yah, Uh HUH. we were there

at the Macey's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

We dressed the children for bed, loaded the car and took off at 8pm on Tuesday. Drove through the night, 14 hours to Angie and Camerons'(Devin's older sis in Pennsylvania). We left later than planned and as we bussled around the house packing, this is what Naomi did:

She raided the food bag. Even trying to hatch a box of fruit snacks or somethin in there. :)

Cache slept like a log for 8 hours. Naomi, jabbered for most of the night.
We recovered and slept the day away Wednesday and ate and played with neices and nephew.

Thanksgiving day, we woke up at 4am and headed into New York. Even that early, we wouldn't have found a good spot, Luckily we had the CUTEST couple in the whole city saving us a spot...

Devin's cuz Elisabeth and her husband Tyler.

That is a spot that we could elbow our way into at least. New Yorkers don't allow you to "save spots." It's a eat or be eaten type place.

Luckily there was a little alley way behind us that they could play around and throw the football a bit while we waited the hours for the parade to start. The rest of us held our ground,talked and observed all the fun people in New York.

This is Cache's crazy new smile... seems like most kids develop on of these within some point and time. He is either, scowling or doing this crazy smile... Oh well still stinkin cute. Love him.

I might have enjoyed watching Cache and Naomi's reactions to the
parade even more than the parade.

I am so annoying with my camera.
I want to take pictures of everything.
I can't help it.









Cassidy really, really had to find a bathroom. A clean one is not an easy thing to find in the City.





Santa Clause was my favorite part of the whole parade:

I'm pretty sure this was the real one.

It was an unforgettable experience !

After the parade, we took a stroll through Central Park...

I love this next picture. Cache was a little obsessive about Dakota, and Dakota was really nice to him all week. Cache had to sit wherever Dakota sat, sleep where he slept and do what he was doing...

Central Park is GORGEOUS. Really, movies don't do it any justice. I could have taken pictures all. day. long.

Then we went and visited the giant toy store FAO Schwarts... That was incredible. Every child's dream.

We walked down 5th avenue. I really want to go back and shop the streets there.
Then we walked by the temple. So cool.


I took a picture of Julliard for you Ash.


After lunch we took the Stanton island ferry, to see the Statue of Liberty. Very cool.

Cool "pirate ship" Devin and Cache loved.









Cache was looking forward to seeing the Statue of Liberty, and was very excited. Thus displaying his new wierd/cute smile.

On the way back, we figured out we could go out on the deck. Luckily no one else on the ferry did and Devin and I enjoyed a beautiful warm ride looking at the Brooklyn Bridge and city lights. Gorgeous and Romantic. If only I knew how to use my camera and take night pictures...

Here is Uncle Cameron with Dakota, Cassidy and sweet Kadyn and Lady Liberty. We were so lucky to have him as our driver, tour guide and company. Thanks to his skills we made it through the city in record time, never paid for parking (or parking tickets) And Cache was lucky enough to sit on his shoulders for much of the parade. Angie stayed home with baby Kelsie. She was a bit sick and doesn't like crowds.(Kelsie not Angie) We had our Thanksgiving dinner on Friday. And by the end of the week, Kelsie even let me hold her without screaming. Worthy of a picture! I let her play/eat newspaper...that was my trick. I really didn't' know she was eating it.. I thought she just liked me. True to Naomi, she LOVED the dog and tried to follow it everywhere. She only tried to follow him in here once. She learned her lesson. Silly Nay. After thanksgiving dinner, we welcomed in Christmas by making Ginger bread houses. So Fun. I took some family pictures that will come later after I edit them. But we did have such an unforgettable Thanksgving/first trip to New York City. I can see why people fall in love with that city. I can't wait to go back someday! Really. Hopefully at Christmas again. I guess you could say I only got a small bite of the big apple and I need a bigger bite. :) We watched the parade on TIVO when we got back home and as we were watching the Rockettes do their thing(I love the rockettes), Cache was watching them kick in a circle and his only comment was: "It's really hard to walk sideways." I heart NYC. {Thank you Acors for such a grand time. It really was the best.}

12.01.09 report

We celebrated Devin's birthday at Red Lobster, because Cache has been insisting on Red Lobster for weeks. NO idea where he got that idea. At dinner, Cache kept trying to order Lobster, but we settled for clam chowder and he got to eat some of our shrimp that had "feet like lobsters." And Naomi kept trying to hand her plate to the waitress. Eating out with children is a workout. We tried a new cheescake recipe this year. A white chocolate rasberry truffle cheesecake. Pretty good. VERY rich. I forgot to get Devin his annual bottle of BBQ sauce.. I'm really bad at birthdays. Really. But I love you Devin. And lucky Devin is easy to please, and loves any effort. My sweet Devin. Next year, maybe we can have family over to eat the cheescake!

12.01.09

Dearest Devin,
Happy 27th Birthday. Geez, FINALLY thanks for catching up to me! I've been getting tired of hanging out with a baby the last couple months. ;)
I want to write about the million things I appreciate about you. But, this will have to wait since the I have to go start your cheescake. I think this is okay with you. So for now, read this. But first I have a picture story of the birthday Boy.

I love this picture, because to me it says exactly who Devin is:

This Picture was taken right after I had insisted that our gutters were leaking on our house. Devin told me: "Actually I don't think we even HAVE gutters Amie." At 11:00 at night in the FREEZING POURING rain, Devin absolutely did not want to go outside. We were warm and already in our room on our way to bed. "What? That is ridiculous, every house has gutters!" Was my response, and I insisted that they were leaking. KNOWING that he would stop me and do it himself, I dressed and headed outside to wrestle his big ladder out of the shed.

Devin rolls out of bed, bundles up, digs through the back of his closet for his boots because our yard was literally a swamp, wrestles his giant slippery ladder out of the shed. Only to find out:

INDEED, we do not have any gutters.

And my love for Devin increased 1000 fold, by the way he reacted to me. Infact after he got down, he gave me giant soaking wet hug and laughed and laughed right from his gut.

Then I told him like I do often: "Devin, you are my favorite person that has ever lived."

I love love love love LOVE, this man. I will forever cry when I think about you checking our gutters that we didn't have. And that is just the kind of man you are Devin. You don't even realize what a diamond in the rough you are.

Happy Birthday to my most loved Husband.

*now you can go here and read about the other reasons you are loved devin.

It's neighbor week on our blog..

I am thankful for so so many things, but lately I am especially thankful, overwhelmingly thankful when I think about the incredible people around me. It floors me. Too many to even have time to hang out with. I use to have a small list in my head, of the people "I would love to just carry around in my pocket," or so I would say. But let me tell you guys my pockets are getting pretty full! Now, when this subject comes up, I now say if I could make the most perfect town ever... and start naming family after family, person after person, that I wish my children could grow up around, that I could always be close too, that I could emulate in every way. If we could just pluck all you guys one by one from all over the world, back home, Brazil, to Chicago, Missouri and Utah.. and just make a perfect town. Is this weird?

Anywho,small weird tangent, I do have the sweetest neighbors in the world. Aaand pretty darn gorgeous too.
If only my camera could capture and show, sweetness, and personality, then, these would be
the most beautiful pictures ever, ever ever ever ever ever ever...

Have a Happy Happy Thanksgiving!

Rip our hearts out, stick em in a van and ship it off to Idaho...

That is literally how I am feeling right now. My heart feels like someone scooped it out with a very jagged icecream scoop. But at the same time so full of love and thankfullness that we got to have Brennan and Mary next door. Besides my own mother, I have never learned so much from one person as I did Mary, in EVERY aspect of life.

They are simply: w o n d e r f u l

(Aaaaaand incredible, amazing, out of the ordinary)

To see all the pictures go here

:) **tear

11.02.09

All year long when Cache asks me repeatedly for something. My answer is usually "NO" or if it's something I can tell he is never going to let go and seems reasonable I answer "Maybe on your birthday." Well, Cache never forgets a promise. It took a week for me to full fill them all:

1.Eating at "Old MacDonald's"
2.Picking out a toy he wanted at the store.
3.Having ALL his "brother's" over to play superheros.
4. Riding the train at the zoo.

The day of, he and I played a game of chess. (Cache's request), till we both got bored. And waited for Devin to get home. FINALLY he got home, and we went to go out for dinner...

We suggested every restaurant in the area, but he would accept no other Option but :"Old McDonald's." We very reluctantly conceded since he was "The birthday boy." (when your tummy is expecting Red Robin or Red Lobster, Mcky D's just doesn't cut it.) Cache danced, skipped cheered all the way into the restaurant. Afterwards, he picked out a transformer from Toys R Us.(Thanks Grandma Colette.) Which fulfilled, the second wish of "pick out any toy he wanted at the store." We blew out candles that we stuck in ice cream when we got home. Ended the day back in mom and dads bed, and 100 birthday hugs and kisses and then the day was done.


Couple days later, he had his "brother's" over for a superhero party:

This is a Gotham city cake and those are skyscrapers if you can't tell. (Made from graham crackers)

Preparing for the party, we hid the balloons so she wouldn't bite them.

BUT she found em in the tub. Silly Nanners.

Just waiting for on one more superhero to arrive. :)


Going through "super hero training"(Devin's amazing obstacle coarse)

After super hero training they were ready to face the Green Goblin.

The super hero's successfully defeated the Green Goblin and were off to save the citizens(balloons)held captive in Cache's room. And dodge the kryptonite.(green balloons)

** Remember this blow up thing I got for $3 at a garage sale? You want it? It needs a patch or two to be in prime condition, but we don't want to move it, so anyone can have it. Seriously

The invitation:



On Saturday we went to the zoo to ride the train. Fullfilling the last of the promises and keeping me honest.

We love you so much Cache.

** and no we don't usually do big birthdays like this.. but it was so fun.