East Coast Trip, Part 1: Manhattan

Back in June we took an awesome trip to New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut!  Ryan had business in CT, but we went out a few days earlier to spend time in Manhattan and to visit family in New Jersey. 

We left on a Saturday, Austin to Newark direct.  Then got our rental car and headed to our hotel.  We stayed at the Double Tree in Times Square.  There was a view of M&M World from our bedroom window and Cannon kept saying it was his favorite movie.  He loves M&M's and he loves the little characters, so we couldn't have picked a better view for him!

He slept a good portion of the way



Watching the M&M World digital billboard  

We took the subway to Chelsea Market for dinner.  Cannon wasn't really interested in any choices and all he wanted was a cinnamon roll which we couldn't find.  We got some little donuts and then got him a hot dog from a street vendor. 

On the way back to the subway we stopped and played in a neighborhood playground until it closed.  Cannon played with a few other boys that came later. 

Once we got back near our hotel it was getting dark.  Times Square is super crowded, always, but we stopped for a few minutes to snap some pics.  And we also encountered some super heroes. 



Cannon was pretty excited to see some Star Wars guys!

Sunday morning we took the subway to church, which Cannon thought was hilarious.  I didn't realize that the temple and church were in the same building.  When you walk into the building you are greeted by security guard and then you take the elevator to the floor you need.  We got there a little early so we took a look around the building.  The floor the church is on is just as big as a regular ward building.  It had a full size chapel, cultural hall, and all the classrooms.  It was all very nice.  Sunday morning was beautiful and quiet and peaceful, very much contrasting to all the hustle and bustle we had the previous day.

After church we drove to Toms River, New Jersey to meet our Italian family.  But all that is in a separate post. 

Monday was going to be our big day for seeing the city.  Unfortunately it was very rainy in the morning, so that thwarted our plans to see the Statue of Liberty.  Cannon was disappointed because he had seen it from the plane and was excited to take the ferry to get a closer look.  Instead, we went to M&M World.  We said Cannon could pick one thing to buy and he chose a red M&M guy.  He was thrilled that we bought it because he thought he was going to have to use his own money.  Then we took the subway down to the Staten Island Ferry to see if we could see it just a bit closer. 

We didn't have time for a ferry ride because Ryan had tickets to see Jimmy Fallon!  This was a big bucket list item for him and I was so happy that he got this chance!  We rode the subway together and then parted ways.  At some point in the day we got pizza and walked around Washington Square.

I took Cannon to FAO Schwarz so he could spend the $10 we gave him, plus I also thought he would want to play around a bit since we had a lot of time to kill.  In hindsight, I should have taken him to he Lego store since that is all he wanted to look at.  He wanted to go straight to the Lego section to get a Star Wars ship and then straight to the counter to pay for it.  We walked right past the Big piano and he didn't care!  I kind of wanted a turn on it though.  He had no interest in staying in the store and he wanted to get to Central Park right away so he could build it. 

We ended up staying at Central Park for about five hours, until Ryan was finished.  We first went to Heckscher playground since it was the closest to us.  After Cannon built his ship he explored the area and played with a kid named Arthur from Thailand. 

He enjoyed climbing these rocks

Then we got ice cream and just walked around until we came to another playground on the corner of 5th Ave and E 72nd St.  I kind of liked that one better because it was smaller and fenced in.  I could sit on a bench and just watch Cannon play.  He played with a little girl and another boy and his brothers.  It was so fun watching him interact with all sorts of different kids.  He really had such a fun time and it was one of my favorite days. 

We met up with Ryan when he was finished and we ended up just walking back instead of taking the subway.  We briefly stopped at another playground because it had a cool slide.

We walked down 5th Ave and through Rockefeller Center and then past Times Square to get to our restaurant, Carmine's.  Up until this point Cannon had not been wearing shoes since he took them off to play at the park.  I had brought two different shoes for him (crocks and sneakers) because the weather was changing and if he needed sneakers for climbing.  When we were ready to go into Carmine's I realized that I somehow lost one of his crocks!  I was so mad at myself because I had tried to be really careful when I was moving things in and out of the stroller.  Then I went to get his sneakers and I had lost one of his sneakers too!!!!  Unbelievable!  It was so bad that all we could do was laugh!  He only owns three pairs of shoes (the third being church shoes) and I couldn't believe that 2/3 of his stock was now unusable! Not to mention that we were going to have to buy him new shoes and he still had growing room left in his other shoes.  Because I am that good, I managed to lose one left and one right one.  So he entered the restaurant like this:

After dinner we were supposed to drive to Connecticut.  I begged Ryan to drop me off at the playground on E 72nd St so I could at least look, because that was the last place I saw both sets of shoes.  He agreed and we headed over there.  By this point it was 10:30pm and way past the time we were supposed to be on the road.  I said a silent prayer in my head asking for help and asking to find at least one shoe so that didn't have to buy two new pairs.  I took a quick look at the playground, but the gate was locked.  I searched around the sidewalk, but saw nothing.  I got back in the car and asked Ryan to drive slowly down 5th Ave so that I could look at the sidewalk where we had been.  I knew the chances were slim to none, but I felt so desperate.  All of a sudden Ryan yelled, "Green!  I see green!  Crock!"  Sure enough, he had spotted the green crock!  We couldn't believe it!!  I jumped out of the car and quickly retrieved it!  I still can't believe we found one shoe and it happened to be Cannon's favorite of all his shoes.  We were all laughing and feeling on top of the world! 

And then we began our drive to Connecticut. 



What We've Been Up To

We are really enjoying our new home and being in College Station.  Here's some of what's been going on around here:



Watching the baby Swallows grow at Aunt Barbara's house



Kite flying



Some "gardening"



Block building



Eating breakfast tacos every Saturday morning!

Archery

"Mom, come and see how cool I am!"

Playing in the rain

Star Wars with Uncle Jeff

Enjoying our play space

Bathroom painting and decorating

But we've mostly just been hanging around. 



My Boy is 5!

Today is Cannon's birthday!  He's a thinker and a planner and has known exactly what he wanted to do on his birthday.  He wanted me to put one present in his bedroom next to his lamp and another present in my bedroom next to my lamp so that he could open them in the morning. 

A kite Ryan picked up in Kitty Hawk.  The other present was a portable lego tray. 

He wanted donuts for breakfast and he knew that he wanted chocolate icing with sprinkles.



Shipley's Donuts



Then we came home and decorated his cake.  He had decided that he wanted an ice cream cake with mint ice cream, white frosting with yellow and green frosting around it.  The he picked out some candles letters that spell "HAPPY BIRTHDAY."  As you'll notice from the other pictures he set them up more scrabble style. 

He played on his new climbing dome from Nana and rode bikes outside for awhile. 

He had some quiet time in his room and then headed over to Aunt Barbara's to swim.  He swam in their pool one time and discovered that Dyson their dog likes to swim with him too!  It's been a little cooler here and I said that when it got to 80 degrees he could go swimming again.  The weather forecast predicted a warm day so we had planned on swimming in the afternoon.  Cannon and Dyson had an instant bond and they have so much fun playing together!

This boy was in heaven!!

For dinner he really wanted Chick-fil-A.  Grandma and Papa came with us too and then afterwards everyone else met us at our  home for ice cream cake and presents.  Cannon was thrilled with the Star Wars figures from Grandma and Papa and the Nerf gun from Lynn, Barbara, and the boys.  He and Jacob ran around shooting each other for awhile. 

I can't believe how much he is growing up!  I can't believe I don't have a baby anymore! 

Here are some things I want to remember about Cannon.

• Other kids love him, but he is very selective on who he chooses for friends.  He's cautious and observant before he joins into play. 
• He has an incredible love for family, past and present. 
• He asks about 48263458974 questions a day, to which I try my hardest to be patient and answer each one. 
• He loves animals, especially dogs. 
• He likes to play tricks on people; right now it's with his fake cockroach.
• He is full of energy and his body is always moving.  He loves physical activities like wrestling, swimming, biking, running, chase, climbing, jumping from high places, and swinging. 
• He loves being read to and at least once a day I find him sitting on the floor looking through books.
• He is great at play and has a vivid imagination.  He is really into Star Wars (Ryan is reading him the chapter books - he has not seen the movies), cars, trains, and make believe. 
• He taught himself to count past 200 and to button buttons. 

We love our Can Man and are so happy he is in our family!  He has taught us so much and has brought so much joy into our lives!

Easter

We've had a big week!  We've officially been back in Texas for nine days now.  We have unpacked and organized the whole house this week.  Ryan is working from home and we love it!  He still goes on Eastern time since that's where the main office is, so he is usually done with his work before 5pm.  It's a dream!  And he plays with Cannon during his lunch break if we are home. 

On Saturday there was an Easter egg hunt at the home of an older couple in our church.  We were invited and decided to go and try to meet some new people.  Their property is beautiful!  10 acres of land, fire pit, barn, pond with fish, and lots of grassy areas for playing.  Cannon thought the egg hunt was fun and then we enjoyed lunch with everyone.  It was great to meet some new families and enjoy the gorgeous weather and scenery. 

 

 

FAKE alligator!

 

 

We have 1:00 church now and love it!  I didn't think I would, but now we have the whole morning to relax and enjoy our time together.  We get to play and have lunch before church.  It's really working out so well.  Easter Sunday was no different.  Cannon's Easter basket had some candy and a book I made him.  Then we made crepes, which has become our go-to special occasion breakfast.  Cannon loves cracking the eggs and pouring in the ingredients.  After breakfast I put on some churchy music and the guys wrestled on the floor for a bit.  We read from the scriptures and talked about the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Church was very inspiring.  Cannon felt more comfortable this week and ended up going to his class this time.  He was also looking forward to being sung to in primary because it's going to be his birthday.  He said, "Mom, make sure you tell the president it's my birthday tomorrow."  After church we had dinner at Lynn and Barbara's house.  It's been a long time since we've had a big family dinner!  All the food was amazing and it's always a pleasure to just be with family. 

 

 

We don't have a couch yet so I put his basket on the table in the upstairs foyer.

 Of course I meant to get a picture of us before church, but it didn't happen.  But here's one of our fabulous dinner!  Aunt Barbara really put a lot of effort into the table decorations and it turned out so cute!