Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Merry (late) Christmas and a Happy New Year! I really cannot believe the year is over already. It seems like yesterday that I was celebrating last year, counting down to Connor's arrival. And now here we are again and he is about to be one. Time is going by way too fast.

This has not been the easiest year for our family. However, I am truly grateful for all the wonderful blessings in our lives. I am so grateful for my family, for my three sweet children and husband. And while Glen losing his job has been a struggle for me, I'm very thankful that he already had a part time job and they've given him as many hours as possible while we look for new employment. I'm so grateful for wonderful doctors that have helped us with Connor and Rachel's constant health problems this year. It is humbling to me to think that 100 years ago I could have lost two of my children.

I am so grateful for my knowledge of the atonement, for the plan of salvation and the love of a kind Heavenly Father. We are all so blessed.

I wish you all a very happy and healthy new year!

Nostalgia

I don't think I'm very old. I certainly don't feel very old. But tonight I felt old. Tonight in the car, the girls were asking me questions about my childhood. Kate cannot believe I didn't have a Wii as a kid (I didn't want to explain the Atari to her), a home computer, or cell phones. Then all the questions came...did you have cars back then? did you have electricity? how did you ever talk to people without email? how come the phones had to be plugged into the wall?

I told her we had the important things, a car, a tv and electricity. Trying to explain 35mm cameras to them though didn't work. Kate can't understand how you couldn't see your pictures on the back of the camera and have to wait until they are printed to see them.

It was a very funny conversation and made me grateful for all the advancements that have occurred in my short lifetime. I only wonder what they will get to explain to their kids!

Big Trip to NYC

Outside of Macys

Connor and Grammy at McD

Kate and Rach outside of the Today Show

Connor passed out at the deli (notice his bare foot propped up)

Glen and the girls with a policeman

Big Trip to NYC

The Ferris Wheel at Toys R Us

Glen and Rach at M&M World

Radio City


Times Square

So much has happened in a month and I've been a total blog slacker. If I could have a super power, it would be to pause time so I could get everything done on my to do list. Yes, I'm a huge fan of my to do list.

Last Monday our family had a huge adventure. I made my maiden voyage to New York City (or if you live in the NE, we just call it "The City"). We've lived here for 5 years this month and I'm sad to say this is my first real trip to the city. We all had a blast. I even drove! I figure I've driven all around Chicago and DC, why not NY? My good friends gave me excellent directions to a cheap parking garage and off we went. We parked right near Times Square and got to see all the lights and excitement of the city. Kate and I wanted to see Rockefeller Plaza where the Today Show is filmed. Sadly we were stuck in morning rush hour traffic and got there just as everyone was going back into the building for the last time. Bummer. Next we saw the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. It was amazing! I want to be a rockette. I'm so glad we went. Connor was an angel; he fell asleep just before the show and slept the entire 90 minutes. It was extremely loud so I'm not sure how he did it, but thankfully he did. The girls and I were in awe. Santa was in the show too. Very cool.


When we came out of the theater, it was pouring down rain, really pouring. Glen, sweet Glen, hunched over the stroller with an umbrella trying to shelter Connor from the rain. I couldn't believe that instantly, every corner had a street vendor selling umbrellas. It was fun to see. Fortunately we brought our own and didn't have to pay an arm and a leg for one.

The rest of the afternoon we spent in Times Square. Glen, not surprisingly was enthralled with M&M World. He could live there and be a happy camper. We spent so much time in M&M World that we didn't get to go to the Hershey store. Next was Toys R Us. I found it funny that we came to the city just to go to Toys R Us. The girls kept telling me it was a special store though, not like what we have here. It did have a huge ferris wheel in the center that they got to ride. One of the cars on the ferris wheel was Buzz Lightyear themed. I was so hoping that they'd get to ride in that one since Kate is such a huge Buzz fan. They were one off. They got to ride in one of the Little Tikes toddler cars (the kind I wanted so much as a kid).

All in all it was great. I was thinking of food, as usual, and really wanted to eat at a NY deli (yumm, deli sandwiches). We found a great deli by Macys and had sandwiches on the way home. It was one of the best sandwiches of my life! Oh the turkey was shaved so thin and was moist. I'm sure I'll be thinking of that sandwich for many days to come. I'll just have to plan another trip!