New York City LPA Convention

This year we attended our first Little People of America convention. Since it was held in New York City it was the perfect oportunity for us to go for the first time. We only live about 4 hours from the city.

Since we live so close we were able to drive down. We decided to leave on friday July 3rd after work so we could drive a few hours & then spend the night somewhere so we could get up early & drive into the city. We didnt want to get stuck in a ton of traffic on the 4th with all the people trying to get into the city for the fireworks. Plus we wanted to have as much time there as possible. We were able to get into the city around 10 a.m. & unexpectedly our hotel room was ready for us. We were expecting to have to have the hotel store our bags until check in at 4 p.m., so getting to check in early & get settled in our room was great!

Fred's Uncle Sam lives in Manhattan and he was able to meet us as soon as we arrived at the hotel. He was our tour guide around the city for most of our trip. It was great having him show us around & especially teach us how to us the subway!

Saturday~ after arriving at the hotel & getting settled we decided that we'd set out to find the parking garage. We had a few hours to kill until the Camenga family would be arriving to join us. So I program the GPS w/ the address off of the parking pass we recieved through LPA, and we took off. We arrived at the address on the parking pass & there was no parking garage in site. We drove around the block 2 times, no garage! So I call the phone number listed & tell the man that answers the phone that we are on the street but see no garage. He repeats the address to me & I agree w/ him that yes that is where we are. Then I ask him the zip code, he says "no. . . that is Brooklyn. . .we are in Manhattan!" OMG!!! We just drove to Brooklyn when we were already in Manhattan, a half hour out of our way, through tons of traffic, into the "getto" FOR NO REASON!!! The zip code that the LPA had printed on the parking pass was WRONG!!! UGH!!!! So we then find the correct parking garage & then head out to find some lunch. We found Katz Deli, the deli where the famous movie scene from When Harry met Sally was filmed. It was very cool!

After lunch we decided to head to the Convention & check it out! With in just a few minutes of being there, Ethan needed to go potty. So I take him in to go potty & while washing our hands I turned to find one of my Facebook friends, Erin. What a place to meet for the first time! LOL. Ethan totally hit it off with her super cute daughter Emma. I think there might have been some sparks! He likes the older ladies, & she's 7! After spending a little while at the main hotel we decided to head back to our hotel because the Camengas had arrived. While on the way out of to catch the shuttle, Tonya happened to walk passed me. We got to chat for a few minutes while Ethan & Knoah ran around & played together. When we got back to our hotel & met up w/ the Camengas we all went out & enjoyed a nice dinner together. After dinner we took a nice walk along the water to scope out a nice spot to watch fireworks. We found a spot along the water where we were able to watch both NJ & NYC's fireworks. Unfortunatly I couldnt get a very good picture of the fireworks.

Sunday~ Early in the day we all spent some time at the main hotel & then took a trip through China Town. That was definatly quite the experience! Later that night we all went to the Welcome Reception Dinner. It was Coney Island themed & so much fun. They had a live band, games for the the kids, face painting, a juggler, clowns, a lady on stilts, & tons more. The kids had a blast! After the reception while heading to the shuttle bus, Emily spotted Amy Roloff & totally "pounced" on her! It was so funny! Ethan & Seamus had their pictures taken with her & we all talked with her for a few minutes. She was so nice!

Monday~ We went to Battery Park w/ the Camengas to see about taking the Statue of Libery Boat Tour. By 10 in the morning the line was rediculously long! So we ended up finding another boat tour that took you around the harbor but didnt stop @ the Statue or Ellis Island. This was fine sine the kids arent old enough to appreciate going to see those things now! But they all loved the boat ride! After that we went to the main hotel for a meeting with a bunch of our POLP (parents of little people), Blogging & Facebook friends. It was kind of a wierd feeling being in a room with a bunch of people you've never met but you know so much about. I think Mike described it best when he said it was like looking at a bunch of celebrities! It was really nice getting to meet everyone that was there!

Tuesday~ Well this was a big day! That morning we got exceptionally early and went to go see the Today Show. We met Trisha w/ Caden and Pam w/ her family there. It was really cool to see, in person, what we watch every morning. The only main cast member there that day was Matt Lauer, AKA "TV Matt" (thats what Ethan calls him). Everyone else was on vacation or covering the Michael Jackson funeral. After standing there forever & it seemed like nothing was really going to happen then Matt came out to do a segment near where we were standing. As he was walking past us Fred grabbed Ethan's hand & began waving it, not realizing that was the hand that Ethan was holding a bag of mini muffins (breakfast on the go). So he ended up whipping the bag of muffins on the ground right in front of Matt! He picked them up & handed them to Ethan. Not too long after that Trisha & Pam decided they didnt want to stay any longer, but Fred & I decided to stay a little bit longer. I am so glad we did, because about 5 minutes later the fill in weather lady came over & interviewed us on camera! Holy Crap was I nervous! I had no idea what to say! She asked us why we were there & I said we were there for our first LPA Conferance. I still cant believe they put us on the air! With in seconds our phones began beeping & ringing w/ messages from people that saw us! We decided that since we made it on tv that it was time to leave. We walked over to Times Square & Ethan spotted the M&M store, but unfortunatly they were closed, it was before 9 a.m.! But then we came across the Hershey's store & they were going to be opening in 10 minutes. So we walked around until they opened. Ethan loved it. They had a huge machine that filled buckets with mini chocolate bars! It was then time to head back to the hotel & pack up to head home. We had such a great time! The kids loved all the hustle & bustle of the city. And usually I get home sick by the end of our vacations, but this time I did not want to leave! I did learn that from now on to book the main hotel for the convention as soon as booking opens up! I feel like we missed so much not getting to stay at the main hotel. But still had tons of fun! And met so many wonderful people! Cant wait for next year! I've already started saving! Nashville here we come!

Below is a slide show of some of the pictures from the trip & the video clip from the Today Show. It's not a very good video because I recorded it on my camera while standing in front of our tv, & my hands are a little shakey.

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OuR 1sT fAMiLy CAmPinG AdVenTuRE!!!

Since last summer we have been looking to buy a small used camper to be able to take little weekend vacations here & there. It was really hard to find one that was in our price range, not a piece of crap & a size that we would be able to park at our house. Well after alot of looking, we finally found one a few weeks ago. I immediately began planning our first trip! I had a few people tell me about this camp ground in Cooperstown that has a small animal farm, a mini golf course, hay rides, a fishing pond & pony rides, all fun things to entertain the boys. & it is only 40 minutes from home.

We went this weekend. Being so close to home the plan was to go out on friday, I'd have everything packed & ready to go & kids bathed so after Fred was done working we could head out & get settle in for the night. Then saturday morning we'd get up & have breakfast together & then Fred could drive back to town & work for a few hours & come back up when he was done working @ 1:00. So we would then have all saturday afternoon & sunday to enjoy camping! Well it never fails things dont always work the way they are planned!

~friday~ I get out of work, go get ice, go home & pack up the last few things. Go drop the dogs off @ my parents house. Then go pick up the boys, bring them home & stick them in the tub quick & Collin decides to poop in the tub!!! AGAIN! So quick get them out, get the poop out, drain & sterilize the tub, stick them back into the tub & finish washing them. Well getting them dressed Fred gets home from work, hook up the camper, load up the trucks (we took both since he had to come back to work the next day) & we head out. I had to stop for gas & realized I forgot the camping chairs so I sent Fred home to get them while I got gas, ok NOW WE ARE READY!!

We get to the campground, get checked in & start to set up. We notice that the campround is not exactly as nice as people had told me! It took a little longer to get settled than we thought it would. We found out that the lights inside didnt work, good thing I bought a couple little lanterns! We couldnt tell if the fridge was working or see if there was any kind of on/off switch. & so now it's almost 9:00 & we are all starved!! I then ask Fred "where is the grill????" he replies w/ "yeah. . . . . I was waiting to tell you. . . " I immediately knew, HE FORGOT IT!!!! Well good thing the camper has a little stove & I packed frying pans! So by the time we ate we were all tired & grumpy & decided to just go to bed. It was a rough night! It was cold & rainy, kids were up multiple times & there was some sort of bird that was making all kinds of squawking noises every 20 minutes!!!





~ saturday~ After a night of not much sleep the lovely rooster decided @ about 6:30 he needed to tell me it was time to get up!! & for those of you that dont really know me, I am NOT an early bird!! So well the boys were all sleeping, I decided to walk over to the showers before everyone in the campground had the same idea! It was really nice getting to take a super hot shower for as long as I wanted w/ out being rushed or some one coming into the bathroom to go pee, ask me a question, or just come in to come in! When I got back we had breakfast & then Fred headed home to work for a few hours .




So while Fred was working the boys & I went to check out the animals @ the farm. They had quite a few different kinds of animals, cows, chickens, the rooster!, peacocks, pheasants, horses, a reindeer {it looked like it had mainge or something!} goats, sheep & ducks. When we finished there we went back to the camper to have some lunch. I open up the cooler to find that the chicken that I had marinated that was in a plastic container & wrapped in a plastic bag leaked all over everything! OMG!!! what a mess! I ended up trying to empty everything out & wash as much of it as I could down w/ disinfecting wipes. & unfortunately had to throw a bunch of stuff away. And that is about the time when it began to rain. We finished up lunch, and Fred came back from working. Over the next few hours it progressively rained harder & harder. The poor kids were getting stir crazy from only having a small area to play, so we decided to take a ride & try to find something to do. We ended up at a diner to eat dinner, and then found a Walmart to get them a new movie & toys. The best part of the day was all 4 of us sitting down together w/ some popcorn & watching a movie together before bed.

{Just being boys & having some fun! Ethan is trying to give daddy a wet willy!!}

~sunday~ The rain finally stopped!!! After breakfast I began to start packing up while Fred & Ethan went to the pond to go fishing. For weeks Ethan has been so excited about going fishing! He had never been before. I bought him a Lightning McQueen light up fishing poll! With in the first 25 minutes I heard them walking back calling my name. He caught his first fish!! YAY! He was so very excited! They went back to the pond to release it and in about 20 minutes he caught his 2cd fish! And then a few minutes later, the 3rd!!! I think he would have spent the entire day at the pond if he could have! But it was time to head home! And just in time to, as soon as we pulled into our drive way it began to rain again!

It was quite the weekend! Definitely a learning experience, figuring out what we should have & shouldnt have brought w/ us & finding out what worked & what didnt. Even though it was a rough weekend, it isnt detouring us from doing it again! We have already booked a site someplace else for in a few weeks.

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Thanx Emily!!

Thanx Emily for the AWESOME bath towels!!




They refused to cooperate to take a pic together!!



Emily made Collin a really great hooded bath towel for his birthday. Ethan was really jealous & kept wanting to use it! He liked it so much that I had to ask her to make him his own!

Thanks Em for being such a great friend & so super talented!!

ALL ABOARD!!!!!!!!!

We took the boys to North Creek NY to see Thomas the Train on Sunday. We met Emily, Seamus, Grace, and their grandparents {AKA "Nanny & Poppy"}. I'm sure most of you already read Emily's blog since she beat me to blogging about our fun day! But I will share too for those who didnt.

So our day didnt exactly start off too great! We all got up early, got dressed, packed the car up, and we were off! Ethan insisted on eating french toast stix for breakfast, so we made a pit stop @ Burger King to grab breakfast for the road. I program the GPS, it gives us our route & we hop on the thruway & we then realize it is telling us it will take over 3 hours to get there, I begin to PaNiC!! Last week when I mapquested the directions it told me it would take us 2 hours & 7 min. to get there, but it was a different route! Of course I didnt print it out since we have a GPS! I had no clue what to do. . . I franticly call Emily! She gets on mapquest & sure enough only 2 hours & 7 min. but it's a different route! Ok, so we decide to get off the thruway at the next exit, the GPS then keeps telling us to turn around! And I keep trying to have it give us the same route mapquest was giving us, but it wasnt until we were 25 min into the route. And it is still telling us it's going to take over 3 hours to get there, Emily & the kids were going to be there by 11:00 so that meant they'd be there for over an hour waiting for us! OMG! Freaking out! {{{ OK, MOM DONT READ THIS PART! }}} Fred is now doing 70+ MPH the whole way thru winding country highways. We are now making really good time & the GPS is taking minutes off of our arrival time, looks like we might make it by 11:30! THEN. . . . . Ethan says his belly hurts, OH NO!!!! So typical parent questions. . ."do you have to go pee pee???" he says "no" . . "do you have to go poopy???" he says "no". . "do you have to puke?????" w/ fingers & toes crossed. . he says "no"! Ahhh thank goodness! I said "your belly probably feels funny cause you just ate & drank orange juice & now the car is jiggling your belly around plus your watching a movie, you'll be fine, it'll be ok" So he goes back to watching his movie. 5 min. later Ethan says "mommy. . . .I think I gotta puke!" OH MAN!!! I look @ Fred we both agree we cant stop or we'll never make it! Holy Crap! What are we gonna do??? I look down to see what can i use to catch it? {There will be NO "mommy bowl" use in the car!!!} OH a Coffee cup! I Quick roll down the window, dump it out, & get it under his chin as he starts to gag! He then says " I dont have to puke anymore" Thank God I keep there for another minute cause he did! OMG!! Good save! Now he says w/ a smile " mommy, my belly dont hurt anymore!" and he goes back to his video. Ok big sigh! I think we are ok now! Well we made it! & we made in great time w/ out any other "incidents"!! {Oh, by the way, Collin slept the whole trip! Thank goodness!}

So the Day out w/ Thomas was alot of fun! The kids loved the train ride and all of the fun activities they had. The weather ended up being real nice compared to the weather man's predictions. No rain & the sun was shining but the wind was nasty!

Time for a photo w/ Thomas!

Here is a video of the kids, Fred & Poppy coming back from their train ride. { No the video isnt playing in reverse! lol! They dont actually turn the train around, they just back it up.}

Ethan got a Thomas tattoo.

The kids patiently waiting to go in the bounce house.

After we were all done @ Thomas we went into Lake George to grab some lunch. We went down to the beach after eating and let the kids stick their feet in the water. The boys had a blast throwing rocks in the water. We ended the day with a delicious treat @ Ben & Jerry's! Yummy!

Despite the rocky start the day turned out great! Thanks for the fun day Em, Seamus, Gracie, Nanny & Poppy!!

Ethan's Nursery School Graduation

Ethan graduated from his Nursery school on Thursday. He loved his school & his teachers so much. He isn't completely understanding why he isn't going to be going to school anymore. The school program was great. He had 2 adult teachers & 16 student teachers. The student teachers are highschool girls learning about the field of Early Childhood Education.

Here he is getting his little "diploma".

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ w/ all of his "Ladies" ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Mrs. Fragetta~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He also had a few little girl friends in his class.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Kiera ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~Torri & Kendall~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The kids all sang a few of the little songs they sang all year. These videos are Ethan's two fav songs!

Collin is walking!!

For about 3 months Collin has been cruisin the furniture. And for a couple of weeks he has been taking 3-4 steps on his own. I thought for sure he would have started walking on his own before his 1st birthday. It took until about a week & a half after turning 1 & he is now officially walking!!

This Wednesday Collin officially started walking! During the day, while hanging out w/ Grampy & Aunt Kari, he took 8 steps. Then once we got home that night he took a few more & a few more & a few more until he walked from the middle of the living room into the dining room {over 25 steps}. He is now just walking around like it's no big deal as if he's been doing it forever!! It's so amazing that once they figure out how to do something they just master it so quickly!

Below is a video. I ended up having to do it through Smile box because I wasnt able to rotate it on any other uploader.

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Our lil Monkey is One!

Last Saturday the 2cd was Collin's 1st birthday!!! I can't even believe my baby is already 1!! Time really does fly!




Sunday celebrated w/ our family & friends & had his party. Since I have been calling him "Monkey" since he was only a few weeks old {& now friends & family call him that too}, & I seem to be drawn to anything I see w/ a monkey on it, it was only fitting to have a monkey themed party! We had monkey balloons, monkey centerpieces surrounded by bananas, & I made him a monkey cake.



I spent quite a bit of time Saturday night making the monkey cake. I was very excited about how good it turned out.










I made each of the kids little goody bags. I filled them w/ monkey bracelets, little monkey cups filled w/ animal crackers, pudding snacks, applesauce, m&m's, & twizzlers {a few of my kids fav things}. They were a big hit!













The tags on the goody bags read-
" Thanks for swinging over to have some fun
and celebrating our little monkey turning one!"



Here is a little slideshow I put together of the party. Enjoy!

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