From November 26, 2011
The night before Thanksgiving, we were all sitting around in pjs and Jay and I started talking about the Thanksgiving Day parade and whether or not we wanted to take the kids the next day - the weather was supposed to be nice and we weren't going to Aunt Carrie's house until later in the day so we would have plenty of time. Then we started to think about the crowds etc and then I remembered my cousin telling me that you could view the balloons being inflated uptown the night before the parade. We figured there would be less crowds and opted to do that instead so we quickly got the kids dressed and headed uptown.
It was not exactly what I expected it to be (not really sure what I expected) but it was still pretty exciting. I think it is probably better earlier in the day when the balloons are still being inflated - by the time we got there, they were all filled. Basically, all the balloons are in the middle of the streets protected by police stanchions and nets and you can walk along the sidewalks and see them. When we first arrived, we were on a relatively uncrowded block which conveniently was where Spiderman was!!! The kids couldn't believe how big the balloons were.
I saw a few people walking inside the rails and of course decided I needed to figure out a way to get us in too. It took about 5 minutes and some serious begging but I finally convinced the police officer that I had the cutest kids ever that desperately needed to get closer to Spiderman and we should be allowed to go closer. (I also may have mentioned my uncle used to be a bigshot for the NYPD ) Anyway, the gates parted and in we went with instructions to "act like you belong inside". Yeah, ok - very obvious you don't know us at all Officer. lol (I am guessing he didn't see me have a meltdown when my camera battery died or the kids fighting over a juicebox while we waited)
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| Spiderman |
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| The Energizer Bunny |
It was definitely exciting being close to the balloons and getting to look at them without a crowd. When we made it to the end of the block, we had to exit the gates and get on line to view the rest. It was extremely crowded, so crowded it was almost impossible to walk with the stroller and the kids really couldn't see without riding on our shoulders.
At one point, Ryan declared "this is the most boring thing ever" and got in the stroller and fell asleep - I think about 5 seconds after this picture was taken.
Of course, Dylan was not tired and stuck it out and was super excited when we got to his absolute favorite, Buzz Lightyear.
We made it about 3/4 of the way around the viewing route and then I think we had all had enough so we hopped in a cab and headed back home. It was a fun experience although I think if we do it again, we would go earlier in the day and ditch the stroller. I am guessing that we will skip it next year but I am kind of wanting to go to the parade now!!!! I remember going once and loving it and I think that the kids would really enjoy the music and all the action. Anyone want to join us??
Thanksgiving morning, we watched parts of the parade and then baked some dessert to bring to Aunt Carrie's house. Ryan got to pick what we should make - he chose cake balls which he says is his favorite dessert. Can you guess who was in charge of decorating them?
At dinner, we went around the table and each person stated what they were thankful for: As a group, we are thankful for health, no more Subway, Buzz Lightyear, family and most importantly, being able to spend time with each other.
The Two Highlights of the Day:
1. The Green Army Men
Aunt Carrie bought the boys some green army men with parachutes and the boys loved them!!!! They spent an hour throwing the army men from upstairs, running down to get them, and running back up to do it again. Thank Aunt Carr for coming up with such a great idea and thanks max for keeping them entertained!
2. Catch Phrase
I really, really love when we are all together and play games. It has always been tradition to play something when we get together and we have had some seriously competitive and unbelievably hilarious games in the past. They are almost always loud, chaotic and have one point where everyone is rolling on the floor laughing (nobody will ever forget the clue "A Famous Parisian Landmark" which 2 people simultaneously answered "Peru"). This years game was no different: In Catch Phrase, you give clues to your team so they can guess the "catch phrase". When your team guesses the answer, you pass to the next team and the team not holding the disk when times runs out gets a point.
I only remember 2 clues and both times, the time ran out because we were all laughing so hard. In the first, Aunt Carrie was going the hint and said "Um like ok", put her hands out and she and Michael started laughing so hard, they couldn't talk
The second one was when we thought Marc said "She is a blind woman with breast cancer" - written down, it doesn't sound funny at all but for some reason it was at the time, probably because he really said "blond woman with breast cancer" (answer was Suzanne Somers).
I love when we all get together and Erika, Richie and Tracy - You were definitely missed. I think that Christmas 2012 will be the first time we have all gotten together in a while so I suggest that all of you get your game faces on. The NY gang is definitely ready!!!! 
