Blizzard 2009- and other Christmas Fun

Well the Piedmonts finally experienced our first snowstorm. And of course we could not ease into the winter season with a light little snow- no no we got the Blizzard of 2009- Ha!! We thought we were just being wimps from the south when we were overwhelmed by the amount of snow until we spoke to out neighbors who said that on average Newport gets 6-10 inches a year- we got 20 inches in ONE DAY!!!!! it was beautiful but then again I was not the one shoveling it- thank god from pregnancy. Poor Otto/Mike was shoveling snow for 3-4 hours- unfortunately we live at the end of our street so the snow plow just pushed all the snow into our driveway. We did experience some Christmas goodwill as a neighbor came out to help mike shovel because he felt bad for him. As you can see below- ellie was not a huge fan of the snow either- it was a little overwhelming to say the least. She is going through "fear of new things" at the moment as she was not a huge fan of Santa either. She loved to stare and wave at him from a safe 10 foot distance and from behind the railing but get her close and she lost it. It was pretty funny.

We saw santa at the navy christmas party and also discovered another activity ellie loves- after she danced around in the middle of the floor to the christmas music for about 30 minutes she discovered the bouncy house and had NO FEAR! she is a funny one- she was about half the size of most the kids in there and could have cared less- one man even said, and I quote "she is a scrappy one" So my little peanut can hold her own - I was so proud.

We got a really tiny tree this year as we are going to North Carolina for Christmas and quite frankly did not have the room in this house for anything bigger. But it was the perfect size for Ellie and she loved decorating it. She does not quite understand the no touching and leaving the presents under the tree but I think that just goes with the territory of having a little one- so for the next couple years I am sure we will be decorating on the top two thirds of the tree so as to keep ornaments out of reach!!

We hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season and is staying warm- we can not wait to leave on Wednesday and head to NC for over a week to see Jennifer, Ron, Connor, Claire, Grace, Mimi and Paw Paw- we will miss our family that is not there but I know that Ellie is going to just adore her cousins and it is just such a blessing to have such an incredible family to share the holidays with. Merry Christmas!!!

Pretty sure she will end up living in the south- what do you think?
Bundle up- lots of layers for only 5 minutes outside
At least daddy is happy right?
Look how high the snow was- but Brimley had to go so Daddy braved the blizzard!

She loves spaghetti- as long as she can feed herself- thank goodness for stain sprayOur Angel- sorry it is blurry - hopefully I will get a better camara for christmas- please Santa
Brimley- he looks about as thrilled as Ellie did in the snow.
Such a pretty little thing!!


Look at the devilish little grin- TROUBLE
Jumping like a mad woman in the bounce house.
This is how she like santa- (notice him 10 feet away in the background)


All the kids trying to escape because Ellie got there- i kid.


At the christmas tree farm- thought we would get great photos except two problems- it was freezing and I forgot to charge the camera- excellent day!!!

New York, New York- and some Big News!

Well we took our first day trip this past weekend to NYC and it was incredible. Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to see NYC during the holidays and even though she won't remember it, it was so great to give Ellie this experience and see all the sites through her eyes. Poor little thing woke up with an infected eye (as you will see in most of the pics) so she was not her usual photogenic self but we still got some good shots and it just looks like she is winking (so talented). My Uncle Kevin met us in NYC and he is the best tour guide you could ever ask for. Ellie slept through the first two hours of our touring - I think the train ride took it out of her. But she woke up in time for the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes which was the highlight of the day. Again, Uncle Kevin came through and got us incredible seats and I got to watch a real new yorker fight (not really but my uncle was about to show us southerners how new yorkers don't back down when some pushy lady tries to take your seats- it was great). The show was 90 minutes and held Ellie's attention the whole time which is no small fete for a 16 month old- I was happy to sit for the extended period but more on that later.

After the show we took Ellie to FAO Schwartz where she was so excited over the puppy stuffed animals so we of course got her a souvenior (but I am proud to say I resisted buying the huge one eventhough it was tempting). We had the absolute best weather especially since the next day it snowed so we walked to Central Park before seeing the tree at Rockefeller Center. On the way to the tree we totally got caught in a tourist trap where there were a bunch of sesame street characters which I am guessing were some new yorkers who rented costumes to make a few bucks during the holidays. Anyways, ellie's head almost exploded when she saw "melmo" (elmo) so of course we had to get a pic which entailed a small donation but it was worth it. After the tree we headed to dinner to get some real new york pizza where we met up with my Aunt Judy and Cousin Max. I just feel so unbelievably lucky to finally live so close to so many family members and be able to see them more often- it truly is a blessing. I want to say a big thank you to both my uncle kevin and aunt judy who made our day trip to NYC unforgettable.

At the end of the day, we were extremely tired but it was so worth it. I was especially tired as we are expecting Baby Piedmont #2 in July- BIG NEWS!!!!- I know I just snuck that in there but I figured no time like the present to spill the beans. Mike and I are so extremely excited (and scared) about having another baby and just pray he or she is as healthy, happy and loving as our precious Ellie- she has made our lives so much happier than we could have everimagined and we know baby #2 will do the same (once we overcome the shock of having 2 kids). And we are so thrilled that Mike is in the War College and will be home for the entire first three months (and longer) so that he can experience all the sleepless nights, etc etc- well I am really thrilled not to sure how he feels- I kid.

We hope everyone is having as wonderful a Christmas season as we are and that we can see you all soon! Merry Christmas

The Train Station
Ellie and Daddy on her first train ride
In Front of the Macy's window- we are laughing hysterically because my Uncle Kevin could not see a thing while taking the picture and was cracking us up - notice ellie sleeping she was thrilled with the window displays.
At bryant park- amazing- they turn the park into an ice skating rink and shopping area and build an entire restaurant overlooking the park just for the Christmas season. For all you project runway fans I just loved being in the place where the show is taped- i related most of my nyc experiences back to tv.
Ellie at FAO schwartz loving the giant doggie.
Ellie sticking her tongue out like a dog!!! so smart
Ellie thoroughly enjoying the Rockettes show- notice her huge eyes and open mouth - signs of pure and utter enjoyment



ELMO!!!!!!Look at that smile (and notice daddy being taken- such tourist!)


Tree at Rockefeller Center
Times Square- it was getting cold
Long day- sleeping on the train ride home!