Thanksgiving in New York

So, I stand corrected.  We do not have two kids under two, we have two kids two and under.  Sorry, C.J.  You got the honor of the prior statement, not me.  Lucky you.  Still, taking a trip with two little kids is no easy feat.  It's exhausting for everyone involved.  But it's also a lot of fun.

The first night in New York left something to be desired - sleep!  We got a roll-away bed for Hannah, thinking she'd be too big for the cribs they have.  Hannah is still in a crib at home, so this was a risky move on my part.  Hannah quickly learned that she can get out of bed whenever she wants.  And she did.  Over and over again.  First when we were trying to get her to go to sleep, and then again several times between 2:30 and 4:00.  At that point we called downstairs for a crib and put her in there.  That was the best decision of the week.

The rest of the week went as well as it could have.  We spent lots of time with family (the Monks, the Monk cousins and Aunts and Uncles, the Weisburds... we missed the Barkoffs!  And, sadly, we didn't see the Thies side as it was too far to drive up to Peggy's for a day trip the day before our flight).  We filled our time with great food (lots of pancakes and eggs care of Ellie Mae, lots of bagels and lox, yummy dinners out, and a delicious Thanksgiving meal prepared by Aunt Sammy), lots of walking, a little bit of rain but also some sun, a small birthday bash for Jim involving cupcakes (Hannah kept asking for more, of course), lots of playing in the playroom set up in Ellie Mae's living room, lots of naps for Emma in the pack 'n play and car seat, a toy taxi car ("tacky car") commemorating our taxi rides, trips to the park ("pike"), cozy time on Ellie Mae's bed watching Elmo, cozy time on Mommy and Daddy's hotel bed watching Curious George or whatever distraction we could find for Hannah on PBS while trying to get some things done, a trip to the butterfly exhibit at the Museum of Natural History, a trip to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for Daddy and Hannah and the Weisburds (sans Mama Nikki), a Thanksgiving day run in the park for Mommy and Aunt Sammy and Emma in her stroller (we got to see some of the parade - Spidey!), a trip for the Monk kids to Carnegie Hall to see Jason Mraz, and a visit with "Aunt" Sheila.  We had a great time.

Here are some highlights (I managed to select the following photos out of over 200; I'm leaving out so much!).

Watching butterflies at the Museum of Natural History

Happy kids on the bed.

Emma meets Uncle Jonny.

Hannah and Daddy walking to the park.

At the park.  Daddy and Ellie Mae in the background.  Doesn't this look like an album cover?

Emma meets "Uncle" David and Uncle Dennis.

Thanksgiving at Aunt Sammy's.

It was a Karaoke Thanksgiving.

Another trip to the park.

Emma meets Aunt Sheila.

Sisters at Jason Mraz concert, Carnegie Hall.