country meets city

Thanks to cousin Julia's third birthday party, we had the best reason to finally spend some time in the "big city". T-man was talking about the visit for weeks and weeks. The party was a great way to start the mini vacation. Julia and her friends were so sweet and T really enjoyed himself while Matty slept in Julia's crib the entire time. Tuesday morning was an early morning wake-up call from both boys. Tyler's first statement of the day was "Mommy I woke up to the big city. I hear sirens. Can I look outside?" He was sooo excited and ready to start the day.

It was an eventful day with a subway ride starting off the excitement. T was in awe and couldn't believe there were so many tunnels underground and so many people.

First stop: American Museum of Natural History.
Opening time- 10:00am
Arrival time- 9:40am
Departure-3:45pm
We were among the first people in the Dinosaur hall and it was everything we could have hoped for. Tyler seemed to be amazed at how big they were and that we were finally seeing them in person. We spent some time in just about every hall and had tickets to some special exhibits including snakes and lizards, race to the end of the Earth, and movie about the stars and our solar system. Matthew was so well behaved the entire time taking small naps in the car seat and baby carrier or otherwise contently hanging out making his own observations. The best way to describe Tyler's reaction was total awe and pure excitement. It was so much fun to experience the museum again through my child's eyes and hear his enthusiasm. The day with the kids ended on such a fun note. We met Zach, Julia, and Aunt Lauren at a Vegan Restaurant and everyone enjoyed their meal. I think the kids especially liked dessert, doughnuts (and Tyler's first one ever!).

After the boys went to bed, Adam and I had the luxury of having an incredible dinner with Pete and Lauren. 11 Madison was a beautiful space, everyone made us feel so comfortable, and the food was exquisite. I ate things I never thought I'd dare try, some of which I can't even remember what it was, but all the food was some of the best I've ever had. Best of all, having dinner with my inspiring brother and sister was the best gift of all. THANK YOU Peter and Lauren for the gift of your love.

When we woke up on Wednesday there was no real plan. After a relaxed morning and packing up all the gear, we took another subway ride for Tyler's final surprise; the biggest toy store "in the whole world" (that's what he kept saying there). FAO was quite the experience and a few hours probably felt like 10 minutes to Tyler.

All in all, it was a great visit. Our little country boys discovered a new found love for the city. I have a feeling they're going to have some fun times visiting their cousins in the years to come.