Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Happy Thanksgiving! It has been such a wonderful day so far. My childhood dream of going to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has come true! It was everything I had ever hoped it would be and more! Emma-Caroline loved it too! It was absolutely spectacular! I will post more pictures soon.

We hope you all have a very blessed Thanksgiving Day. We love you all and are thankful for each and every one of you!

The Balloons!

Dora

Oohing and Ahhing over the balloons.

Kermit

Aunt Rhonda, Ellen and Emma-Caroline

Last night we got to see some of the stars of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade being blown up. Emma-Caroline thought Hello Kitty and Dora were the two best. This morning we are headed down to Central Park West to watch the parade. Woo Hoo! I can't wait. We'll post more from the parade soon. Until then, Happy Thanksgiving!

A Toy Store, A Carriage Ride, and the Plaza

Today has been another wonderful day here in New York! We ventured uptown to FAO Schwarz, took a gander at the lobby of the Plaza and then went on a delightful carriage ride through Central Park. At the end of the day we went to watch the balloons being blown up for the parade tomorrow. I will post those pictures tomorrow. It has been a magical day! Here are some pictures from our day. Enjoy!

FAO Schwarz.

In front of the Plaza.

Inside FAO Schwarz.
Our carriage ride.

Emma-Caroline became "Eloise" in the Plaza lobby!

Rockefeller Plaza.

Times Square.

American Girl Place, New York

American Girl Doll Place, New York, need I say more! It's story after story after story of girl dreams come true, both for little girls and little girls at heart! With the Bitty Twins in tow, both Emma-Caroline and I entered American Girl Doll Place with wide eyes and beaming smiles. Howie of course says we went because I mostly wanted to go. And I'll admit, he's right. I LOVED it! We toured the store, ending up at the cafe for a sweet little lunch where the Bitty Twins sat in seats of honor. It was great! Here are some of our pictures from our wonderful day.

The Bitty Twins dining in style.

Emma-Caroline at the American Girl Doll Souvenir store.

Joy to the Girl both little and big!

Our waitress Gretta

Oh Happy Day, Me and Bitty Twin Fifi!

So excited!

In the cafe.

Getting ready to shop!

"Start Spreading the News . . ."

"I'm leaving today. I want to be a part of it, New York, New York!" We're finally here! We arrived last night and have had a fun filled day. To sum it up, in the words of Emma-Caroline,
"I just love New York!" The city is so alive! Especially during the holiday season. It's amazing! We visited Grandma Beverly and Aunt Rhonda, then headed up to 5th Avenue to have lunch at American Girl Place and to peruse Saks. We strolled through Rockefeller Plaza and saw the Christmas tree going up over the skating rink. Although I've been here before at Christmas and other times during the year, it's definitely more magical from a three year old's perspective. It makes you see the city as more than just a very busy place. It's just wonderful! Stay tuned for pictures from our lunch at American Girl Place

Times Square

Sewing with Mimi

While we were in Virginia, Emma-Caroline honed her domestic arts skills by helping Mimi sew bandannas for Mickey, Barkley and Lucy. Emma-Caroline and Mimi picked out special fabric at Joanne Fabrics for the dogs' special bandannas. Now they will be all ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas with their newly made scarves. Watching Emma-Caroline sew with Mimi reminds me of happy memories of sewing with my Mema and Granny Bea. I'm so happy Emma-Caroline is learning to sew from one of her grandmothers too. Emma-Caroline and Sophie will also learn to paint and sew from Nana and how to knit from Grandma Beverly.

Catching Up!

OK for those of you who regularly check out what's going on in our house I know I have been lax in updating the blog, so I have a lot of catching up to do. Since the last post, Election Day, we have driven home from G-daddy and Mimi's and we have been super busy going to school, dancing at ballet , playing at home etc. etc. ect. The normal, but to us, still the interesting and fun day-to-day activities. Here are some of the highlights from the past couple of weeks:

Rockin' Sophie

Playing With Mommy's Shoes.

Playing in the leaves!

Emma-Caroline's Ballet "Open House"

Election Day!

Today may be one of the single most important election days in American history. No matter what your political views, if you're old enough to vote, please vote. God bless America!

Happy 60th Birthday G-Daddy

Today is my dad's 60th birthday. I have to say, 60 sure doesn't look like it used to. My dad is such a "young" man and is actually more active than I am, although I hate to admit it. The girls and I drove up to Virginia yesterday to surprise G-Daddy for his birthday. They have had such a good time celebrating their G-Daddy's special day. Emma-Caroline even put her recently acquired baking skills to good use and helped Mimi bake G-Daddy's favorite dessert, lemon meringue pie. My dad is the best kind of dad there is. I feel so blessed to have him as my father and I am so happy too that the girls have such a wonderful G-Daddy to grow up with. We love our G-Daddy. Happy Birthday Daddy! I love you!

Opening cards and presents. . . tissues please!

A new TV for the boat.

Emma-Caroline helped Mimi bake a delicious pie for G-Daddy's birthday. She pricked the pie crust, squeezed the lemons, mixed the pie filling, baked the pie and meringue, and topped it with lemon zest. She is becoming quite the baker. Emma-Caroline also helped set the table for G-Daddy's special dinner. These pictures are in reverse order of her baking adventure. She was so pleased to be able to help Mimi prepare such a special dessert for G-Daddy.

Zesting!

Mixing the pie filling.

Squeezing lemons.

Pricking the pie crust.

Blowing kisses to G-Daddy.

Snuggling close to a very special G-Daddy.