I have the best friends in the whole world. Since we have moved from Utah visitors have frequented our home and my friends have been among the main crowd. Our family feels very loved and blessed for the wonderful people in our lives.
Last week Breanne said she was going to keep her eye on flights and fly out on stand-by if they looked good. Sure enough, Wednesday rolled around and she was on a red-eye out with Brielle to have another fun Fall visit. She visited this same weekend last October with Taryn and Stellar, and this visit was as perfect as the last. She brought GORGEOUS weather with her and we didn't waste one minute of her 2 1/2 days!
Very first thing Thursday morning, she basically ran "Joyschool" that Thad started with a few boys from the ward. She is an amazing preschool teacher and didn't even skip a beat with these darling little boys. They loved every minute of it and I know it would not have run as smooth without her expertise. Thanks, Teacher Bre!
Like I said, the weather was perfect, so we headed straight up north to check out the fall festivities that are sure to entertain here on the east coast.
Shelton, CT is about 40 minutes away and it didn't disappoint!
Pumpkins were the main attraction on this perfect fall day.
But there was plenty more fun to be had on this quaint New England farm...
We couldn't resist a hayride through the fields of the farm:
Thad loved the tractor with Old Mac Donald driving it and pulling us along our way. ;-)
We ended the day at the farm with a nice hoedown on the dance floor.
Look at them boogie!
Like I said, we didn't waste one minute of these girls' time here and went straight to the mall for some shopping and to a Relief Society dinner that evening. It was so fun to introduce Bre to some of my wonderful friends back here and enjoy some girl time together.
The next morning we got up and going and RAN to the train station to catch a train into NYC to meet Brian for lunch and have some fun exploring the "greatest city in the world!"
The train was luckily 5 minutes late so we even had time to take a couple pictures on the platform.
FLASHBACK: A year sure changes things...all these kiddos are going to be big siblings within the next 5 months! They sure have grown and now look like the big siblings they will be.
On the train we got to sit in the drink cart. Kids sure know how to use ANYTHING for entertainment!
First stop was to meet Dad in Bryant Park for a delicious lunch to enjoy on the lawn.
Bryant Park has become one of our favorite spots in the city. Even though there is no playground, it has a fun vibe and beautiful scenery.
The kids loved the fountain at the park and Brielle would have taken a swim if her mom allowed her.
After lunch we took a stroll through Times Square. Before we got there, we ran into this:
Brielle LOVES Buzz and Woody and couldn't take her eyes off of him!
We got there and Breanne convinced me to take this uber-touristy picture. That's us on the screen above the Forever 21 sign with "big arms" that Breanne forced me to do so we could tell it was us on the screen.
Brian and I make fun of people a lot for doing this. We always wonder why people would want a picture of this. I guess for their blog.
Pinkberry was the next stop on our trek and it was as good as we both remembered!
Bre said she has thought a lot about this place during the last year, and we were just sad we couldn't get another one the rest of the trip.
We strolled by the temple and Thad and Brielle loved seeing the Angel Moroni and singing "I Love to See the Temple." Precious.
Central Park is always a breath of fresh air and the kids loved to stretch their legs...and they did!
After the park we couldn't decide if we wanted to go to the children's museum or experience the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center...What to do??
Maybe not the most child-friendly activity...
but with those views, we couldn't regret our decision!
Our awesome day in the city came to an end and we met Brian at Grand Central to have some pizza on the train and a quick ride home to get these kiddos in bed!
This is the view we got as we approached Grand Central. That never gets old.
We were ALL excited to get off our feet and take a seat on the train.
I wonder why the kids were so good...?
How are these tiny kids so stinkin' smart? They don't even need our help!
We could hardly believe it, but the next day was another perfect, fall day! We couldn't stay cooped up inside and headed to Stamford Nature Center, or the "little zoo" as we told Thad. It was pretty much a stroll through a farm, but both kids and adults enjoyed the scenery and weather.
The wild birds roaming the grounds were the perfect beginning to the day at the little zoo.
We walked up to see the cows and couldn't get enough of the beautiful surroundings.
Thad was a bit scared of the cow, but he held back tears and let Dad get him pretty close!
Brielle has no fear. Of anything.
Thad loved checking out the roosters, and gave Bre his best "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
Brielle played a little hard to get throughout the day...
But in the end just couldn't resist him.
I guess she just wants to take things a little slower, so we just kept checking out all the animals.
I do have to say I think this pig was the highlight of the "little zoo" adventure.
Doesn't she just remind you of sweet little Wilbur from Charlotte's Web? ;)
We had the perfect guests for the perfect fall weekend.
We couldn't ask for better friends.
Thanks for coming all the way across the country, Bre and Brielle.
We can't wait until the next time you come to play!
