Grandaddy Visits!

Grandaddy came to visit during October and it was so much fun! We all met at Ihop for breakfast and Grandaddy and the Hubby went to the Alabama game. Roll Tide!!!

Kensi is acting shy for the camera.

But she quickly forgets her shyness when the food is served!

Garrett holds his first granddaughter as proud mommy Brianna looks on.

The boys! Trent, Grandaddy, Camden, and The Hubby.

Aunt Jaymee chats with her Daddy.

Grandaddy and his little man.

Zoo Trip

We took the kids to the zoo the other day, and we had soooo much fun! The twins are old enough now to know the names of many different animals and they really had a great time. My favorite thing was having a whole day with my kids and the Hubby; that really made the day perfect. Plus, it was nice to do something different; I think my kids are tired of going to Wal-Mart all the time. I go to Wal-Mart anywhere from four to ten times a week; seriously! What is up with that? 

The Hubby holds Camden and Kensi as they watch the turtles.

Kensi is wearing her adorable pigtails and Camden points to the iguana.

Every trip to the zoo simply must include a train ride!

The napping crocodiles. Sounds like the name of a restaurant in Florida, doesn't it?

The sleeping Tiger. Sounds like the name of a movie...

Hey Kensi, check out the tiger down there! (Yes, we know our son is wearing a pink backpack. It is not indicative of anything except that he wanted to wear a backpack at that particular moment. Don't be hatin!)

The camels were really stinky! Camden loves to talk about the stinky camels.

Taking a break from the heat and resting indoors. It was really hot that day.

This was the kids favorite thing; pushing the strollers!

Fun with the new camera

The other day I pulled out my new camera, freshly inspired to take amazing pictures of my kids. But I soon realized that I know absolutely nothing whatsoever about my camera or how to actually take pictures that look remotely like something a professional would do. So, I started at the beginning. I read the owners manual! Have you ever read the owners manual of anything you own? Me neither; at least until this camera. And after reading (and skipping) through the manual, it only further convinced my of how little I know about photography. Although I did finally learn what aperture is. (Thank you Shannon!)

Well, my camera is pretty high tech, so I did the best I could. Check it out:

Camden loves our cat, Darcy, and likes to rub heads with him.

Kensi plays with a toy while in the tub.

This one's a little blurry, I know. I am not a professional so don't be hatin'. But I still like this and almost think it has a bit of an artsy look.

Here is the close-up setting on Camden.

Close-up of Kensington. No botox here, baby!

Camden is a natural at this stuff. 

Yes, she is always this happy.

Our big boy Camden. Did I tell you he pee-peed in the potty for the first time today? Milestone!! ...They grow up so fast...*sniff*

Pictures of the kids

The kids are talking so much now. They can say so many different things; things you had no idea they knew. Camden talks about space and dinosaurs, and Kensi loves to make animal sounds. They are so much fun!!

They are best friends.

Here the twins play at church.

I think Camden's washing the dishes.

Camden climbs over the sofa as Kensi stacks the plates.

Camden and Roman pose...

Roman! You're soooo funny!!!!

Roman, Camden and Kensi waiting for snack-time.

The kids enjoy goldfish and juice.

Happy Birthday Jaymee! 

Here Jaymez poses with her husband Garrett. We love you both!

Family Day

There is nothing quite like spending quality time with your family. And on Friday, that is exactly what we did. The Hubby took a vacation day and planned a whole day of fun for me and the kids. We woke up and went to the pool, where we spent most of the morning. We played in the water and had some snacks, then we came back to the house so the kids could nap. When they woke up, we jumped in the car and went to the kids first ever, movie -- in an actual movie theater. How did they do? They did great! Camden was a little hesitant at first, because he didn't know what to expect. But he acclimated very quickly and loved it! We got Kensi and Camden the cute little kiddie popcorn trays and they were so cute!

We started our day at the pool.

Kensi loves her inflatable ring!

Camden enjoys playing with the buckets.

The kids enjoyed their very first movie in a theater! We saw Space Chimps.

They really liked the popcorn trays. Camden ate all of his popcorn and some of Kensi's, too.

When the movie was over, Camden said he wanted to see it again!

Kensi carried her popcorn tray out of the theater with her.

all the way into the lobby...

and posed for some pictures with her tray...here she is with Camden and the Hubby.

And here is me, Camden, Kensi, and the popcorn tray.

Our New York Trip!

The Hubby and I have just returned from a most amazing trip to the Big Apple over the July 4th weekend. It was a trip that was given to me for my 30th birthday earlier this year. We had so much fun, let me tell you! So for today's post, I am going to tell you all about it. If you are planning to go to New York anytime soon, maybe this can help you out. (Btw, This is my longest post EVER. Go get a snack and get comfortable. This might take a while. But I promise it won't hurt!)

We stayed at the Michelangelo Hotel, on 51st & 7th (basically 51st & Broadway.) We were just steps from Times Square, which as you know is tourist central. Plus it is the theater district so there is lots to do and lots to eat. This hotel was wonderful and I highly recommend it!

Our room; And our red suitcase!

When we arrived, we got upgraded to a suite. All because the Hubby asked. It's amazing the things people will do for you if you just ask!

We were on the fourth floor. Here is the view from our room.

This is the entranceway into the lobby of the hotel. Gorgeous!

The Lobby of the Michelangelo Hotel.

Did you know that the Hubby's mother is one of twelve children? Yes, twelve! Anyway, one of her brothers owns a restaurant in Greenwich Village, called Tavern on Jane. So we went to Uncle Mike's restaurant and ate wonderful food and spent time with family we never get to see. The hubby and I have been married almost 7 years and this was my first time to meet this Uncle! What a kind man he is, and his wife Mary Ann is the sweetest thing ever. We loved getting to see them and they really went out of their way to welcome us and make our trip the best it could be.

I did not know the Hubby was taking this picture. (I would have smiled, at least!) But you can see the sign for the restaurant. The food here is FABULOUS!!!

The Hubby posed in a park close to the restaurant. He's so handsome I had to put this picture in here somewhere.

What a handsome gene pool! The Hubby and Uncle Mike. 

The Hubby, me, Aunt Mary Ann, (who also loves yoga!) and Uncle Mike.

Uncle Mike got us tickets to the Yankees - Red Sox game on July 4th. It was a blast! I learned that Yankees fans are very serious about their baseball. (And what is this A-Rod, Madonna stuff?) After the game we had dinner at Tavern on the Green. It was very touristy to me; I didn't particularly care for the food, either. It seemed really pricey for the small portions. But maybe that is just the southerner in me. The restaurant was pretty so we just enjoyed the experience. 

We had great seats. This was so cool; Yankees vs. Red Sox? Oh yeah!

Sadly the Yankees lost this game. But they won the next one!

Here we are! Front row in the first tier!  

Tavern on the Green. It was beautiful.
Outside on the patio.

They had the bushes trimmed to look like animals. 

We saw a Broadway show, called "Wicked." But don't let the name fool you. It was a fabulous musical about the pre-story to the Wizard of Oz. We were speechless; It was so amazing and moving. But at the same time it was very funny and witty. We both agreed that it was one of the BEST things we did on our whole trip. If you ever get a chance to see this show, do it!

The music was so amazing, I can't even tell you. I am still singing "Defying Gravity!"

We got up early one day and took the subway all the way down to the Statue of Liberty and Battery Park. Then we saw Wall Street, the NYSE, Ground Zero, shopped at Century 21 and H&M, then went to Chinatown, and stopped for a cannoli break in Little Italy. We did so much that day, our feet were really sore. So we went back to our hotel and napped, then went to dinner at Serendipity. (Remember the movie, Serendipity? It was filmed there.) The food here was delicious! And the dessert was amazing. I am still thinking about how huge the portion was and how we ate every last drop of it. (Don't tell Dr. Fritz!) We then visited a cool candy store, called Dylan's Candy Bar. It is owned by the daughter of Ralph Lauren, and it was the neatest candy store I have ever been in. After dinner we took a surprisingly fun carriage ride in Central Park for $34. I think that was the cheapest thing we did in the city besides the hot dog stands. (which I wouldn't eat. Please tell Dr. Fritz!)

You know what this is! The visibility wasn't so great this day.

The Hubby is playing around. He is the most fun person to be with. He just has a good time no matter where he is or what he's doing.

New York Stock Exchange. This is where it happens!
The Bull. This was surprisingly crowded!
Ground Zero. This was a very somber place to visit.
Ground Zero from across the street in the World Financial Center.

Chinatown. We experienced some very interesting smells in Chinatown.
Little Italy. This place was awesome!
We stopped here because they had signs that said "Best Cannoli on Mulberry Street."

Look how fun it is in Little Italy! :-)

Dinner at Serendipity. 

It was really crowded. We had to wait and hour and a half. But is was sooo yummy!

The decor of this restaurant was very eclectic...As you will notice in the picture behind us...hmmm. Interesting.

Carriage Ride. We really enjoyed this.

It was a very neat way to see Central Park.

They smelled bad to me, but the Hubby said the hotdogs were pretty good.

Another day we visited Rockefeller Center and the set of The Today Show, and actually got on TV for a few seconds. Giada De Laurentis was on the show that day, and being a Food Network fan, I found that to be really cool. We took a tour of NBC studios and saw where they film Saturday Night Live, the Late Show with Conan O'Brian, The evening news with Brian Williams, and the MSNBC studios.  There was a street fair in the city, and they had blocked off 6th Avenue for about 10 blocks. There were literally hundreds of people on the street that day. We went to an off-Broadway show that night called "A Perfect Crime." It was...well...interesting. I don't think I would recommend it, but it was a unique experience nonetheless.

The Hubby poses in front of Rockefeller Center.

Here they are filming The Today Show.

Here is the street fair. There were hundreds, probably thousands of people out there.

Purses and sunglasses and socks and scarves... 

We also tried to get on some talk shows. I really wanted to see Live with Regis and Kelly, but they weren't filming that day. So we walked down a few blocks to The View and tried unsuccessfully to get in the audience. But we met this really neat couple in line behind us from Lousiana, Gabe and Amy.  So after they turned everyone away, we decided to go to the American Museum of Natural History. That was extremely interesting, but again, our feet hurt so bad that we had to go rest. We had dinner that night at Uncle Mike's and Aunt Mary Ann's house. It was a 'true' New York experience. We rode with them over to Jersey to their house, and Marianne's Italian family came over. They were so funny and so entertaining; We felt like we were in a movie. It was amazing fun and definitely something we will never forget.

The Museum of Natural History.

This feller's kinda big.

The Hubby is running from this one.

What New York trip would be complete without riding the subway?

The Hubby waiting for his ride.

Uncle Mike and Aunt Mary Ann. What a great couple!

Uncle Mike cooked an amazing dinner for us.

We had the most fun hanging out in Jersey - We laughed so much!

Our last day in the city we went to Rockefeller again, and up to the roof to the viewing area where the Hubby got a lot of great pictures. (and there was no line. The Empire State Building had a three hour wait.) Then we had lunch at Uncle Mike's restaurant one last time. On our way back to the hotel we saw the Naked Cowboy. Um... gross.  I realized that I really don't want to see anyone in their underwear. Especially really tight underwear. And how weird is this? We are walking down the street and hear someone yelling the Hubby's name. We turn around and it is Gabe and Amy, the couple we met the day before at The View! What are the odds that in a city of over 8 million people that something like that happens?? So strange and so cool!

On top of Rockefeller Center. The Empire State Building is behind us.

Here is a great perspective of Central Park.

Why?????????!!! 

(By the way, this man CAN NOT sing!!!)

Overall, we saw and did everything we went to New York to do. I am still kicking myself for not buying the bright pink  Dolce and Gabbana knock-off from the street fair, but I will make it. I never buy the fakes, but it was only $20 and would have been a fun souvenir and a great piece to spice up the wardrobe. Oh well, I will just have to get the Hubby to spring for a real one...:-)

Well, here are a few more random pics that round out our trip to NYC:

Times Square

Brandon and Matt Lauer. You didn't know? They're old friends!

I think this guy wants money just because he's dressed like the Statue of Liberty...

A picture of the city from the ferry on our way back from Jersey.

Well, that sums it all up!

We had a wonderful time in NYC and will definitely go back. Thank you to everyone who made our trip possible!! And now I am finally done with this post. Congratulations! You made it to the end!