Melders Hit NYC, Part 2

Night 2 of the sleeping arrangements went way better than the first night.  The boys were exhausted from our big day (as were we!).  We benefited from that much better, longer rest and were ready for our last day in NYC.  Our plans were a lot more chill as well.  After the boys were up, they had a small breakfast and we all pitched in to pack up and clean up the apartment.  Koen was especially helpful and way more himself after the good rest.  A little after 9am, we headed out on foot to meet some dear friends for breakfast near where we were staying.  Eric was Doug's roommate in college, best man and remains a dear friend, Emily, his wife, has been our friend since she and Eric started dating over a decade ago.  It was so fun to get together with E & Em and catch up and let our kids hang out together.  I grabbed a few pictures at breakfast.  This first one is actually from Em.  Five kids (and one on the way) between the two families.  Crazy!!

The kids did great at breakfast.  The food and the new friends were great distractions for them.  Tav and Rita are only two months apart in age.  They were so cute together!

Another shot of our families enjoying this meal together.  Such a blessing to get to fellowship together for a little while.  Thankfully the kids were fantastic and we adults got a nice bit of chatting accomplished!

After breakfast we walked over to the Scholastic store to let the boys explore and play and we adults enjoyed some more time to squeeze in a few more conversations here and there.  You can see Doug & Eric catching up behind the dinosuar, while our kids hung out on the other side.

Tav & Rita playing a bit together.

Frankie and Penn having some fun too.

It was such a great morning and amazing how it all worked out that the kids cooperated with the plan and we adults were able to enjoy so much time catching up.  Of course we could've used a few more hours, but we all took what we could get!  Around 12:30pm it was time to pack up the kids, go back to the apartment, pack up the car and head out of town.  It was a good ride back home.  I mean, there was some traffic, some loud kids every once in awhile, etc., but it went as smoothly as it should've and we were home at 7:45pm.  Kids were in bed at 8:15pm.  I was asleep shortly thereafter.  Seemed surreal we had just been in NYC!  It was a great Thanksgiving getaway.  Thanks to Nana, PopPop, our apartment hosts, the Big Apple and Eric & Em for the fun times and memories.  We all had a great time!

Melders Hit NYC, Part 1

Since our Fall hasn't been quite crazy enough, Doug had the bright idea of trying to squeeze in a few family days away in the Big Apple after Thanksgiving.  We were blessed with a place to stay and so the opportunity seemed like a good one to jump on.  Although all of us were quite pumped about the trip, Tavin probably takes the cake.  This kid LOVES to learn and has been pouring over NYC materials we checked out from the library this past week to prepare.  A few months ago we had already read some books about The Statue of Liberty, so he was super ecstatic to find out that we planned to include a trip by ferry to Lady Liberty and Ellis Island as part of our NYC visit.  So, after a pretty good night's sleep (boys woke way early in our new surroundings, but other than that, really can't complain), some New York bagels and coffee for Doug and cocoa for me, we headed off on our adventure.  Unfortunately we at first headed in the wrong direction on the subway (I guess Doug didn't have enough coffee), but soon got ourselves turned around only $10 the poorer.  We briskly walked through the equally brisk air coming off the river to Statue of Liberty National Park where we purchased our tickets and got in line for the ferry.  We had a nice view of the Freedom Tower...an impressive structure.

As the line moved, we got a great glimpse of The Statue of Liberty (with some working tug boats that pleased Penn).

At this point we felt a lot more like cattle than people.  In order to board the ferry you have to go through security, just like what you would experience at an airport.  Not an easy feat with 3 boys, a pregnant momma and winter gear on, but we made it through OK (the security guy didn't like that our stroller wouldn't fit through the belt scanner and almost made Doug take the wheels off, that would've definitely complicated things, thankfully he let us stroll it through the human scanner instead.  Phew!).  Finally we made it onto a ferry.  It was about 11am at this point.  Koen and Tav had been up since 6am.  Long morning!  But now that we were really on this adventure we all were relieved and resumed our excitement.  Here we are huddled on the ferry with NYC in the background.

Another cool view (through the dirty ferry window) of the Freedom Tower.

The ferry moves quickly across the river, but it was the perfect length ride for the boys to get a chance to sit, enjoy being on a boat and have some snacks.  I got some lovely shots of Our Lady Liberty.

And a few of her with the Melder boys in the foreground.  Notice how happy Tav is.

Then we were there!  It was blustery on the island, but it was great to walk around and see the views.  The tickets to go into the statue or lower structure were sold out until February, which actually was fine with Doug and I as it made a great excuse for not paying the extra money or spending the extra time to do that.  When the boys get older we will make a point to reserve them ahead of time (kids under 12 are encouraged not to go up into the crown anyways, not to mention the website also says pregnant women shouldn't go up there either).  We got a few pictures on our walk around the base of the statue.  Here are the boys with Manhattan in the background on the right, Jersey City on the left.

Doug grabbed the camera and had me jump into the shot.  I look like a heffalump/burglar or something, but I'm posting the picture anyways since I don't get in a lot of the pictures usually since I'm always taking them!

My boys and the Statue of Liberty.

The air was so crisp and clear and the sky so magnificent with bright blue backgrounds overlaid with puffy white clouds that I just had to take some pictures of this famous, beautiful statue on her own.  

After we circled around the grounds, we headed back into line to board the next ferry.  Thankfully, unlike the start of our ferry adventure, this part was quick and easy.  Phew!  Within minutes we were docking at Ellis Island.  A surreal experience when you think about what it would be like to dock there after a long journey from a foreign land with all your possessions planning to make this land your new home.  Those immigrants were brave!!  I can't even imagine.  With the long morning and the young age of our kids, we didn't get to fully take in the museum and old, historical buildings, but we did get take a quick look around.  Penn was getting quite slap happy as naptime was now approaching.  He was up and down with being silly and super engaged.  He was really into this display as you can see (mostly because of the boat picture I think).

I took the big boys upstairs to see the Registry Room.  Again, I was a bit overwhelmed as I thought about what it would've been like to wait in there wondering about what the future might hold for you as a foreigner in a new land.  Beautiful room though, isn't it?

We met Doug back downstairs in the small kids area they have at the museum.  The Melder boys all enjoyed it for a few minutes before heading back to the ferry again.

On the final ferry ride, the boys found an interesting view as we came up to dock.   I had to take a picture (even if they were behind the roped off section...oops!).  

Once we were docked back at Battery Park in Manhattan, we headed towards the subway.  Doug pulled the stroller over to take in a street performance just for a moment as we were really trying to get back to the apartment close to Penn's regular naptime.  We got stuck though as Doug got called out of the crowd to participate.  Then right when they were going to do the stunt, they totally started doing their schpeal to ask for money.  The guys were talented and really funny, but my mind was on the fact I needed my husband back so we could go home!  Thankfully it only took about 10 minutes.  Doug was a good sport.

After all that, they just did a flip over 3 of the people bent over.  Doug ended up having to be the end goal line sort of.  Kind of annoying since they made us wait there for 10 minutes!  Oh well, we still got back pretty quickly with good timing at the subway.  Penn was in bed a little before 2pm and I think he was asleep within 30 seconds.  The big boys had some down time too (Tav was actually asking to take a nap, but since I'm hoping we get a longer night's sleep tonight I didn't want to let him have one...felt so bad!).  It was great to have a quiet, calm few hours after our busy, adventurous morning out and about.  By 4pm it was time to get the big boys back out for fresh air before the sun went down.  They went exploring with Doug and found a playground.  I got this cute picture.

I woke Penn up at 4:20pm so that he would go back down OK later.  He was sleeping like a rock!  It took several minutes to wake up that tired bug!  We went across the street to Old Navy for their Black Friday sale (Tavin has again worn holes into almost all his jeans!).  Penn was a trooper and we got through there pretty fast (they were prepared for the crazy crowds, it was quite a system!).  Then we walked a few blocks to meet the boys for dinner at Lombardi's.  It's apparently the first pizzeria in America and is still acclaimed by The Food Network and Fodor's, as well as others, as the best pizza in America.  Well, we definitely liked it!  And Penn learned how to eat pizza from the slice (rather than cut up) for the first time.  I think we've created a monster now!  He LOVED it!

On our walk home we pointed out Little Italy to the boys, it was lit up like always.  Such a fun sight at night.  Then it was back to the apartment for baths and bed.  They were exhausted tonight.  Tav went down a few minutes before 7pm, Koen right at 7:30pm and Penn was laid down around 7:20pm, but did some sweet chatting for awhile and is now sound asleep.  Ahhhh....  A fulfilling, fun day for sure.  I'm looking forward to crawling in bed soon myself!

Thanksgiving 2014

What a lovely day!  We started in Pittsburgh with our final trip preparations and were out the door with the van loaded with gear, pies and boys to head to Nana & PopPop's by 8:15am.  We arrived right at 11:15am (there was zero traffic!).  Koen and Tavin walk in as if it's there own place and immediately are comfortable with cousins, aunt, uncles, Nana, PopPop and the dogs.  Penn, on the other hand, despite the fact that he's been asking for Nana & PopPop incessantly the last few days, needed a little time to warm up to everyone.  But don't worry he did (as you will see in the pics below).  Koen and Tavin quickly noticed the better snowfall Nana & PopPop had gotten yesterday and were out in it making snowmen, snow forts and snowballs with their cousins only a few minutes after arriving.  Penn looked on as they created "Olafs" all over the yard.

While his brothers were outside, Penn got some nice attention from his cousin Kiersten which totally helped him relax and settle in.

I snapped a picture of our finished product placecard craft.  The boys didn't want to use the sticks we had gathered at the park last weekend, so we left them out of the tops of the tepees (personally I wanted to follow the rules, but the craft wasn't really about me, right?).  You can see all their very interesting designs on the tepees.  More little boy mazes, shapes, rockets, etc. than Native American etchings, but you get the idea.

Penn later got some Lego time with Casey.  He was loving the attention and loving the opportunity to creatively play with big boy Legos.  Doug and I were super impressed with his attention to the task and his dexterity in playing with these tiny toys.  I guess he's watched his brothers do it enough to know it's fun and worth the concentration!

Eventually the kids outside got cold and came in to join Penn.  It is so fun to see the boys with their cousins (and Doug and I were commenting on how it's so cute that even though they all don't get together much, there seems to be this understood connection or acceptance and they just all work together to hang out well).

After awhile it was dinnertime.  First though, we had a special prayer to bless the meal.  All the kids got to participate in reading a Psalm.  PopPop and Kiersten worked on the coordination of it all and they had parts for each cousin (even Penn!).  Here's a picture of everyone gathered around for the reading.

Here's a video (I missed the very start for some reason with the video, but you get to see the majority of this sweet blessing).

Then it was time to eat!  Nana did an amazing job as usual and it was all delicious and we were all quite satisfied (and sort of ready for a nap) afterwards.  The kids again went out to play in the snow.  I was so thankful they were able to get so much time outdoors and that there was this great form of entertainment available!

Tav was looking too cute standing at the window.  I just had to get his picture and then Sadie walked in at the perfect moment.  Tav will be excited she happens to be in the background (she's his favorite, Koen's is Kenzie).

Nana did a great job of making sure that we didn't forget to take a family photo since we were all together this Thanksgiving.  It's been awhile since that's happened and so we had to take advantage of the opportunity.  Scott got the best picture of the mini photo session, so here it is to share.

After the photo, we hung out for a little while longer enjoying each other's company before all hitting the road.  Penn had a blast with Kiersten getting totally slap happy in his skipped-nap state.  It was adorable and it was so fun to see how Kiersten connected with him.  He adored her (and all that attention!).  Thanks for being such a pal to him, Kiersten!

What a great visit!  Thanks so much to Nana & PopPop for hosting such a big crew.  It was a blessing to get to be together as one big family.  The boys loved the opportunity to be with you and their cousins.  We are so thankful for all of you!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Prep

Today we had fun getting ready for Thanksgiving.  Tomorrow we will be heading out to Nana & PopPop's to share the Thanksgiving meal.  The boys have been counting down the days until we leave.  Even Penn has been asking every morning..."Doh Nana PopPop?" (Go, Nana & PopPop's?).  So cute!

Well today we enjoyed getting ready.  Packing, picking up, making place cards and baking pies.  Here are the boys hard at work labeling and decorating the tepee place cards.  They took it so seriously!  Tavin was especially cute concentrating so hard on drawing designs to decorate them.

I liked this one because Penn is totally peeking and posing.  He wasn't as into the craft time (and later did Play-Doh instead), but he just loves to be doing what his brothers are!

Later in the evening (after the contractor was done in the kitchen) we attempted to bake pies with our semi-functional kitchen.  Koen was photographer while I worked with Tav.

Tav was assigned pumpkin pie (Koen helped me with the pecan pie).  Tav's favorite part was using the can opener.  Can you see his proud smile?

After the pumpkin pie was in the oven, it was time to work on the pecan pie with Koen.  Just a little selfie with my oldest.  

We'll see how these pies turned out.  It's been awhile since I've baked anything due to the kitchen project.  Thanks, boys, for your help today.  I had fun working with you all!

Snowy Thanksgiving Eve

Today we had a fun surprise for our family day at home...SNOW!!  It came down wet and fluffy.  By 11:30am we had enough to go on a walk and enjoy walking in it, making snowballs and even a snowman.  I finally remembered to grab my camera and got some fun pictures.  

Koen and Tav were excited to see the snow (and even eat it).

Penn was super unsure at first.  Although he'd been exciting looking at it out the window all morning, he was a little overwhelmed stepping into it.  

But as you can see, it quickly grew on him.  He LOVED it.  

Here's the brothers for a little snowy pose.

Koen noticed that the snow was perfectly sticky and so he started rolling a snowman.  Penn was super excited since he is crazy about Olaf (despite the fact he doesn't really watch movies).

Look how Penn couldn't take his eyes off the snowman.  So cute!  Koen looks a bit nervous about Penn's affection for his creation.

We didn't stay out too long since lunchtime was right on top of us.  Thankfully Koen and Tavin got a chance to go out again in the afternoon with Doug.  They took full advantage this time at Mellon Park...sledding, building forts and snowmen.  The boys loved it.  It made me really hope we have a snowy winter!  Here are the pics I received via text.  Clearly they had fun!

And a video of the boys protecting their fort from the Daddy enemy!

Yay for snow!  I guess we are ready for winter!