Nine In New York

Good morning New York City and my favorite 9 year old!  

Maggie and I had another full day and a half left to explore the city.  We ordered breakfast room service before braving the chilly weather.  Our first stop was "The Ride".  We met our tour bus in Times Square where Maggie got a chance to peek around in the daylight.  Then we hopped on for a comedic tour of the city.

I'm not sure that the tour was super educational but it was hysterical.  The all indoor bus had been rearranged with stadium style seating and one entire side of windows. Two comedians narrated the tour and both Maggie and I got a big kick out of it.

From there we headed over to The Plaza for afternoon tea.  The Eloise Tea is absolutely darling and was full of sweets and treats for the birthday girl.

Once again, Maggie blew out a birthday candle.  But the best part was munching on the cotton candy that was larger than her head!

We followed our Eloise Tea up with a trip to the Eloise Store, or as Maggie liked to call it, "the pink store".  It was as cute as the tea and we both ended up falling in love with Eloise, who lives at The Plaza. We brought two Eloise books home for Lucy and some other fun pink goodies.

Maggie and I spent the rest of our afternoon roaming the streets of NYC.   We made a stop at Trump Towers, Tiffany's, and Saks and along the way did lots of window shopping.

A girl can dream, can't she?

We topped our day off with a Tour of Radio City Music Hall and the Rockettes.  On the tour, we even got to meet a Rockette.  Maggie, who loves all things dance, was in awe.

Before heading back to our hotel room for room service and a bubble bath, we made one last stop and went to the Top of the Rock.  It was a stunning {and freezing view}.

We woke up our last morning knowing we had a few more visits on our bucket list before the race to the airport.  The first being Chelsea Market.  We browsed and dined on the most delicious grilled cheese and tomato soup ever.  Our favorite shop was the little book store tucked in the back.  There is nothing like a good ol' fashioned book store.

Maggie also spotted some artwork by a local artist that peeked her interest. We left the market with these two cuties. They are her inspiration for her room make-over that she is asking for for Christmas.    I can't wait to see what she has planned.

We made a quick {not really} walk over to Grand Central.  And although she had very little interest, I think she will thank me one day.

We are awful selfie takers, but the blue ceiling inside is absolutely incredible.

And then it was time to grab our luggage from the hotel and head to the airport.  Reality was waiting and this picture pretty much sums up how we both felt about leaving NYC behind.

Maggie and I spent our evening traveling home reveling in the magic of NYC and her birthday.

Then I had a quick reminder chat with her about her vacation ending and life at home resulting...the little princess was heading back to be in a family of 5.  She graciously acknowledged it and thanked me for her amazing experience.

I can't be more thankful for the memories this little lady and I made!  The trip was incredible and the company was lovely.  We are a very blessed mommy and daughter duo.

NYC + mommy+ Maggie = LOVE

New York NINE York

Guess who just turned 9 years old?  I'll give you a guess.

She is sweet as sugar.
She has a smile that can melt you.
She is extremely creative and has an eye for fashion.
She LOVES to shop and look in the mirror {not even kidding}.
And she is my first baby girl who stole my heart the minute she was born.

Yes, yes, yes!  My Maggie turned 9 this weekend.  This little fashionista of mine decided to forgo a birthday party and all the home celebrating for a trip out of town.  It didn't take her long to pick out NYC.  And as much as I love a good birthday party, I also love to travel, so when Maggie proposed a Mommy-Daughter trip I just about exploded with excitement.

NYC here come the Cibula girls!  And one of them is celebrating a birthday!

I checked Maggie out of school late Thursday afternoon to catch our flight.  We wanted to make a full weekend of it and wake up on her actual birthday in NYC. When we arrived to our hotel, we were near exhausted.  But the city lights and crips air awakened us and we were able to squeeze in the first bit of our itinerary.

We checked into The Plaza Hotel, where Maggie was bombarded with birthday wishes and a plethora of treats waiting for her in our room.

After soaking in the glorious accommodations, we walked right out of the hotel door to catch a carriage ride through Central Park.  Maggie loved hearing about the tv shows and movies filmed in various spots around the park.  Jessie, from the Disney channel, being her favorite.

We made a stop at Black Tap for dinner and  enjoyed one of their famous milkshakes!  Maggie's came complete with a candle and the staff singing to her.

And as if she weren't sweet enough, we arrived back to our hotel to a birthday card and a tray of sugar filled goodies. Spoiled!

I tucked this girl into her plush bed with her plush robe and kissed her goodnight for the last time as an 8 year old.

Good morning my 9 year old princess!  We started our day with a happy birthday breakfast in the hotel.  More candles and more wishes...

Then we were off to the Statue of Liberty.  I can't lie, this was a time suck, but I couldn't imagine bringing her to NYC without her seeing it.

Then it was time for a little shopping.  Maggie had been itching to spend her Bloomingdale's birthday gift card from Grammy and all five floors of the department store did not disappoint.  The kid's section was incredible and Maggie loved every minute of it.

Before dropping her packages off at the hotel, we made a quick stop at Dylan's Candy Bar.  Nothing like a "kid in candy store".  This girls was HAPPY!

We topped off  the Big Birthday with an evening of New York pizza and a Broadway Show.

Wicked was fabulous! Maggie and I both got a kick out of quoting lines from the show the whole next day.  After the performance, it was off to snoozeville for this 9 year old.

What an incredible day celebrating Magpie!  Happy 9th birthday sweet love!

Stay tuned for the rest of our Nine in New York Weekend!

Birthday Bestie

I truly believe you are never too old to celebrate a birthday even if it's not a milestone year and especially if it's one of your besties!  I'm all about a celebration.

A couple of us girls, grabbed Cristina, and hopped in the car for a night at the lake.  I've known Cristina for 11 years now.  She was my first mommy friend.  Here I was sitting in music class with a 5 month old baby and trying to figure out this whole stay at home mom thing when Cristina popped into my life....divine intervention, I'm sure of it.

It didn't take long for our friendship, our babies, and our families to grow.  It has been such a blessing having her by my side through these fun and exhausting years.  11 years later we are still besties and so are those two cutsie babies who brought us together!

It was meant to be and I'd say a CHEERS is in order.  It just so happens that right around the corner from our lake house are a few of the most beautiful wineries.  Add November Fall leaves, a glass of wine {or two}, some sweet friends and it was an amazing little get away.

Happy Birthday sweet friend!  Looking forward to many more celebrations!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from our dressed up family to yours!  Clay was dealing with a nasty cold {which I'm sure I'm next in line to get} so our pictures are a little hodge podgy, as was our evening.  But still a spooky good time as always. 

Kids were on the run {have I mentioned lately how big they are getting?}, Grandma trotted along with the littlest, and Clay and I took turns manning the porch and keeping Shelton out of the candy.

So this year, we had a Subway Worker....totally threw me for a loop, but loved Jack's out of the box thinking.

A Cha Cha Ballroom dancer....

And a Fox Trot Ballroom Dancer....Dancing With the Stars, anyone?

And I, of course, pulled out my standard Witch costume.  I feel a change coming on next year.

We never managed a family picture, but we did get a few buddy shots!  Nothing like having a neighborhood of besties.

Boo to You!  Hope your Halloween was Spook-tacular!