New York on Thanksgiving (Day 2)

We woke up at about 8:00, got ready, ate, and then headed down to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. By the time we got there it was about 9:30 and there was NO WAY we were going to get to see any of it. There were so many people, so many that we couldn't even shove our way through. We did see a few of the HUGE balloons but then we left. I am glad we did. We found out about the subway, and we took it to Battery Park, where we hopped on a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. That was amazing. After spending some time there, we took the Ferry yet again to Ellis Island and saw where the immigrants had come to be free. That was a perfect way to spend Thanksgiving. What a neat place. They have turned one of the buildings into a museum, but the feeling there is incredible. After that we took the subway to Ground Zero. There is such a reverence felt there. New York is a loud place but when you get to Ground Zero, where they have a plaque that honors the men and women who died in that event, there is a silence that sends shivers down your spine. We had REAL New York pizza for Thanksgiving dinner and we had a hot dog from a vendor for lunch. We really enjoyed ourselves.

New York (Day 1)

We drove from DC at made it to New York at about 1:30, but then we had to find our hotel. That was a mess. I will NEVER drive in New York again! People would just walk out in front of you whether they had the right of way or not and taxis were honking constantly. Oh my gosh, I am not cut out for a big city like that. We did make it to our hotel successfully (meaning... we didn't kill anybody.) We found a place to park our car because there was no way that we were gonna drive. We walked everywhere. We were just a few blocks from Times Square so we walked there and saw all the amazing views (signs, lights, etc.) It was really neat. There were lots of people trying to sell you tours and things. We did stop for one guy. He sold us tickets to "The Broadway Comedy Club". That was a blast. The show didn't start until 10:30pm, and it lasted until 1 in the morning. It was fun though. There were comedians from Comedy Central there. It was FUNNY! We walked to the Empire State Building and what a view! It was so incredible. We also tried a New York pretzel (Not at all what it is cracked up to be!) But at least we can say we tried one! It was a fun day and we were so tired when we got back. We planned to wake up fairly early to catch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Well, we woke up just a tad too late.

Washington DC

We headed to Washington DC after Ryan got done with school. We got there, checked into our Bed and Breakfast, and then went sightseeing. We took the bus to the "Mall" (that is what they call the strip with all the Monuments on it) I'll tell you what.... Looking at a map you wouldn't think that it would take you that long to get to each monument. Yeah Right! It is quite the hike. We saw the Washington Monument first, holy cow that thing is HUGE! Then we walked to the World War II Memorial. Then we hiked some more to the Lincoln Memorial. WOW! It was amazing. It is so big and it is just so amazing how much history there is in one area. From the Lincoln Memorial, we walked to the U.S. Capitol. From a distance we were able to see the White house. We just couldn't see everything that we wanted to. At 7:00 we met our friend Collin at Union Station, and then took the Metro to meet up Rosemay and Josiah. It was fun to catch up and see how they were doing and to see their baby. He is such a sweetie. What a neat experience!

Got to Norfolk!

This is going to be the longest time that I have ever been without my kids. We left them with their Grandma and Grandpa Taylor. I hope that I do okay. I am sure the kids will do fine, it is me that I am worried about. I left Saturday morning and it was an all day event. I brought a book for me to read and I had it finished long before I ever reached Atlanta. Needless to say, I will be buying some more books for me to read. I haven't had the chance to actually sit and read for along time. It was very enjoyable. I got in Saturday night to Norfolk where Ryan picked me up and then we went to Red Lobster for dinner. YUMMY!!! I love their coconut shrimp. I would have to say that it is my favorite. Then we came home and just hung out for a little while. We ate ice-cream and watched a movie. How relaxing.

Ryan's Visit

Some of you have asked when Ryan is coming home for good. Well... The end is drawing near. He comes home on December 20th, just in time for Christmas! What a wonderful Christmas present. The kids will have their daddy back and I will have my husband. YEAH!!!! I am anxiously awaiting his return. 5 months is a long time, and I don't want to be a single mom anymore! It is hard work. Ryan was able to come home this weekend to visit and it was just so nice. I am always reminded of how much I love that guy! He is just so amazing and he loves his family. We are so lucky to have him. The kids especially loved to see him. They had a lot of fun!

I've Been Tagged (Thanks Allie!!!)

I am supposed to tell you 6 things about myself. Hmmmm....


1. I am with Allie on a few of the things. I hate to have a dirty house. I feel like I am constantly cleaning. I put one thing away, and the kids get out 10 more things. It feels impossible at times, but my house is pretty clean.

2. I enjoy quiet. I used to think that I loved being where the action is. I do love being where there are things going on, but it is so nice when there is nothing going on, when the kids are in bed, and I have just a little quiet time.

3. I find any and all reasons to celebrate. I like to get together with friends and family. It can be anything!!! Birthdays, holidays, BBQ (just because it is a nice day), Bonfire in the neighbor's back yard...who cares. Any reason to DO something, I am up for it.

4. I hate lotion on my hands. I love the smell of lotion and I love that it makes my skin soft, but I hate the feel of it on my hands. I do like it when Ryan puts lotion on my feet.

5. I hate it when people leave cupboard doors open. It is a pet peeve. Close them when you have gotten what you need!

6. I am Obsessive Compulsive. I have to have all my clothes hung up, they are all color coordinated, and they all have to face a certain direction. Yeah... I know, I am weird!

Who would have guessed. I could tell you lots more too.

I tag Fong, Mom, and Brandy.

Have Fun!!!

Family Pics (November 2007)

We got our family pictures taken today. Why is it that your kids will be so happy, right up until the moment that you are supposed to pose for your pics. Why can't they just be happy? Well that is what happened today. Elly was so happy right until we stepped in front of the camera, then it was pure misery. Oh well... here is what we got. Please let me know which ones you like best.

My Two Cuties

I got the kids ready for church today and they looked so dang cute! Yes Jordan's hair is a bit long but Ryan is going to cut it when he comes to visit this weekend. I have some sweet kids.

Puzzle Mania!!!

I just happen to think that Jordan is a genius. Here he is, 3 years old, and he loves doing puzzles. He would choose a puzzle over most activities. I am having a hard time keeping up with him. We started with the wooden puzzles that you find the matching shape, animal, etc. and put the piece in. Then he graduated to doing puzzles with a board that has the shapes outlined on the board. He was doing those ones way to easily. So I started giving him jigsaw puzzles, we started with a 24 piece puzzle and the pieces were really big. He did that one over and over. Next I gave him puzzles that were 25 pieces but the pieces were smaller. I got him 5 different puzzles and he did them all. Yesterday I thought that I would try a little bit harder puzzle. So I got him a 63 piece puzzle and guess what? He did that one too! It took him a little bit longer, but he did it. Next I am going to have to get him 100 piece puzzles.

Halloween Costumes 2007

So this year we dressed Jordan up like a dragon (he picked it out himself), Elly was a monkey (she really is one, which is why I chose the costume!) Every time we went to someone's car (we went Trunk or Treating) Jordan would of course say "Trick or Treat" but after they would give him candy, he would growl like a dragon for them. Some of the people thought his growl was so good that they gave him more candy. He was really funny. He always remembered to say "Thank-you". What a good boy!

Halloween Week at School

Oh my Gosh!!! It has been CRAZY so far. I knew it would be, but oh man, I forget how wound up they are. It is like pulling teeth to try to get the kids to focus and actually do something. Maybe your kids are better than these ones, who knows? Mine are hyper too. Not only do I work with crazies, but I have my own too! WOW! What a week!

Another Old movie that I used to watch

The other day, I was thinking of old movies that I used to watch when I was little and that I really liked. "Babes in Toyland" (1961 version with Annette Funicello) popped into my head. Well I knew that I would never be able to find that one to rent because it is so old. Well I went to this store called Once Upon a Child, (they sell used children's things). I was looking for some pants for Elly. I went over to the shoe section, where they also have some books and movies, and to my surprise, there it was! What are the chances of that? So I bought it, for only $2. Man, that was a steal. I showed it to Jordan and he loved it, even though it wasn't a cartoon. Wow! The memories!

Halloween Blast from the Past

Okay, for all you semi-old timers out there. This one's for you. I had really been bothered for a while because I couldn't remember the name of this Halloween movie that I used to watch when I was little. Well I went on Yahoo Answers and I asked my question. Well within minutes my answer came. "The Night Dracula Saved the World" aka "The Halloween that Almost Wasn't" I am so excited. Now... Of course it is no longer in print anymore but lo and behold, I found it on E-bay! That is where we do a lot of our shopping. It is so much fun! Anyways... I bought it. Yay for me!

U.S.S. Wisconsin (Battleship)

So, we were supposed to travel home on Saturday the 13th because of mix-ups with our flights. After we had gotten to the airport, checked our luggage, and waited for about an hour, that is when they told us our flight had been canceled and we were able to spend one more day with Ryan. It ended up being a blessing because everything worked out so smoothly. Since we had one more day we were able to go inside Nauticus and see the U.S.S. Wisconsin Battleship. It was HUGE!!! Jordan just loved being on a ship. It was really neat. The ship was docked and next to it was a cruise ship, to my surprise the cruise ship was larger than the battleship. I guess cruise lines hold a lot more people but still it was unreal!

October Conference 2007

So I want everyone to know that I love our prophet. I am sure you all have heard about President Hinkley "knighting" President Eyring, I just thought that was too cute. Here is what I was sent.

After President Hinckley finished with the sustaining of the officers of the church during the Saturday morning session, Elder Eyring had moved into his new seat on the stand. They didn't show this on TV, but when President Hinckley turned around, he stood there for a moment looking at Elder Eyring, then picked up his cane and 'knighted' him on his shoulder and head. Hilarious.

Doesn't Elder Eyring look just like a little kid at Christmas? How sweet! How amazing it must be to work with our prophet. He is full of life and love!

Children's Museum of Virginia

On Monday we were able to take the kids to the Children's Museum. They absolutely loved it! There was so much for them to do. We could have spent the whole day their and they would not have been bored. The part that both kids loved the most was the train room. There was a whole room dedicated to model trains and train cities. It was fun to watch them get so excited. All Elly could say was "Whoa" over and over. She was just amazed with it all. Jordan absolutely loves trains and any other vehicle for that matter, so he was in Heaven. There was one part of the museum that was dedicated to bubbles. Jordan, Ryan and Elly were able to form a bubble around them, and then Elly would pop it. Jordan got to maneuver a crane which he was super excited about. Anybody who knows Jordan, knows he loves tractors, cranes, trains, etc. This was like the best day ever for him.

What happened while we were gone

So, we got this call from our neighbor, they are GREAT!!! They always help when it is needed. They are watching our house a our dog while we're in Virginia. So, like I said we got a call from them on Saturday... "Oh no, what happened", was our first thought, they called to tell us that we just got over 2 inches of snow. There was actually enough snow to make a snowman. Whoa! Here we are in Virginia where it is humid and hot and they are building snowmen. How crazy is that. I'm afraid that it is going to be a cold winter.

Virginia Beach

We had the opportunity to go to Virginia Beach on Saturday. How Fun!!! There are so many little shops along the coast, and because the summer season is pretty much over, everything was on sale. My kind of shopping! We got some cool stuff for cheap! This beach made me miss the beach back home, in California. I really love the beach but as I get older, I realize how much I HATE the sand, especially now that I have 2 kids that I have to clean up afterwards. One thing that I especially liked about this beach was the sculptures that they have. WOW!!! They are incredible. I am just amazed at the talent that people have and I wish that I had some of that talent. We had fun. Ryan and Jordan played in the water, while Elly and I played in the sand. Or rather, I chased Elly through the sand. It was a good day! I took some pictures of some of my favorite sculptures on the beach. AMAZING!!! Unfortunately, once we got back, Ryan didn't feel too well. He had gotten what Jordan had on Friday. Needless to say we spent Sunday inside taking care of Daddy. We were able to listen to General Conference, which was the perfect Sunday activity and the talks were excellent! I love hearing what the apostles have to say to us. It was neat to watch Jordan. Every time one of the apostles said "spirit" or "Holy Ghost", Jordan was sure to make sure that we heard it. It was fun to know that he actually listened. He was cute!

Our Trip to Virinia to see Ryan

Well, we have been here for 4 days now and we are really enjoying it. We have seen so much already. There is so much history here. I love it. There is just not enough time to see it all. Thursday, we just traveled all day, which is not so fun to do with 2 little ones. It is really hard to keep them entertained in airports and on planes. You are always worrying about if you are bothering other people. I wouldn't do it if I didn't feel like it was going to be worth it. It is worth it for the kids to be able to see their Daddy and my Husband. They really love him. All the way to the airport Jordan kept telling Grandpa Dean that he really, really loved his Daddy and that he was gonna give him hugs and kisses. He is a fan of his dad and you can tell it. Thursday night was not so fun, Jordan got sick. I spent Friday morning taking care of him. By late Friday afternoon he was doing a lot better and we decided to get out of the house. We took a drive to see some sites. We ended up stopping at a port where there was a HUGE ship docked. It was really neat. They had the ship out of the water, I think they might have been doing some repairs. At the same site there was an old lighthouse light. It was really cool to see. As we were there, a Ferry pulled up. Since neither the kids nor myself had ever been on a Ferry, we decided to take it over to Norfolk, which is only 10 minutes away from where we were staying in Portsmouth. As we pulled up to the dock in Norfolk we saw something interesting! There was Shrek tied up to a pole over the water. We told Jordan that someone tied him up to feed him to the sharks. He thought that was pretty funny. Once we got off the Ferry, we walked around. We saw Nauticus (which we are going to later), we saw the MacArthur Memorial (we will go see that too), and we walked around the Mall. It is really big! I am so glad that we have this opportunity to do just a little bit of traveling. Traveling is something that I have always wanted to do. It is fun to be able to take the kids too. They can say that they have been somewhere other than Idaho.