the great big city of fruit...

or so ella has named the "big apple"...otherwise known as NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!

we just returned from a girl's trip to NYC...that centered around taking my first born to see "the little mermaid" on broadway! watching ella's eyes light up was worth the trip in itself...but seeing all the christmas decorations and feeling the hustle & bustle of the holidays was fabulous too!

we left sunday morning on the luxury "bolt" bus...bundled so heavily that none of our arms really worked!!!! we looked like three black marshmallows...with a tiny pink marshmallow on top! we stopped by the hotel to check in and we were off to explore before we headed to the theater for the main event! ella was so afraid that we were going to miss it...& she was thankful to get out of the cold...she spent lots of time underneath her fleece blanket!

she LOVED the musical! when mom, brooke, & i were in NY in june...i bought the "mermaid" CD for the girls...so ella had pretty much memorized every song...her favorite being "she's in love" that the guppy, flounder, sings!!!!! her eyes were brighter than the stage lights...she was mesmerized!!!! honey bought her a "clam purse" & she was set...& then came the bonus! we waited outside for the cast members to come out so that we could meet them...needless to say, they fell in love with ella just as much as she loved them!!!!! flounder, a little 11 year old boy, was flirting with her and asked her if she wanted a hug...ella was smiling so big (she was NOT smiling about the flirting...i'm sure of it...i think)! then came sebastian, one of the eels, scuttle, & then the biggie - ariel!!!!! we were all so excited for ella...the experience was perfect - with only a minimal amount of squirming!!!!!!!!!!

it was extremely cold...but we made our way over to rockefellar center to see if the tree was lit...it's not...but it was great fun to see radio city music hall & their big tree! after a quick bite to eat, we waddled our way back to the hotel to warm up and catch some zzzzzz's! as you can imagine, being in a hotel with lots of snacks is really fun for a 4 1/2 year old little girl!

on monday morning, we hit the ground running because we only had a little amount of time to get a lot accomplished! our first stop of the day was F.A.O. schwartz! we decided we were going to let ella spend as much time as she wanted in there...and as she said on the way home - "there were 50 rooms!!!!" she was like a kid in a huge toy store...oh wait, she was a kid in a huge toy store!!!! we all had a blast! you don't have to be a child to have fun...ella bounced from baby dolls, to dress up shoes, to books, to the big piano, to barbie dolls, to candy, & back to baby dolls! we will be introducing some new members of our family in the not so distant future!!!! we stayed for about 2 hours and then headed out to look at the store windows...the christmas displays are amazing!!!!!!

our last stop on the "kid in NYC" train was the "american girl" store...we went in with the idea that we were just going to make a wish list...and we came out with yet another member of the price family! we needed to weight ella down because she was flying high!

after a quick bite to eat, we taxied to the train station and headed back to D.C.! ella made friends with two little 13 year old girls that she ended up sitting with and playing hide & seek with...they promised to be her "pen pals" & made the end of her trip amazing!


i will never forget this trip with my little girl. i have dreamed my whole life of making these types of memories with my children...i can't wait to do the same thing with madeline...

as ella and i sat together on the train ride home, i watched her knowing that i would always remember "our first trip to new york"...i would always remember her face & her excitement...i will always remember how much i love her (& maddie)...

i will always cherish the blessing of being their mommy.

my sweet ella,

thank you so much for making this trip one that i will never forget. your incredible spirit & zest for life are just a couple of the reasons that make you one of the most special little people i know...& i get the privilege of being your mommy. i hope you feel how loved you are...whether you are on the streets of new york or just coloring at home. you are one amazing little girl and i love you more than these words can possibly convey...

i look forward to many more "big girl" trips...and watching you smile...

you are one in a million!

mommy