Broadway Rhythm It's Got Me...

You never have to twist my arm to convince me of ANY reason I need to visit New York City! I just love that place—the noise, the people, the shopping, the food, the walking, the beeping taxis, the bumping subway…I love it all! Kathy and I decided we needed some sister time with Johnny and packed our bags for a quick weekend trip to the Big Apple.
We had a blast bunking down in Johnny’s new apartment (he had decorated it so cute and had even bought a brand new bed for us to sleep in—so sweet, that boy!). He lives in such a great neighborhood in Queens with all the places you need to run your life (not to mention the BEST bagel shop I ever been to—didn’t even know I could crave another bagel until I tasted theirs).

As is standard M.O. when going to NYC, we hit the ground running early and dragged ourselves back home late at night, making sure to cram in as much shopping, eating, sightseeing and show-seeing as we could! Central Park was gorgeous with all the Fall color, 5th Avenue always offers fun things to purchase (or, rather, fawn over and pass by once you’ve caught sight of the price tag!), wolf down a yummy treat at Magnolia Bakery, check out what’s going on in Rockefeller Center, hit The Eatery for dinner (they took the delish salmon entree off the menu—aagh!), catch a flick in Union Square, see the beginnings of Christmas frosting all the buildings, search for cool watches and jewelry on Canal Street, amble up Broadway through SoHo wanting to buy everything in sight, collapse at Max Brenner’s for some lovely Chicken Alfredo and a Golden Nugget cake chaser (yumm-o!), and RUN to make it on time to see Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes in “Promises, Promises”, check out the ice skating rink at Bryant Park lined with cool little shops and eat in a “glass” restaurant overlooking the park, sail through Bloomie’s to see what else I can’t live without, try to explore B&H Photo just to find it closed yet again (for the third time in a row—just when do they work there?), and make the most important stop of all before heading for home: Crumbs Bakery (I NEED my dozen cupcakes!)

We had such a great time together—I adore these two people dearly and am always so grateful for the time we get to spend with each other! Until next time, NYC…

Lovely Central Park

Checking out the view from Juicy Couture

A little D&G shoe-stoppers!

34th street decked out for the holidays!

Love me some Max Brenner chocolate dessert!

A diner fit for L.E.S. (or the lower east side...)

Skating/shopping at Bryant Park

Overlooking the skating hubbub...

A little more Max delights

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

It's always a scramble during the last few weeks before a birthday to get the scouting requirements finished up so Connor can earn the next rank. After several months of no leaders and Connor's group's achievements being lost in the shuffle, Connor finally received his Bear award! We're proud of you, buddy, for sticking with it!

All My Lovin', I Will Send To You!

My poor little sickie--hope you feel better soon, baby girl!

Celebrate Good Times, Come On!

He was not looking forward to it. I mean, really not looking forward to it.  But come it did! November 13 dawned bright and shining as my boy turned the ripe old age of F-O-R-T-Y!! Wowza! I really never believed we'd actually get to that age, you know? Having already been enjoying tooling around in his new corvette, all we had left to do was spend the day shopping and celebrate with dinner at Market Street Grill (where Shayne got sick to his stomach...we've discovered for some odd reason, he gets sick a lot at celebratory dinners! Go figure.) Nonetheless, he was touched by a very special card and sign made by his darling oldest and wanted to commemorate that on film (or file, as it were). HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Babe! Here's to forty more...

They Did The Monster Mash...

One great big flashback to Halloween in Oregon circa 2001...that's what the weather provided for this year's trick-or-treating experience! Sheeting rain, howling wind, dripping costumes...oh, but that didn't slow down the yummies much at all...dear Tash refused to even put a jacket on to protect herself yeah, I wouldn't want to cover up that fantazmic costume either! I hurried and snapped pics of everyone (including with Dane's and Fynn's BFFs: Jackson and Portia) Then, we covered ourselves the best we could, dug through the closets for umbrellas (uh, just where did they all go to?) and did our usual track for canvasing the neighborhood. Fynn and Connor were the big surprises this year as they held out way longer than usual! Guess that candy worhsip has finally kicked in...

She said, "This is how peacocks are supposed to stand!"

Who Let the Ghosts Out??

If it hadn't been for Shayne, the annual pumpkin carving probably wouldn't have happened this year...I'm just getting too lazy and don't love spending an evening scooping out pumpkin guts and all the mess involved with carving up those little gourds. But, good dad that he is, Shayne insisted he would take over the running of the event and all would be well...and in the end, the kids were happy, the pumpkins were cool and the mess wasn't all that bad. I love that each pumpkin reflects the personality of the child: Fynn wanted a princess face, Dane wanted a crazy face, Connor wanted a scary face (he LOVES monsters) and Tash whipped out a free-hand re-creation of a scene from It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown's...so let's hear it for good ole' Papacita on this one--Yeah, Dad!

Connor's haunted house he constructed at school--so cool!