5th...3rd...Kindergarten

After a good summer, it is back to school!  Three in the same school this year will be exciting!  Here they are this morning all ready to go with their new clothes and backpacks.  They each had a good day, which made me happy.  I included a picture of Harrison's first soccer practice too.  A lot of firsts for him this year!

 

Skeeters Game

We joined a few other families from church and attended a Skeeters baseball game Saturday night.  The Skeeters are the new minor league baseball team in Sugar Land.  The game wasn't too exciting, but the events and camaraderie were fun.  They have a splash pad, carousel, and playground for the kids at the ballpark.  And because it was Saturday night, the kids got to run around the bases at the end of the game, though making it to the end took a looooong time.  We sat on the lawn section, where you can bring blankets and chairs, and after the sun went down, a nice breeze set in and it was actually pretty enjoyable (for August in Houston).  It was a fun family outing!

NYC!

Stephen had to speak at a law conference in Manhattan for work, and I got to come along for fun.  I was only there for 2 days (Stephen was there for 3) but we maximized every moment (as in slept as little as possible) and had a blast!  I had never done NYC before, and it ended up being one of our funnest trips ever!  Taylor and Jennifer met us there for one of the days, and we had a great time with them.  They really helped make the experience!  I want to go back soon!

A view of Manhattan skyline from a river cruise we took in the Hudson.  Freedom Tower and the new World Trade Center complex can be seen being constructed.  Our hotel was the Marriott Downtown, which is just a few blocks away from ground zero in the financial district.

One thing I definitely did not have enough time to do was shop.  That will be high on my list the next time we go back!  I also want to see a couple more shows.

Here we are on the river boat cruise that left out of South Street Seaport.

Like true New Yorkers, we rode the subway a few times.

And had some good laughs while riding the subway!

30 Rock

Ellis Island

We walked the High Line through the Art District.

Brooklyn Bridge

We ate . . . a lot, and we hit this NYC favorite around midnight in Little Italy.

We spent plenty of time in Time Square.

Amazed by all the people and sights.

Trying to decide which Broadway show to see.

We took a picture of ourselves on the Time Square jumbo tron.

Making our selections at Rice to Riches

Wall Street

World Trade Center rebuild

Subway veterans

WTC Memorial

We decided to see Phantom, and it was awesome!

We also ate at the original Lombardi's Pizza in Little Italy.  It was very yummy!  Then, after stopping at Rice to Riches, we walked through Chinatown on our way back to our hotel.  It's amazing how safe you feel walking the streets of Manhattan at 2:00 a.m.

And we also ate at the original Magnolia Bakery.  Devine!

More Time Square

Battery Park, overlooking the Hudson.  We hit the nearby Shake Shack for lunch.

The masses in Time Square after Phantom let out.

Beautiful Central Park.



You could spend all day just in the Park.

More from South Street Seaport

We also took taxis.  And walked A LOT!

The sprawling skyline from the river cruise view.

We had a great view of Lady Liberty from out hotel room window, and we got up close to her on our cruise.

The Gyro we got from this street vendor was dang good. Very tasty!

The area around the original Magnolia Bakery is very cool.  It is called the Meat Packing District and has cool pocket parks and cobble stone streets.  Loved it.

It would be neat to see the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

More Central Park--Bethesda Fountain.

Stephen got to go to the NBC studios and Radio City Music Hall after I left.

We went to the WTC Memorial Visitor's Center.  We didn't do the full memorial tour because the lines were long and we were on a limited schedule.