April

The rest of April...

Luke came home from NYC and used magnets to build a replica of some of his favorite sights.

Luke also added "butten cell" batteries to his Easter list, which I think is just the cutest. 

We worked hard one weekend and got our new table and chairs, as well as our storage cabinet, put together and in our slip.

Easter morning

The only other Easter picture I got was an action shot of Luke hunting eggs in Grandma and Grandaddy's basement.

The biggest overnight bag that was ever packed for a sleepover. I'd say Luke was excited. ;)

Ready for summer...

Spring Break NYC, part 2

Day 3

Day three began at the American Museum of Natural History.  (Movie...Night at the Museum!)

The boys and Grandma Beth then took a rickshaw tour of Central Park, while PeePaw and I walked. On their tour they saw where the famous Elf snow ball fight was filmed and different scenes from Home Alone.

Then we had lunch at the Plaza Hotel's food hall.

The food hall was one of my favorite stops- it was just so cool. Luke appreciated some of the desserts.

We quoted Home Alone a lot. ;)

After a walk down Madison Ave, we headed to Grand Central Station.

For dinner, and a little culture, we ended up in China Town!

Of course the boys used some of their money for Chinese candy!

Day four we boarded the ferry set for the Statue of Liberty. The view of downtown (including One World Trade Center) was awesome.

Back in Manhattan, Luke was chosen to be part of the street performance. It was hilarious!

The subway performers were awesome too!

Next up we walked the High Line in Chelsea...

Our last night in NYC called for a performance of...

Our flight didn't leave until mid-aftenoon the next day, but that morning we just hung around the apartment and had breakfast from a neighborhood deli.  

Goodbye NYC

and HELLO Lake Cumberland! 

We got the boat in the water and both Creed and Caleb broke in their new wet suits. It was the perfect way to end our spring break week!

Spring Break NYC, part 1

This year we decided to visit New York City for spring break. The boys and I, along with PeePaw & Grandma Beth, had an incredible trip, saw everything (and more!) from our checklist of places we wanted to see, and walked between 8.6 and 9.3 miles each day. The boys got a taste of city living and I was reminded how much I love our life in the Bluegrass State. :)

We were up early...

but it was totally worth it to be in Manhattan by 10am!

PeePaw and Grandma Beth's flight didn't land until later that afternoon, so the boys and I spent the day exploring Times Square. 

First stop: Caleb's must do...personalized M & Ms!

Then we were off  to the Nintendo NY store.

I remember visiting FAO Schwarz as a child, and couldn't wait to take the boys!

Caleb also wanted to see the real Starry Night (he studied it at school) so we made our way over to the Museum of Modern Art. 

I was amazed with Monet's Water Lillies- I had NO idea it was so incredibly large.

Luke walked into the Pollack exhibit and announced, "That's art? That's terrible," Haha. Apparently our talk about art museum etiquette wasn't sufficient. 

The boys and I had a late lunch, grabbed our luggage from the luggage storage facility, and went to check in to our Airbnb. The apartment was big and in a great location, but also had the most incredible views. 

The next morning we headed downtown to the financial district to visit the World Trade Center memorial and museum. I talked with the boys a lot prior to the visit, and even let them watch some old news coverage so they would have a better idea of September 11th prior to going. 

One World Trade Center

"Survivor's Staircase"

I can't really put into words the emotions you experience in the museum. Photography isn't allowed, so I don't have pictures, but basically it takes you through all aspects of that day- NYC, the Pentagon, Pennsylvania, family accounts, first responders, etc. It is incredible. We were there two full hours and both boys were engrossed in it like we were.

Oculus

We took the subway to...

the Empire State Building! 

The boys LOVE the movie Elf and wanted to visit. (Most of the boys to-do list items center around movies- ha!)

On the walk back to our apartment we found the BEST cookies- Insomnia Cookies are amazing.