NYC-The Empire State Building

Well, as we headed out of Times Square in an attmept to see the Empire State Building is where our frustration began.  We hadn't even thought of the fact that there may be a line, or that there were multiple options to go to the top of the Empire State Building.  We bought tickets from a NY Skyride on the street. A thought crossed my mind at this moment that I should walk around the corner and see how much regular tickets were to get in, but I dismissed it quickly because I was so tired and didn't care that much, or so I thought.  Anyway, we bought tickets at a very inflated price, and were told it was the fast track to the top, and we would get this Skyride.  Well, I know that when someone says fast track that it's a lie.  However, I was not in my right mind. My exhaustion had taken over at this point, so  we bought the tickets.  It was not the fast track, and the Skyride was ridiculous.  By the time we eventually got to the top, I was so frustrated. We were also told we could go to a higher observation deck which was also inaccurate information.  We were on the same observation deck as the million other people. As you can imagine, that made it difficult to get to the edge to take a picture or see anything.  So, needless to say not quite as romantic as it is in the movies:)  Anyway, I was able to take a few pics from the top despite my irritable mood. 

This is the only picture of the two of us I got, and it was pretty bad because it was gettting dark and on my phone.  However, I really wanted a picture of the two of us at the top.

It was nearly impossible to get a picture of a person and the view because of the number of people, but we had to have some proof, right?

It was beautiful to see the city as the sun was setting. 

As we were leaving, I became more and more frustrated as I felt like we were totally ripped off.  I made Kevin go back and complain, you know, because he's so fierce looking at all.  So, he asked a couple of questions, and they quickly pointed out that there are no refunds or exchanges.  That would be because everyone would expect one when they realized how bad they had been taken. Anyway, I wasn't satisfied, so I felt the need to say a few things, and I'm much scarier than Kevin.  I must have embarrassed Kevin because he started pulling me away.  He pointed out that we were talking to an hourly employee and that she couldn't do anything. (Except for smirk at us for being stupid enough to buy these tickets.) So, we left, and accepted that we were idiots for buying the tickets.  However, Kevin proceeded to yell at me once we got out on the street that I didn't need to make a scene.  I quickly pointed out that him yelling at me in the street was making much more of a scene than me simply inquiring about not receiving what we were told we were purchasing:)  Yea, we're that couple.  Anyway, lesson learned.  Buy tickets in advance or plan on waiting to get to the top.  Do not buy the skyride, it is a total ripoff and will cost you more than twice as much as it would to just pay the regular admission.  Thankfully, we managed to salvage our evening by the time we took the lengthy walk back to our hotel.  We're getting really good at laughing at our idiocracy.  It's just unfortunate that we have so many opportunities to practice.  

NYC Adventure-Times Square/Pizza

When we left Central Park, we headed to Times Square to see what all the hype was about, and grab a bite to eat. This part of the day was smooth.  Times Square is easy to find:)  Who would have thought?!?! The restaurant was easy to find, and the food was good! 

 It's kind of hard to see, but the Ernst & Young building is behind Kevin.  Of course, he needed his picture in front of it. (For those of you that don't know, that's the company he works for.)

 This is me in Times Square, looking at a random guy near Kevin trying to make me smile. 

 We of course needed to have pizza while in New York, and this place was recommended online. It was as good as everyone said. Our service was as good as the pizza!

 Kevin eating his pizza with a fork...who does that? 

 Our tasty New York pizza!

Me doing what I do best! (As sad as that is.)

We didn't hang around Times Square too long, we knew we'd be back.  After dinner, we headed to see the Empire State Building. That's where things started to get really started to go downhill....

NYC Adventure-Central Park

Look how happy we are here:)  Sweet, huh?  This was after hours of unplanned walking with blisters on my feet. I begged Kevin to just sit down and let me rest, and then I made him take a picture with me:) 

 So, I was trying to decide how to split up the NYC posts, and I decided by location.  I have a lot to say about our little adventure which is one reason that I'm skipping the many things that have happened between my last post and now.  I'll get back to them later, but now New York is on my mind.  First of all, you need to know there are going to be a lot of pictures of Kevin and I which is rather boring I know.  We're not nearly as cute as the kids, but I took the pictures, I figured I may as well do something with them.  Second of all, at times my tone may seem to be slightly negative.  Don't get me wrong, we had a great time, and I would do it again in a heartbeat we just had a few learning experiences along the way which provided for some frustation, but that's all part of the experience, right?!?!

As I was resting on the lawn, Kevin was trying to figure out the map.   

I should probably title this series of posts, What Not To Do When Visiting NYC! We went about it all wrong, but eventually figured things out.  The important thing is that we got to spend a few days just being together. Before I begin, there are a few things you should know about me in case you don't already.  I don't like crowds. I don't like lines. I like to have a plan. I operate on a schedule. I like to be efficient. I don't mind spending money, but I hate feeling like I've wasted money.  (I know, you're thinking I should never leave the house. I think that sometimes too.) Something that you should know about Kevin if you don't already is that he is the most easy going person ever, and is not bothered by anything at all. 

This is me resting on the Central Park lawn.  I really didn't want to get up.

 On to the first stop, Central Park.  When I anticipated going to Central Park, I assumed we would walk there from our hotel, a brief 1/2 mile walk, and then take a carriage ride around Central Park. Sounds lovely don't you think? Well, I was very wrong.  We in no way anticipated that it was National Puerto Rican Day which meant a very long six hour parade/party blocking all entrances from our direction in to Central Park.  Which meant a lot of walking that I wasn't prepared for.  We kept walking ahead of the parade because someone would tell us we could cross at the next street. Therefore, we saw the first float in the parade 27 times. My first stupid mistake was that I was too stubborn to put on tennis shoes, I was wearing flats, and by the time we got to where we could actually enter the park, my feet were killing me, and blistered on my little toes and heels.  So, when we finally arrived inside the park, I had no idea how huge it was, and I just wanted to sit down on a Central Park bench.  We stopped for a while taking it all in and looked up where we may be able to take a carriage ride.  Kevin thought a carriage ride would cost around $30.  Hmm...Let's think about that for a minute.  A carriage ride to see Christmas lights at Rhema costs $30, a ride in Central Park is comprable, right? Not so much.  When I told him it was $110, I could tell there was no way he was going for that.  So, no carriage ride:(  I was ok with that.  And a bit of advice if you ever plan to go to NYC, plan everything ahead and buy tickets before you arrive. It will save you tons of time and frustration.  Even though I like a plan, I try to be more relaxed when we travel and let Kevin take over.  You would think after 11 years of marriage I would have figured out that was a terrible idea and always ends badly, but apparently I'm a slow learner, or I just so desperately want a break from what I do every day at home.  I mean, he didn't even book a room for our wedding night before we headed out for our honeymoon. ( love you honey:) So, I can officially now say after this trip that I no longer have the expectation that he will coordinate the daily events of our trips.  If I want to see or do something, I will make the arrangements.  It may have taken 11 years, but I've finally decided to take on that responsibility. 

 

 With that being said, we did see most of Central Park and enjoyed walking around a little and seeing all the people.  It was very crowded, and we both found it interesting that there were people everywhere on the central lawn, just laying out between softball and baseball games. I thought that to be somewhat dangerous.  Some guy did actually get hit in the head with a ball.  No one seemed to be bothered, everyone was just hanging out having a great time. 

 We walked to the top of the Belvedere Castle.  It was a great view of the main part of the park and the city.  If I ever go back, I would like to spend more time here, but for the first visit, I can now say I've been there. 

Drillers Baseball

Okay, so it's not a Cardinals game, but for $5 tickets to sit in the outfield on a beautiful evening, I'll take it any day.  Lincoln was stoked about going to a baseball game as it is a recent obsession.  He was, however, slightly disappointed when he arrived and realized he wasn't going to be participating in the playing of baseball. It took a bit of coaxing for him to give being a mere fan a chance.  Once we got past that misunderstanding, we had a wonderful evening.  The kids could run around and play,either on the grass with each other or at the nearby playground or waterpark. The outfield grass area was definitely planned around kids, and I think it's genius.  We've tried sitting in the seats, but Lincoln likes to move around too much, so this was perfect! 

 It pays to be cute, arrive early and sit in the cheap seats.  One of the players handed Skylar a baseball during their warm-up!  She was pretty excited!

Lincoln and his buddies waving their flags!

The game ended with an amazing fireworks show that was well worht the wait!  We took it easy this long weekend, but thoroughly enjoyed our time together.  I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend as well! 

School's Out for Summer!

So, even though I wasn't teaching full-time this year, I was equally excited when the last day of school rolled around!  I LOVE summer!  I like having no obligations and just coming and going each day as we please.  Add to that, beautiful weather and an excuse to eat ice cream, and there just isn't anything better.  We have our usual summer travel plans to visit the extended family, but a couple of weeks here at home to just savor our time together and be bums.  The first two days with everyone home have gone beautifully.  I told the girls they had to take care of a few neglected chores before we could do anything fun. They got busy first thing Thursday and spent the whole day cleaning, organizing and reminiscing in their room. I worked on the downstairs and the laundry,a nd Lincoln "helped" us all.  We had a very successful day.  We did take a mid morning break for some donuts, but other than that, we just worked on getting a few things in order.  Today was equally as enjoyable.  We took care of a few daily chores around the house, and then headed to the library to begin the summer reading program.  After our visit to the library we had lunch out and came home to read.  The girls spent some time reading to Lincoln, and when he went down for a nap, they both snuggled up and read for most of the afternoon.  I know that doesn't sound very exciting, but it was just what we needed to kick off the weekend super relaxed and ready to play. So, I thought it would be fun to see how the girls compared to their first day of school pics, but I can't really see that much difference.  Other than they were a lot hotter and sweatier after school on the last day than before school on the first day. Oh, and due to my inconsistent photography, they look smaller now than they did then.  Oh well!  It was a nice thought:) 

 

Mother's Day

I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!  I certainly did!  I am always a little sad that I don't usually get to spend the day with my mother, but I always love spending it with my kids.  Kevin has learned to spoil me with a nice gift, and the girls always make me something really special. This year they both made something for me at school. Skylar made a portrait of me, and a fill in the blank page with different things about me. It was pretty fun to read.  One of the items to fill in asked about something I always say. She responded "How was school today?"  I told her I am glad she put that, but was a little surprised that she didn't put something like clean your room, take the clothes upstairs, etc.  She hates it when I mention those things to her and frequently tells me that I ask her everyday. She informed me that her teacher told them they had to write something nice. I'm thankful for sweet teachers that know mother's appreciate hearing nice things on Mother's Day! Londyn made a self portrait with out of torn paper, and lots of cards and signs that said wonderful things about me.  It was nice reading those while I ate breakfast in bed:)  We ate lunch at Shogun, a Hibachi steakhouse, which the kids have been waiting to return to for a year now. We went last Easter, and they all loved it. Lincoln was particularly intrigued by the fire! I had a beautiful day, and couldn't be more proud to be the mother of the three most precious kids I know.  I feel extremely blessed to be their mother, and am impressed how each of them can awe me every single day! 

Emrie

Also, and most importantly on Spring Break, we got to welcome Emrie as the newest addition to the Fredendall side of the family.  The girls were super excited to have a new baby around, and Lincoln thought he got a new sister.

 Trent, Kesha and baby Emrie

Dad and Grandma Vi admiring Emrie. 

Congratulations Trent and Kesha!  Emrie is beautiful! 

Rocks for Sale

I'm going to try to play a little catch up. I'm going back to Spring Break.  While we were visiting my family in Missouri, the girls spent an entire day decorating rocks.  They had gone to the creek and gathered quite a collection, and spent hours on the porch giving each one a unique design.  When they were finished, they displayed them on the tables for sale. They also dressed up and wrote out a little sales pitch to see if we wanted to purchase them.  It was pretty adorable, and I was impressed with the effort they put into their entrepreneurial idea.  They were also quite successful, considering their clientele were all suckers.  I'm not sure I like the idea that they are always trying to find ways to make a buck, but I guess at least they're willing to work for their pay, they're not freeloaders!  

          

A Boy and His Tie

Who is this little grown up looking boy? It can't be my two year old! I think he looks so old in these pics. They are phone pictures of pictures by the way, so the quality isn't great, but good enough:) I rarely buy school pics in the spring b/c we have so many other pictures taken throughout the year, but who could resist this sweet face? Anyway, he really wanted to wear a tie, and his teachers said he wouldn't take it off all day. He was pretty proud. He proceeded to cry for the next couple of days when I wouldn't let him wear a tie with his tshirts.

As he approaches three, he's learning so much constantly. I love listening to him talk, which he does a lot! He is so much fun to be around!

Robber's Cave

I previously posted video of the girls' climb from this trip, but I thought I'd post a few photos as well. I've never really considered myself much of an outdoor person, but I have to say, this trip along with our camping trip last fall rank at the top of my favorite family outings. Maybe because they were both so laid back and I had little expectations for them, but they were both genuinely relaxing. Of course, the kids favorite part of any overnight excursion is the place we stay. They really couldn't care less if it's a nice hotel, or a tent they love it just the same. Our accomodations were pretty bare bones, but we managed to stay pretty comfortable. The first thing they all wanted to do was to climb up to the top bunk in the cabin.

In attempt to keep Lincoln from falling off the cliff while the majority of the group were training to rappel, we found a few smaller rocks for him to climb. He was pretty proud!

Kevin preparing to rappel.

Skylar practicing...

Londyn pracicing...

The girls at the top of the cliff. Skylar on her way to the top.

Londyn tryin to beat Skylar.

Kevin and Skylar enjoying a smores after the devo.

All packed up and ready to go back home. Not really.. the escape from reality was quite nice. I could have stayed a little longer.