PGDC Nemo dress rehearsal

Molly Kate's tap dance: 3 little fishies - in both dances she starts in the back on the left then moves to the front.

Ballet dance - butterflies

Still here!!

Hi blog friends and family!  Bet you've been wondering where I've been lately....well, I'm still here and coming back to my blog.  Life got so busy and I was so far behind that it seemed impossible to catch up.  BUT...after this weekend our schedule slows way down and I'll have time to sit at the computer more and catch up on my blog. I'm going to go all the way back to December and blog through June.  It will take a while and a lot of work but I will do it!

Walker turned 3 last week and MK graduated from Pre K.  This Mama shed a few tears because my babies are both growing up and I love them so much!  This is recital week so we are crazy busy.  The only way for some of our family to see MK dance is through my blog so I wanted to post this video from her dress rehearsal last night.  Hope you are all well and will keep up with us again as soon as I start updating next week!  Until then......

We did a family photo shoot with the photographer Erin Guedry in April and I loved how they turned out!  My beautiful family.....

Here's the birthday boy!!  Three years old! 

And our tiny dancer.....

Ice Skating in Rockefeller Center

After our breakfast with Santa we got in line to ice skate. After waiting about 10 minutes it was our turn to go get skates.  

MK was all smiles after I laced up her skates. 

It was so crowded and cold that morning.  But we bundled up and made our way through the crowd.  Mimi decided not to ice skate so she took pictures.  It's hard to find MK and I in this crowd but we are behind our pink stroller.  We had our skates, ear muffs, and mittens on and we were ready to get out on the ice.

Mimi took this great picture of the huge Christmas tree in Rockefeller center.  It really is amazing in real life because it is so big.

I have only ice skated a few times in my life and I have never been good at it so I was a little nervous about taking MK out on the ice.  For one, it was extremely crowded and two, I was hoping I could stay on my feet so that I could help MK stay on hers too.  We Southerners don't get the opportunity to ice skate often and standing on those skinny blades is challenging so I was definitely out of my comfort zone.  But if MK wanted to try it, I wanted to let her have the experience so we ventured out very slowly onto the ice.

We stayed near the rail of the rink and smiled for Mimi.

Mimi got this great picture of us with the golden statue and tree in the background.  Not many little southern girls can say they have ice skated in NYC!

We skated very slowly and very carefully.  MK held onto the rail and my hand.

We hadn't been on the ice 5 minutes when a little girl came barreling towards us and fell right where we were standing.  She slid into Molly Kate and her skate cut MK's shin.  Well that was the end of our skating adventure.  MK was hurt, upset, and scared.  She started crying.  Poor baby girl!

I picked her up and tried my best to comfort her.  Mimi captured it all.

Then we skated back to the entrance......

So it wasn't the experience MK and I had hoped for or expected but I am proud of both of us - especially her - for trying it.  I told Mimi now she'll never want to skate again.  She did have a cut on her leg through her tights and I know it did hurt.  It was a fun few minutes and I was happy that Mimi got a few good pictures before we decided to get off of the ice.  It will be an experience we remember - that's for sure! 

Breakfast with Santa in Rockefeller Center

On Saturday morning we had reservations for breakfast with Santa in Rockefeller Center at 9:00 am.  We had another big day planned for Saturday so we got up, got dressed, and took to the city.  MK wore this precious smocked dress to breakfast.   

The view of Times Square from our hotel window.  MK said she thought it was daytime at night because the lights were so bright.

My sweet little girl....

Mimi and MK in front of one of the trees downstairs at the hotel.  We had a little photo shoot since MK was all dressed up.

We walked to Rockefeller Center with MK in the stroller and got checked in and seated for breakfast.  Once again, Honey - the dog, came with us.  She even had her bowl of treats at the table.

Mimi and I had done this breakfast several years ago when we had come with friends.  We thought it would be something MK would enjoy.

An elf came around to each table and brought a few small goodies.

And they also brought this to our table - candy for breakfast! 

The restaurant is next to the ice rink and it has a beautiful view of the huge Christmas tree and gold statue that makes Rockefeller Center well known.

The breakfast is huge.  First they bring out a basket of breads, muffins, and bagels.  We also enjoyed coffee, juice, and hot chocolate and a nice plate of fruit.  Then they bring a huge plate of potatoes, bacon, eggs, and sausage.  Santa visits each table.  This was the 3rd time we saw Santa in NYC.

Mimi and I wanted a picture with Santa too.  This is another of my favorite pictures from our trip - 3 generations with Santa in New York City - such wonderful memories made!

At the breakfast you also get free tickets to ice skate.  You get in line at the restaurant. If you want to skate, this is the way to do it because the line is inside and much shorter than the one for the public.  MK surprised me when she said she wanted to try to ice skate.  So we got in line and got ready to skate.  

First Broadway musical

After a short nap, MK was ready to go again.  She was going to see her very first Broadway musical on Friday night.  She got dressed up in her snowflake sweater and Ugg boots.

She also wore the new winter coat she got at Macys earlier in the day.  Isn't it precious on her?  She looks like a girl ready for a night out in the big city!

We went to eat before the show at Mimi and my favorite Chinese restaurant - Joe Shanghai's.  Mimi and I eat there at least once - sometimes twice when we are in NYC.  They have delicious food and they are close to Times Square.  (We got MK McDonalds because she doesn't eat chinese.)  With full bellies, we walked to the theatre.  One of the reasons we love staying in the middle of Times Square at the Marriott is because it is so close to things.  We walked to dinner, walked to the show, and were able to just cross the street after it was over and be back at our hotel.  It's so convenient - especially on cold, late Friday nights! And I really like the glass elevators at the Marriott.  I do not ride elevators but those do not bother me because I can see out. So it's definitely my favorite hotel in NY for that reason alone.

So excited about seeing her first Broadway show, Annie!

Posing next to the Sandy sign....

and next to the Annie sign.....

I bought MK an Annie t-shirt and she begged for a little Sandy dog.  Notice she carried Honey, her dog from the American Girl store, all over NYC with us today.  Honey traveled in his carrier to GMA, Macys, Staten Island Ferry, and to the musical.  That's one lucky dog!  So I got MK Sandy too.  She loves stuffed animals right now.  She calls them her pets and sleeps with tons of them.

Inside the theatre in her booster seat with her Sandy dog and the Annie playbill......

We had excellent seats.  Annie has always been one of my all time favorite movies.  I absolutely loved it as a child.  I had an Annie dress and red wig and I also had all of the play figures.  I got to dance the role of Annie in our dance recital one year and I can sing every song from the movie.  I had never seen the musical so I was just as excited to see it on stage as MK was.  She also really likes the movie and the music - especially "It's a Hard Knock Life".

The stage behind her.....

Some people say I got Molly Kate's name from the Annie movie.  My favorite character was always the littlest orphan, Molly.  I don't really know why but I just loved her.  So maybe that did have an influence on me when we were choosing MK's name.  The show was fantastic!  The little orphans were amazing and so talented.  It was such a fun show.  We all really enjoyed it.  It was the perfect musical for MK's first experience.  There is nothing like watching live theatre.  Mimi and I love Broadway and I have a feeling MK will too.

We went straight back to the hotel after the show but I snapped a few pics of MK in Times Square while it was all lit up at night.

We had to stop at the lobby on the way back to our room and this little girl struck a pose by another Christmas tree.

I thought for sure MK would crash but she got her second wind and was wound up when we got back to the hotel.  I had to make her go to bed close to midnight.  She said we were having a slumber party and she just loved being on a girls' trip.  It was a wonderful day! 

Staten Island Ferry

We left Macys in the mid afternoon and jumped in a taxi.  We were headed to Staten Island Ferry.  This was MK's second cab ride in the city and she loved the fact that she didn't have to be in a car seat.  

It wasn't a very long cab ride, but MK took the opportunity to take a little cat nap.  New York can be exhausting - especially the way Mimi and I do NYC!  We literally go from early in the morning to late at night.  It's the only way to fit all that we want to do in.  MK was such a trooper and was so amazing on this trip!  She did not complain once.  She proved to be my go go baby once again!

Seeing the Statue of Liberty was on MK's list of things to do in NYC.  We chose to take the Staten Island Ferry because it is free and goes right by the statue.  It's a perfect way to see it.  When MK is older I'll take her to the actual statue to sight see but she was way too young for that.  Plus they were not doing tours because of the damage to the pier from Hurricane Sandy.  Mimi and I enjoyed just sitting and resting on the ferry ride.

Look at our stroller to the left....it was full with our coats, scarves, mittens, shopping bags, and whatever else we had with us this day.  It was exhausting having to bundle up and then take it all off everywhere we went.

MK made sure to get a good seat by a window......

The Manhattan skyline.....

Sweet girl with the big buildings of NYC behind her....

Watching the boats.....

Then she spotted the Statue of Liberty in the distance and she was all smiles.

I love these pictures with the statue in the background. 

The lovely lady.....

We took the ferry to Staten Island, got off and got right back on the ferry back to Manhattan.

After riding the ferry, we took at taxi back to the hotel to regroup.  Mimi went to do a little shopping in Times Square and MK and I took a short nap at the hotel.  We wanted to go to dinner before the 8:00 show of Annie that night and I knew she'd fall asleep at the show if she didn't get a little rest.  We were all still catching up from that early morning flight the day before and we had already put in a full day of fun.