Grammie Visits NYC

Grammie flew into NJ this year to spend Christmas with her two favorite Grand-Girls! During her visit she surprised me and told me she wanted to take me into the city to see the Radio City Rocketts for my birthday. I have always loved the Rocketts, and might have considered it a career choice until I discovered I didn't meet the height requirement ;(  We enjoyed a fun afternoon sight seeing in NYC, which was all decked out for Christmas and oh-so-magical. I drove into the city (yikes!) and parked all day for just $18, which is was a steal!! I made it without getting lost or running over pedestrians doing last minute shopping which was a bonus ;) 

We ate at Bobby Van's for lunch... can we say Lobster Mac n' Cheese!?!?

We had lunch at Bobby Van's.. I had Mushroom Risotto with sliced filet, and Mom had Steak Gorgonzola. We split the Lobster Mac n' Cheese... so delicious and fancy!!

Say cheese Mama!

Next we took a taxi to Central Park. Mom has always wanted to see Central Park, but it was FREEZING, literally there were snowflakes falling! We opted for a carriage ride with a cozy blanket to see the sights. We saw the skating rink, boat house and had a pretty entertaining driver. LOL.

We grabbed a hot coffee at Starbucks and walked down 5th Avenue to see Rockefeller Center and back to Radio City to see our show...

Mom in Rockefeller Plaza

The tree in Rockefeller Plaza

Waiting in line to see the Rocketts!!

Happy Birthday to me!! Thanks, Mom!

Look at that pretty lady!! 

Inside Radio City there was a giant chandelier... gorgeous!! I know my girls would have flipped out if they could have seen the bling :)

Loved the theater and how festive it was decorated!! 

The show was fantastic, I love the costumes and it was amazing to see the synchronized movements. I left the theater itching to do some high-kicks and sing some Christmas carols ;) We saw Times Square in a pedicab, and the lights were so bright from the screens it was like daytime at 7pm!

Thank you so much Mom for such a special day and some sweet memories! It was a blast getting to hang out and have a Mother-Daughter Day like we did when I was a little girl. I'll never be too old to want a day out with  my Mama ;) Thank you Jarrett for making it possible by watching the girls all day for us to have an adventure in NYC. Love you!! xo

Done Writing...Hooray!

A chalk message for our soon-to-be Dr. Daddy

 Hip Hip Hooray... Jarrett has officially finished writing his dissertation! Last week he sent me a text message me in all caps, "IT IS FINISHED!!" That night we had to take a moment to celebrate what a huge, amazing accomplishment it is. I can't believe he has written 200+ pages of new material that will soon be published while raising a young family and moving across country. I am in awe. Words cannot express how very proud of you and all the sacrifices you've made along this roller coaster of a journey.

 We surprised Jarrett with dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Princeton, YaYa Noodles. I got there a few minutes early and brought balloons and sparkling cider for toasts! The waitress was a little skeptical about the girls drinking what appeared to be champagne, but when I showed her the bottle, she realized it was non-alcoholic ;)

Cheers to Finishing!! 

On to the final defense... hopefully he can schedule it in early 2015!!! WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU AND ALL YOUR HARD WORK!! Love you!!

Santa!

In front of the school they had blow up Christmas decorations... they saw Mickey and had to snap a pic!

Santa made a surprise appearance at St. Ann's Preschool on Saturday! The girls were eating a brunch and Madison was SO EXCITED when he walked in. 

 She stood up in her chair and squealed and pointed, "SANTA!!"

 We waited in line to see Santa and take our turn to sit on his lap.

 I wondered whether Maddie would be scared of Santa, but she couldn't wait to climb on his lap and talk his ear off. When he asked her what she wanted for Christmas, she replied "I want a Rocking Horse and put it in my room!". Girl knows what she wants ...LOL.

 When it was Lindsay's turn, she was a little shy and wasn't so chatty. After all, all her friends from preschool were watching and she whispered, "I would like a Doodle Bear that glows in the dark."

Merry Christmas Santa! 

 Lindsay and Madison visited the Christmas coloring picture station and Maddie melted Santa's heart when she colored her picture and took it over and gave it to him. Maybe she was trying to score some points and make sure Santa remembered her request, but I think she was just being her sweet thoughtful self ;) The girls are SO excited for Christmas this year!!

Handsome Daddy and his Maddie Girl

Lindsay's Christmas Pageant

"Hark the Herald Angels Sing"

 Last week was Lindsay's Christmas Pageant at St. Ann's Preschool! The 4's class sang some songs and recited a poem, and parents and children went into the cafeteria for a cookies and punch reception. I made my"famous" sugar cookies and a Texas Cake and Daddy and Sissy came to see her sing.

She wanted to wear her sparkly dress and shoes... Thank you Nonna!

Singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"

They made really cute Rudolph hats for their song

 Spelling "S-A-N-T-A" to the tune of Bingo...

Beautiful excited girl!! 

 Singing the classic, "Jingle Bells"...

Sweet Sisters!

Daddy and his Christmas Angels :) Good Job Lulu!! We are so proud of you! xo

Madison's CBS Christmas Songs

Walking in holding the rope...  "Hi Mama & Daddy!"

Last Wednesday Precious Girl performed some songs and verses for parents at Community Bible Study! This year she and I have been going together without her best bud, Lulu. Madison misses her, but loves to tell her all about the friends and fun stuff she does without her (it sometimes makes her jealous... I think my little spitfire knows this ;)

Just look at that smile... she was SO proud of herself ;) Daddy came from work to see her sing, and we were both in the front row to cheer her on. She wanted to wear her "pretty sparkle dress" and shoes to her performance, Thanks Nonna!!

Waving to her adoring fans!

I thought she looked so grown-up in this picture... how is it that my baby will be THREE in just a few weeks?!? What a beautiful, beautiful girl she is ;)

Here's a quick video of Madison 'singing'. She did a little singing, but mostly just hanging out and jumping. Their favorite song to in CBS is "Jump into the Light" and they have a blast singing it every week. Her little friend Courtney was so sweet and wanted to put her arm around her. LOL.

Madison and Teagan... sweet friends ;) 

Love you sweet Maddie Gracie! So proud of you learning about Jesus every week and singing for us ;) We love to hear you singing, whether we are sitting in an audience or listening to you in the car, you make us smile and sing along!

Madison's First Movie

During Uncle Matt's visit, we took Madison to see her very first movie, "Peguins of Madagascar." I don't know which one she loved more, the movie or the popcorn and sour patch kids. LOL!

Daddy, Maddie and Uncle Matt getting their tickets. She was so excited!

Mama, Maddie and Lulu waiting for the movie to start.

Uncle Matt bought popcorn and sour patch kids and shared some with Madison and Lindsay... I think they ate their weight in special treats!

New Do'.. If you notice from the picture above, I got a haircut!! In October I donated over 10 inches to a fantastic organization that makes hair pieces for cancer patients. What a joyful way to try out a new look... I hope it will make a precious lady in the battle of her life feel special and pretty ;)

Sweet girl with big feet (not really)

She sat next to Daddy and wanted him to hold her hand if she got scared ;) Thankfully, it was a pretty funny movie and there wasn't any 'scary' parts! She laughed at the jokes in the movie and watched it all the way through, with only 1 bathroom break. I haven't been to the movies in a while, and I was shocked with the amount of trailers- 45 minutes worth?!? Not cool for kids. Or adults.

Lindsay and Maddie had to try out the arcade in the theater too. They played the dance game and sat in the photo booth before we left to go have lunch! Yay big girl Maddie!! Family movie times ahead!

Thanksgiving & Uncle Matt's Visit

Uncle Matt came to visit the east coast and have Thanksgiving with us this year! We had a lot of fun and made some sweet memories ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!! 

Uncle Matt was a good sport and played along with his nieces's pretend-play. I think he was a famous chef, a school teacher and attended at least four tea parties...LOL.

We showed Uncle Matt around Princeton, and we were so excited he was here for the first snow of the season!

We ate hamburgers (Matt's favorite meal since I can remember) at 30 Burger in Princeton

Matt in front of Nassau Hall.. Roar!

Inside the Chapel on Campus at Princeton... I think the stainglass windows were his favorite!

With all the snow and frigid temps, we couldn't wait until it warmed up a bit to take the girls to the park. Uncle Matt had fun pushing the girls on the swings and helping them climb the jungle gym ;)

Jarrett took ] Matt into NYC the day after Thanksgiving and had fun showing him around the city. First on his stop was the World Trade Center Memorial.

911 Memorial

They walked to Battery Park and saw the Statue of Liberty across the harbor...

Lady Liberty

Took a taxi uptown to Times Square...

Say Cheese!

There is just something magical about NYC at Christmas time. The city is ablaze with lights and decorations, and there is lots of sparkle! It was around this time the first time J and I visited NYC 9 years ago, and it was fun to share our expereinces with Matt.

Radio City Music Hall

They walked to Rockefeller Center and saw the skating rink and famous tree (unlit), the lighting was scheduled for a few days later.

Alhtough it was black friday, they didn't do much shopping, unless you count looking in store windows ;)

The gorgous star that would go on the top of the tree in Rockefeller Center.

Swarovski crystal...serious bling!

Jarrett snapped this pic and texted it to me...

Check out Harry Winston...A building bedazzeled with jewels. Fabulous!

Seeing all the Christmas decorations in NYC got us in the spirit to decorate at home!

The girls have their own tree (my old one from my first apt) in their playroom they decorate and re-decorate.

Thank you for a wonderful visit Uncle Matt! Come back to visit soon!! Love You!!