Nate's dental school doesn't get out for its summer break until everyone else has already had theirs and is going back to school! So we're posting our summer fun a bit later than most!
So here's a synopsis of our summer in photo form:
Hiking at Deception Pass
Crabbing on the Sound
Look at the size of that thing!
Family canoeing trip :)
Nate did all the rowing while I kept Emma from jumping into the water :)
Emma learned how to climb out of the crib! She took to sleeping on the floor when we turned her crib into a bed! Silly girl!
Cuddle buddies! :)
Popsicle pals!
Trip to Leavenworth! :)
Trying on hats at the Hat Shop :)
Fun little "German" town in Washington :)
Playing at the park in Spokane
Haha!
We made our way to Utah to see my family :) Emma was soooooooooooooooo loved by her grandma and grandpa, I got to sleep in every morning, and Nate got to play Halo with my dad haha :) In other words, we had a blast!
Emma passed out on Aunt Kortney at the Aggie game :)
Cute pillows and curtains my mom and I made :)
Then we headed to New York for five days while Emma stayed with my parents. We missed her a ton, but she had so much fun with grandma that she didn't miss us at all!
So what were my all time favorite things!?
1) Obviously, getting to spend some time with Nate without the distraction of kids and school. It was like we were dating again! I was sad to come home and lose his 24/7 attention haha :)
2) I barely kept from bawling during Wicked! What a fun story and the music was awesome! My first Broadway experience has convinced me I need to watch more musicals! Good thing they come to Seattle :)
Inside the Gershwin Theater where we saw Wicked :)
The random dragon
Wicked was our favorite part of the trip! :)
Outside the Gershwin Theater
3) I actually really loved the audio tour of the Statue of Liberty. I guess I have missed taking history classes.
Statue of Liberty from the Ferry
View of Manhattan from Liberty Island
Audio tour at the Statue of Liberty
4) View from the Top of the Rock. Better than the view from the Columbia Tower in Seattle, but only slightly.
View from the Top of the Rock at sunset :)
5) Central Park, mostly just because it was fun to ride bikes together through it and go on little picnic dates. I've seen much prettier parks.
Picnic in Central Park
Beautiful pond and bridge in Central Park
6) We got to see some really awesome art at the museums! Poor Nate patiently put up with lots of nudes as we toured the Renaissance art :)
Museum of Modern Art - Van Gough
The real Starry Night!!!!!!!!!! :)
Salvador Dali
My fav - Monet!
Monet's waterlilies :)
Jackson Pollock
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Mummies!
Beautiful architecture!
The Holy Grail!
7) Coming home to my baby girl and having her be my best buddy again!
A few more random pics :)
Bus tour in the rain!
Grand Central Station
Grand Central again. Everyone in New York is so busy they don't even notice how beautiful some of their buildings are. I mean really, this is a train station?
Exploring Manhattan
Nate met Morgan Freeman
911 Memorial
Freedom Tower
Brooklyn Bridge
Nate and Ruddy, a friend from his mission that we stayed with :)
Museum of Natural History
T-Rex!
Outside the Manhattan Temple
Manhattan Temple
Cool statue of workers on the Rockefeller Building
Empire State building on 911
Times Square
A few things I noticed about the city:
1) It smells REALLY BAD! Haha especially to a pregnant nose. I actually think Manhattan smelled worse than El Salvador (a third world country!). I guess that's what happens when you pack that many people on a tiny island.
2) I really like my car. Also probably a pregnancy thing, but my back was KILLING me from walking around so much. I love my easy, drive where ever I want and there's always a free parking spot suburban life thank you very much :) Yes, I've been a bit spoiled growing up in Salt Lake. Taking the trains and subway to get around in New York was a fun adventure though.
3) I felt like I had already been there. I guess I've watched too many TV shows and movies featuring the city, but oddly, it didn't feel new at all. Maybe that's because my last vacations have all been outside of the US? The only thing that took me off guard was how FEW people there were (probably because no one wants to visit New York during the 911 anniversary).
4) I didn't get lost. Apparently, it's easier for me to tell which way I'm going when I can't see the sky. Nate was totally disoriented, and I was named our "city navigator."
5) While fun to visit, I realized just how rural my blood runs while in the city. Yes, I like my mall to be within driving distance, but I also like to see green fields flowing outside my window. I also like my grocery stores to be bigger than a gas station :) so no city living for us! Bring on the acres please!
6) Another pregnancy thing, but I was pretty disappointed in the food, with the exception of Little Italy.
We got yummy pasta in Little Italy :)
Little Italy
Carnegie Deli's cheesecake? Please! Too much flour! And their sandwiches? I almost decided to become a vegetarian when I saw how much meat they packed on those things! I am totally western when it comes to my diet. Bring on the veggies please! After eating there, we decided to eat grocery store salads in Central Park for the rest of the trip haha :)
7) Pedestrians rock! Streams of people would walk right out into the middle of the street if the traffic temporarily stopped. No fear at all! That was pretty humorous to me.
It was a much needed and enjoyed vacation! Now Nate is enjoying pulling people's teeth in his third year of dental school! So far, this year has been much nicer than last year :)
Also of note:
Emma turned two in August! She's a big girl now! Talking like crazy and saying "no" a lot!
This girl loves her sunglasses! And that thing in her mouth!
For those of you who didn't get to see the video:
Pregnancy update: I'm twenty weeks now and feeling pretty good. Actually, if it weren't for my chronic allergies/infections, I think I would feel amazing! As it is, I'm exhausted and needing to really push myself to get off the couch and be active! My sinuses hurt so bad! Other than that, not much to complain about. Little Nate-ito kicks a lot (probably going to be as full of energy as his sister), which is fun for mom right now because he's little and not hurting my ribs yet :) I've been having lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions already, but they're not painful. Emma likes to talk to the baby in mommy's tummy and sometimes even gives him kisses. Now we just need to teach her to be gentle!
Emma and I have been sleeping a lot during our month off! In a few weeks we will start watching little Tali (6 months) four days a week probably through next June/July. We're hoping to have Emma potty trained before Tali comes, but right now, Emma is adamantly opposed to it. Anyone have any great advice? I refuse to change three baby's diapers once mine is born!
My belly so far:
Just starting to show! It worked out perfectly because I was anxious to see the ultrasound (and make sure baby was healthy) before we told the whole world. Now he is ready for everyone to see him. And yes, I might already waddle occasionally :) We are really excited to have a little boy join the family!
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Your trip sounded so fun!
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