Someone Who Speaks My Language

A look at Willa and Kendall's 'play date' through pictures....

Pretty cute, huh?

I've decided that I don't really like the term 'play date.' It seems too formal.   Didn't we just call it playing when we were kids?  "Mom, can Emily come over to play?"  Just a thought.    

Breaking All the Rules

I love the Christmas season.  The decorating, the music, the cookies, the extra time with friends and family, I love it all.  However, I strongly believe that Christmas season does not truly begin until after Thanksgiving.  The only thing Christmas related that can acceptably be done before Turkey Day is shopping, of course.

Well, this year I've decided to break my own rules.  Well, not all of them.  Just one.  See, this is the Bean's first Christmas, and even though she heard me singing plenty of holiday tunes last year while she was nice and cozy in my belly, she hasn't been fully exposed to the wonder of Christmas carols.  Plus, there are so many to enjoy that one month just doesn't seem like long enough for initial exposure. For that reason, we are ignoring the rules and cranking up the sounds of the season at our house.  In fact, the Bean is Jingle Bell Rockin' as we speak.

Rockin' out to Christmas tunes yesterday, hence the blurry picture.

Its beginning to sound a lot like Christmas!  The 'look' however, will have to wait a few more weeks.

A Pair and A Spare

My friend Alison gave the Bean these softies by angel dear before she was born.  At first I was confused as to why there were three, all exactly the same, in the box.  She explained that they were a pair and a spare so you never have to be without. Lose one? no problem.  Need to wash one or two during nap time?  Fret not, you're covered!  Genius.

Now the Bean loves to snuggle them when she is getting sleepy.  She rubs her their little ears while she sucks her thumb and falls asleep.  She also loves to talk to and play with them when she wakes up in her crib.  They're quickly becoming her favorite softies so now I'm even more thankful that when I inevitably lose one we will have a back-up.  Whew!  

My How Time Flies

This is Willa B. and her cousin Campbell shortly after we moved home to MN back in March.  At the time the Bean was 6 weeks and Campbell was a little over 9 months, about the age Willa is now.  I remember thinking how big she was, crawling, pulling herself up on furniture, giving her cousin kisses.  There was no way Willa was ever going to be that big!

Fast forward 8 short months.  Willa IS that big!  Actually, she is probably bigger than Campbell was at that age.  Before we know it 'Morgie' will be moving around and joining in on the fun with 'Wirra' and Campbell Girl!

At Thanksgiving we'll get to see how much all of the Tonies girls have grown since this picture was taken at Easter.  Oh boy!   Can A-Town handle all of this cuteness?

Cover Up Please!

Since receiving a Kindle for my birthday I've read three books.  I don't think I read three books in all of last year.  eek.  In any case, I'm getting good use out of it.

I decided to leave my beloved Kindle at home when we went on our trip because I didn't have a cover for it.  Big mistake.  That flight is like 3 hours!  Okay, not quite that long, but its long.  Probably long enough to finish the book I started the night before and was really enjoying.  Ugh.

Yesterday the Bean decided to take a really long nap and after doing my usual nap time things like showering and (minimal) cleaning, I decided to get started on making a Kindle cover.

 I used the measurements from this tutorial, but decided I didn't want to mess with the flap and ribbon, so ended up using a button and hair tie for the closure.

Now I'll never have to leave it behind again.

Highlights

Here are a few highlights of our trip.  Well, truth be told, I am pretty terrible at remembering to take pictures, but here are some things I did manage to capture.

The view of Manhattan from our ferry as we headed to the Statue of Liberty

The subway mosaics were so interesting.  Unfortunately, I was so concerned with how the heck we were going to fit on the already crowded train that I didn't think to take more pictures.

 

The ESB's red headed step child, the Chrysler building

Rockefeller Center, one of my favorite spots

The main event, the wedding on Sunday night

 So there you have it folks, a rather little glimpse into what we saw on our trip.  

Empire State of Mind

Mike and I spent the weekend hoofing it all over Manhattan, taking in the sights.  My sense of direction is dismal.  Luckily, the Mister is a human GPS and was able to get us where we needed to go.  I used to try to help navigate but would always end up flustered.  This trip I gave up total control and had the best time!

On the ferry, waiting to leave for Ellis Island

We started our Friday of sightseeing with Ellis Island.  So interesting.  Next up, making the journey to the Empire State Building (ESB).  On foot.  It really didn't look that far and Mr. GPS was confident we could make it.  We stopped for lunch (surprise, surprise) before too long and then did a little zig-zagging, I think, to catch the World Trade Center Site, Wall Street, and the Brooklyn Bridge before heading north.  At this point my feet were starting to throb, so we stopped for a beer (I know, another big surprise) before continuing on.  Every once in a while we'd catch a glimpse of the ESB between the buildings, but for the most part we had to rely on Mike's super sonic sense of direction.  Just when I thought my legs were going to fall off at the knees and I couldn't make it anymore Mike thought we were only about 10 blocks away.  But then he said "What if it is the wrong building?  What if thats the Chrysler building"  "No," I said. "You will get us there.  I know you will."  

The building finally comes into full view, we cross the street, and start looking for the entrance.  Mike puts his hands on my shoulders to turn me around, and says "read that sign."

Okay, so he got us to the building.  It just happened to be the wrong building.  Good thing we had one more day of touring ahead of us.  So, Saturday morning we set out for the ESB again, but this time we checked a map first. :)

Finally made it to the top of the ESB