Feeling Thankful

I've never really been a tremendous fan of the actual Thanksgiving meal, but man, am I a fan of what this holiday brings and means.  It's pretty amazing to celebrate a holiday all about thankfulness.  And let me tell you, I am "full of thanks". 

This Thanksgiving, I felt my childhood come full circle.  Here I was surrounded by family, hanging with my cousins, and watching our children play at a lake house...just like we did every Thanksgiving as kids.  

I am beyond THANKFUL for this gaggle of kiddos and that they get to be together just like we did.

I am THANKFUL for the Aunts, Uncles, and Grandmas who share in my life and our children's.

I am THANKFUL for the sunshine and beautiful view that surrounded our holiday.

I am THANKFUL for the feast we dined on and the fact that I didn't have to cook it.

I am THANKFUL for the sense of humor this family has and all the laughs that came with it.  Including a rocking karaoke competition, a corn hole tourney and a Pictionary battle.

 I'm THANKFUL for this lake house and all of the beds that allowed this entire family to stay together.  One giant Thanksgiving sleep over.

And I'm really THANKFUL for the waterfall and hiking trails right down the street that got us out of it for a day!

I'm going to bed tonight feeling very Thankful and beyond Blessed.  Not too mention totally exhausted from one too many nights of missing my bed time.

Safe travels family. xoxo Until next time...

Ramping Up

We are ramping up for Thanksgiving Break, but before that, we have a few fun school activities to squeeze in.

Of course, the annual Thanksgiving Feasts. I had the pleasure of attending three {which means three school lunches on two different days}.  And because there wasn't much to show but us sitting in the cafe being thankful for each other, I have no pictures.

But...very strategically the Book Fair happens to fall on the same week of the feasts.  And surely you know how much I adore books!  So I have a few fun ones from our visit upstairs.

Ms. S asked me to decorate the hallway for the Enchanted Forest Book Fair this year.  I was totally on board since I didn't have a November birthday party to plan for this year.  It helped fill the decorating/planning void in my life.  And trust me, that's a real thing for me.

It turned our pretty magical considering the budget I was working with and more importantly the students were in awe.

And if you need a tutorial on how to make trees, please feel free to ask, I am officially well versed.

We also got to celebrate this little slice of cuteness being Student Of the Week.  Congrats Maggie-pie!

And what kind of week would it be without a Medieval transformation in Kindergarten?  I had a royal good time hanging with the Kings and Queens of this class.  Precious!

We've ramped up and so....here comes Thanksgiving Week Break.  Can't wait to eat lots of turkey and love on our family. 

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