NYC With Sydney

For Sydney's 12th birthday we surprised her with a trip to NYC!

 First airplane ride

 Arrived in the city after our first bus and subway rides

Stayed at Hotel Chandler!!!

 Central Park

 Boys had fun with friends while we were away

 Fountain from TV show "Friends"

 Bike tour through Central Park

 Apple Store! Round glass elevator took us down to the underground store. Whole Foods was underground too, but a different location

 86th floor of Empire State Building

 Lunch at Bare Burger

 Times Square

 First cab ride to gluten free pizza restaurant

 Gershwin Theatre to see "Wicked." Amazing!!!

Brooklyn Tabernacle for worship Sunday morning. Choir was amazing, so cool to be worshiping with brothers and sisters from so many nations!

 Subway entrance to Museum of Natural History. Above is all done in tile

 Taking the Long Island Railroad to Hicksville to see my old house

 The home I grew up in till I was Sydney's age. We got to go in!

 Sydney lost a tooth at the train station!

 Dinner...she loved all the walking and public transportation. 

 Empire State Building our last night there

Boys at second host home

Halloween

 All the kids (minus Jake) went trick or treating together as a pack of kids (no adults!) L to R:

Ethan's friend Ringo from school, Ethan (Robin Hood), Jack (jack hammer), Reid (pirate), Sydney (Gryffindor student), Ella (gypsy), Jake (cowboy)

 We adults sat in the front yard and Jake got to pass out candy to our many trick or treaters.

 Sydney and me with Brandy and Ella

 Checking out loot

 After their time out, the kids called for trick or treaters to come and passed out candy.

What I found on my front porch when it was all over!

Marine Mud Run

We did the Marine Mud Run today near Pilot Mountain. Jeff & Ethan ran the 5K and Sydney, Reid & I ran the Polliwog Race (3/4 mile with obstacles). 

Jake came with us, but the highlight for him was fist bumping the Chic-Fil-A cow! :-) Jeff & Ethan finished in less than 40 min and Sydney was the 3rd in the Pollywog Race...she was the first girl to finish!

Before the races began

Jeff & Ethan had run through all the obstacles and were on the last leg of the race here...on the way to the giant mud pit!

Finish Line

Look at this girl MOVE! She got to the mud pit way before Jeff expected so the next picture he got was at...

The Finish Line! 5K for Sydney next year!

Here is the giant mud pit at the end!

And here's Reid swimming through it.

What a Marine! :-)

 After the Pollywog

The day had a fun start for Jake, but toward the end he was done! He wanted his shoes taped up like ours, but he never got to go in any mud. Maybe the Pollywog for him next year!

Ballet Recital

Sydney's ballet recital was today. Here are some pics. Each level showed their class work first and then there was a performance. Jeff bought Sydney the pretty pink roses. It was her first year in ballet and we were really pleased with all she learned.
Way to go Sydney! You shine!!!

Shakespeare Festival

Our school's Shakespeare Festival is the biggest event of the school year. This year's play was "The Comedy of Errors." Reid's class collected "a pence to enter" at the door, Ethan's class recited couplets & Sydney's class recited a sonnet before the play began. The middle schoolers perform the play.

Jake Lets It Go!

Watch our little entertainer Let It Go! Watch to the end to fully appreciate!

Happy Birthday Jake!

Jake turned 3 on Monday, but we celebrated Sunday night- just our family of 6. Jeff &I had been away the week prior, so we kept it simple, but oh so sweet! I took the older kids to Toys R Us where they put some of their money together to buy him a gift. Then I took them to Party City and let them pick out all the party decor.

First was dinner...

Best attempt at a family photo!

Then ice cream for dessert...

Then a game...

Check out Jake Reid in the blindfolds!!

Then presents:

This is the coloring book Reid made for Jake:

Jake got his groove on to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse:

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