NYC!

It probably goes without saying that we had an amazing time in New York.  Plans were a little uncertain up until the last minute (with my grandma in the hospital) but my mom, my sisters and I were all able to enjoy four days together in the Big Apple! And grandma even got to come home from the hospital while we were away and she's doing great!

For my own sake, I'd love to write about every single thing we did and post every single picture.  But for your sake and the sake of time, I'll post a few highlights.


It was a little early but we were ready to go!

I hope we can make this trip (new location, same people) an annual thing. 

Landed in NYC, hotel found, ready to explore!

Rockerfeller Center.

Don't even get me started on all the famous people we saw. ;) Ok, so we didn't see anyone famous.  But we did go to a few of their restaurants. We saw Morimoto's restaurant, ate at Guy Fieri's restaurant, saw the Cake Boss Cafe...so fun.

We got a little goofy after a long walk through Central Park.  It was so pretty and the weather was so nice we just kept walking and walking. 

We determined that all subways in Europe were far superior to the one in NYC. I had an easier time navigating them in a foreign language than in English! 

We ate Mexican food because that's just what we do when we're without the husbands.  

Times Square at night!

We ate the.best.pizza at this cute little spot that near the Brooklyn Bridge. 

Face time with Brooklyn on the Brooklyn Bridge!

Most knowledgeable tour guide ever.

We heart the Chrysler Building.  

It was Pride weekend while we were there.  And the Empire State building even dressed up for it!

Can you even? Tam snapped this gem from the top of our night tour bus.  

I made it a point to eat everything New York-ish while we were there.  Bagel, pizza, cheesecake- yum! I had my eye on a Cronut, too but wasn't about to waste precious site-seeing time waiting in line. 

Boat tour!

Here's a fun fact about me.  I don't love heights.  Flying scares the heck out of me and going to the top of the Empire State Building was plenty nerve-wracking. But the view was totally worth it!

Last morning...ready to go home and see our kiddos! And husbands!

Before we left town we saw some guys practicing their flag routine for the Pride Parade.  Would have loved to have been able to watch the parade and see them in action. 

Home sweet home! My dad is the one who sent us on the trip (what a fantastic Christmas gift) and he's the one who dropped us off and picked us up at the airport.  What a guy.  I couldn't have asked for a better trip with better ladies! 

In short, our trip was perfect.  The weather couldn't have been better. Name something famous in NY and we saw it.  Seriously.  Try me.  Brooklyn Bridge? Yup.  Central Park? Check.  Empire State Building? Statue of Liberty? Chelsea Market? Check, check, check. I even successfully hailed a taxi.  I couldn't begin to list everything we saw but here's a few more: Grand Central Station, Yankee Stadium, we rode the subway (and lived to tell about it), Wall Street, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the World Trade Center, Highline Park, we bought food from street vendor trucks, and spent as much time as possible in our beloved Bryant Park.

It was great to go, and great to get home.  Kent got along just fine with the kids while I was away and certainly appreciated help from his family.

What a great trip!

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful none of the kids have noticed that our fish are gone.  For like a week.  We are not pet people.

I'm thankful that it finally feels like summer.  After some berry picking, pie making, trips to the pools and a fun night out at the ball fields, I feel like we are making the most of our time!!

I'm thankful Kase returned after escaping from the house twice yesterday.  He was watching TV with the other two while I put laundry away and I came downstairs to find him...in the driveway.  EEEEEK!

I'm thankfully headed to NYC!!!

Weekend Wrap-Up

It's been a crazy summer, you guys.

Kael's been in the hospital and we have had tons of doctor's appointments, my grandma's been in the hospital, Kent has been insanely busy with work and All Star Little League stuff. 

Imagine my elation when my dad invited us to join him in the Dells for a quick weekend trip.  Kael had a party for a friend Friday night, but Kylee, Kase and I were free so Friday morning, I loaded up the car and took off! I was a little worried how the five hour trip would go but Kylee was such a helper, handing Kase toys and snacks along the way. Kent and Kael then joined us the next morning.  Was it a little foolish to have two cars on vacation? Yes.  Was it totally worth it? You bet.

I didn't bring along my big camera, so here's a few phone pictures.  We fit in all of the things I consider a "must do" while in the Dells.  We did water parks, go karts, saw the water ski show and rode the Duck.  So fun!

Kylee was worried that if she lost these two teeth while were away, the Tooth Fairy would have a hard time finding her. However, the teeth continue to hang on by a thread!

Both of my big kids LOVED this ride. 

My little daredevil.



Kase was so happy that he could swim "by himself" (with the help of a life jacket).



The water ski show was amazing.  Kael was laughing harder than I've ever heard him laugh before!







Kylee had a Shirley Temple with lunch and immediately became obsessed with knowing anything and everything about Shirley Temple.




The kids would have had fun just staying at the hotel! I must admit, the Kalahari was pretty amazing.  Kase particularly loved the live baby tigers that were in the lobby each day!



Play hard, sleep hard.



We all enjoyed riding the Duck.

I love it that Kael and Kylee are big enough to do several of the big waterslides on their own!

A weekend getaway was just what we needed.  Now, back to the daily grind! 

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful Kylee is enjoying volleyball camp.

I'm thankful blood work came back for Kael with the results we were hoping for.  Finally!

I'm thankful Kent loves the flag we gave him for Father's Day.  Just in time for the World Cup, too!

I'm thankful for flips in the jumpy house.

I'm thankful for popsicle season.

I'm thankful for fun at Ankeny Unplugged with friends.

I'm thankful for fancy fans and high heels.

I'm thankful every.single.year for the library reading and DQ logs.

I'm thankful it's been warm enough to have some water fun!

I'm thankful to be going away for the weekend.  A last minute opportunity popped up for us to take a short weekend trip and I couldn't be more excited.