It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

On Tuesday we arrived home from G&G early in the day. After a quick lunch and a nap for M, I started helping her with Christmas decorations. While M put the lights on the tree, I started setting up the Nativity scene on the coffee table. I was very careful with everything and didn't break anything!

Showing off the Christmas cheer in our living room.

All that hardwork made me hungry, so I had to have a snack. Of course once C saw me eating she also had to have an apple.

If you look through the window, you can see the animated deer in our front yard. C and I were playing outside while M was putting them up. Once C finally noticed the deer, she said with much concern and a little trepidation, "Mommy, cows move!" I don't think she was expecting them to move their heads but not their bodies.

Family Days

The five days we spent in NJ with G&G and aunts was a very good time. After getting home from the parade in the early afternoon, we rested as we waited for the turkey to cook.

One always needs a little bit of cuddle time with G!

C decided that G needed help re-decorating and so proceeded over the course of the next few days to put her little chicks all over the house, including the steps.

After 2 busy days in the city, we hung out around Bergenfield on Saturday. We enjoyed the beautiful weather by playing at a park and taking a long walk on the bike path, while D and Uncle B helped G set up his new TV. Before going out for pizza that night we took some time for a family picture.
Who is the prettist flower of all?
On Sunday after church and lunch we went outside to help G decorate with Christmas lights. C and I had to take a little bit of time to play in the leaves that were still in the streets. In the fall everyone rakes their leaves into the street and then the city comes by and scoops them up. The city hadn't come yet, so on every street their were huge piles of leaves--sometimes enough that the 2 lane road was reduced to one lane of traffic. M just couldn't get over the piles, but I just thought they were fun to play in!
G and her helpers showing off the garland and lights on the bushes!
C found a new friend while at G&G's. The gingerbread candle holder that G had painted when M was just a little girl, was C's baby for the week. In addition to the chicks she played with, the gingerbread baby was put to bed using the doilies as a pillow and blanket.

So intent on putting "baby" to sleep to the point of ignoring D's tickle fight with Brileigh in the background!



Of course we had to help clean the house after our week.

Jersey Shore

Monday when everyone else had left and it was just us at G&G's house, we decided to head to the Jersey shore. It gave us a chance to be outside without having to walk very far. G looked at the map and found that there was a lighthouse only an hour away so we loaded up the car and headed to Sandy Hook, NJ. The lighthouse is about 103 feet tall. Due to the nature of the climb to the top, C and I weren't allowed to enter it. So we stayed with G, while M&D and G took the tour.
The spiral staircase to the top.Looking outside to the old Army base below.
The bay between Sandy Hook island and mainland NJ.
This is one of the few lighthouses in the US that tours are allowed up to the actual light. Sandy Hook is still an active lighthouse, so the lamp was lit and the temperature inside was 90 degrees (almost 30 degrees more than outside). Looking through the mirror at G and D.

Looking up into the mirrors with the lamp lit.
Sandy Hook Lighthouse was built in the 1700's to protect merchants entering NY harbor on the way to NYC. So here is the view looking north to Brooklyn and Manhatten.

The lighthouse with the Keeper's dwelling (now the museum) in front.

Since this island used to be an Army base during WWII, the remnants of the artillery battery were still there.

Finally getting to the beach!! The water was really cold, but that didn't stop C and I from putting our feet in.
Letting the tide splash over our toes and then running back up on the beach screaming, "Cold water, cold water!" kept us entertained for at least a half hour.
We were getting a little too brave, so M had to take her shoes off also so she could keep her hands on us!

Everyone else staying warm on the beach blanket.Cold water!

City Lights

The day after Thanksgiving we went into NYC again to see all the store Christmas displays.

Our first stop was to visit the new Freedom Tower. It is still under construction, but when it opens it will be the tallest building in Manhatten.

We walked around the construction site trying to get a glimpse of the courtyard gardens and fountains on the foundations of the old towers. We didn't realize that you had to have a ticket to see them since they don't open to the general public until construction on the tower is done. So we didn't get to see that, but we did come across an amazing wall memorial honoring the fallen first responders on the side of a fire station on the far opposite corner of the construction site.

We then took the subway to the start of the Christmas displays on 5th Ave. Our first stop was Bloomingdale's, which had a cool interactive display. If you stood in just the right spot, your picture was taken.
G&G and my family!
Aunt M, Aunt R and Cousin K being silly for the camera!Lighted snowflake in the intersection of 5th Ave and 48th street (I think that was the side street).

Candy Cane wreath hanging off a storefront.

Lady Liberty's robe is entirely made out of jelly beans and the bridge in the background is made from crystals.

Belt buckles on the front of another store.

A glowing ball on top of a building. We all thought it was the New Year's ball since it was in Times Square, but were not actually sure what it was.

C waving at the Macy's window display. If you look closely you can see the fairy puppet dancing in the window as she takes dreams and makes them into ornaments.

Their theme was Believe, which was also the theme for the parade the day before. On the 34th Street side the window displays were "Yes, Virignia." On the Broadway street side the displays were a journey to follow dreams to the North Star as the fairies manufactured them into ornaments.

Macy's Parade

We landed at G&G's just before midnight on Wednesday and went to bed as soon as we got to their house, because the next day we got up early to catch the first bus into NY for the parade. The forecast for Thanksgiving was in the 60's, so lots of other people had the same idea we had! By the time we got into town the streets were already crowded. We finally found a spot that we would be about 4 rows deep but behind lawn chairs, so we had a small window of street view!

Waiting for the parade to begin!

M's whole family (other than Uncle W who had just landed back in the US after his deployment) was able to celebrate Thanksgiving together. M's cousin, who is going to grad school out east, also came for a few days.Enjoying the sun as we wait for the parade to start.

We got to our spot about an hour before the parade was due to start at Central Park. Since we were more than halfway through the parade route, it took another 1 1/2 hours to get to us.
One of the highlights of the parade was when Mickey Mouse came by!
I had been telling M that Minnie would be visiting us, so M was also excited that at least one Mouse was in the parade so that I wouldn't be too disappointed.
Over the course of the 2 hours the parade was going by us, C&I were held by many different people. Apparently they all thought we got too heavy!
Another highlight was the Macy's train going by.
Snoopy--always a classic!
Of course a Thanksgiving parade needs to have a turkey in it!
The parade just got a little too long for C, especially after such a short night!
The big finish--Santa riding his sleigh through the streets of NYC.
Walking back to the bus station 3 blocks away we passed this truck with all the street lights on it. The whole parade route had to have all the lights taken down so that the balloons could get through and they were already busy trying to get them back up so that the roads could open to traffic!
C very excited to see the balloons (and in the case the "ball" in the sky). You can also see just how crowded the street is as even our family is spaced out 3 rows!