That's entertainment!

Apparently the coolest thing we could do this afternoon is balance everything on my arm

NYC Day 2 - Part 2

Well, NYC caught up with us after less than 24 hours and we all had naps (or at least a good rest) to recover from the fun of the morning. Jack took a great nap and I snuck out a bit early to meet up with Pedro, my friend from high school who I hadn't seen in a decade. And so resumed the adventure...

Mercifully, Pedro met me in Times Square because I was on my way in the absolute wrong direction on my own until he called and told me to stop walking and he would find me. It was blazing hot so we stopped for an iced tea at Starbucks only to hear they were out of ice. That happens?! So we found a smoothie place, got a seat, and started catching up. After a while we decided to head towards Central Park and got maybe half a block down the street when I realized I didn't have my purse. We headed back only to find that someone had picked up my purse, asked one other person if it was hers, and then left with it. Awesome. I sent Matt a quick text and then started to call to cancel my cards. The call to Bank of America took forever and truthfully, it had me more frustrated than losing my purse. Matt called and texted several times while I was getting the run-around and I assumed he was afraid I had been mugged or something. Except... the guy who left with my purse found my hotel key, called the hotel, gave them the name from my ID and was connected to Matt. He was nearby at a bar and wouldn't even let me pay for his lunch when I got my purse back. Pedro said, "We ALWAYS have a story." And he was right.

Matt and a well-rested Jack met up with us and we headed to Central Park. First, we stopped at Columbus Circle to play in the fountain. Jack was quite happy to splash and pick up the change and redistribute it throughout the fountain.

This is why we always have extra clothes in the diaper bag. Always.

After a wardrobe change, we headed to Central Park to see some of the high points. Pedro was an excellent tour guide and ultimately led us to Strawberry Fields. Jack caught the eye of one of the musicians there who sang him a wonderful medley of Beatles songs with his name worked in several times. We were fans. 

Note Matt reaching into my purse for the returned-to-me cash as a tip.

Pedro guided us back towards the craziness that is Times Square before heading off to his dinner plans. The timing was perfect as Greg had just gotten off his train and checked into his nearby hotel. We met up and headed out to find a spot for dinner.

Stilling smiling!

Apparently this bar is what the bar in How I Met Your Mother is based on.

Finding our dinner spot was a little difficult as there are roughly 18-billion places to eat in NYC. We read many menus through windows, walked into a few places without decent (or any) A/C and walked right back out, and eded up at a lovely little Italian place.

This brings me to a side-note about the trip. Jack, who is normally a really good eater, really didn't eat very much on this trip. Even his usual stand-bys when we go out - scrambled eggs, toast, noodles with butter, chicken - were not appealing to him. (Note: fries retained their place as best special treat food of all time.) Thank goodness for pouches of puréed organic fruits and veggies and goldfish crackers.

So with (at least some) dinner in our bellies we walked back to Times Square and settled in for the night. We had a very big day ahead of us!

NYC Day 1

Yesterday was about getting here and getting settled. Jack did amazing on the airplane even with delays on the Tarmac before take off AND after landing. 

Packing up

Security was a breeze

Airplane! Biiiiiiiiiig airplane!

Waiting for permission from the air traffic folks to take off. Minute 25. God bless Steve Jobs' soul. 

Mommy lost her seat!

The time stamp on this picture is about 11:20pm. He hadn't slept at all by this point. Not on the plane, or the hour ride in the car service to the hotel, or waiting to get into our room. Thank goodness for an awesome nap before we left and a pretty solid bedtime routine because we got as close to we could to an abbreviated routine and out he went.

Today the top priority is getting in a great nap. But since we're in the middle of everything here, we will be seeing some sights!

And in case you don't know why we're here in general, Jack and I will be on Fox and Friends Sunday morning for a live interview and demonstration in an above ground pool outside the Fox Studios in NYC!

Day 2 - Part 1

After a short but good night's sleep, we headed out into the city to see what we could find. 

First, a few business calls.

The 30 Rock theme song has been stuck in my head since this photo.

We met Carson Daly (kind of) at the Today Show.

Just for fun.

We found the studio for our shoot tomorrow.

And then Bryant Park for a snack and some free time to run around.

Hey! Our kid found water. Shocker!

Views

We went into the NY Library and they had a children's books exhibit including a Goodnight Moon section. "Mush? Mush!"

And a car from a book we didn't know.

Next we headed back to Times Square and stopped at Toys R Us. 

Then, lunch at Guy American.

And now? Now we are back at the hotel (on the left just past the Kodak sign) for nap time!

Stories

If you've stayed at our house even once in the last almost two years, chances are you have been involved in story time. It looks a little different now that Jack likes to read to you instead of you reading to him. Here's a glimpse: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnEMzfR-GuY 

Photos photos photos

The last few weeks have been busy and left less time than normal for updates (if that's even possible). Here's a bit of what we've been up to lately.

This trip to Restoration Hardware resulted in 20 minutes of his saying, "Airplane? Airplane! Biiiiiiig airplane!"

Morning snuggles and movie time

Serious grocery shopping

Simply reading was not enough of a challenge

Piano time with Lily

Loves his penguin

Family time at the beach

Happy 4th

Yesterday was Jack's second time celebrating Independence Day and the first time he was really old enough to enjoy things lit on fire without worry that he would immediately try to put said things in his mouth. Naturally, this meant it was time for sparklers. I picked up some Morning Glories at the store and we had a perfectly-timed excursion to the back porch. Matt lit one sparkler to show Jack how to hold it and then we let him try - he loved it!

And video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTXPLvd-TAM