East Coast Chapter 3

Sorry it has taken awhile to get these posted, but here is the last of our pictures from our trip to CT and NYC. After spending the day in the city on Saturday, we came back to Shelley’s house (luckily Shell was just about over her sickness). We had fun dying Easter eggs and even though he wanted to take over, Thad had fun too!

I’m holding the cute dog they were taking care of (Jade). That was OBSESSED with her and just followed her around everywhere and sat on the ground staring at her. He was so soft with her and told her everything and showed her his toys. He was so cute and would say every few minutes “Where did Jade go?” and he would go around looking for her. He is such a cutie pie!

On Easter Sunday morning, we got up and Brian read about the Resurrection in the Bible. Then we hunted for our Easter baskets! Shelley was so nice to get baskets for Dan and I with our favorite treats. She hid them really well too. I didn’t grow up with the tradition of hiding baskets so it was really fun to search the house for them and help Thad look for his.

Our baskets with treats (Dan got pepsi, pringles, chapstick, gum and candy and I got Diet Coke, a fridge grocery list, and candy). Shelley also made these AMAZING cake balls that tasted exactly like my favorite Easter Basket Cakes/Christmas Tree Cakes.

Thad found his basket and couldn’t stop staring at “Tangles”. That is what he calls the movie “Tangled”. He loved it and also loved his dinosaur books that he got. He LOVES dinosaurs and can say so many of the hard names perfectly!

Looking at his dinosaur book and showing me a bouncy ball he got in his basket.

Sunday was a gorgeous day and we took a few pictures before we left for church. It was a little too bright for Thad to look at the camera, but he kept saying “Cheese!”

We had a delicious Easter dinner and Shelley’s friend Hannah came over (her husband and little girl were out of town). We had lots of fun and dinner was yummy. We visited and hung out then later that night, Dan and I packed up and took the train into the city to stay at a hotel for our last night.

I mentioned awhile ago that I used Priceline “Name your own price” and got a great deal on a hotel, and it didn’t disappoint! It was a 5 minute walk from the train station and the hotel was AWESOME! It was really old and opened in 1902 and has been designated as a NYC Historic Landmark. It had a neat vibe and it was a great place to stay.

In June 1919 the hotel became the site of the daily meetings of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of journalists, authors, publicists and actors who gathered to exchange bon mots over lunch in the main dining room. The group met almost daily for the better part of ten years. Harry Connick Jr. and other famous musicians also launched their careers here.

Here is our room. It was tiny, but really nice and had a big TV. The bed was waaaay comfortable and we’re glad we got to spend the night there.

The next day, we were able to leave our luggage at the hotel, and we met Shelley and Thad at the train station. I’m really glad they got to spend the day with us, and we had a ton of fun. It was really warm and humid, but Thad was a champ and Dan helped a ton while we maneuvered strollers and got on the subway! Here we are at Grand Central Station.

We went to the Brooklyn Bridge and walked about halfway across it. It was pretty cool to look back and see the huge buildings in Manhattan.

Afterwards, we walked to Chinatown and Dan took Thad to a park and entertained him for over an hour while Shelley and I shopped our hearts out! He is such a sweetie and so good with kids. Shell and I had a blast and got some good loot and Thad loved his life. When we got back, his little cheeks were super rosy and he was way hot. Dan said he didn’t stop playing and running around the entire time!

We had such a great time visiting the Monsens and they are the best hosts ever. Shell is such a great friend and mother and I’m so lucky to have a girl like her in my life!