A Cold January

So we have had a very cold January this year. For some reason I don't remember it being this bad in the first three years in NY. It may have something to do with having a toddler and cabin fever...two very bad combinations.  

Here is some pictures of us playing in the snow on January 7th

 As you can see Andy had a great time!!

I was able to find these Tickets to a show called the Inflatable Theater.  The show promised to etertain even the most rambunctious toddler. So I bought the tickets and took Andy, Pat and our friend Arianne. Andy loved it even after only having about a 20 minute nap. It was a man and a woman who put on the show. They juggled, dance, did gymnastic move with and in these giant parachute balls, cubes, clothing, etc. It was Very fun! At the end they tossed a giant pumpkin and cube into the audience. Andy thought it was quiet cool to get to hit the pumpkin.

 Andrew now loves the Book Moo, Baa, LaLaLa. He always makes this face when reading the book.Can you guess why??

 Another cold day. I was trying to get Andy dressed with little success. What is the point if we aren't going anywhere? At least that must be Andy's thinking and soon became mine.

Andy uses this pout look whenever he isn't getting what he wants. We see is often!

Pat and I have picked up craft time together, although he probably wouldn't like me calling it that. He works on his car model and I do various things, depends on the day. This night I painted a Pin the Apple in the Pig's mouth game for Arianne's Luau Birthday Party. I have to admit it turned out well.

 So since the weather has not been nice to us. We do crafts, watch "Dora" and "Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang" (we also dance along with). Play with trains, cars, swords, instruments, Play-doe, paint, draw and whatever else I can do to entertain my two year old.  We are currently trying to potty train. Which is more stressful then I thought it would be for both of us although I am constantly looking for ways to make it less stressful. Andy is doing well and getting so grown up.

My little drummer boy!

Christmas and Uncle Dan's Visit

Well, we finally decided that it was time to finish posting our pictures from Christmas and New Year's. This year, my brother Daniel was able to visit us for both holidays, and we had a fantastic time traveling into the City and seeing the sights. Andy loved having a constant companion who was willing to spoil him at the drop of a hat, and was very sorry to see him go. Just a reminder...only 4 more months until we leave New York, so if you're going to come and visit, get your tickets now (I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but it has been a month since the last one...sorry)!

Shortly after Thanksgiving, we changed Andrew's bed from a crib to a toddler bed. As you can see, he's pretty pleased with the arrangement.

Who says it's only designed for one?

Andy decorated the tree personally. Of course, he also spent a significant portion of the time throwing the ornaments across the room...thank goodness Julie bought plastic ornaments last year!

Andy also received his first "haircut" shortly after his birthday. This is the before picture. His rat tail was getting a little long.

The one and only cut. He only lost about an inch at the very end.

Andy pouting after his haircut. Not much of a change, but at least it was a little less like a mullet.

There's just nothing like playing with the Christmas tree in your underwear and rain boots!

Julie, Andy, and I went to Macy's to see Santa the day before Daniel arrived. All I can say is, someday my tree will look just like this!

Andy and Santa. Yes, son, the beard is real!

Santa's elves visited on Christmas Eve Eve. Everyone did well, although I apparently still have some room for improvement!

Andy and Uncle Dan had a great time with their new swords.

Dan, Andy, and I just couldn't resist a good old fashioned sword fight!

Dan at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Who knew he was into fine art?

Yes, it's the Emporer's codpiece again. We just couldn't resist!

Dan and me at Times Square. Doesn't Dan just look thrilled to be there?

Wall Street station. Show me the money!

The Charging Bull near Wall Street. 'Nuff said!

We went ice skating with our church's youth group. Andy was very excited to have his very own skates.

We thought that he would get tired after one or two laps around the rink. He stayed on the ice for more than an hour, with Julie and me taking turns guiding him. We may just have a budding Olympic skater on our hands!

Dan tried his hand at ice skating as well. He spent 99.9% of his time holding on to the side railing for dear life.

The tree at Rockefeller Center. Very impressive!

Andy at Rockefeller Center. I think he had the right idea.

The ginger bread house at the Botanical Gardens. Andy had a great time!

The holiday model train show at the Botanical Gardens. Someday, I'll have a better setup!

Andy and Dan at the top of the Empire State Building. The wind was blowing a bit and Andy insisted on wearing his hood.

The origami Christmas tree at the American Museum of Natural History. Sounds like a project for next year!

The Intrepid Air and Space Museum. Definitely way cool, and we didn't spend nearly enough time there. Worth another visit.

Lady Liberty. A must see! On a side note, I deserve props for my planning on this day. We went to the Intrepid in the morning, where my previously purchased online tickets let us skip a huge line, and then we went to the Statue of Liberty, where my previously purchased online tickets let us skip a ginormous line and actually make it to Liberty Island. I was pretty proud of myself!

The luggage room on Ellis Island. An amazing testament to the draw that America has worldwide.

Well, if you made it all the way through this post, congratulations! Hopefully we can keep a little more up to date in the future. Stay tuned for our January post, coming soon!

Andy's Gifts!

Due to popular demand, we're posting some pictures of Andy and his gifts now, so our fans can see them right away. Additional pictures from Christmas will follow. For Christmas this year, Andy made out like a bandit. He received pretty much everything his little heart could desire, and then some! By far his favorite gift, however, is his new police car. As you can see from the pictures, it looks like Julie and I are now the BEST PARENTS EVER in Andy's mind (at least until next year...we may also have set ourselves up for failure. I mean, how can you top these gifts?).

The gifts last night right before going to bed. All of the big ones are Andy's.

As you can see, the police car was a big hit.

Andy refused to get out of the car for quite awhile. He ended up opening most of his presents inside.

Andy also got a knight's helmet and Nerf sword. He has combined his gifts to become Sir Andrew of the Bronx, defender of justice and issuer of tickets! Better make sure your registration is current.

Birthday Cake Excitement!