New York City (and all that jazz!)

We had such a great time in NYC trying out new fun restaurants!


Times Square













Shopping on Canal Street -lots of fun things to buy!



Central Park (and the emerging of the belly...)

Back home & hitting the pool for one of the first times this summer - aren't these girls precious?

We spent 4 days in New York City over Memorial Day to celebrate Corey's parent's 60th birthdays and their 40th anniversary. It is a big year for them! Corey's mom's request was to go to New York with us, and we were happy to oblige. I was the only one who had really spent any time there before, so it was a blast to see it all from their eyes. We did a lot of the touristy things that you just have to do your first time to NYC - Times Square, the Empire State Building (very windy & cold at night, but impressive!), a cruise around Manhattan, trips to the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island, etc. We also made it to two Broadway shows - Wicked was fabulous! I have seen a number of Broadway musicals over the years, but I think this verges on my favorite. The music, the talent, the costumes, the stage, everything was top notch. Plus, since it is the story of the Wicked Witch and Glenda from The Wizard of Oz, it was totally clean. Someday it would be fun to take my girls! We also went to see Sunday in the Park with George, mainly because one of my in-law's relatives had a role in it. It was really neat to meet him & get to go back stage and tour a broadway theater, but I have to say, the show wasn't my favorite. One of the things that really makes a good vacation for Corey is the food, so we (and by that I mean "he"!) did a lot of research & found some great restaurants that really made the trip that much more enjoyable. Dessert is always my judge of a good restaurant, and we managed to find several delicious ones :). One really neat thing we did that I would highly recommend is going to the Ground Zero Memorial Workshop/Museum. Its in kind of a random place in Chelsea, far from the actual ground zero, but it is a small display of many of the photos and artifacts taken & collected by the official photographer of Ground Zero after 9-11. The photographer has narrated each photograph and artifact and gives some really heart-wrenching details about the aftermath of 911. So, sobering, but powerful, and one of those things we won't quickly forget. On a lighter note, we had fun checking out Canal street & buying purses and cheap sunglasses (mine already broke!) and bargaining with the vendors. We had beautiful weather - I would say this was a fabulous time of year to go - cool enough for a jacket, but nice during the day. I would also caution any other 1st trimester pregnant ladies - DON'T GO (at least until the nausea has completely subsided)!!! Between crazy cab rides, subway & boat rides, and the amazingly disgusting combination of smells, I fought the urge to throw up almost the entire time! Oh the joys of early pregnancy :). In spite of that, however, it was a wonderful time with Corey and with his parents. We are so blessed to have two sets of parents that we love to be with and who bless us in so many ways.

Back home, it has been getting hot, and the girls have loved spending time in our pool! Emma had begun to learn to swim on her own last year, and this summer has become a little fish! Obviously we still have to keep an eye on her, but she can swim pretty much on her own without any help. Addie is loving the water too, and as long as she has on her little fish floaties, she does pretty well. It is so much fun having a pool in our back yard, and we are taking full advantage of it. In other household news, I just returned from a wonderful, relaxing weekend in Austin with my precious friends Heather & Summer. It is always a blessing to be with them, and though we love being together with our kids, its so nice to have a few whole days to just talk. I am so thankful for all my friends, and each fills such an important role in my life. These girls have known me pre-Corey, pre-kids, pre-everything, and its so nice to have that kind of solidarity in relationships. They truly know me, and I can say that every opportunity to spend with them is full of laughter, a lot of talking, and I always come away challenged spiritually in some way. These are two of the most talented women my age that I know, and they are so spiritually mature that I am always blessed just to see what God is doing in them. All in all, a wonderful weekend (thanks Corey for watching the girls to make it all possible!).

So, the summer has begun, life is good. Baby Russell is almost 15 weeks in utero, and we can't wait to find out if its a boy or a girl (both my girls claim its a baby brother...we'll see!). Blessings on all of you in blogland!