Central Park...

While in New York we HAD to go to Central Park, and it is a good thing we did as it ended up being EVERY ONE'S favorite part of the trip. We had a wonderful time and only got into the first three feet of the park. From the moment we arrived in New York the kids wanted to play in the snow (mind you it had not snowed in KS yet at this point). We figured that Central Park was the perfect place to let them do it. As soon as we walked in the gate the kids were off, throwing snow balls, building forts, and snowman. The adults enjoyed all of these activities as well. Some how the snow seemed a little more manageable in Central Park than it does in my driveway. No one thought about how cold it was or the fact that they were soaking wet. We played for about two hours. The park was exactly how I pictured it. What a great day.

Colten getting a snow ball.

I love the intensity Justin has in this one!

Aubrey laughed SO hard every time she hit someone with a snow ball!

I love this picture of my dad.

They were happy to be able to run free.

Biggest now ball of the day.

Devin had to help the boys hold it!

Miss Aubrey enjoying herself. She kept laying down and putting her face in the snow, it was like she was doing a snow angel backwards.

She looks cold but did not complain in the least!

The boys in the fort.

Aubrey and Devin working on the snowman.

She loves cousin Devin!

Family Photo Opp.

What a great experience we were able to make! I have complete confidence that Colten will NEVER forget his snowball fight in Central Park.

Time Square...

Our second day in New York started with a quick trip to time square! Everyone enjoyed themselves and while we were there they were testing the confetti for New Year's Eve (the kids loved that). Other high points for the children were The Disney Store, and the four story M and M store. All in all it was a wonderful morning!

View after getting off the subway...

We took pictures going both directions...

Perfect family...

Aubrey decided she was tired and took a nap on Papa's head!

New York Day 1...

Once we FINALLY got to New York we started in on site seeing right away! We had excellent timing as Justin was able to meet the rest of our party at the airport after dropping off the rental car (they stink and had no issues with travel, what a difference a day makes). Once they got to the hotel we decided to get a bite to eat and then head down to Rockefeller Center, from there we walked down 5th avenue and ended up at FAO Schwartz. It was a great evening and the kids did an awesome job with walking.
First time in the subway...the kids did awesome in it. It made getting around the city SO much easier!

Walking in Rockefeller Center.
Such a busy place!
The tree was BEAUTIFUL.
Not as big as I thought it might be though.
Aubrey did walk some I promise. I love her face in this one.
Daddy and Colten.

5th Avenue.
Outside the toy store!

Much to our disappointment the FAO closed at 8 and we arrived about 7:55. We did make it inside however could not be on a floor other than the one we entered on. We were just thankful that the kids did not realize that there were multiple floors, and really why do they close at 8? Everything in Manhattan KS is open until at least nine...Really 8 (sorry I'm still not over this).

After our trip to the there we decided to head on back to the hotel as everyone was tired from a long day of travel!

New York...The Drive...

Wow! I can't believe that I am just now getting around to blogging about New York. Things have been SO busy since we have been back. New York was an experience that we will never forget. We had a wonderful time with family. We left on Monday December 27th. Our flight left Manhattan at 6:50 that morning. We got to the airport to find that our connecting flight out of Chicago had been canceled. We were disappointed to say the least but decided to go ahead and get on the plane and head to Chicago. We got to Chicago with out a real plan on what to do. We attempted to get booked for another flight but the first one we could get on was several days away giving us LITTLE time to spend in New York. We started checking other options. We looked into trains, etc but due to the weather everything was either booked or canceled. After a couple of hours we decided to look into driving. At first I thought Justin was nuts for even suggesting it. However the more we thought about it the better the idea seemed to all of us. We rented a suburban and hit the road. The kids were Saints in the car. We were so pleased with their behavior and made fairly good time...it was a 15 hour drive, and we only had one moment where we felt like we were going to loose our minds (thank God for ipods).

During the 15 hour drive Aubrey napped.

The boys played on Ipods.

We counted the miles to NYC!
We were so EXCITED when we could FINALLY see the city!

Never been so happy to see a bridge in my life!

Wordless Wednesday...

Goodbye...

Christmas #5...

We celebrated number five this past weekend with Justin's family. Like always our kids were spoiled rotten, and everyone had a great time! Sort of sad the holiday's are officially over!

Simply Perfect...

Aren't we cute?