New York City!!!!

A few weeks ago we decided to spend a weekend in NYC. I found a dog friendly hotel and booked 2 nights parking and breakfast included. We drove down Friday night after Ally's camp and drove back on Sunday. 

Cloey was pretty good in the car. She sat in the back with Ally for the long 5 hour drive there.

After we checked in we ordered room service for dinner. YUM. Then we walked a few blocks to The Gap for some warmer clothes for Ally. She was freezing in the hotel room so we got her some cozy warm pajamas with a matching sweatshirt. She then slept super soundly all cuddled up with Cloey.

In the morning I was awake much earlier than Becky and Ally so I took Cloey for walk in Central Park.

We made Ally attempt a handstand in Central Park. She was super embarrassed.

It was very hot, but we did walk the whole mile and a half to the American Museum of Natural History.

There was an exhibit showing weavers in Latin America using a back strap loom like we saw used in Guatemala.

The Dum Dum statue featured in the Night at the Museum movies. 

There was a Huge dinosaur skeleton it took up two rooms!

And I thought the shadow of its spine was really neat.

So many dinosaurs.

After a morning at the museum we did some shopping at Lush where we each picked out a bath bomb to use later in the large bathtub in our room which has its own TV! Then we walked to Dylan's Candy store and had lunch at Serendipity Cafe. 

All thought the candy store was a blast. She picked out some good stuff.

Then at Serendipity I got a frozen hot chocolate and Ally had a frozen strawberry drink. After some fear that we might need to leave because we couldn't find anything on the menu we ordered the half of fried chicken that took 30 minutes for them to cook. They told us that when we ordered it, and Ally said she wanted to wait. So we enjoyed our drinks and waited on the chicken and a sandwich. The chicken was AMAZING. Ally said it was so delicious. 

Ally relaxing after her bath. And then sleeping again with Cloey.

 We had room service breakfast and again, Ally enjoyed cuddles with Cloey.

In the morning we took a cab to the Empire State Building.

There was a huge line for the elevator so we took the stairs. 

Well we took the stairs up 10 flights. Here we are at the last one to climb. Ally said she would have liked to climb up all the stairs. 

We had fun on the observation deck.

Checking out the Statue of Liberty.

Then back at the hotel I packed up our stuff and Becky and Ally took Cloey for a walk in Central Park.

Cloey on the elevator was fun.

I took these pictures from our hotel room window. 

Ally was pumped for the ride back to Cambridge. Her dog, her sale pillow from Dylan's Candy bar, a giant pack of Smartees.

But then she and Cloey both passed out and slept for about half the ride home. 

Such a fun trip. 

Gymnastics

This summer we photograhed Ally doing handstands all over:

Pacaya Volcano

Ruins at Icimche

The shores of Lake Atitlan

Our hotel in New York City

The entrance to Hershey Park

At Becky's Alma mater Union College

And this past week she started out her level 4 USAG season with 4 practices in a row, Thursday 415-6(she left 2 hours early to get some sleep) Friday 330-715, Saturday 11:45-230, and a special floor routine practice today Sunday 8-10am. She is loving it still, and so excited for practice. 

First day of 5th grade

Wow. 5th grade. 

Ally groaned at the inevitable first day of school pictures, but she humored me and smiled for all the pictures. It looked like rain so she grabbed an umbrella before we left. Her friends came thru with the schedule and told us today was a gym day so Ally picked out "sports clothes" as she calls them which are appropriate for gym days and wore those with new sneakers. 

We walked to school today, since it wasn't actually raining. 

After the events of the past two weeks I was glad we had done all of her school shopping in July and early August. We had a new backpack, lunchbox water bottle and all of her school supplies at home. So yesterday when we got home she opened everything up, sharpened new pencils and got it all ready for today. 

She even let me take a few pictures at school! She was excited and confident on the walk to school and wanted to walk in by herself. I did ask how much longer she would want me to walk her to school and she said "maybe in 6th grade I will walk with friends to school". She knows I don't mind taking her at all so when she's ready will be fine. 

I'm so proud of her. And I hope she has a great first day of 5th grade. I can't wait to hear all about it after school. She has gymnastics practice this afternoon so we will have plenty of time to talk in the car. 

Grandma Barbie

My mom, Grandma Barbie passed away at 12:04am September 2, 2017. It had been a difficult few weeks for her. She had terrible stomach pains and was constipated for 10 days before the doctors realized she had some blockage in her colon and performed an emergency colostomy procedure. Basically, after 6 days of not pooping and having terrible stomach pains she went to the ER on the advice of her primary care physician. At the ER they did a cat-scan of her stomach and diagnosed my mom with diverticulitis. They treated it with IV antibiotics and tried lots of non-invasive things to clear her colon. But after 4 days and lots more pain the doctors operated and removed part of her colon and the blockage. A few years ago she spent 3 weeks in the hospital for respiratory issues and was diagnosed with COPD (emphazyma). Her damaged respiratory system did not recover fully after the surgery. Her blood pressure was extremely low for the first few days after the surgery and then her lungs started to fail and finally her heart failed.

At the beginning of last week, Ally and Becky went to visit Grandma Debbie and Poppy Dave and I went to NY to be with parents. I arrived the morning after the surgery and stayed until today when we came home. (I did leave for 18 hours to go back home and pick up Ally, Becky and Cloey.) in her last few hours of life my mom was able to see my brothers and my Aunt Martha, and she was able to talk and communicate. 

Telling Ally that her Grandma Barbie died was one of the most difficult parenting tasks yet. Ally had spent the night at my friend Michelle's house the night it happened so in the morning I told her when I went to pick her up. Every night since Ally has cried and had such a difficult time getting to sleep. 

The funeral was yesterday and relatives came from all over the country to honor my mom. I guess that is the silver lining or the bright side, Ally got to see lots of family she doesn't usually see. I took very few pictures. It just didn't seem right. I'm blogging about it because I know this will be a significant event in Ally's life. 

We put together a slide show of pictures from my mom's life and here are some:

My mom went with me to Guatemala to finalize Ally's adoption and bring her to the USA. This is a picture of them meeting.

So many fun times during our annual week to stay with her in Siesta Key. We joined her there for 9 of Ally's 10 years.

My favorite picture I found of my mom. 

The fun times with Aunt Martha. 

The picture above is Ally's favorite.

I love this one too.

My mom was an amazing grandma. She played games, baked, did crafts and read books to Ally and her cousins:

She even did puzzles (that she hated, but Ally loved).

Blowing bubbles

I told Ally to remember fun times and she said Disney World with Grandma Barbie, when we celebrated her 70th birthday.

My mom made sure to see Ally in her favorite activities, she attended a few of Ally's annual gymnastics shows and ballet recital

Ally missed her first two days of school this week to attend the funeral and travel back home. She was surprisingly alright with that. She needed the closure and time with family to mourn my mom, we all did. And we are all prepared for some hard times of missing her in the coming days, months and years.  

We all loved Grandma Barbie.