The Real Meaning of Christmas

So we are trying to be good parents and shepherd our children's hearts to have a love of Jesus. We are going to church, we pray out loud all the time, we read bible stories.  And really we are quite proud of Aubrey's willingness and excitement to seek God.  So she is at the age where she has a multitude of imaginary friends, usually the Disney Princesses,Dinosaurs, Happy Feet, Charlotte's Web. (Not just Charlotte, Charlotte's Web....does she watch too many movies?) But now it is Jesus.  I'm all for knowing and feeling Jesus is right there beside us, I just don't want to have to buckle Him in the car, put Him in the stroller, give Him snacks...get the idea.  

We had a "Happy Birthday Jesus" party this week with some of her friends and in light of birthdays, presents, and Christmas in the car one day Aubrey was talking to Jesus as she often does and then all of a sudden says,"No, No Grinch!!  Don't take Jesus birthday presents!!"  It was hilarious!! But because I want her to be open with her faith, I am definitely not going to discourage her to talk openly about Jesus.  And I am remembering that we will be in close quarters on a airplane soon, and what a great way for Aubrey, a 2 year old, to minister the real reason for the season to grumpy travelers, than to have Jesus right there with us, and letting everyone know it!!

New York City

So, we made to NYC and home safe!  We had such a fun trip, and even though it took us 2 hours just to get out of DC we made it before the girls were too exhausted.  The first thing we realized about our day is that NYC is not stroller friendly.  Well, at least the subways.  I'm not going to be needing arm exercise after carrying a double stroller up and down to the subway terminals! 

Our first stop was Canal Street in China Town where I did some great knock-off shopping.  And after going a couple of times I have finally got the hang of it.  If you want good stuff don't buy off the street, go to the back of the store and ask if they have anything better.  I was looking for Coach bags and did this.  A little Chinese lady got on a walkie-talkie had me meet someone in the back that led me to a "secret" stairway into a big closet in their attic that was full of great stuff.  I put my haggling skills to work and talked them down from 100 each for a purse to 70 for 2.  I know following a little Chinese man up a skinny stairway into a warehouse doesn't sound safe, but I saw other tourist do it and thought, "They don't look traumatized!"  Oh, and I left my husband and kids outside next to a magazine stand why I investigated.  So hurray! My sister and mom are getting great handbags.

We then decided to walk to Manhattan (only a couple of miles) we stopped to let the 

kids play at a playground right in Washington Square, where the Arc D' Triumph is and I swear they were sliding with Celebrity kids. OK, well maybe not, but there were a lot of parents who were sitting inconspicuously with large dark glasses. 

 

Anyway, up to Mid Town to see Macy's...

When people say millions visit NYC at Christmas, they are telling the truth, and they were all there Saturday! We kind of saw the storefronts and the Rockefeller tree, but there were so many people it was really hard to see anything.  We did get to Grand Central Station to watch their Kaleidoscope show.  They project it onto the walls and ceiling of the Grand Terminal...it was beautiful.  We wanted to go to FAO Shrwatz, but the line was literally around the building, so we ended up leaving the city early.  We took the subway back to Brooklyn where we were staying ate at a tiny pizza place that was FANTASTIC! and went to Dyker Heights, the neighborhood we saw on the Travel Channel known for their lights.  Amazing!!  Then after that we headed home, and again home before midnight.  So, yeah it was a quick trip, but so much fun!!  Merry Christmas everyone!!

Here are some pics.  

My First Blog

So its Christmas time and like always our family is busy traveling.  We are going to Arizona for Christmas, spending half the time in Mesa with Rolland family and half the time in Snowflake with my family.  Its a fun trip but getting through security with two toddlers, two car seats, a double stroller, carry-ons, and us is a nightmare to say the least.  Add on a 3 hour layover and I am already exhausted.  So with the stresses of Christmas travel coming up we decided to take a fun family trip to help prepare ourselves.  We are going to New York City!!!

We have been planning this trip to NYC for awhile.  We are going to go Christmas shopping, look at storefronts, and with the ongoing snow storm, freeze our tushies off!!  Kinda miffed about that.  Weather.com said yesterday Saturday was scheduled for sunny skies.  Hopefully God will literally shine down some grace on us.  And can I tell you about the deal we get to stay there.  $70 a night, 2 room suite!!!  There are advantages to the military!! We are staying at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn.  Which is also great because it is next to a neighborhood that has one of the largest Christmas lights displays. (We saw it on the Travel channel)  So that's it for my first blog.  I have to go pack for the city, we leave in a few hours!!