Memorial Day Weekend

On Saturday we got up early and drove out to Long Island with some friends for the Jones Beach Air Show. Anyone who knows Lincoln knows that this sounds like HEAVEN to this guy - water, jets, sand...and more jets!! It really was spectacular. The beach was totally packed with people, but the kids could play and we were all able to enjoy a great show. There was even a performance by some WWII aircraft (B-17, B-29, B-24, Mustangs - for all you WWII aircraft buffs) that Linc just LOVED, as he has been reading about all those planes for quite some time. It was perfect weather and so much fun - I think it will become an annual tradition.







These airplane pictures are mainly for Lincoln's benefit:






On Monday our town held its annual Memorial Day Parade. It's a cute little parade down our Main Street of town - mainly consisting of veterans, Boy Scouts, and the middle school marching band. We all got dressed up in our patriotic gear:


Staking out a spot with our friends AND neighbors, the Lovells.


Ellie made a friend - this girl LOVES dogs.


Ellie and Linc honoring the veterans:




Our "Little Miss Firecracker"...so fitting!

New Camera!

Ryan gave me a new camera for Mother's Day! I'm not a photographer by any means, but I feel like having a better camera elevates my picture-taking ability at least a little bit. Here's some shots of the kids - we love playing outside!!

Our Royal Couple

We were fortunate to have Ryan's sister Kimber, and her husband, Julian come all the way from England to visit us! We tried to pack in a lot of fun while they were here, especially as it was Julian's first visit to New York City.

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

Cool guy on the ferry


Linc loved running along the bricks in the Great Hall at Ellis Island - he thought they were train tracks


Lincoln doing his best Lady Liberty pose, not instructed by me

Empire State Building
We were able to visit Ryan's new office, and then go up to the observation deck on the 86th floor - yikes!!! My fear of heights really kicked in, not helped by my children's LACK of fear and practically dangling halfway off the roof!





Philadelphia
Just a quick 1 hr 45min drive and we were able to see all the historic sights of Philadelphia. Lincoln was especially fascinated by the Liberty Bell and kept asking why it was cracked. We were also able to visit Independence Hall, Benjamin Franklin's printing office, and eat some delicious Philly Cheesesteaks.


Other Fun


Ice cream at our favorite local spot, Zita's

We all watched the Royal Wedding together - with special insights and commentary from our British guests!! SO fun!

We had a great time and reminisced fondly of our many visits together whilst living in England. Cheers!

Easter Festivities

We enjoyed a lot of fun Easter festivities the past few weeks. One thing is for sure - the kids love egg hunts - and candy.

We had an egg hunt with our Church playgroup.








We got together with friends for another egg hunt and yummy food.






We had a visit from the Easter Bunny on Sunday morning. As we were walking downstairs Ellie exclaimed "Eggs!" and set right to work finding hidden eggs. She would eat all the contents of the egg before moving on to the next one.




Linc pounded the candy straight from the egg:



(Such a sweet picture - except for the huge swastika on the book! No, we are not Nazi sympathizers!)

Many of the pictures taken by my dear friend, Shar.

Ryan's New Gig

Today Ryan started his new job.

He said good-bye to:
- the Financial District
- taking the PATH train to work
- a Fortune 100 company
- a ton of fantastic co-workers and friends

He said hello to:
- a shorter commute by 30 minutes
- the Empire State Building
- a lot of unknowns??!
- an exciting startup company
- this view from his office (!!)

- hopefully a great opportunity for himself and our family!

Lincoln is already requesting to "ride the train to daddy's new office at LinkedIn" - so we may be making a visit soon. I've never been inside the Empire State Building; this would be a good time to see it.

Sunday Best

Our cute kids in their Sunday best. Ellie's dress is actually a men's shirt turned into a dress!! So adorable! I wish I could say I made it, but unfortunately, I have zero sewing skills. My mom's friend made it and Nana gave it to Ellie when she and Pop visited us last week.{miss you!}



These kids are pretty cute together. They are playing more together and are turning out to be good friends (friends who also know just how to push each other's buttons) :)

Like Brother, Like Sister

Ellie has become quite particular about her fashion these days. She especially likes to decide which shoes to wear. The other night she insisted that she wear her shoes AND footie-pajamas.




Hmmm...this looks familiar.

She also LOVES hair bows. Most nights after she is in her pajamas, she will point to where her bows are hanging up and say "Bow". Ryan will put a bow in her hair, and then she says "Bow...more" and he puts another one in. It continues like that until this happens:


In the morning I find bows strewn about her crib. Do you think she has a future in fashion??!