I haven't posted in awhile! After school ended we were in high gear getting ready for our big trip up the East Coast. It is amazing how you can plan and plan and then all the sudden it is time to leave and before you know it, your vacation is done!
We left on May 31st right after Luke's baseball game. I guess we got on the road around 10:30. Brian's parents followed us in their car. We had ourselves a caravan. :) Somewhere between McKinney and Greenville, Luke wanted to know if we were there yet. I told him we hadn't left Texas yet. He wasn't pleased with my answer. Needless to say, the first day of driving felt like an eternity. We drove to Nashville and spent the night.
The next day we woke up ready to drive to our nation's capital. The kids did great in the car and were so excited when we got to D.C. I had no idea what Luke would think of it or if he would really care at all. He loved it! He loved the monuments (especially the Lincoln Memorial) and asked all kinds of questions. We took a quick tour that night and then headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep. The next morning we got up and spent about 5 hours walking the mall area. We hit all the monuments and got some great pictures of the White House. I was so moved when we visited the Vietnam memorial. I got tears in my eyes and cried when I read some of the things that people had left for their loved ones that passed away. It was so moving. Brian and I hit some of the street vendors carts and got some treats for the kids. I love a good bargain! At about 1:00 we left D.C. and headed for Connecticut.
We spent 3 nights in Connecticut. On Tuesday we rode the train into NYC and went to the Statue of Liberty. The kids loved riding the train and thought Grand Central Station was so cool. They were also huge fans of riding in the taxi cabs. (I, on the other hand, am not!) Luke was so excited to see the Statue of Liberty. It was pretty amazing. After our trip out to Liberty Island, we walked around Battery Park and I got some t-shirts from the street vendors there. Once I again, I love a good bargain. Luke posed with the guys dressed as the Statue of Liberty. He thought that was so cool. We took taxis back to Grand Central Station and walked across the street to Model's (kind of like Academy sporting goods). Brian was in sensory overload! He managed to score some nice Yankee t-shirts. The kids did pretty well too! They each got Yankee's back packs, t-shirts and Emma got a hat. (all of her items were pink).
Wednesday in Connecticut Brian took the kids to all his favorite places and showed them were he grew up. We went to Stew Leonard's (worlds largest dairy market). They have singing animals and food samples everywhere. It is a good thing we don't live there because it would take me about 5 hours to do the shopping. Emma had to watch all the little shows multiple times! She was a big fan of the Farm Fresh Five. They even have a petting zoo! Not to mention the Ho Down (outdoor eating area). It is insane. I had fun watching Brian with the kids there... not sure who likes it more!?!
On Thursday, we made our way to the Big Apple. We stayed at the Hilton Rockefeller Center. It was so nice! We could get pretty much everywhere we wanted just by walking. We checked into the hotel and then made our way to Serendipity III for lunch. It was yummy but the best was the frozen hot chocolate for dessert. YUMMY!! After that we made our way over to FAO Schwartz. The kids (and I) had a ball. They each got treats and were in total sensory overload. Emma got herself a new baby doll and a barbie and Luke got a sports guy and Yankee's travel Yahtzee. After all that fun we headed back to the hotel for a little R&R. After our brief rest we headed for Times Square. We ate dinner and then headed to the world's largest Toys R Us. Emma, Brian and I rode the Ferris wheel. It is a great way to check out what each floor has. Brian's parents were tired and headed back to the hotel. We stayed and checked out the Toys R Us. They had the coolest Lego sculptures. (as did FAO Schwartz). The Toy's R Us had a Yankee's helmet, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and Chrysler Building all made out of Legos. FAO Schwartz had Darth Vader, R2D2, and Chewbaca made out of Legos. The kids of course got more treats (both got a Geoffrey Giraffe dressed as the statue of liberty and Emma got a Hello Kitty pencil case that had I love NYC on it.) When we left the Toy's R Us, Times Square was all lit up. The kids loved the lights. While Emma and I hit a few of the gift shops, Brian and Luke stayed outside and watched the billboard over the M&M World. Luke loved it! It had the M&M's dressed as various characters and he thought that was so funny. We finally finished shopping and headed back to the hotel. It was another fun but exhausting day.
Friday morning we all slept in. We ate breakfast and then headed to the Museum of Natural History. Both the kids were so excited to go. They love the movie Night at the Museum and we of course had to find the T-Rex and the Easter Island head. The kids were cute and acted like they were part of the movie. Emma asked me if I had gum for the Dumb Dumb. :) I brought a big smile to my face. We spent a couple of hours there and saw a bunch of really neat things. For lunch we headed over to Central Park and had picnic. We bought hot dogs and drinks from the street vendors and had nice time. After lunch we headed back to the hotel for a little rest.
Friday night was our trip to the Yankee's game. We went in style! We got to ride in a limo to and from the game. The kids loved every minute of it. This was the whole reason for our trip. Brian is a huge Yankee's fan and has always talked of taking Luke to a game at Yankee stadium. He remembers going there as a kid and wanted to share that experience with Luke. This is the last season the Yankee's will be playing in their old stadium before they move to the new one that is right next door. It made my heart full as I watched my boys walk through monument park. Brian pointed out all the great Yankee's from seasons passed. Luke smiled but Brian smiled even bigger. There really is nothing quite like it. It is quite a unique stadium that is full of history and full of fans that love their team. You can't help but become a fan while you are there. We really enjoyed the game and the kids loved every minute of it. Emma asked Brian all kinds of questions and really watched the game. Luke cheered and enjoyed every minute of it also.
Saturday we were up early and headed for the Today show. Unfortunately, the show wasn't on in Houston and all my friends were up doing the Race for the Cure so nobody could tape it for me. However, Brian's aunt was watching and saw Brian and the kids on TV. They were on there at least 2 times, maybe 3. They were so excited. On the way home they were playing "Today Show" in the car. Emma was Al Roker and did the weather. After that we headed back to the hotel for breakfast and then met Brian's friend and his mom for lunch at Mickey Mantle's. We then went and did some more shopping at the World of Disney, M&M world, H&M, and a few other places.
On Sunday we loaded up the car and headed back home. We drove to Knoxsville and spent the night and then on Monday we made it back to our house. It was a fabulous trip and we have so many great memories. It was really something special! I am so glad that we could do this and that the kids had such a great time. Believe it or not, the driving wasn't that bad. I have over 500 pictures. I will post a few of them. Now we are trying to recover and get ready for our next trip. We are heading to the beach for 7 days with my parents and brother. It will be nice to have a relaxing vacation!
