Home Sweet Home

Our trip was amazing! New York was everything we thought it would be, good and bad. The constant contrast of wealth and poverty mingling was very stark. The beauty of the buildings and the dirty streets didn't seem to fit together. The centuries old historical churches and new construction of skyscrapers side by side. Stock traders on wall sreet sitting next to a young black man on his way to the Bronx on the subway. A constant reminder of the vast differences in our country.

We had a wonderful time and wished we could have seen everything. The Metropolitan Museum was jaw dropping. They have the largest Egyptian collection in the world, it was such a feast for the eyes! St. Patricks Cathedral was gorgeous. Times Square was so energetic and alive with people. Seeing the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway is something I will never forget.

It didn't take long to feel a part of the city and blend in with everyone in it. But home is home no matter what. Missing Jackson and Cooper made it very obvious that while this trip was much needed and very exciting, the thought of getting home again was what we looked forward to the most.

New York or Bust!!

We are leaving Austin at 9:30 tomorrow morning. I told Jackson this afternoon that Mommy and Daddy were going to be leaving on an airplane and showed him pictures of New York. He burst into tears and said "Your NOT going on an airplane, your NOT going to the big buildings!" Yikes! He wanted us to "stay home" or take him with us to "help". I promised we would bring him and Cooper back a present and he asked for a "Bob Bob Squarepants" gift. I am so excited to go, but I know a big part of me is going to miss the boys. Lots of "hugmoochies" tonight...

The Big Apple!

Jason and I decided on New York for our trip! It is definetly not somewhere we would want to take the kids one day, so maybe that makes it seem like more of a getaway. There is so much to see, we will be looking like typical tourists- lost with cameras in hand. I would love to see some of the historical churches. Central Park. Brooklyn Bridge. Niagra Falls would be amazing! I just hope we don't spend all our money on cabs! It is a place totally unfamiliar and I have no idea what to expect. I am glad Jason and I get to go on this adventure together!

Play Dates and Plane Trips

This week Jackson caught up with some friends of his that he hasn't gotten to see much. Mommy has been so busy trying to keep up with two kids now that we have been kinda out of the loop socially. We went to Chick-fil-a on Monday with Hannah and Julia and today we went to Radijazz with Isabelle. This was our first time there, and it was lots of fun!! So much to climb and jump off of. He could have gone all day without stopping. Thankfully he did crash when we got home and took a nap. We are going to try to do more during the week again, and hopefully Cooper will be a good sport about it cutting into his nap time. Once preschool starts, he will probably be pooped and want to stay home on his off days!

On a grown up note- Jason and I are planning a long weekend trip. Dell has chosen 1o managers to represent Dell in an "Amazing Race" of sorts. These 10 get to hand over a new Dell laptop to the winners. There are quite a few destinations to choose from: Miami, New York, Chicago, San Fransico, Seattle and Austin too. Right now he gets top pick so we are having a hard time deciding. I envision laying on the beach in Miami doing absolutely nothing. Jason wants to throw himself into the hustle and bustle of New York. Either way it will be nice to have a mini-vacation without the kids. Something tells me we will be missing them soon after we leave though...

Happy 4th??

It has been raining cats and dogs here in Texas!! And sadly, the fourth of July was no exception. Combine the weather with the fact that Jason had to work, it didn't really hit me that it was a holiday until we started hearing the boom and crackle of fireworks. Or as we call them, firecrackers. We had a family friend's daughter ( Brookie Bear ! ) spend then night and she and Jackson sat on our back porch with wide eyes, swatting at mosquitos. Jackson liked the "firecracks" as long as he had his ears covered. He was worried Cooper might be scared ( such a sweet big brother ), but I assured him that he was zonked out in his nice safe crib. We had pizza and ice cream and played indoor soccer. Soccer in Jackson terms is basically keep away, as long as Jackson always has the ball. Brooke was a good sport! The rain has held off today so maybe some of our law-breaking neighbors will give us another show tonight.