NYC!

Last week Josh and I took a trip that I have wanted to take for a very long time! We spent the week of Thanksgiving in New York! This was my 5th trip to the Big Apple, but it was Josh's first. I had been trying to talk him into going for the past 5 years. Finally he consented and off we went. We had a blast! Josh loved it as much as I did. Though I've been before, it was a whole new experience for me to see New York at Christmas time. The tree at Rockefeller, the lights and the store windows, and of course, the PARADE!

Probably the highlight of the trip for me was getting to see the Rockettes' Christmas Spectacular show at Radio City. OH MY GOSH! It was so incredible! We also went to see The Lion King...and it was magnificent! Best show I've ever seen period! I cried as soon as the first song started... (OK, so if you can't tell, we had a ball!)

Here are some pictures...

Times Square

view of the skyline from Fulton Landing
(hmmm...one of my favorite views...appropriate name maybe????)

and of course we had to have ice cream at the best ice cream place in the world... it's just something about eating that icecream under the Brooklyn Bridge!

My first time to visit the Top of the Rock... I'd always gone to the Empire State Building. In my opinion, Top of the Rock was 10 times better! It was also my first time to go at night. Completely amazing to see all of this around you. It makes me feel so small.

Something Josh and I hoped to do was walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. The weather at the beginning of the week was AWESOME! Completely unusual for late November in NY. So we were able to do it. SO NEAT!

Central Park...
this view always reminds me of Home Alone 2... It has come on tv twice since I've been home and I've watched it twice. ha!

And the tree at Rockefeller Center. I just had chills! Yes, it wasn't lit yet, but just seeing it in person was so great to me! I am such a kid at Christmas time!

The Parade!!!

I decided that this event deserved a post all of its own. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has been something that I have wanted to see in person for my entire LIFE. We grew up watching the whole thing every Thanksgiving morning at my house when I was a kid... well, not just a kid... every year since birth! I guess this was kind of the big "finale" of our trip. Josh and I were both like little kids, just in awe of it all. It was truly amazing and larger than life! We took over 100 pictures...but don't worry...I didn't include them all in this post. Just a few to show you a glimpse of what we enjoyed on Thanksgiving morning.

Though the weather had been really nice at the beginning of the week, it was rather CHILLY on Thanksgiving morning! We left our hotel at around 6:00. We had gotten advice to try to see the parade near the point that it begins...closer to Central Park than Macy's. We ended up having an AWESOME spot to see it all...right at the corner of 7th Ave. and Central Park South. We were right on a corner, so we could see all the balloons as they turned the corner. We arrived at our "great spot" along with the other 3 million people 2 hours prior to the parade. So by the time it began, we were pretty cold! But when it started finally, the excitement made us forget the chill!

Okay, enough rambling...here are some pictures!
soooo excited to see that the Smurfs are back! They were all over Macy's when we shopped on Wednesday! I used to LOVE the Smurfs when I was a kid!
a few pics of celebs on the floats...

Jimmy Fallon

Jessica Simpson
(**Note: Josh had the camera at this point and took like 52 pictures of her. I deleted about 49 of them...ha!)

Joan Rivers

and of course...Mr. CLAUS!!!!

the two giddy kids at the end of the parade!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Trick-or-Treat!

Ok, so I guess I am a mean mom... According to my dad, Grady will be SO embarrassed one day when he sees these pictures. And according to Josh, I am never allowed to pick out Grady's Halloween costume again. Oh well, I personally thought it was hilarious and he was so cute! But I am a bit biased, I guess. (Side note...NO, he is NOT a chicken... he's a baby DUCK!)

Rewind to last year...I had the flu and missed Grady's first Halloween. He was a scarecrow, but we didn't go trick-or-treating because I was sick.

So this year was technically his SECOND Halloween, but the first "real experience" of it! I was seriously doubting that he would trick-or-treat, considering the way he acted with Bully in Starkville last weekend. Josh has been telling me for MONTHS that there is no way that Grady is going to put on the costume that I picked out for him. WELL, he proved us both wrong! He wore the costume and trick-or-treated like a little pro! We had so much fun watching him have fun!

Ok, so I put the candy in HERE????

I'm all ready! Are you guys coming?

First, Grady practiced on Grandmother... "Trick-or-Treat!"

Seriously Mom, do I HAVE to wear this hat? Dad says it makes me look like a chicken!

Hey Mackenzie, I've got a GREAT idea! Let's put the chicken suit on Putt-Putt!

Mackenzie told me all I need to know about trick-or-treating!

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, of course you silly people are grinning! Y'all have on normal clothes! Chicken Little says that if he doesn't get some candy soon, he's going to ditch this costume!

OOh, a pumpkin with lights!

"Quack, Quack!" I mean, Trick-or-Treat!

Happy Halloween!

Afternoon at the Park

Homecoming

We spent Saturday in Starkville for MSU Homecoming. Grady-man and "Fan-Fare" didn't go as I had hoped. He HATED Bully. He sat in his lap all of about 1.5 seconds before screaming and reaching for me to grab him So no picture with Bully....

On to face-painting. Um, let's just say that wasn't much better. I think we got one maroon dot (one "toe" of the puppy paw print) on Grady's cheek and then he was DONE and let us all know it. Poor girl who was attempting to paint his face! :(

It was just too hot and too crowded at the players' walk-through thing, so we headed back to the tailgate. I think Grady would be happy to play there all day long!

However, much to our surprise, he did VERY well at the game. It was his very first game. All the other times, I've just stayed with him at the tailgate. But Saturday, he went into the stadium! We only stayed until half-time, but he did great. I think he was just in awe of all the people, the lights, and especially the jumbotron. He squealed and clapped and rang his little cowbell.

Here are a few pictures!

somebody get me AWAY from this dog!

my ticket! FINALLY these people are letting me have my own ticket!

Yeaaaa, Bulldogs!

That is the BIGGEST TV I have ever seen! Dad, can't we get one like that at home?

Go Dawgs!!!

The Pumpkin Patch

Grady's new favorite word/object is PUMPKIN! He LOVES them! I have lots in all different sizes at home and he just carries them around (or tries to if they are too heavy...and it's funny to watch)! We took a "family field trip" to the pumpkin patch this morning and he loved it! I had always taken my Kindergarten classes to the pumpkin patch every year, so it was not a new thing for me, but for Grady, Josh, and Grana, it was a first! We had so much fun!

waiting patiently for our turn on the hayride

cheeeeeese!

"Mom, what exactly is this stuff we are sitting in?"

Grady LOVED the cows! He kept saying "Mooo" (well, his version of "moo" sounded a bit different, but that's what he was saying! ha!)


And finally, we made it to the pumpkin patch! Grady was in awe of all the pumpkins!

He wasn't so sure about playing in the corn...

...but the hay-bale maze was okay!

What a chubby little pumpkin!

checking out the goats

Wish DaddyBill could see me on this tractor!

HAPPY FALL!

Puzzles

Back to Starkville We Go...

I just realized that it's been a whole month since my last post and the last post was from our first trip to Starkville. Fast forward one month and here we are again. It was the most beautiful day! And the dawgs won! YEA! Grady was MUCH more mobile this time. Last trip, he had just begun to wander around on his own and he had some trouble walking through the grass and up and down the hills by our tailgate. Today was a different story. Mom and I spent the day chasing him all over campus! He carried his cowbell with him all afternoon and was really on the move! He wears me out! But I love that he is becoming so much more independent!

Our friends Emily and Michael were at the game with their little bulldog, Fisher! Grady and Fisher hadn't met yet and so today was their first "play date." We had so much fun watching them together. I think we have two future offensive lineman on our hands! Ha! Happy early 1st birthday, Fisher! We SOOO enjoyed seeing you today, little man!

This is the ONLY picture I got today with both of them looking semi-towards the camera! They were SOOOO busy!

Grady-man was a bit jealous when we first walked up to the tailgate and Aunt Sue was playing with Fisher. So funny! He is definitely attached to Susan. She gives him more attention than anyone and spoils him ROTTEN!

LOVE this pic! Bubbles are such a hit with Grady. He had a melt-down just before we got in the car to leave for Starkville this morning. He saw me hand the bottle of bubbles to Josh to put in the car and wanted to have them immediately. He started saying "Bubba, Bubba, Bubba!" Once we get them out, he doesn't want to put them up!

Much to my mom's delight, Grady has learned to say "Dee-Dee!" In perfect pronunciation! It is too cute!

Here are some more pics from the day!