Happy New Year - Welcome 2009!!! We spent a couple days over New Years Eve at the hotel - at Times Square. We were invited to have a police escort to Times Square for a perfect view of the Ball drop, but since is was 12 degrees (zero with wind chill), we decided to watch the Ball drop on television, like most of the world. We gave our police escort to some guests at the hotel and they brought the kids the goodies from Times Square that you see them sporting in the picture below. Hopefully some year while we are here it will be a little warmer so we can be in Times Square for the Ball drop. The girls did enjoy ice skating every day at Bryant Park (across from the hotel) and shopping at World of Disney and American Girl Place. We always have a great time in the city.

Merry Christmas 2008: We had our first Christmas in our New York home. The girls were spoiled rotten and happy. Dagny got up at 3:30am - crazy girl and then Tessa at 4am. They got mom and dad up - which mom is use to getting up at 4:30am anyway - opening presents is better than a commute. The girls enjoyed everything from American Girl gifts to Barbie and her Diamond Castle to snowy globes to sleds. It was a wonderful Pajamas day, with strawberry crepes and a turkey dinner. We missed not being with our families though...

December 11, 2008: We experienced our first Eastern Ice Storm. Our 4-H meeting was cancelled as everything from cars to trees to fences looked like they had been hosed down and instantly frozen. When Gwen got to her car at the Park & Ride from the city commute, she found her car frozen sold - below is the picture after she got it defrosted enough to get it home.