Of course, living in New York, I just had to take Connor to go see the infamous Santa at Macy's on 34th street. I went on a weekday morning, so we didn't wait in line long at all - probably only 25 minutes at the most. It was a wonderful outing, and I enjoyed it just as much as Connor did ...
The Macy's store on 34th ... across the street from Herald Square ...
Connor absolutely loved watching the window displays out in front of Macy's. His favorite window was the "dancing mommies" ... that is what he called the fantasmical figurines in the windows. We even had to go back after seeing Santa so that he could have another look - that's how much he loved it ... Connor could have watched their displays forever ...
His face as he watched the "dancing mommies" in the Macy's window displays ...
Waiting in line to see Santa was so amazing. It starts out entering on a "train," where the children take a "ride" to the North Pole Village. We then "arrived" to the North Pole and walked through such beautiful decorations - toys, snow, reindeer, Santa's sleigh, Christmas trees, and even toy trains - Connor absolutely LOVED it ...
And the final thing to see at the end of the line ... SANTA! ...
Connor was super shy, and after we left, he kept yelling with excitement, "Santa! Dino-Train! Presents!" ... I think he is excited for Santa to come and bring him some toys for Christmas! I know I can't wait to see his face Christmas morning ...
This past year has been a whirlwind of change and new adventures. Nate started working as an auditor for PWC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) last June in New York City. We have left "spacious" Colorado and now live at the top of the Manhattan Island, in a neighborhood called Inwood. Although we have missed friends and family back in Colorado/Utah, we have found good friends here and have adapted well to the many changes that come with living in this big city (i.e. no car, the humidity, loud noises from the street, a tiny apartment, etc). It was definitely an adjustment! Nate has loved his job and to be working in the city - right in the midst of mid-town Manhattan - near Grand Central and Bryant Park. As for myself and Connor, it is easy to stay busy with so much to do in the city. I have also loved seeing the many sights - Central Park being a favorite of mine. I'm also thankful to be living so close to the Hudson River and other parks surrounding it - our walks are absolutely breathtaking with all the foliage. Connor is a "New Yorker" at heart. It was like he was born to live here. He is now two years old and loves to be as independent as possible - walking on the sidewalks and not wanting to hold my hand, sitting in his own seat on the subway, and even thinking he can push the buttons on the elevator himself. He definitely knows how to get around the city - just as well as I do. We have so much to be grateful for and are truly blessed this Holiday Season.
Although we haven't had any snow other than one fluke storm back in October, it still definitely feels like Christmas time here in New York. My sister-in-law, Kristen, came to visit for a couple of days and I had so much fun showing her some of the sights - especially during this time of year ...
Something I've loved seeing around the city is ... Christmas trees! They sell trees on almost every block - right on the sidewalks. I love walking through a bundle of trees and smelling the pine. I grew up always having a "real Christmas tree," so it brings back memories of home ...
Connor and me in front of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree ...
There were some fun Christmas decorations out by the Rockefeller center - huge Christmas lights - Connor loved it all ...
Kristen and me ... we were expecting cold weather, but instead got mid-60s, rainy, and very humid! ... That didn't stop us from having fun though! ...
One of my favorites ... the HUGE ornaments in the fountain ...
This was Connor's favorite, of course .... Choo! Choo! ...
The Rockefeller Building - so pretty against the dark gray sky ...
For a brief moment, I felt like I was at Temple Square in Utah ... or at the Botanical Gardens in Colorado ... I love the "twinkle lights," as Connor would call them ...
Kristen was so sweet and bought Connor a "Sock Monkey" hat. He looks absolutely adorable in it ... "thanks, Auntie Kristen!" ...
Connor can't wait for Christmas ... and neither can I ... walking around in New York City during Christmas time is magical, and it gets me so excited for this wonderful Holiday!
Happy Thanksgiving! ... We enjoyed our day with first, heading off to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade that runs along Central Park West all the way down to Macy's on 34th street. It wasn't too cold, but very crowded. Connor loved seeing all the balloons though (that's about all we could see from where we were standing) ...
After the parade, we then headed over to my friend's sister's house that afternoon for a Thanksgiving feast! It was absolutely delicious and we had such a fun time as a family and with friends ...
The view from her apartment ... absolutely gorgeous ... you can see Central Park down below and the skyline of buildings is a nice touch ...
We then took a walk in Central Park in-between eating our meal and giving some time for our tummies to settle before we ate pie for dessert ...
Me and my friend, Ann Marie - she lives in D.C. - it was so fun to get together and catch up!
Connor was obsessed with sticks the whole time we went on our walk. He loved to find a stick, mull it around in the leaves, drop it or throw it, and then find another stick five steps later ...
Our Thanksgiving couldn't have been more perfect! We have so much to be thankful for!
October was filled with many fun Fall and Halloween activities. We didn't even accomplish half of the things I wanted to do and explore in New York, but October was still very busy ...
Going to the pumpkin patch at Lawrence Farms (Newburgh, NY) ...
Connor loved picking out his pumpkins ...
Taking in the pretty colored leaves on the drive home ... we rented a car for the day and it was well worth it ...
We also stopped in Sleepy Hollow - a cute little town that I wouldn't mind moving to ...
It was all decked out with the "Headless Horseman" everywhere ...
We also went to "Boo at the Zoo" at the Bronx Zoo another day. Connor got to dress up in his cow costume and he had so much fun running around, climbing in and out of things, and looking at some of the animals ...
He also showed the most interest in a stick he found. He had to stop and play in the dirt with it every five seconds ...
Another weekend we went to "The Blaze," which is a really cool event they put on every year in Tarrytown (by Sleepy Hollow). They carve thousands of pumpkins and make cool sculptures and and jack-o-lanterns out of them all. Connor was very excited to go and to especially ride the train ...
One of my favorites was seeing all the pumpkins with cool designs in them - it reminded me of "henna art" ...
These pumpkins were put together to make a dinosaur ...
Connor loved looking at the jack-o-lanterns and Nate loved showing Connor all the cool designs ...
Another weekend we had our ward Halloween party. It was also the first day we had snow in New York. This picture shows the beginnings of the snow, on our way to the church building, and by the time we left the party, there was snow and slush EVERYWHERE ... It made it not very fun at all to walk home in ...
Mommy Cow and Baby Calf ...
Connor had fun with his friends and here he is sharing his treats with his fellow farm animal friend ...
On Halloween night, we ventured out to 69th street, where they block off the street and decorate their buildings and throw a big trick-or-treating frenzy. Connor especially loved it because he got to go on the subway. Here he is waiting for the train ...
"I'm happy 'cause I got treats in my pumpkin bucket AND I'm riding the train..."
But by the end of the night, Connor was ready to be done with trick-or-treating. "I'm tired!" ... Thanks October, for giving us so many fun-filled things to do as a family!
So, awhile back Connor really got into any show that had "Fireman Sam" in it. He fell in love with fire trucks and anything having to do with them - especially now that we live in New York and you hear a fire truck almost every five minutes ...
Last Christmas, Connor also got a toy fire truck from his great-grandma Hayes, which he literally has to have up on the table every morning while he eats his breakfast. Can I just say ... obsessed ... maybe? ... He also calls the fireman that comes with the truck, "fireneenat," which stands for "Fireman Sam."
Connor drinks from a water bottle every day that has a fire truck on it. Whenever he wants to quench his thirst, this is what I hear ... "eeeee-oooooo-eeeeee-ooooo" ... don't really know how to "spell out" a fire truck siren, but yeah, that's what he does ....
So today, when I was at Payless Shoe Stores, getting Connor some new shoes, I came across these "one-of-a-kind" firemen boots. It was raining quite heavily today, so I thought, "these might actually come in handy." So I bought them, thinking that the boots would both serve a purpose and make my little boy very happy ... as you can see ...
So I just was planning on buying the boots at Payless, but when I went to Target afterwards, and saw THIS (see below) in the costume section, I just couldn't resist. Now Connor's got the whole ensemble to be his very own "Fireman Sam" and he is happy as could be. He had a major tantrum when I made him take his boots off for his nap. Right now, he's a fireman through and through, and I think I can justify the purchase by saying he's got a great rain slicker, hat and boots now for Fall! ...
Today was Connor's birthday and we got to celebrate as a family. We took the subway train to Central Park and took Connor to Victorian Gardens - a little amusement park for kids right in the midst of Central Park ... The scenic view alone was well worth the trip ... Connor loved going on all the rides - they were made specifically for his age group and he had a blast. I, on the other hand, got a little sick and dizzy from all the spinning and twirling - I think every single ride went in some kind of circle ... Connor's favorite ride was the one where he could drive the truck with his very own steering wheel. He went on it seven times! It was also a very valuable lesson to learn how to wait your turn and wait in line every time he wanted to go on it again ... Connor also got to experience Cotton Candy for the first time. This was his first bite, and as you can see, he was a little taken aback from the texture of the feathery and light treat ... This was his second bite ... he opened his mouth even wider so as to not feel the ticklish sensation of the candy. I think he really liked it once it dissolved a bit in the mouth though, because he kept asking for more ... Later that day, we then celebrated with singing "Happy Birthday" to him and opening presents. Don't judge me for not making a cake. We went with cheap and simple, since I knew for SURE that he wouldn't eat it anyway. He doesn't really like cake at this point in time, so I wasn't going to go through the effort of making a cake if no one was going to eat it! We still got the same outcome - an adorable picture of my now-2-yr.-old-son with two candles in the picture ... Here is the footage of him blowing out his candles if you care to see it. He has always been a little "tentative" of the whole birthday shin-dig ... the singing, the fire, the blowing, the clapping, etc. So if you can't tell when you watch the clip, yes ... he's a little scared ...
Then it was time for the presents, and this was definitely Connor's favorite when we had him run in the room and see what gifts were waiting for him ... Thanks to Grandmas and Grandpas, Connor also got a few more gifts in the mix ... I know Connor can't wait to take this baby outside for a spin! He is all set ... I loved it this time around, because I didn't have to help Connor open his presents at all! He took is lovely time doing it, but at least he can do it all on his own. Rip ... pause ... look ... rip ... rip ... And twenty minutes later ... :) ... a police car that makes the police car sounds! Just what I wanted ... and what Mommy wanted? Not really, but hey, I think I can put up with the annoying sounds as long as the kid is happy ... Another fun toy Connor got for his birthday ... and you can see that his helmet is on. He wore that helmet for the duration of the rest of the night. I'm glad he likes it because he looks absolutely adorable wearing it ... Reading Thomas the Train books that Grandma Jorgensen sent us ... Thanks Grandma! And another bike picture just because he won't get off the thing. He loves this bike so much ... He has wanted one of his own for awhile now ... Happy Birthday Connor! Mom and Dad love you so much and we are so happy to have you in our lives! You are a pure joy ... and now our "pure 2 yr. old joy!"
