A dream come true

Months ago I noticed that my birthday was going to be the same day as Thanksgiving this year.  This was always kind of a downer but I decided that this year I would use it to my advantage.  Growing up in Northern California I remember always getting up early with my Mom to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. It starts at 9:00 EST so 6:00 in California.  My Mom was probably getting up to put the turkey in the oven but she loved the parade and we would always watch it together. I vowed that one day I would attend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and this year it happened and I loved it.

We headed up to NYC early Wednesday morning.  We were traveling with our friends the Grovers and had booked an apartment, called "Skyline Palace" together in West New York, on the New Jersey side. A NJ transit bus took you across the river to a main bus terminal for 3$ a trip and Jared and Lydia would ride free. It was a great way to get into the city. Buses came every 7 minutes or so and the bus stop was literally across the street from the apartment.  You could see it from the front of the apartment.  There was also a park across the street from the apartment and all the kids (ages 10 - 5 and a 3 month old) loved being able to play there for a little bit. The apartment had 3 bedrooms, plenty of living space and an awesome view of the NY skyline.  We were really happy with the arrangements and would totally recommend it.  After finding parking, also across the street from the apartment we headed into the city.  *

The view was just so awesome! 

It was fun to have Jared and Lydia play at this park with this background, made us feel like some locals. We talked about living in a place like NYC and how different it would be than Charlottesville and Jared said he would like to be a city kid. 

Our first stop was the balloon inflation.  This was our best chance to see the balloons up close and watch them being inflated.  We sadly did not pick a very good Metro stop and exited right where the ballon inflation ended.  We were in the right spot but not the right area. We had to walk around so many blocks to get to the entrance.  But, it was totally worth it!  Jared and Lydia did not love the walk but at the same time it was fun for them to be walking in a big city and catch glimpses of the balloons every now and then.  I loved it so much.  We finally got to the entrance and were able to get nice and close to the balloons. It really wasn't too crowded. I had read peoples experiences about it and felt like the crowds weren't bad at all.  The ballon inflation takes you around a few blocks where you can see the balloons tethered to the ground with sand bags under large nets.  You could also see them being filled with air.  It was great. I would definitely go again.  **

After the balloon inflation we walked across Central Park to the MET.  I had read that they have a really beautiful Christmas tree and wanted to check it out. It would have been nice to spend more time in Central Park but we were running low on daylight and wanted to get to the MET before it closed.  We just made it and had time to quickly walk back to the tree exhibit and then leave as they were closing.  I know spending time in the MET would be a great experience and am sure we will be back and will plan some time to spend there.

I really didn't expect there to still be this many leaves on the trees. 

It was fun to see some Fall colors. 

This tree is beautiful! 

 It is covered in angles and has a massive nativity scene wrapping around it. 

After the MET we hopped back on the Subway and started our walking tour of the Department Store Window Displays.  The tour also took us by Rockfeller Plaza and the Empire State Building. We didn't go to all the big ones but stopped by Saks, Lord and Taylor, and Macys.  Halfway through we stopped for dinner at Panera.  We talked about finding fun NYC restaurants but I really felt that I wanted to be out in the city more than I wanted to be sitting in restaurants and Lydia has been a horrible eater lately so Panera seemed like the smartest/easiest choice.  We were all really hungry by then and a little cold so soup was perfect.  Some other trip we will try out the fun places to eat.  The window displays were beautiful and so festive. Saks had a Snow White theme and they also had a cool light show that played on the building to make it look like a castle. It was easy to see why people go out of their way to see it.  The kids were all excited to get back to the apartment and check it out.  Lydia frequently asked me when we were going to the apartment.  This didn't surprise me too much as she loves staying in hotels and we were doing a lot of walking but I still felt slightly exasperated that she was more interested in the apartment than NYC.  She is 5 1/2 though and maintained a really good attitude for which I was really impressed/grateful.  All the kids did a nice job, our days were packed and they held up really well.  She and Jackson (also 5) were pretty cute walking together.  They looked (and acted) like they were ready to take on NYC by themselves. We got back to the apartment around 9:00 I think and everyone fell asleep really quickly once we got settled.

Saks

Lord and Taylor

Jared was thrilled to see a Killer Whale in the Lord and Taylor window display.

Thursday we got up and got ready as quickly as possible so we could make it to the big event. We got on our bus from NJ pretty quick but had to wait at least 2 times for a subway that had space for all of us.  The plan was to take the Metro to 72nd street then walk up to 75th street because that was where the staging area was for the parade.  We ended up getting off at 72nd street and decided just to stay there. We got there about 8:40 and were pleasantly surprised by how nice the weather was. We had hand and toe warmers which were helpful not only for warmth but also for entertainment for the kids. I read so many articles about viewing the parade and all of them said you would need to get to your chosen spot by 6:00 or earlier to have a good view. I was tempted to do it but decided not to in the end. With the ages of our kids it worked out well not having to sit around for 3 hours! We were about 20 feet deep from the road and by the time the parade started we were right in the middle of the crowd with another 20 people deep behind us.  We could not see anyone on the ground for the parade but could easily see the balloons and about the top half of the floats.  This was about what we expected and it was fine. We could hear the marching bands fine and the one celebrity we recognized was Jimmy Fallon which was great because we (the adults) all enjoy him.  I did decide that when we go again I would get up early and stake out a spot so I could really see all the parade.  It was really fun to be there in person and I do plan to go again.  It really was an almost life long dream come true.

That paper football! 

We watched the parade for about 45 minutes then decided to beat the crowds and head out.  This was a really good idea.  We got down to the subway and it was empty. So different from traveling to the parade.  Our next activity for the day was to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.  We took the metro to Brooklyn stopped for some Hot Chocolate and then started our walk.  We all really enjoyed the walk. I know its just a bridge but it was so fun to walk across together and enjoy the view. It was a beautiful blue sky day and chilly but not miserable.  We all were able to take off gloves and hats and enjoy the sunshine. It worked out great.  We finished our walk and then set out to find a place to eat.  Since it was Thanksgiving we knew not many places would be open and after walking around the area by the World Trade Center found a pizza place that was open.  We checked out the 9/11 Memorial which was a nice experience.  I love the design they came up with for the memorial and it was nice to take a few minutes to pay respect, talk to our kids about it and appreciate what we have.

DUMBO: Such pretty tree lines streets

Mallory and Elsie were such rock stars! 

9/11 Memorial

The next stop was Grand Central Station.  We took the subway there and were so impressed by how beautiful the terminal was.  It is such a pretty building. We hoped to see their impressive train display but the little museum was closed.  After that we walked over to Bryant Park where there was a large Christmas tree, ice skating rink and Christmas market.  We had been really lucky so far and stayed together easily but I got separated from Mark, Jared and Lydia and it took quite some time for us to find each other again. I was with the Grovers and Mark was with our kids so  it worked out as well as it could have but it was annoying.  By then Mark and Mallory's phones had died and I was down to less than 3%. It was stressful but after about 15 minutes we found each other and headed back to the bus terminal to go back to the apartment to prepare our Thanksgiving Dinner.

We decided to order a pre cooked Thanksgiving meal from Whole Foods and the Grovers picked it up on their way to NYC.  Mallory did most of work heating it up and it was nice to have a traditional meal. I don't remember the kids thinking it was a big deal to have the traditional meal but we did it and then had creme puffs and cheesecake for my birthday dessert.  It didn't really feel like Thanksgiving or my birthday for most of the day and was certainly different from any other Thanksgiving/birthday I've had but it turned out to be a really fun day.  While Mallory and I heated up dinner the kids watched Elf and enjoyed being in the apartment.  Mark and Kurt also took them to play at the park which they loved. I think it was really helpful for them to have some down time and am glad it worked out. I am pretty sure we were back there by 5:00.  When we got to the city Jared found a paper football in his coat pocket and was obsessed with it.  Anytime were sitting still he wanted to be playing with it.  This was helpful in most cases as it gave him and Carson something to do but also annoying when he was sitting on the ground during the parade playing paper football. In his defense it was really hard for him to see anything and it wasn't his dream to go to the parade so overall I guess the football was really a good thing. He loved playing the game with Carson and football is a big part of many peoples Thanksgiving!

Our plans for the last day was to pack up, straighten up the apartment, and visiting the Statue of Liberty.  Back in June I had gone on to the Park Services website to see if tickets were available to go into the crown and saw they were.  We made our reservations June 20th, 5 months in advance and by the time we got ours, coordinated with the Grovers they were sold out for the day.  They go so fast! We did okay getting out of the apartment on time but were all feeling pretty sluggish.  It had been a busy 2 days.   We found parking but it ended up not being the correct lot.  We had a solid 25 minute walk to the ferry terminal.  This and the fact that none of us had bothered to check the ferry schedule really threw off our morning. I'm not sure why none of us thought to check the schedule.  Mark is a very fast walker and he and Lydia got way ahead of the group and then we didn't know where we were supposed to go to get our tickets or where they were and ended up just missing the ferry and that put us behind another 40 minutes.  When we found Mark and went to claim our tickets I discovered that photo ID was required and had none.  Luckily the worker let me use my Facebook profile as ID and we got our tickets.  We eventually got on the Ferry and made it to the Statue of Liberty.  The ferry ride was fine but Lydia was a total mess for the whole ride. She claimed she was starving and after we bought 2 soft pretzels which she refused to eat she would not let got of the idea that she needed to have hot chocolate.  I am 100% sure she was just tired from all the activity but it was a most unpleasant 20 minutes.  Security is as tight or tighter than at airports and that took a long time too. It was just not an easy task to get to the statue! You had to go through security to get on the ferry and then again to get to the entrance of the statue. We really just did not plan our trip out there well.  Once we got off the ferry we stopped to eat the the cafe there and then finally got in line for the statue.  Even though it was a huge pain to get there going into the crown was super cool.  We all really enjoyed it.  It is so much smaller inside there than I thought it would be.  The park ranger seemed hesitant to let Lydia walk up the super steep, narrow spiral staircase to get there but he let her and she did well.  She was pretty scared coming down but once she got used to it did great.  It really was great to go up there.  A once in a lifetime experience most likely.  By the time we all got back down we were ready to catch the ferry and call it a trip.  We had planned on stoping by Ellis Island but just ran out of time.  Next trip we can skip the statue and just go to Ellis Island.  Mark and Jared ran ahead of Lydia and I and then picked us up in the car as we walked back on the admittedly very nice pathway we had taken that morning.

Lady Liberty's Tablet and Torch

Inside the crown

Headed down

The ferry ride back was a much more pleasant experience

It was a busy 2.5 days but an awesome trip. I am so happy we did it and look forward to going back soon.  Being a 6 hour drive from NYC  (and other cool places) was such a huge reason for wanting to move out here so it was great to take advantage of that.  The Grovers were great people to travel with and I was really impressed with how well all the kids did.

2017 Thankful Tree

Jared:
Toys, Blankie, safe place to live, Cub Scouts, my home, God, Friends, my room, Legos, food, New York

Lydia:
School, blanket, house, family, friends, teacher, bed, God, stuffed animals, love


*We really lucked out with our parking situation.  Not only was the spot super close (and we found 2 back to back) but we only had to pay for one day and we were there 2 nights.  Parking for a whole day was 3 dollars and expired in 24 hours but since we were there over Thanksgiving we didn't have to pay for Thursday.  It was great.  There were signs posted that said cars could not be parked there Mon-Fri from 8-10 AM because of sweet cleaning but the street cleaners would not be out again till Saturday and we would be back in Virginia by then. It was so nice how it all worked out.

**If I remember correctly the right place to exit is closer to Columbus Circle and 74th street. If we exited there should we go again it would save us a lot of time

Come fly with me

Mark started his shifts at the airport 3 weeks ago.  He is working Monday and Tuesday night from 6:00 - 12:00 AM.  This is not easy but he does it because he desperately wants to travel places and it has not been an option until now.  Thanks to his desire and sacrifice Lydia and I flew down to Dallas Texas for free to visit my dear friend Tara and her family.  The Lenox's moved from Charlottesville to Texas last October and it has been a sad sad thing. Lydia and I both lost our besties and have missed them so much.  Once Mark started working he was determined that one of us would use those flight benefits stat.  When we saw that Albemarle County had Monday and Tuesday off the first week of November Mark basically kicked us out of Virginia.  It was crazy timing because my Mom had just left Wednesday and October had been so busy.

After we made our first flight

I had actually never flown stand by before this trip and was surprised at how easy (yet still stressful) it was to get out of Charlottesville and down to Dallas and how impossibly difficult it was to get back.  Lydia and I flew out of Charlottesville on the 6:20 AM flight to La Guardia NY on Friday November 03rd and made all our flights with no issues.  We flew in comfort class both ways which was quite nice.  A friend who's husband also works for Delta had told me that she preferred Atlanta to La Guardia and my return trip made it clear why.     

To be fair to Dallas Fort Worth there were some extenuating circumstances that had we known about we would have made other plans.  The plan was to fly down Friday and then head back home Sunday afternoon again through La Guardia.  After an awesome weekend Tara dropped us off at the airport Sunday around 12:20 to wait for the 2:40 flight. If we didn't get that flight we would try get the 4:05 flight and still get to La Guardia in time for the 9:30 flight to Charlottesville.  Neither of those flights ended up being an option.  Part of the issue is that since Mark just started working we are the lowest people on the wait list.  We can add ourselves to the list and have our chances look great but then 5 people with more seniority will add themselves an hour before take off and get on.  This happened more times that I can count. It was quite frustrating.  Since we didn't make the Sunday flights Tom came and picked us up and we spent the night with the Lenox's again.  They are of course good friends and very gracious people and never made us feel like we were putting them out but it is never fun to make people take multiple trips to the airport or stay longer than planned and feel like you are interfering with their lives.  This was all my thinking they were of course awesome about it.  So we tried for the same flights again on Monday.  What we didn't know when we picked that weekend was that it was a "Cowboy Monday." Cowboy Monday is the day after a Dallas Cowboys home football game. The airport is swamped and all the flights are over booked.  It was also a big NASCAR weekend. The desk agents had told me Sunday that there was no chance we would get on a flight to Atlanta and La Guardia didn't look much better.  It didn't help that the first La Guardia flight was delayed (apparently a common thing for that airport) so even if we made the 2nd we would be cutting it really close to make the Charlottesville flight.  When Mark and I talked Sunday he told me that we probably would not get on and should just plan on Tuesday but I held out hope and tried again Monday.  No luck. We spent 4.5 hours at the airport Sunday and 6 hours there Monday.  In some ways it was good because at least we were out of their way so they could do what they needed and we didn't feel like we were interfering but airports aren't the funnest place to hang out.  Lydia actually did amazing for all that waiting.  I was so impressed with her. I'm still not sure how she remained so helpful and positive (pretty sure it had something to do with help above) but she was a pleasure to travel with.  Before we went to the airport Monday we stopped at a few stores to shop with Tara, we definitely needed to replenish our snacks.  There is a really large Once Upon a Child near them and when we stopped in I saw a fancy Barbie doll that turned into a Mermaid.  Lydia saw it too and I decided we should grab it.  It was the best 4.50$ I have spent in a long time.  It was a great distraction for Lydia Monday.  **

After we didn't make our flights Monday Tom picked us up on his way home from work.  It was nice that at least his drive home takes him right past the airport, it wasn't in a completely different location.  Mark and I talked about other flight options and we decided we would try flying through Atlanta.  There are more flights out of Atlanta and its a direct flight to Charlottesville or Richmond if needs be.  The first flight looked really open so we planned on getting there for it. It left DFW at 5:45 AM and there was no way I was going to have Tom or Tara drive us there that early (even though they did offer) so I used my first ever Uber.  The experience was fine, we got picked up at 4:20 and got to the airport with enough time. I think that driver maybe had not even got to bed yet?  When I asked him if this was a super early day for him he said it was still his night? He also told me that he makes more money doing Uber than he would teaching which seemed a bit of a stretch to me but also slightly believable especially if it was his first year teaching.  Anyway.  We made it there fine and finally made it on a flight out of Dallas.  The flight ended up letting 27 stand by people on.  We were assigned the very last 2 seats but we didn't care.  We had a great time in Dallas but were so relieved to get out of there. When Mark checked the list the night before it looked like there was all kinds of room but when we got to Atlanta the flight to Charlottesville was overbooked.  There were still seats in the comfort plus cabin but I really didn't think we were going to make it.  There are screens that the airlines use to show passengers what seats are open. If your name is in gray you are not confirmed.  Once it turns blue you are free to board the plane.  I kept checking the screen but they only had outgoing flights from that gate listed.  Once boarding started I went to check again and saw that the names were posted but ours was still gray. I had accepted that we were mostly likely not making this flight and would have to fly later in the day or go to Richmond when our names suddenly turned blue.  It was an amazing feeling. I walked over to Lydia and grabbed our stuff and we boarded the plane.   I was so happy to get home. We are so glad we could go and look forward to taking more trips but I am not going to say it was an easy experience.  It is awesome that we got to go down there and we so appreciate Mark working to make it happen.  He has big plans for traveling next Spring and Summer so we will see how it all goes down. It does feel good to have done it once and kind of learn some tips.

Finally made our flight! 

So Dallas...

We were just so happy to see the Lenox's we didn't really need much more.  We went out to eat at In N Out Burger with another friend who happened to move there from here just before the Lenox's.  I love In N Out Burger and was so glad she suggested it.  Friday night we went to the girls school carnival and the next day we went to the Dallas Arboretum.  It worked out really well as they had set up an amazing Wizard of Oz display and it was still fresh in Lydia's mind.

Their description: Highlighting The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as our theme in 2017, our fall festival is a spectacular show of color with 4,500 of fall's favorite flower-Chrysanthemums, along with 150,000 more stunning, fall blooming plants, and our internationally acclaimed Pumpkin Village, featuring more than 90,000 pumpkins, squash and gourds.

It was mind blowing.  I was so impressed.  It was sadly almost 90 degrees which is way too hot for November but the display was really fun.  After exploring other areas of the arboretum we went out to eat.  When I arrived in Texas Tara had given a few suggestions on things to do and what I really wanted to do was go on a nice walk with her.  I told her I wanted to do something as close to our walks on the Monticello Trail as possible so we drove over to this big quiet fancy neighborhood and walked around together just like old times. Afterwards we went out to Bahama Bucks and got the most amazing shaved ice I have ever had. It was so so good.  I would totally go back again. Lydia just wanted to play with Lainey and take their dog Walter on a walk. There was lots of time to play and Monday morning we took Walter on a walk so she got her little bucket list filled.  It was great to stay up visiting at night and hang out with their fun family.  Tara is an awesome example to me and I love being around her. It was super cute to see Lainey and Lydia together again too.  The four of us just picked up right where we left off in Charlottesville as if no time had passed.  I hope we can meet up again soon.  It was fun that Lydia and I could go together and have a cute little girls trip too.  Jared is convinced that he and Mark need to have a guys trip now.  I am so grateful to the wonderful friends we have here in Charlottesville who were wiling to watch Jared so I could go. Its one thing to have people help out when you have to go somewhere for a real concern or need but I felt bad putting people out when it was strictly just for me for fun.  I am just really fortunate to have great people around me. 

Bahama Bucks

As Tara and I were on our walk we saw a van approach us and 2 little heads sticking out of the sun roof.  Tom had dropped the older girls off at a friends house and then come to find us to say hi.  Tom really is a great guy.  It was super nice of him to hang out with Lainey and Lydia so Tara and I could have some time together.

** While were were outside waiting for Tom Lydia was playing with this doll.  It can actually change from a mermaid to a Barbie with Legs on a surfboard.  She was playing with it as a surfer and it somehow flew out of her hands and landed on the hood of a car picking up someone.  It was loud!  It bounced off the hood and landed in front of the car. We looked at each other, checked quickly for cars and the owner of the car who didn't notice at all and then Lydia grabbed it.  We thought it was hilarious.  Maybe because we had been in the airport for 6 hours?

Virginia Film Festival, Family Day and NY planning

This past weekend was the Virginia Film Festival.  It really is kind of big deal with all kinds of events and famous people in the film world coming to Charlottesville for a few days.  We did not make it last year and decided it would be a great Saturday outing.  Lydia is super into Ballet right now and I saw that the Charlottesville Ballet was doing a quick performance so it was extra motivation to go plus its just a cool Charlottesville event. Sadly it was freezing outside and quite a few events were outside.  It was 37 degrees so I really felt for those ballerinas.  It was fun to see their little performance.  We got there around 11:40 and they went on at 12:00.  I thought they would perform more than the one number they did but was wrong.  Oh well.  We headed inside after their number and went to the musical petting zoo.  The Charlottesville Symphony was there and you could go and try out all kinds of musical instruments and learn a little bit about them. Lydia tried out a few but Jared was completely into it and wanted to try them all.  It made me happy. When we arrived at UVA for the event he asked if he could bring a soccer ball to kick around while we waited. I vetoed that idea because I really waned to focus on the arts, which were what the festival was all about.  He was fine about it and I was glad to see that he enjoyed himself as much as he did.

Jared really loved trying all the instruments.  The woman with the harp was really kind and patient and together she and Jared played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and he was so proud of himself.  It was sweet. It would be awesome if he decided to put more time into the piano.  We don't hold him to set practice times each day but that will change soon enough.

After the petting zoo we waited in a long line to get a balloon creation from a really talented balloon artist.  The things he could create out of balloons were awesome. Jared wanted a killer whale but he only did sharks. So then Jared asked for a soldier related balloon and the guy came up with a helmet with goggles and a belt to put a balloon gun in.  It was super creative. Of course part of it popped when Jared buckled himself in the car but he handled it really well.  Lydia got a glitter tattoo and was so happy to have it.  She told me she never wanted to wash it off. This may have been the 2nd stick on tattoo she has ever gotten and she was quite happy with it. I was glad we made it down to the event.

She wanted to take a picture of it and then text it to my Mom.  Sweet sweet girl. 

 

That night we had the Grover's over for dinner and NYC planning. I can't believe how quickly our trip is coming up. I am so excited!  I have wanted to go back to NYC for quite some time and to get to go during Thanksgiving and check out the Macy's Parade is almost more that I can handle.  I have wanted to be there for the parade for so long!  It was good to get our days mostly planned out and to think about how quickly it is coming up! It will be a great birthday and Thanksgiving. 

Marmee in Cville

It was nice that my Mom could stay in town as long as she did and have a nice Viriginia Fall. She ended up getting a nasty cold in the middle of her stay but since she was here as long as she was it rocked out just fine.  We did a few things around here we hadn't done before and Mark and I got a night way and chance to go to the temple together.  It was lovely.

UVA Band Practice.  My mom grew up in Texas where band and football games are huge events so I knew she would appreciate watching the Cavalier Marching Band. Its always a fun event.

We all love Duck Donuts.

My mom offered Mark and I a chance to head up to the temple together and stay over while she was here.  Unfortunately the only weekend that worked happened to be the weekend of Jared and Lydia's last soccer game of the Season.  They were both good sports about it though.  Mark and I left early in the afternoon Friday and got stuck in horrible traffic on our way. It too us a solid 3 hours to get to the temple.  Oh well.  We did sealings together and then went out to eat.  It was great to have a chance to go together and then have a very leisurely morning at a hotel.  We decided to stay in Manassas because it would be an easy drive for my Mom to make the next day.  There are not a lot of sights to see in Manassas so we enjoyed sleeping in, working out at the hotel gym (something I always think I should do then don't) and not rushing anywhere.  We stayed until just before check out something we never do. We are always rushing to the next thing whenever we stay away and October had been really busy so it was great to just relax and watch TV together!  While we were at the temple my mom took Jared and Lydia to Toys R Us to make a Christmas list and had a movie night with them.  After soccer the next day my Mom drove up to Manassas. She got lost for awhile but eventually we were able to meet up for lunch at Cracker Barrel.  After lunch we went over to Bull Run/Manassas Battlefield, the other reason we chose to stay there.  My Mom wanted to see a battlefield. She likes to get a little history in when she comes out here and I don't blame here! After the summer events in Charlottesville it was odd to be at a battlefield.  Jared was excited to be there, he really enjoys history and it was a good place to talk about the summer events again and lots of other things. 

I'm so glad my Mom was able/willing to fill in for us at the last soccer game. 

Lydia getting her massive trophy from Coach Trent.

Official team picture. The Wild Coyotes

Official team picture: Super Warrior Heros (I think)

Jared and Coach Chris

This boy loves recognition and was thrilled to receive a trophy for soccer this year. 

I love this picture of Jared and Tyler so very much.  They were so happy to be there playing together. We are so glad the Shaw's moved Tyler to JAG soccer.  It was so great.

This monument at Manassas was constructed by soldiers who fought in the battle/war.  They wanted to pay respect to all who died there on both sides.  A good reason for a monument.

Were always up for a stop at Moo Thru. I branched out from sweet cream and blackberry for the first time in forever and got cinnamon and it was the right choice. 

 Three generations in Plaid. 

We are so so grateful and happy my Mom came and stayed and played with us and look forward to her coming again.