When Rhea announced New York City is where she would marry Greg, I was a little nervous about how Scott and I would handle two small tots in the big busy city. Scott and I are always up for an adventure, so we were up for the challenge (plus, there was no way I was going to miss my sisters wedding)!
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| The kids enjoying their first taxi ride |
Plane tickets were purchased, a room was booked at the Park Lane Hotel, and then we waited for May 27th to arrive!
We drove to St. Louis and caught a direct flight to NYC. I am constantly amazed at how nice the security screeners are to people with kids. It was a breeze to get through with both kiddos and all our gear. Wearing Lila also made the entire process so much easier as both my hands were free to catch thrown objects, wipe up spills, carry snacks and drinks, open doors, pull luggage, etc. Both kids did pretty good on the flight and I don't mind when strangers comment on how well behaved our little ones are. It was a quick flight and suddenly we were descending into one of the busiest cities in the states.
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| Bob Costas from NBC at the airport |
Scott and I had debated on taking the car seats or just winging it. Since car seats are not required in taxi cabs in the city, we decided we would leave them at home and let the kids sit on our laps. Yes, it made us nervous but so would standing on a busy street attempting to install car seats while cars whizzed past at a high rate of speed. Paisley loved sitting in the taxi and watching the city fly past us as we drove downtown. He couldn't understand why we wouldn't let him hang his head out the window as we drove. Lila was more interested in attempting to put her mouth on any object that I deemed disgusting. She failed but did succeed at absolutely wearing me out!
Once we arrived at our hotel, we quickly went about getting a crib in our room and baby proofing as best we could. Our room was nice and we had a beautiful view of Central Park and the sky scrapers. The hotel was extremely accommodating with our children and brought us a refrigerator without us even asking.
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| Welcome to NYC |
After unpacking and settling in, we headed out to grab dinner. We found a hole in the wall sandwich shop which was exactly what we wanted. We sat at a table outside and watched the busy nightlife of the city play out before our eyes. Nana came to meet us and Paisley thought it was pretty neat to be in NYC and see Nana!
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| I was smirking out of exhaustion....4 fish in a bed |
That night may have been the worst night of sleep the 4 of us have ever had....it all started with Lila not wanting to go to sleep in her crib. Once she fell asleep, Paisley decided he didn't want to go to sleep and woke her up. Both kids were up, both ended up in bed with Scott and I, and none of slept more then a couple of hours. Note to self....sharing 1 room with a baby and toddler is an awful idea!!
With little sleep, it was difficult getting going the next morning. However, we had a wedding to attend! We found another hole-in-the-wall (our favorite type of eating establishments) and grabbed breakfast sandwiches and coffee. Following breakfast, the boys packed a snack bag and headed to the space museum while Lila and I headed to Rhea's hotel to get ready for the wedding.
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| Mother of the bride |
I love parties and big events and helping my sister prepare for her wedding was no exception! We started the preparations with mimosas and laughter. Greg's daughter joined us as we all got our hair done and talked about the big day.
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| Me! |
Rhea was the picture of calm as the clock ticked closer to wedding time. The hairstylist worked with ease and efficiency and everyone loved their hair. As she completed Rhea's make-up, I thought to myself that I had never seen my sister look more beautiful. She looked as happy and beautiful as every bride should look on their wedding day. All too soon it was time for her to head to Central Park for her "first look" with Greg. I felt bad sending her off in a taxi alone, but knowing her soon-to-be husband was waiting for her less than a mile down the road made me feel a little better. After she left we decorated her hotel room with rose petals and spruced the place up a bit. Then it was time for Lila and I to get dressed!
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| The beautiful bride |
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| Ready to go! |
I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous having Scott dress Paisley back at our hotel room all by himself. Not that my husband can't dress a toddler...but,....well....he struggles with dressy clothing and what goes where. One time Lila had on 2 pairs of bloomers under a dress...in addition to a diaper. True story.
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| The girls! |
Outside the hotel we met up with the boys and we all got into the hotel SUV and rode to the location in the park. The entire day dark clouds rolled past and the threat of rain was very real. As we were down to an hour before wedding time, the sun chased off the rain clouds and created a picturesque scene for the wedding.
My two boys looked so handsome and it was time to make our way through the park and find the bride and groom. Coming up next....The Wedding!
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| My beautiful little family |
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Your sister should have been in a brides magazine! She looked absolutely gorgeous!!!! (And so did your family all dressed up!)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about your NY experience w/kids, bc we are headed there next March! I had no idea kids didn't need car seats in taxis!
Loved all your pictures and I can't wait to see more!