March

 

The highlight of March was spring break in NYC! 

Bethany, Lydia and I fit as much as we could into our 4 day / 3 night girls' trip:

• Took the train from Richmond
• Arrived at Penn Station 
• Times Square
• Wicked on Broadway
• Serendipity 
• Central Park: horse carriage ride, the pond, the Boat House, Bethesda Fountain, the mall, Alice in Wonderland Statue, Umpire Rock, a couple playgrounds, etc.
• The Plaza Hotel including the Eloise picture
• Empire State Building
• NYC Public Library, including the original Winnie the Pooh toys!
• St. Patrick's Cathedral 
• Rockefeller Center including FAO Schwartz (a highlight for Lyd) the skating rink, Atlas, etc.
• The Met 
• Staten Island Ferry and the Statue of Liberty
• Brooklyn Bridge
• The 9/11 memorial and museum
• The Manhattan Temple (closed for major renovation) and Julliard
• The Met Opera! This was a surprise. We walked in to get out of the rain and happened to be there as an opera was starting. Someone told us we had to hurry because doors were closing. Even though we weren't planning on seeing a show, we got super-discounted tickets and got in at the very last minute. The show was Le Nozze di Figaro (The Wedding of Figaro). It was all in Italian, but there were little subtitles on the back of the seat in front of you with the translation. It was incredible! We had to leave at intermission because Lydia was falling asleep (we were all exhausted by this point), but it was a highlight for sure. 
• Lots of great restaurants and treats along the way!

Heidi came out to stay with Matt and the kids while I was gone. It worked out perfectly and they had a great time! They went to the zoo, played at home, helped Matt with yard work, went to church, etc. She even stayed a couple of days after we got back home to spend time with Lydia, too. We're so grateful she could come! 

Other highlights of the month included a treasure hunt Matt put on for Luke (inspired by his friend Mason!), Vivian turning 9 months old and starting to climb the stairs 🤪😄, and prepping our summer garden!

Lydia debriefing everyone after the trip. :) 

Bird's nest cookies :)

Girls on the Run

Making the most of a power outage by camping in the living room!

Hazel's 4th birthday party!

Elise at preschool with her BFFs Hazel and Nolan!

Showing off her new overall shorties!

Lydia's 3rd grade performance, called Summer Camp!

Vivian at 9 months!