Wowie zowie, I need to catch up!

Gosh, time really seems to just get away from me these days. There are not enough hours in a day to do all that I really want to. And blogging seems to be getting pushed aside too often. Anyway, I do want to quickly recap our trip to New York, as it was an incredible time.

We actually arrived two weeks ago tomorrow. (Sheesh, how's that for slacking.) Patrick's meeting went very well, which is always a good thing. It was bitterly cold for us Floridians, with temps in the 20s-30s. But we did manage to walk about the city some. We stayed in Times Square, on the 40th floor of the Doubletree. And when I say that the view from our room was amazing, I mean it! It was surreal. I felt like we were in a movie because the view we had is the one so often used in movies that are "taking place" in New York. It was really breathtaking.

On Thursday, Patrick's meeting wrapped up early for him. So we enjoyed lunch at Carnegie Deli. Madeline loved the pickles! It was hilarious. After lunch we walked over to Central Park and took a carriage ride. Despite the cold temps, we all really enjoyed it. We passed by the New York Athletic Club, where our dear friends Jess and Chris were married long ago. Patrick reminisced about all the fun times he had working security at Carnegie Hall and Gracie Mansion. (He had some time on his hands his senior year of college.) That night we ate dinner at a great Chinese restaurant just off of Rockefeller Center. The food was fabulous, as I knew it would be when I saw shark fin soup of the menu.

That Friday, Patrick's father came in to town with his wife, Carol, and son Joe. We had a nice dinner at Becca. And although Madeline can be fidgety in restaurants, she did pretty well, enjoying her meal as well as everyone elses. LOL.

On Saturday, Patrick's mom, Barbara (a.k.a. Bammy) came in from Connecticut, along with Patrick's sister, Michele, our brother-in-law John and niece, Lydia. Caleb and Lydia played with each other like not a single day had gone by since they last saw each other. It was so heartwarming to see. We had predetermined that we would be visiting the new Dis*ney store and To*ys R Us with all kids in tow. And they had a blast. They watched videos and colored at the Dis*ney store and rode the huge, indoor ferris wheel inside To*ys R Us. By the time we wrapped things up, it was time for dinner. So we walked over to Ruby Foo's. By this point, Madeline was so tired, she fell asleep right there in the carrier. Poor girl. A blazing loud fire truck zipped right by us and woke her up momentarily. But she was back asleep on my chest in the carrier. It was a precious moment between us...and she stayed that way through the first half of dinner! I did manage to eat my miso soup "around her" without a spill (I got lots of practice eating with Caleb in the carrier when he first came home. LOL) We managed to walk over to Rockefeller Center after dinner to catch a glimpse of the Christmas tree in all its glory.

We had a such a great time with family in NY, but on Sunday it was time to head to Philly. Caleb was super excited because we took the train. It was his first train ride. The joy on his face was priceless. Madeline enjoyed herself too. It was a really fun way to travel (and good preparation for the possibility of a train ride in Ch*in@ with all our luggage!) We grabbed an awesome dinner at this great little Italian spot on Walnut St. Wow, was the food incredible. And the salad selection....it was hard to choose!

On Monday morning, we headed to Shriners to meet with Dr. Kozin regarding possible surgery for Caleb. He was pleased with the muscle/tendon transfer surgery that Dr. Kadiyala performed over 2 years ago. His range of motion is vastly improved. The trouble Caleb has right now is with pronation (turning his palm down.) He suggested a bicep transfer to the forearm for this. Since we didn't even think there was something that could be done, we still have to spend some time researching this option. The whole team was wonderful and caring. So many people on the yahoo groups have said nothing but amazing things about him. And he continues to live up to that. We were thoroughly impressed.

After our trip to Shriners, we headed off to the airport for our flight home. And that basically brings us up to speed. We finally got our tree up this past Sunday (we forgot to get it up before we headed to NY). And tonight, we finally decorated it. Caleb sat on Patrick's shoulders as he placed the star on top. He was so proud of himself. He just melted our hearts. And since I STILL have not even downloaded all my images off my camera from the trip, I will share some video instead. When I finally get around to uploading and editing my images, I will be SURE to post them here. For now, enjoy some sweet love between cousins. And Michele, John, and Lydia, we can't wait to see you again next week!!!!!

Caleb and Lydia, taken by Bammy (look for a hint of Madeline's attitude at the end