Matty Takes Manhattan

Matty and I went to NYC with Grandma for a couple days earlier this week!  It was Matty's first time there, and he loved it!  What's not to love?  New York at Christmas time is one of my favorite places in the world.  Not only was it his first trip to the Big Apple, but it was also his first ride on Amtrak which was almost as exciting as the trip itself. 

While in New York, we shopped (a lot), visited Rockefeller Center, rode a ferris wheel, saw the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and lots more.  We were all exhausted by the time we got home, but it was all worth it.  There were a lot of great memories made :)

We stayed in a hotel right in Times Square!  Matty loved all the lights!

Riding in the Toy Story car on the huge ferris wheel inside Toys R Us...

Matchbox car mania!  Matty was quite impressed by their selection of cars!

Matty got a pack of NYPD and FDNY emergency vehicles which he carried around with him for the rest of our trip.  We had an emergency on our table for each meal that we ate!

He couldn't wait to go to the Lego store - of course we had to buy something!  It was such a neat store...

Back at the hotel with his emergency vehicles and Lego people...

Matty and Gracndma with the "homeless" santas who probably make more $$ than we do.  Their stockings were full of cash...

At Radio Cuty getting ready for the show.  He LOVED it.  I have seen it many times, but this was by far the best for me.  Getting to see my little boy's face when he saw the "Santa Dance Party" and the Rockettes on stage was awesome!

Playing emergency vehicles in Times Square with Grandma...

Thank you, Grandma, for a wonderful trip! 

Matty's Christmas Concert

Matty's preschool had their Christmas Concert today!  It was the cutest thing ever!  I loved watching all the kids expressions, and they all did really great.  This was a new thing for Matty, so he was a tad bit shy.  He did great though!  His class sung Frosty the Snowman and Jingle Bells.

I love their expressions :)  They are 4, 3, and 2 year olds. 

Gracie Girl was so excited to see Matty!

Hi Santa!

We had such a busy weekend - packed with all kinds of Christmas fun!  Friday night we went to Longwood Gardens which is always a treat this time of year!  Saturday we decorated the outside of our house with lots of lights.  And today we put up our tree and visited Santa! 

I was sure the Santa visit would be a complete disaster.  Everytime I have taken the kids to the mall since Santa arrived (before Thanksgiving!), we visited him.  I always tried to get the kids to talk to him or say hi, but they backed away each time, hiding behind me.  I was prepared for the worst, but determined to get a picture to add to our collection.  While in line, Matty was hiding his face in Mike's shoulder and Gracie was enthusiastically waving to Santa.  She kept trying to run in front of other kids in line - I was shocked how excited she was to see the big guy! 

Basically, the kids totally tricked us - Matty happily jumped on Santa's lap and smiled for the pictures (a first for him).  And Gracie lost it.  At first she just looked at me, waiting for me to come get her.  When she realized I was not coming right that second, she freaked. 

Oh well, I still love the pictures and Gracie recovered very quickly and was waving to him on our way out the door :)

DIY Christmas Card Pictures

Until recently, trying to take a picture of Matty and Gracie together has been extremely difficult and frustrating.  They didn't look at the camera or smile at the same time, someone had a look of disgust on their face, or they started to run off before I could click the button.  But lately they have been really fun to take pictures of!  I guess after years of torture they are finally starting to like having their picture taken!  Matty even asked for a camera for Christmas!  So this turn of events made this year's Christmas card photo day much less frustrating than past years.  It was actually a lot of fun!  I think we got some good pictures that show their fun personalities!

While not the best picture, I had to include this one.  Her facial expression is so typical Gracie :)

Happy Thanksgiving 2011!

We spent our Thanksgiving at Nanny and Pa's house enjoying our family and good food.  We really have so many things to be grateful for that I don't think I could ever name them all.  But most of all, we are so thankful for our Matty and Gracie.  They makes us laugh and smile all day long and bring so much joy with their sweet little faces.