I promise I haven't quite given up on the blog - I just can't seem to keep up!
The weekend before Thanksgiving, one of Josh's vendors inviting him to New York City for a 2 day conference. We had some airline tickets that we needed to use in the coming months, so the kids and I tagged along and we turned the trip into a long weekend visit. We flew in early on a Thursday morning - it was a little chaotic, as Bear and I were on a different airline than Lily and Josh, but we met up in New York and rode together into Manhattan.
As soon as we got checked in (we stayed in Times Square at the Marriott Marquis - AMAZING!!), Josh had to head off to his conference. It was rainy and very cold, but the kids and I braved a bit of sightseeing in Times Square. We loved the huge Disney Store and spent over a hour in there looking at all the fun items. We then headed to the M&M store and Hershey store for a quick snack before going back to the room for naps.
Bear and Lily in front of the M&M dispensers - so many colors to pick from.
Helping make some Hershey kisses
I have a similar picture of Josh holding the huge Hershey syrup bottle - my boys love them some chocolate milk!
Daddy got done working while we were napping and we headed out for a night time tour of Times Square.
The huge ToysRUs was our first stop - the kids had been begging to go that afternoon, but I wanted Josh to get to be there for that. The kids were absolutely amazed by the toy story. They loved the Ferris wheel inside the store, so of course, we had to ride it!
Bear has gotten really into super heroes recently - he loved spotting SuperMan from the Ferris wheel ride.
We did a bit more sightseeing, had dinner, and then called it a day!
On day 2, Josh was up bright and early to finish the conference. Lily, Bear and I bundled up and headed towards Rockefeller Center. We waited and got tickets for a 5pm show that night of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and then watched the ice skaters at Rockefeller Center. We stumbled across a Legoland store which had the most amazing Lego creations. Here is Bear and Lily checking out the Rockefeller Center replica.
Since we took our trip so close to Bear's birthday, we skipped having a big birthday party this year and let him pick out some extra things while in New York. He had gotten a few things at ToysRUs the night before, but loved his first Lego set he picked out too!
After leaving LegoLand, we walked - and walked - and walked, to 34th Street to the big Macy's. The kids were troopers, especially Lily. She loved the atmosphere and hardly complained at all! Bear got a little sluggish towards the end, but I was so proud of them both. Along the way, we got to see lots of store windows decked out for Christmas.
We were meeting a friend for lunch at Macy's, so while waiting, we took advantage of a Letters to Santa station and wrote some quick notes to send to the North Pole!
We had lunch - after going to every floor via the escalator, and then took a cab back to the hotel (one of the highlights of Bear's trip). I struggled to get the kids to take a quick nap, as we had a busy afternoon and evening still awaiting us. Once Josh was done working, we got dressed and went to see the Empire State Building. The line was a bit long and the usher offered a group of us to climb the remaining 6 flights to the top. Let's just say we have a new appreciation for the brave firefighters who carried grown mean out of the Twin Towers - we struggled carrying a 5 and almost 3 year old up the steep flights of stairs.
The view was worth the workout though - it was a clear afternoon and we could see a ton more than when I went before.
Once we finished at the Empire State Building, we hailed a cab (or so we thought - black town cars are much more expensive than yellow cabs :) ) and headed to Radio City Music Hall.
Lily, her doll Elizabeth, and Daddy in line for the show.
Bear trying out his 3D glasses before the show - he lasted through 2 or 3 acts and then fell asleep! So thankful that I had gotten a discount on our tickets, so his was technically "free".
Lily and Elizabeth - Lily loved the show. She was
mesmerized by the
Rockettes and was so disappointed when she realized Bear missed the big Nativity finale!
One of the few pics that turned out - no flash and my amateur camera skills weren't a good combination.
The amazing Nativity finale! Though I'd seen it before, it brought tears to my eyes again! Such a great way to kick off the Christmas season and the celebration of our Savior's birth!
Bear woke up once the show was over and enjoyed a birthday dinner at Johnny's. The waitstaff even sang to him when they brought out the huge slice of cheesecake he wanted!
We had Daddy all day on Saturday - no more conference. We walked toward 5th Avenue, making a quick stop for him to see Rockefeller Center.
The big Christmas tree was up, but not yet lit! I couldn't believe all the scaffolding required to decorate the tree. It is massive!
Bear strolled down 5th Avenue on Daddy's shoulders...he was not excited about the day, but rather wanted to stay in the hotel and "play". Riding on Daddy's shoulders was the only way we could get him to cooperate.
We had a quick breakfast and then waited on
FAO Schwarz to open. We were actually there when the toy soldiers unlocked the door and all the employees were lined up singing and cheering - it was a great memory!
Bear perked up once in the store - he loved all the stuffed animals. We finally convinced him to pick just one, but I think he would have brought home a zoo if we had let him!
Posing in the colorful candy store
Lily and one of the toy soldiers
After window shopping up 5th Avenue, we made our way back to the American Girl Place. Lily was so excited to go and was planning to just get Elizabeth's hair done and pick out a new outfit for her.
After seeing the pure joy on her face, Daddy happily told her she could pick out a new doll too! Sweet girl was so excited! Bear and Daddy headed back to the room to "play" while we got Elizabeth's makeover done and picked out a new doll to bring home!
Watching Elizabeth's stylist braid her hair.
Pretty girls!
Lily picked out a new doll - one that looks like her with short brown hair. She is loving having 2 best doll friends now! We spent the rest of Saturday resting, taking one last walk through Times Square for souvenirs and had dinner at our hotel. Our trip was such fun and full of memories that we will always cherish! Lily is definitely a "city" girl just like her daddy and I can just see Daddy/Daughter trips to New York in Josh's future!
