and we all know that cows can't climb walls. But if you were playing a game of tag on the house lawn and did not know that the walls were there, you would fall off. Then everyone would laugh at you...hence the "HAHA walls"

Some of us got a little carried away with the name...

What an amazing sight! Thinking of George Washington riding his horse up to this same point to return home from the battlefields, then retiring to his small den to run our newly formed Country. Amazing.

This was a great day to make memories. Claire said over and over again, "I wish I was George Washington's Granddaughter so I could live here". Lance and Jack loved seeing statues of Washington as a solider. Each one of them had their favorite part of Mount Vernon. It was a wonderful experience to bring history to life.