Visiting NYC 2013

Last November we loaded up the kids and what seemed like everything that we owned and set out for the Big Apple. That's right New York City. My sister was going to run the NYC Marathon and we wanted to go and be part of her support group while taking on this feat. We also thought it would be neat to take Brinley and Landon to see some of the major tourist attractions in the city. My sister, Andrea lived right in the heart of Times Square and we couldn't have been any more excited to come up for a visit since we don't get to see her as often as we would like. As soon as we got to the city it seemed like it was a non-stop adventure. We went and did many different things and were able to experience a lot of things, not all of them being as fun with 2 children under a year and a half old.

First thing marked off the list was the famous Times Square.

Brinley loved the parks. This was a playground in central park.

Landon enjoyed hanging onto mommy.

We got this new carrier just in time for our time to NYC and it was to help with containing Brinley. She was not really a big fan of it. This was Brinley's first subway ride as we were traveling out to the Statue of Liberty.

Landon slept though his first subway ride.

Picture with lady liberty on the ferry ride over.

This is what happens when you rely on another person to take a family photo for you. You can barely make out the top of Landon's head. 

After visiting the Statue of Liberty we met up with Aunt Andrea and Chris for lunch at the Shake Shack. It was delicious!

There was a park right next to the Shake Shack so we decided to let Brinley play for a little while. This was one of Chris' first times getting to chase Brinley around.

Brinley made friends with a few locals as well.

Race day arrived and Chris helped us maneuver around the city so that we could see Andrea at a few different spots during the race. We made some signs to help support her during her 26.2 mile race.

Andrea couldn't help but stop and say hello to her youngest fan, Landon.

All that running made Brinley tired. She took herself a little nap.

Helping keep Brinley warm while we wait for Andrea as close to the finish line that we could which was around the start of mile 26.

Proud of my sister for completing her 1st ever marathon. I am so glad that we could come to help cheer you on during your race. 

We grabbed dinner after the race and then Chris and I were able to head over to Madison Square Garden and watch the Knicks play.

We went out the next day to Central Park again. We played in the playground and then after walking around some more found all these large rocks so I decided to hike up to the top with Brinley.

Grandma and Grandpa with Brinley.

A trip to New York wouldn't be complete without a trip to FAO Schwarz. Brinley loved seeing all the huge stuffed animals.

Grandpa and Brinley playing on the large piano that was made famous in the movie Big.

Group picture with one of the minions.

Jennifer and I were able to have a little date night with a trip to see Wicked on Broadway. It was by far our favorite out of all the shows that we have seen over the years. We called during intermission to see how the kids were doing and they lied a little to us so that we would enjoy our night out. We had brought up a couple bottles of breastmilk for Landon while we were out and apparently he guzzled those within the first 30 minutes of us leaving. Thankfully they were able to hold him off until after the show.

We took the kids up to Top of the Rock to check out one of the most impressive cities in the world from the top.

Another staple in our trips to NYC have included Serendipity 3 for some frozen hot chocolate. It is delicious and well worth the wait. 

Brinley really enjoyed frozen hot chocolate too. Only downfall of the restaurant was that they didn't have any high chairs. It was the only place in the city that we encountered that wasn't child friendly.

We also couldn't make a trip to the city and not visit my sister at her office. Pretty awesome display that they have out in their lobby.

Brinley trying to get a few things done while in the office. All of Andrea's co-workers were excited to see the kids that she talks about all the time and that are posted all around her cubicle.

We also decided to make a night time trip up to Top of the Rock to see the city lights of the Big Apple.

We also made a trip down to the 9/11 Memorial. It was completely surreal to see all of the names of the lives that were lost in one of the worst days in American history. It saddens me that we all can't live in peace on this planet.

Brinley loves animals so we had to make a stop by the bull on Wall Street.

There was a little park close to Andrea's apartment that had a carousel so we bought 10 rides so that everyone could get to ride with the kids.

Brinley enjoying the ride with Aunt Andrea and Chris.

This is all the things that we took with us to New York. We had just brought all of it down the 5 flights of stairs and set it here while the guys brought our car out of the parking garage. Much easier to bring it all out than it was to haul it in.

This trip went by in a whirl wind. It seems like we were running all over the city to try and do things, but that is much easier said than done. We were out in the city most of the day and missed nap times, so the kids weren't always in the best mood either. Although they will probably never remember any thing from this trip it will always be their first trip to the Big Apple where their Aunt Andrea lives. I am sure this will not be our last trip, but next time we can maybe skip some of the tourist activities and just enjoy our time visiting. We would also like to visit sometime when it is a little bit warmer than early November. Brinley refused to wear her socks and shoes while in the stroller so we eventually just didn't put them on her in fear that we would lose one while out in the city. We got a lot of dirty looks for this but if anybody ever mentioned anything to us about it I just told them we were from Kentucky. It got a few laughs out of people, but mostly dirty looks. If you have never been to the city I would highly recommend it at least once in your lifetime. It is an amazing city that never sleeps. There is always something going on. Thanks for reading and God Bless!

Wedding Bells will be ringing!

The month of October was busy for the Heflin household. Not only did we have to get ready for 1, but 2 weddings of Jennifer and mine siblings. On top of that they were back to back weekends. Both kids were asked to be in the weddings so we spent a lot of time talking about being a flower girl with Brinley. There was really no use in talking with Landon about anything because he is at the age that he is just going to do whatever he wants, so we should just hope for the best. I am not going to tell many details about the weddings because I don't want to tell their stories so I will only talk about how the kids did.

The first wedding was October 11th in Scottsville, KY and it was the Prock Wedding between Jennifer's sister Sarah and her fiance Nick. They asked Jennifer and the kids to be a part of the wedding so we headed down Friday morning in order to be a part of the rehearsal and help out with any last minute details. Brinley was a flower girl, Landon was one of the ring bearers and Jennifer was a bridesmaid. The wedding was going to be outdoors, but the weather didn't cooperate so it ended up being at the country club. This altered plans a little, but in the end it turned out to be a great night and we are excited for Mr. and Mrs. Prock as they begin their life together. Here are a couple of pictures of Brinley and Landon from the wedding.

Brinley in her little flower girl dress. She didn't want to wear it, but after putting it on, all the other girls kept telling her how good that it looked. She didn't want to take it off then.

My little kiddos. I love these two so much.

Landon and Kai were the announcers letting Nick know that Sarah was on her way out.

Brinley wouldn't walk out by herself, so she walked out with Jennifer.

The wedding party.

Landon enjoying his dinner.

Our little family

Landon is a little ladies man!

The next wedding was October 18th in Louisville, KY and it was the Maitland Wedding between my sister Andrea and her fiancee Chris. The kids and I were actually asked to be a part of this wedding. Landon was going to be an announcer, Brinley the flower girl and I was going to a "Man of Honor". Both kids were supposed to try and make the walk down the aisle and thankfully both kids cooperated. I was so proud of them. I had come down the aisle before them and I was waiting at the front trying to get them to walk to me. Of course the fact that I had suckers was a big help because my kids love candy. The kids both really enjoyed the reception site where they played on the horses, danced and Brinley went to the photo booth at least 10 times. We were glad to be a part of their special day and we are excited for them as they start their life together.

My little daddy's girl. Over these two weekends I kept telling Brinley that she didn't ever need to get married that I would always take care of her.

Our Little Family

Landon walked down the whole aisle like a champ.

Brinley walked so good down the whole aisle. Only problem was that she didn't throw out a single flower petal.

The bride and groom with all their immediate family members.

Landon being a little jockey.

The kids enjoyed riding the horses at the Kentucky Derby Museum.

Family photo booth time.

The kiddos out on the dance floor.

I was even able to get my beautiful wife out on the dance floor.

We are so happy for the newlyweds and we can't wait to see how they grow as couples and are excited for what their futures hold. We were so excited that we could be a part of your special days. Thanks for reading and God Bless!