Our annual trip to New York this year was 10 days long. We went earlier than usual, making the trip in June to celebrate my Grandmother's 75th Birthday! Jeff and my dad stayed the first five, my brother was up for 4 nights and my mom finished out the long haul with me and the boys so that I had a travel buddy on the return trip. It was a fabulous time!
On our way!
Ryan's first plane flight, 9 1/2 months
Checking out the view with Grandpa
Arrival!We are always welcomed by such a great group!
Meeting Precious
Greeted by Aunt Colleen
Meeting Aunt Mary, Uncle Jimmy and Caitlin
for the first time!
Ryan and his new taxi toy!
(And no, we did not travel with our own exercauser. My
awesome Aunt Maureen gathered all things baby from friends that have kids, including carseat, playpen, stroller, booster seats, and a complete Thomas the Train playset! SUCH a help!!)
Ali reading to Ryan
Logan was given his first set of golf clubs by Aunt Mary and Uncle Jimmy... a very slightly used set that used to be James'! So fun!
Trying them out!
Ryan adored Larry, the whole trip! He was so good with him!
Meeting the Twins!My aunt had twins in April and this was our first time to meet them. Logan ADORES babies, so he was really looking forward to this!
James
Emma
Ryan checks out the other baby that mommy is holding
A great shot...
for the camera that most of us were looking at!
Jeff with James
I love this shot... like he's a pro at this whole baby thing!
My Aunt Maureen stopped in to meet them too!
Logan with Emma
Beach Day #1I was so excited for this day. Nothing beats a day at the beach in NY in the summer! Lovely, just lovely!
Ready to test the water
Run up to it...
And when the wave comes, run back screaming!
Zooming in on that excitement!
Hotsling comes in handy
when you are carrying 25lbs around on sand!
Introducing Ryan to the sand
Some group shots!
And when you've had enough of the sand and ocean,
just make your way to the pool!
Logan LOVED diving this year, but because he can't swim all the way to the steps by himself, someone has to tread water and "catch" him and then help him swim... yeah, I left that job to the men!
A night out... minus Jeff and me who were home with the boys
and exhausted from the day at the beach!
Larry, Jimmy, Mike and Dad
Col and Mom with Mike
Meeting his Great-Great-Aunt Lillian
Haircuts!
My Aunt cuts hair for a living, so we like to take advantage whenever we can! Both boys got a little trim before the big party Saturday night!
During...
After...
Awww....
I gave my Grandma her birthday gift before the party because I needed to explain what the "best" part of the gift was...
A new address book, but the "best" part was that while we were visiting, I copied her old (falling apart, in terrible shape) one into the pages for her! Lots of work but it was very nice when it was all done!
Great Grandma's 75th Birthday Bash!We had a great night planned with family and friends at her favorite restaurant. The food was delicious, the company was wonderful and the boys were very well taken care of by family... I had a GREAT time without having to worry about them one bit! My Aunt Maureen did a lot of work to make this a very special evening!Ummm... excited doesn't describe it well enough!
Waiting with Grandpa to be picked up
At the game with Uncle Mike and Grandpa
(Daddy, Uncle Jimmy, James, Larry and Alison went too!)
From what I was told, this kid ate A LOT that day!
Looking for...
This...
A commemorative brick that my brother had ordered in honor of my Grandpa when Citi Field was being built. We each have one in our home and they were able to find it at the entrance of the park!
In this shot, it's right below Logan's right foot!
A Mexican Restaurant?Yes, a short stop in for happy hour!
Margarita not nearly as tasty as they make them in Texas!
Ryan's first lime!
Ryan's first bite of NY pizza
(Big surprise... he liked it!)
Family BarbequeGet together with my Dad's side of the family... Julie and her boys (we missed Uncle Marc!), Johnny and Christine with their two kids and Matt and Marci with the twins! It was a very pleasant afternoon as the boys met us there after the Mets Game.
Doesn't it look like Julie is holding a doll here? :-)
Mom with Emma
Me with James
James and my dad, returning from the game
Edmund, Ryan, Sarah and Aunt Christine
Mike with Emma
Mike and Sarah
Great picture
Mike with his little buddy
Playing baseball with the boys
My brother holding an infant carrier...
Not an image we see every day!
Beach Day #2This time, we were practically the only people at the club. It was wonderfully peaceful and enjoyed by all!
What do you do with a hole dug at the beach?
Why, be buried in it of course!
Special Day with GrandpaEvery year, my dad likes to take Logan to Nathan's for lunch. This year, since he now has an obsession with trains, the day with Grandpa included a visit to Trainland in Lynbrook.
See Logan by the door?
Up a little closer...
And of course, they carried ALL things Thomas, and since they were having a sale, Logan came home with 2 new engines! Lucky kid!
And on to Nathan's for lunch- He's gotta wear the hat!
(I think we take this picture every time and I look forward to looking over all of them at once and watching him grow!)
I think I rode this exact same ride when I was his age!
Happy REAL Birthday Great Grandma!
On the actual day of her birthday, my Aunt Maureen hosted a wonderful dinner at her home for just the girls.... and my babies of course! It was a great evening!
Aunt Col and me on the patio
Group pic
Aunt Maureen, Great Grandma, me and the boys!
Ryan eating a bell pepper... LOVED it!
My mom with Ali, Maureen and Ryan
Ali and Ryan (aka: Mr.Serious!)
Blowing out the birthday candle
Cannolis and a Raspberry filled Crumb Cake= SO delicious!
Boy FunSince my aunt has 3 boys of her own, her home is always a fun place to be. Her boys were all so good with both kids and Ryan really took to Zachary!
Trying on the football gear
Practicing his boxing
Playing the drums
Eating some ice pops!
(You may not be able to tell, but Zach is feeding Ryan ice cream here. No wonder he took to Zach so well! lol)
Happy Birthday Uncle Jimmy!My Grandma took the whole family out for an awesome dinner to celebrate my Uncle's birthday!
More ice cream for the baby!
Tired baby at the end of the night
Lunch visit at the Derkatch's new deliYum, yum!
Aunt Julie and Ryan
The last night there we had some fun with the camera!
Logan took this!
So sweet!
Logan took this too!
Kisses...
and hugs!!!
This series of pics melts my heart!
Sharing a special lolli!
The last morning
Getting in some playtime before heading home
Leaving on a Jet PlaneRyan did so well on both trips and was a very pleasant flyer!
Kisses
Nap time
(check out the position of my arm,
and I was actually sleeping!)
The trip was awesome! We ate too much and slept too little, but that's what I call a successful New York visit! Now it's back to "normal" and it's an adjustment for all of us! Thanks to everyone in NY that made our trip so wonderful and for all the love and generosity you all give to taking care of us while we are there!
We love you!
They don't always look alike to me, but when you compare pics from the same ages, it's sometimes kind of scary how alike they look. I guess only time will tell!
