52 Week Project - Week 10- Friendship (aka: Sappiest Post EVER)

“A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked” ~ Bernard Meltzer

I once read that having siblings is like being born with forever friends. I know many people that are not close to their brothers or sisters and I just can't and don't want to imagine what that is like.  I am very lucky because I am extremely close to both Michael and Erika and we have a bond that has only gotten stronger the older we get - they are truly my "Forever Friends".  They know how "cracked' I am and love me anyway, no matter what.

As much as I love my brother though, I don't know how any girl can go through life without a sister.
My sister Erika is my best friend.   


How do you tie up a lifetime of memories in to one post to describe your best friend?  You can't and if I tried, this post would be the longest one ever.   I am sure it will come to no surprise to anyone that knows me that I cried trying to think of the right words to describe how much I love Erika (I probably am the corniest, most sentimental person any of you know and if I was writing about Michael, I would cry too).   When Erika and Richie got married, I was so honored to be the Matron of Honor but it took me about 2 months to write my speech.  Every time I got out paper, I kept crying trying to explain how badly I wanted Erika to be happy, to have all of the best things in life, how much I feel she deserves everything she wants.

(Morning of Erika's wedding, fixing my make up for the 10th time) 
Growing up, we always shared a room and a 3.5 year age difference didn't leave a lot in common when we were in elementary/middle/high school.  I don't think it helped that I wanted to be boss/teacher/mom every time we played a game. But as bossy as I was, Erika was always the brave one. I have a bunch of memories where I relied on her because I was too afraid to do something myself. I remember being 13 and going with Erika, mom and dad to the Belinda Carlisle concert at the Westchester County Center.   All of the teenagers were on the side dancing and I so wanted to be with them and be cool - of course, I was probably the least cool person there in my mom's one-piece white and red jumpsuit with her red heels, but Erika still got up on a chair with me and danced so I would feel cool too. At first, I was so embarrassed but she wasn't at all.  When all the kids on our street would play Flashlight Tag in the summer, I would tell her we should hide together so she wouldn't be scared, but really I was scared to hide alone and wanted her with me.   Then there was the time in Las Vegas at the bumper cars when I turned to Erika for help when someone stole my bumper car.

Now that I am older, I don't know if I am any braver but I do know that I rely on Erika more than ever. I will never forget the night she stayed alone with me when Ryan was 6 days old......

Ryan SCREAMED all night long and I was hysterical and not once did Erika panic.  She stayed up all night, pushing the music button on his swing every 8 minutes for about 6 hours because that was the only way we could get him to sleep and I was on the verge of jumping out of the window.

  Erika and I talk at least twice a day, face time more than once a week, and visit each other as much as we can.  Erika has lived in North Carolina for 9 years and I have gone to visit her at least twice a year since she has lived there.   In all of that time, I have cried hysterically EVERY SINGLE TIME that I have left.  One time, I was crying so much the security woman gave me a tissue and asked if I would be ok to fly lol.  We have so much fun when we are together and I hate not knowing when we will be able to get together again.  I am so happy for Erika that she loves North Carolina and has built a fantastic life there (has a beautiful home, a wonderful husband, and great friends) but I really hate that she doesn't live around the corner. I really just wish I could hug her some days, meet her for coffee or just talk to her face to face.

What do I love about my best friend? Everything! A few of the less sentimental things: She has the prettiest eyes and hair that I have ever seen and the softest hands. She can memorize all the words to any song even if she only heard it once.  She doesn't make fun of me when I know none of the words to ANY song. Even though she moved south, she still roots for all NY teams (plus ECU) and tries to convert anyone she encounters.  And she hates Emily Johnston at the Cape Hatteras lighthouse as much as me. 

Now for some more serious: Erika is strong and brave in ways I know that I could not have been. She is a fantastic teacher and has given me such valuable advice on helping the kids in fun and productive ways.  No matter how many times I call her crying about the same thing, she is patient, listens and tries to help.  She can make me laugh like nobody else and there are more times than I can remember where I laughed so hard, my stomach hurt. She is the best aunt ever and loves my kids like they are on her own!

In November, Erika and I took our first "Girls trip", a night away to Asheville and it was amazing!!!  It was so nice to shop, talk, drink, and have a sleepover party just the two of us and I really really hope that we can make it a tradition because I had so much fun.

Erika -I wish every day that all of your dreams come true. I love you so much!!! You are and will always be my best friend. 
There is no better friend than a sister.  And there is no better sister than you.  ~Author Unknown

52 Week Project - Week 12 - Green

As most people would guess, when I here the word "Green", the first thing that comes to my mind is the new York Jets.   It is, however, the offseason and in March, there is nothing more GREEN than St. Patrick's Day!!!

 

(You will notice though that Dylan is wearing a Green Jets sweatshirt, perfect gear for the parade!)

This year, we had a Leprechaun come visit us and the boys were so excited.   When we woke up the morning of the 17th, there was a trail of gold leading from the boys room to the front door, the kitchen, and the kid's table.   We came to the conclusion that the leprechaun dropped his pot of gold on the way out of the door after he played a bunch of tricks -  he turned all of our milk turn green, left funny sunglasses hanging on the fridge and decorated all of Ryan's bed friends with fun things for us to wear to the parade.

After breakfast, we packed up our bags of snacks and headed uptown where we were going to meet the P family for the parade.  Of course, we did not forget to bring all of the gear that the Leprechaun left and the boys brought the masks that they made earlier in the week. (obviously one of the boys spent a bit more time on his than the other one)

  

We got uptown before the parade route got too crowded and staked out our spot on the corner of 67th and 5th.

The parade was fantastic and the kids loved it so much more than I could have imagined!!  Waiting was the hardest part but as soon as the first horses rode by signaling the start, the kids were totally in to it.   They all stood up against the rails eagerly awaiting the next part.

They clapped for all of the soldiers and veterans that passed and cheered for all of the bands.

While we were on the way to the parade Ryan turned to me and said "Mommy, I have a leprechaun mask so why aren't people coming up to me and asking me if I am a leprechaun and can they have some of my gold?" and then showed me that he had filled his pockets with all of the "gold" he found at the house.   I told him maybe they didn't realize that he had some so when we got to the parade, he started yelling "Come over here - I have gold for good luck - I am a leprechaun".  First, a police officer came over to see what he was saying and Ryan gave him one of the coins and told him it was for Good Luck.   I couldn't believe that Ryan wanted to give all of his coins away - it was so sweet and I thought he was so brave to try and call people over.   Anyway, the police officer told me that was the nicest thing that has happened to him in his 18 years of working at the parade.    Ryan and his friend Katie spent the rest of the parade giving out coins and each recipient really made a big deal - the kids were smiling so big that it looked like there cheeks had to be hurting.  The highlight for Ryan was one of the bagpipers took off his pin and gave it to Ryan!!! It was so exciting!

After about an hour and a half, the parents had enough and we decided to head out although Ryan was begging to stay.   We escaped the crowds and headed into Central Park - the weather was amazing and nobody wanted to head home just yet so we went to a park around 72nd Street so the kids could eat lunch and play.   Dylan and Abby fell asleep so Ryan and Katie got to run around and have fun.

 When Dylan woke up, he got in on the action too.

Thanks P Family for spending a super fun day with us.   Hopefully, we will be all be able to go again next year!!  Ryan has already declared that we are going to set a trap for the leprechaun so hopefully he comes back!

52 Week Project - Week 11 - Happiness

So I skipped a few weeks - those posts are coming but here is this week's post for the 52 week challenge..

Happiness

I had a totally different idea in mind for this week, but then I saw this and had a different idea

This past weekend we had beautiful weather and we decided to take the boys for a ride up to Bear Mountain.   Jay and I both went there many times as kids on field trips or with our families and we wanted to take the boys up to the scenic look out.  Of course, we drive all the way there only to find out that the lookout is closed for the season and doesn't reopen until April 1st.   Not knowing where else to go, we started heading home and eventually came a huge lake and a state park and decided to stop and have a little picnic, thanks to the delicious bag of snacks grandma gave us.  When I saw the bench, it made me happy (and then made me wish I had a cup of coffee) and the boys were very happy to get out of the car, stretch their legs and have some lunch.

After sitting down for a bit, the boys ventured down to the water and had a ball throwing rocks in and making splashes.  

The closer Dylan got to the water's edge though, the less relaxing our picnic became and it was not long before we realized we could either pack up and head out or face the fact the consequences when one of the boys ended up wet.  Not wanting to ruin the day, we quit while we were ahead and started to head out

 As we were walking toward the car, the boys saw some guys fishing and asked if we could go out and see if they caught anything.  And because they are so smart and know how to truly make me HAPPY, they even offered to let me take some pictures of them if we let them go on to the pier.  I think you all know my decision....

 

 As usual, Dylan wouldn't stand still long enough for pictures - I think i need to work on my manual camera skills to get super-fast shutter speed photos.  

We had a really nice day fully enjoying the good weather and being outside and I think that we are all looking forward to Spring being right around the corner.   Ryan especially enjoyed being at the lake and has already asked when we can go back and when we can try to go to the "closed mountain again"

Thanksgiving 2011

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)

Spiderman

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!!!!