Trip to New York City - April 2009

Tuesday morning of Spring Break we woke the kids up and told them we were going on a trip...they had no idea up to this point. We got in the car and drove to Atlanta to the airport. At that point they realized we were getting on a plane, but still had no idea where we were going. We had to wait a while at the airport after checking in. We watched planes and walked around. Mason and Katie Beth loved going up and down on the escalators on the whole trip. When we got to our gate, that is when they discovered our destination and we started talking about what all we were going to do. They couldn't believe it!

We stayed in a hotel near Time Square, so we walked through there several times. The first night we went to eat very cheesy pizza at John's Pizzeria and then headed to see The Little Mermaid. It was amazing! We were tired from traveling, but all eyes were glued to the stage. Wonderful costumes, singing and drama. They loved it. Then we stopped by Toys R' Us after the show and looked around at all the amazing toys. Everything is in such a large scale. The dinosaur moved and roared every few moments. There were tons of amazing, huge things built from Legos, which Mason thought was really cool.

We had to take the kids on the subway a couple of times to give them that experience. They thought it was pretty cool. We went to the American Museum of Natural History and went to the planetarium show. Then we walked by Central Park so the kids could take a peak. We then started heading up 5th Ave. to walk and look. One of our first stops was FAO Schwarz.

Again, tons of large things made from Legos. They had a great time playing on the gigantic keyboard (in movie "BIG" with Tom Hanks). I loved the Middleton Doll display. It was like the nursery in the hospital and you would adopt one from the nurses. How cool!!! Katie Beth got a stuffed cat that she named Westin (after the hotel we stayed in) and Mason got a new toy called a myachi (sort of like a bean bag toy that you do tricks with).

These couple of pictures show the view from our hotel. Mason ended up getting sick and running a fever, so we spent a little more time in our room than we had originally planned. Greg and Katie Beth had to make a run to the Walgreens in Time Square one morning to pick up an antibiotic for him. He was a trooper though.

We went to see The Lion King one night and this is the only picture we got. There was a window behind us inside the theater and this was in the background across the street. You aren't allowed to take any pictures inside the shows. This show even topped The Little Mermaid. We all loved it and the costumes were even more amazing.

We had to get at least one cab ride in for the experience. This was when we were on our way back to the airport to head home. We had an awesome time and the kids think it is amazing that they have been to New York City.

So This is SNOW!!!

So this is what snow looks like....man, it is cold!!!! Mason and Katie Beth got to see snow for the first time this last week when we made a trip to go skiing in Banner Elk, NC with a group from church. When we first got there, I caught Mason and Katie Beth just looking around soaking it all in.

What's snow without a snow fight! Katie Beth had her first snow fight with Ms. Leslie.

Greg and I had fun together getting to go down the slopes a couple of times together without having to help the kids.

Emerson enjoyed the snow for a little while, but spent most of the day in the lodge.

On the bunny slope learning this whole concept of keeping your balance on basically...ICE.

Mason decided snowboarding was what he wanted to try and he picked it up very well. Mason starting to get the hang of it on the bunny slope.

In line for the chair lift to do the "REAL DEAL".

Mason and KB did so awesome overall. Mason made several runs down the green slope and a few down a blue slope. Katie Beth went down the green slope 4 times and was very proud of herself. Even though we had success by the end of the day, that doesn't mean we didn't have quite a few spills.

After Katie Beth's first time down the green slope which is right behind us.

Mason and Greg on their way up to the top.

Daddy Daughter Dance

Greg and Katie Beth had so much fun at the Daddy/Daughter Dance this year. This is a special night that Katie Beth always looks forward to with her daddy and friends. They went to have a nice dinner at Logan's with some friends. Then they headed to the Civic Center for the big dance. They got pictures taken, purchased t-shirts, drank punch and danced to the music. All the girls looked beautiful!!!

Greg already takes the opportunity every year to let Katie Beth know how she should expect a boy to treat her. This year she said, "Can we stop talking about that?!" Greg said, "No! You need to know how boys are suppose to treat you."

Katie Beth loved the fact that Emerson was a year older and would get down and dance with her. They were at the dance an hour and a half and Greg said Katie Beth was dancing pretty much the whole time. Greg had a couple of groovy moves himself. She fell asleep on the way home at 9:00 pm.

Mason and I always get a good date night when they are gone. We got some dinner to go and rented "Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian". We got a fire log that would burn for 2 hours and sat by the fire watching the movie. We really enjoyed our evening bundled up in the big chair...with a blanket...by the fire...watching a movie.

Super Bowl Party

We had so much fun last night with lots of friends in our Life Group! Everyone came over for the Super Bowl party and WOW, that was a fun game to watch. I don't necessarily get into football that much, but if it is an exciting game then I enjoy it. We had 25 people that showed up to watch and hang out. I looked outside and noticed cars lining the street in the front and cars all in our driveway in the back. I feel so blessed to have a home where we can have lots of people over. We had tons to eat: grilled chicken strips (Gregs), Don's wings, fruit tray, veggie tray, chips and yummy dip, crackers and shrimp dip and tons of desserts. Our living room was packed with people staring at our not so huge TV and kids were playing, having a great time. Greg's highlight of the evening was Mason sitting right beside him for 4 hours watching the whole Super Bowl game...a dream come true for a daddy that loves sports.

Fun Time with Emerson

We got to keep Emerson for 6 days while Matt and Tammy went to Los Angeles. We had so much fun with her. She adapted so well and just became part of our family. Mason and Katie Beth were so awesome with her. They took care of her just as much as Greg and I did. They had so much fun playing with her. We got to hear a lot of "HOLD YOU" and "LET'S PLAY". She didn't cry missing her mommy and daddy...praise the Lord...but I know she had to be wondering what was taking them so long to come back.

What a BLESSING to have family in town...to get to watch my neice grow up and be a part of her life!!!

Amazing Kids

I have the best kids in the world!!! Now there are times that I wonder if anything we are trying to teach them is sinking in....but there are even more moments that I watch them and think WOW! THOSE ARE OUR KIDS! I am so thankful for them. They really have wonderful hearts and great personalities.

I have so many prayers for them: their future spouses, their friends...both now and future, their relationship with our awesome God, their physical well being, their emotional health, the way they see others and treat others, the way they feel about themselves, those that have influence in their lives (teachers, family, church family, kids they look up to, etc.), and more.

It's soooo overwhelming at times and then I remember we don't have to do this all ourselves. First of all, we've got God on our side and if we continually ask him for wisdom in parenting and protection for them....He will provide! Secondly, we have so many wonderful people that God has put in our lives to help mentor them, teach them and be good examples for them.

I just take one day at a time...try my best at parenting...and trust God to take care of the rest.

Drive-In

The day after Christmas we took the kids to their first Drive-In Movie with Kyle, Jamie, Jimmy and cousins in Dothan. We saw the new Disney movie, Bedtime Stories. We pulled in, opened the trunks, brought pillows and blankets and got comfy. We also had popcorn, drinks and fruit snacks. What more could you want for...we had a great time. Jimmy had quite the set-up with his comfy chair.

What a Couple of Fun Weeks

We have had a great couple of weeks. Getting to spend time in Dothan with Greg's family was really fun. Then last week it was nice to be back home and have the kids out of school...staying up later, sleeping later, reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever each night, playing family games on our new Wii, going to play Putt-Putt...just enjoying our family.
Greg had an exciting opportunity to go to Orlando and watch Michigan State play Georgia in The Capitol One Bowl on New Year's Day. Michigan State is his team and they don't get that close around here very often. He had a wonderful couple of days hanging out with his friends and watching his team. The kids and I went to spend New Year's Eve with Tammy and Emerson...we had a night out at Steak and Shake and spent the night in the living room at their house. We had a great time staying up late and watching the events in Rockefeller Plaza, but didn't make it until midnight. We knew Emerson would be starting the day early whether we wanted to sleep or not, so we decided sleep was a must.
Then Saturday we had our dear friends, The Barretts, come to visit for a couple of days. We miss them so much and had a wonderful visit. Sterling, Tina, Greg and I would stay up late catching up in all areas of life. The kids had a great time playing together...Emanuel especially liked MarioKart on the Wii. They left today...the kids started back to school today...so life is back as we knew it before. Greg and I must go back to work tomorrow and our routine will get back to normal. In some ways that is good...in others, I will miss the flexibility we have had. The memories we made will be special!