Thanksgiving, NYC style

Thanksgiving 2011 was nothing short of SPECTACULAR!
We took a road trip to NYC with our pals Gloria and Stef to experience the
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
It was something we needed to get off our bucket list; since we didn't know if we'd be in the area after this summer, we decided to go for it.
We left Wednesday early evening and to our surprise and thrill, there was very LITTLE traffic.
We rented a small apartment in the East Village and enjoyed a fun weekend in the
BIG APPLE!

We dressed super warm and headed to the parade route at 6 a.m. The weather was perfect; it was in the 40's and with all my warm gear I was not cold in the slightest! Thanks to Nicole for my cool Birthday Hat and Gloria to my awesome birthday cowl. We had a good spot and were able to see the parade very well.

Berke really liked the big balloons, the rest he was semi interested in, unless it was the sesame street float.

Sponge Bob

Mickey Mouse, this was by far Berkeley's favorite balloon. He waved at Mickey and couldn't take his eyes off him. This kid loves Mickey!

The classic Kermit balloon whom you cant help but cheer for!

The parade was so amazing; it was surreal to see how giant those balloons are in person. I recommend everyone experiencing the parade live at least once.

Berke was passed out 90 seconds after the parade. The long night travel, the early rising and the excitement of the parade just wore the kid out. He really was a trooper.

We could have gone out and paid $60 a person for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but we opted for the $20 pizza instead. We were able to find a Jewish Bakery open, so we did get some pumpkin and pecan pie (which is the best part of the feast anyhow).

Black Friday we headed to Times Square to hit up Toys R Us and ride the Ferris Wheel inside.
Yes, I admit it, I put my kid on a leash (I apologize for judging all the parents with kids on leashes in the past). I knew B was gonna run around the toy store; I also knew that it was Black Friday at the Biggest Toy Store in the U.S. I had no choice but to put the kid on the leash and I can say now it was a good choice.
Berke was in TOY HEAVEN! He loved all the Cars stuff, Mickey Mouse stuff, Yo Gabba Gabba stuff, etc. etc. We waited in line and finally made it onto the Ferris Wheel.

We road the Mr. Potato Head Ferris Wheel car and Berke was on cloud 9!
It took B a total of 30 seconds to fall asleep once he hit the stroller after 3 hours in a toy store.

We then visited the 9/11 Memorial which was beautiful and humbling. The weight of the loss from that day is still heavy, but there is a peace in remembering these people who lost their life that tragic day.

From there we walked over the Brooklyn Bridge. So cool, such a great view of the city!

Here we all are, having a blast!

There was also lots of rough housing and pillow fights! Berke couldn't get enough of "pillow game" with aunt Stefy, he wanted to play it every night...all night long.

What a memorable trip to NYC. We had such a great time. NYC is not the easiest city to maneuver through with a small child, nor is it a quite place at any time of day, but it is a very fun place to visit.
Thanks G and Stefy for putting up with us, we had a fabulouso time!

Thankful...Gobble Gobble

I am so thankful for my family (even if my 2 year old wont stop crying the entire time we were paying good money to have our family pictures taken; I just stuffed smarties in his mouth so at least he isn't crying in the picture).
I love these three boys more than words could ever describe. I am thankful that they go along with me on all our silly adventures. That they make me laugh on a daily basis and laugh at my dorkiness. They really are just the best and I am so happy to have them in my life.

I am thankful for my parents, parent-in-laws, brothers, sibling-in-law (pretty sure that is a made up word), grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews.
I love that they are just there for me when I need them.

I am thankful for my friends, cause quite frankly they are the BEST! There is always a fun time to be had with the crowd I hang with.

I am thankful for chap stick, cause without it my lips would hurt real bad. (no seriously I love chap stick!)

I am thankful for my inhaler, cause without it I could not run or workout without coughing for hours on end. Even though my inhaler makes me feel like an old person, I love it for helping me breath!

I am thankful for my i phone, cause it has changed my life. I work with a boy from the Sudan whose mother has to walk 5-6 hours to get to a phone to talk to him. WOW, and I have an I phone, is something wrong with this picture? So if I am not grateful for my i phone that I am just plain selfish. I have so much!

I am thankful for my jobs, 1- as a mother, 2- as a social worker, 3-a wife, and 4- a friend. Yes they all take work, and yes they all make me a better person.

I am thankful for my car as it takes me to and fro in my daily life and on my fun family trips.

I am thankful for life, and try to live it without any regrets. We are blessed to be here and must take advantage of the blessings we have while we are here.

I am thankful for my new headband, my new warm socks, peppermint joe joes, eggplant, candles that smell yummy, my running group, amazon.com, computers, books, new couches, Mad Men, country music, air planes, dunford chocolate donuts, memories, my camera, toothpaste and lots of other really important cool stuff.

Hope Everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! I hope you remember to at least think about what you are thankful for on this day of feasting!

Thanksgiving in Utah

My parents, wanting to see their grandson, and not wanting to fly to Boston, decided to buy us tickets to Utah instead, for Thanksgiving this year. We usually stay home for the holidays and travel in the summer, but since the tickets were free and we were ready to experience the FREE grandparent babysitting I have been hearing so much about, we went.
Berkeley did very well on the 3 out of the 4 flights. The last stretch home, he was DONE being confined, but all the other flights he was a champ. Everyone comment on how well he did and of coarse how adorable he is.

We arrived in Utah on Wednesday evening and ate at my favorite...CAFE RIO!!! Then Christian, my brother, Stevie and I got up early Thanksgiving morning for a 5k Turkey Trot. It was FREEZING while waiting for the race to start, but once we started running things were good. I am glad I ran, because it was the only exercise that occurred on our trip and we did a whole lot of eating. It is weird, how much I have come to love to run (short distances). After I ran my first 5k in Louisville I never thought I would run again; but hey this year I have run 3, so never say never.
Thanksgiving was delicious and fun to be with my entire family. It is nice to be with family for the holidays; it has been awhile.

Friday morning, my Mom, Marci and I were crazy and got up at 4:30a.m. to hit the sales for BLACK FRIDAY. I am not sure why, I have never seen Target so insane, it was somewhat traumatic for me. But we did get some good deals and we felt pretty happy about that. Black Friday was also my 29th Birthday. I spent the rest of my day having lunch with many of my friends at Leatherbys and eating lots of ice cream. Below is Joel and I who just happen to share the same birthday, but until this year never got to celebrate together.

Later that evening, we used some of that WONDERFUL FREE grandparent babysitting and went to Wendover with my Dad and Lori to see Dwight Yoakam in concert. It was a fun time for all. Thanks Dad for the tickets!

Berkeley loved spending time with his grandparents. By far his favorite activity was watching the choo choo train go around the Christmas tree with grandma. He was just sit and watch it, it was adorable.

Tristen and Berkeley are cousins and only two weeks apart. They could not be more different from each other, but they both have the cute factor happening for them. It made me a bit homesick to realize how much family time Berkeley is missing out on; he could be so close to his cousins and grandparents if we just lived a few thousand miles closer.

Saturday I got my hair did. I love how cheap it is to get your hair done in Utah and how fabulous it looks when you are done. Oh to feel beautiful again.....priceless. We had the opportunity to get together with the Sorrels family at Chili's as well.

Here is Berke with his Grandpa and Grandma Sorrels. He was wearing his Utah shirt for the big BYU vs. Utah game, but we don't really need to talk about that, other than he wears RED well.

Grandma and Grandpa Sorrels with all four of their grandchildren, next year they will have FIVE. Nope, it's not me adding to the family, it is Stevie and Marci. I love seeing my nieces and nephew, they are so stinkin' hilarious.

My mom really wanted to celebrate Berkeley and Tristen's Birthdays while we were there; the boys started to find joy in unwrapping presents. They also each enjoyed a chocolate cupcake for the occasion. Berke was more interested in using the cake as finger paints than eating it, but he did manage to suck some of the frosting off his fingers.

Maren and Brock recently moved to Provo, Utah; since we were so close we couldn't pass up a chance to see their new house and their adorable kids. Berke was excited to play with his cousins even if this picture would suggest otherwise. We love the Kirwan family.

We went with the Kirwans and my parents down to Temple Square. We haven't visited Utah in the winter time for awhile, so it was nice to do the old tradition again. It really was so beautiful.

We also got to visit the Taft family on Thanksgiving and by taking the famous "Taft Park City Outlet Shopping Trip." There is nothing we Tafts like more than a really good deal!!!

Check this out:
Berkeley with his Great Great Grandma Taft

Berke with his Great Grandpa Taft

Berke with his Grandpa Taft

It was nice to have Berke see all of his family in Utah, even though I think he was a bit overwhelmed with all of the people all of the time. It was a really fun trip and I am so thankful for my wonderful family.
Christian and I realized we are not Westerners any longer; our skin was sooooo dry, we were not used to it at all. I would wake up every morning with a dry throat. Berkeley's cheeks turned bright red from being so dry. We also kept a steady stream of chap stick flowing.
Overall, great trip to Utah. Very busy, very fun, very needed.