It was a very busy holiday for us this year. You got to see Santa TWICE, you had a visit from family and you got to see the White House and New York all in the same week!
Soon after Thanksgiving we bought a real Christmas tree (you helped pick it out) and decorated. Mommy went all out this year because of our new house. She has a lot of Disney ornaments that she dusted off JUST for you and we hung them from the bannisters so you could see them every day. We also took a trip to the Columbia Mall to see Santa Claus where you told him you wanted a “guppy” (actually a Betta fish like we had in Minnesota). You also told him that “zombies have beards too” which Daddy wasn’t sure was a win or failure, but it was funny in any case.
Later in the month, but before Christmas, Grandma and Grandpa Yeoman from Indiana came to stay with us for the week, so we decided to show them a little bit of the East Coast.
Our first short journey was to visit the White House and see their Christmas tree. We met a lot of really nice people and did a good bit of walking. But boy the things we saw! Not only did we see where President Obama lives, but we saw trees for every state, a display of trains around the National Tree and you got to see Santa AGAIN! This time we visited him in one of his temporary workshops and he was just as kind and fun as ever.
On the next day we took a very short trip to Ellicot City and had lunch at one of our new favorite places, Bean Hollow. We walked around a little more, did a little window shopping, and like magic, it began to snow in big fluffy flakes. That night, you opened a LOT of Christmas presents with Grandma.
The following morning we had an early breakfast and took a train to New York. You did a great job on the train ride and you seemed to really enjoy it. It was a little hectic when we arrived at Penn Station, but once we got into the cab you had a blast. Your favorite thing there? City maps; a touchscreen showing all the fun things to do in NYC but of course, you just had fun punching buttons and seeing the screen.
Once we settled down in our hotel, The Ameritania, we decided to take a walk to see the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Plaza. Getting there wasn’t so bad, but once we arrived it was packed tight with lots of folks who had the same idea. You fell asleep when we got there so you missed a lot of the hub-bub. We also got to see a great light show on the side of Sax Fifth Avenue, but we were worried for your comfort because it was quite cold. So we made our way back to the hotel and met up with Uncle Chad and Aunt Amanita for dinner. It was hard to find a restaurant that wasn’t a chain (we were in Times Square), but we walked around until we finally found a little Mexican place that we all enjoyed. Daddy took you to the toilet there where you insisted had a kitty on the wall, though Daddy never saw it.
The next day we went to Central Park where we bought hats, treated you to your first bagel (and you loved it) and decided to walk around a bit, even though it had gotten colder than before. You had a bit of a melt down because you weren’t allowed to use the swings; not our fault because the playground section of the park was actually closed for the holiday. Aunt Am had suggested we see the carousel, but that proved to be an even bigger disappointment for you, since it too was closed for the season (Aunt Am didn’t know). After a good cry and some snacks, you pulled it together and we warmed up in a visitor’s center, then headed to FAO Schwarz.
Once we were there you were amazed. We saw lots of toys and you even picked out a bear you wanted Santa to bring to you (a little “Wall Street” bear) and you even re-enacted a famous scene from the movie, BIG. You were just about ready for a nap, so we took a break. But when you woke up, it was all adventure again. We went to the M&Ms store followed by a trip to the Disney store where you were enthralled by lanterns, you charmed the clerks out of several Monsters Inc. pins (especially, your favorite, Mike Wazowski) and Uncle Chad met us there to find some dinner.
He took us to a great place called John’s Pizzaria. There slogan was “NO SLICES”, which you remembered and said often. Uncle Chad also brought a Christmas present for you which you are still sleeping with; a monkey puppet called Bananas. After that we went to the Times Square Toys R Us where you, Mommy, Daddy and Uncle Chad wrote the crazy big ferris wheel (we got to ride in the Fire Truck car) and you saw a roaring T-Rex that was a little unsettling. Then back to the hotel where Grandma stayed with you a little bit while Mommy and Daddy met Chad and Am for a drink. What a wild two days!
The day before we went back, we squeezed in ONE more tiny adventure at the American Museum of Natural History. While it was crowded, we had a great time and you got to see Rose Space Center (where you learned about craters on the moon), the African Mammals room and we ate a quick lunch before running off to the train station. The trip home was not so bad, since you slept on Grandma most of the way. Before your grandparents left, we drove through the Symphony of Lights display (our second time, actually) where you pointed out the snowball throwing bears which you enjoyed BOTH times.
Mommy made a nice vegetarian roast for Christmas Eve dinner and the next morning, we awoke to see all the great stuff Santa brought! Thomas the Train, your FAO Schwarz bear, Bob the Betta fish & the movie PLANES! Later that night, we drove over to Baltimore to see the famous 34th Street lights and go out to eat Chinese food. It was the perfect Christmas.
This week we’re figuring out what to do for New Year’s Eve, but in the meantime you have lots of new things to occupy your dreams.
It's Campbell Time! 