SAY WHAAAAAT????

This true 100%, hot-blooded Cuban thinks that Congresswoman Watson needs to go spend some time in a Cuban hospital!

How about staying HERE, in the real Cuba, Ms. Watson?

oh where...oh where...oh where did we go? (Part 1)

Since Daddy's a Navy man, we absolutely had to visit the aircraft carrier, USS Intrepid.







Of course, every child deserves a little fun at F.A.O. Schwarz...



...and do a few little dance moves on "The Big Piano".



For those Beatle fans (ahem...Amanda) Strawberry Fields in Central Park and seeing the famed Dakota building (where Lennon was shot and big stars like Lauren Bacall live) were definitely a must!





True Catholics would never pass up going to mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. (Sorry for the blurred picture, it was taken in haste right before mass began.)



Peeking into fountains while making our way to Rockefeller Center is always fun!





Going up to the Empire State Building was "sooo cool, Mama! We're outside in the sky!"









A visit to China Town wouldn't be complete without shopping there and having a delicious authentic Chinese dinner! YUM! This brought back great memories of our trips to China!



Times Square was a daily stop for food, shopping and fun. Day. And. Night. Sometimes late nights as you can tell by AJ's yawn.

More spots we visited coming soon!

"i feel old"

My baby boy after discovering that there is a possibility that if you chew on a black ink pen, it may explode in your mouth!

At my sister's request, I'll share a quick story about our littlest man, A.J.

Yesterday with all the new first-day-of-school commotion, we had the following conversation while in the car:

AJ: Mama, I want to go to school.

ME: AJ, you're still too little, sweetie. When you get older you can go to school.

AJ: (complete silence for two minutes.)

AJ: Mama?

ME: Yes, baby?

AJ: But Mama, I feel old.

ME: (laughing hysterically) AJ, I feel old too, baby!

I love that boy with all my heart and soul!

********************************

UPDATE: Kai, Anna Grace and Amanda all had a fabulous first day of school! Anna Grace slipped a bit into her "mode" after being home a while, but it was certainly nothing big.

Thank you, Lord for watching over my babies and making their first day at school a great one!

here we go

Back to school again.

Although I have lots to share about our NY trip, including a big scare on the subway, a 10 hour trip home and tons of pictures, I just couldn't pass up on sharing this morning's events, cuteness and goodbyes.

They're growing so fast. I miss having them home.

I can hardly believe my big boy is in kindergarten this year!



My girl was all smiles leaving the house and ready to go to her last year of preschool!

OK. I know. I'm biased. But aren't they full of sweetness?

After arriving at school, we headed off to drop off Kai at his classroom first. Since we were out of town last week, we missed Open House so he hadn't had a chance to meet his new teacher. I was anticipating he'd be nervous. But nope. He walked in after saying, "Good marnin" and found his name on his desk. Quickly he settled in and before I knew it, he was saying, "Bye Mama". I was really a bit anxious about whether or not his teacher would have enough patience to understand him, but calmed down soon after meeting her. She seemed very sweet. I hugged my big boy with a quivering lip (mine not his) and allowed my tears to be dried by his shirt as his little arms wrapped around me. He sweetly said, "It's OK, Mama!" Then he kissed AJ and Anna Grace goodbye and we were off to drop off Anna Grace at her PK class.

Anna Grace is blessed again this year to have the same wonderful teacher she's had for the past 2 years, so I thought it would be easy for her.

Wrong.

Although I tried to explain to them over the past month that Kai and she would be in different classrooms now because Kai was going to kindergarten, I guess it didn't compute. Her entire demeanor changed the second she realized she was not staying in Kai's classroom. I lost all eye contact and she would not respond to my questions. We talked, or shall I say I talked, for a bit while we were alone in her classroom waiting for her teacher, but she had that you-betrayed-me look in her eye. Shortly afterwards, more kids started coming into the room as well as her teacher and the teacher's assistant. The teacher asked Anna Grace about vacation and after some nudging she reluctantly responded.

AJ hopped out of his stroller and went to play and Anna Grace soon followed. She was a bit more at ease. I called her over and asked her for a hug and kiss goodbye. She swung around with no eye contact and sighing heavily said, "OOOO-KAAAYY". She allowed me to kiss her and hug her, but did not show much emotion. Change is hard for her. She's been home for two months and was adjusting after a rough beginning at home, now we're back to school. I think she'll be fine, but it's a process and she has to again learn to trust that school is not a "permanent home". By the time I left, she had gone back to playing.

We swung around to Kai's class once more and he happened to glance out the doorway just as we walked by. A huge grin spread across his face as he shouted, "Hi Mama!", blew me a kiss and quickly began coloring again.

They grow so fast.

Where did all my babies go?