Category Archives: USA

Home sweet home. :)

Autumn in Kentucky

Conrad and I made a last minute trip to Kentucky to see my parents and grandparents.  We got to enjoy Kentucky in the fall (think pumpkin patches and hay bail pits) and spend some good time with family!

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Mumsie airport pick up!

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Playing ball with Papaw!

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This city baby is enjoying some grass!

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Conrad and Great’s favorite activity:  looking at the clock!

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Cracker Barrel with Great and Papaw

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I think this picture is SO sweet.  Conrad and I are wearing them out…

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Trying on Great’s shades!

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Great makes a fabulous footrest!

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Mumsie took us to Gallrein Farms!  Learning about Kentucky’s natural resources

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Conrad with our pumpkins!

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Including a Conrad sized pumpkin 🙂

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Playing in the hay with Mumsie

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Enjoying the playground at Clear Creek Park.  It has definitely gotten an upgrade since Mama was little!

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Heading to Our Best (amazing southern restaurant) with Mumsie and Grandaddy

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Wheels up! What a fabulous trip to KY! 🙂

A little extra Florida time…

John is from Orlando originally, so after our delightful Disney holiday we decided to stick around for a few days and visit with old friends.  I didn’t snap nearly as many photos as I should have–but here are a few highlights!

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Conrad and Conner (son of dear friends Mandy and David from college) exchange a handshake as they meet for the first time!

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Baby’s First Ski Boat!  On the water with the Mitchells.

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Thumb in mouth.  Awesome.

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This boy LOVES the water!

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Taking in the beautiful FL sunrise with Ms. Bonnie!

We had such a lovely time seeing everyone!  Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell for your hospitality.  It was wonderful to spend some time with you.  To all our FL friends–see you next time!  🙂

A Trip to the Most Magical Place on Earth: Disney World (Orlando, FL)!

After a lovely visit with John’s Grandad, Steve and Lindsey, and Caroline and her kiddos we were off to Disney World to meet Mumsie and Grandaddy!  Mumsie and Grandaddy graciously gifted us this trip last Christmas and we had been looking forward to it for months!

We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter.  Our first night, we took a quick swim then took the ferry to Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) for dinner.  I forgot to take pictures of our ferry ride and dinner!  #momfail

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All decked out in “1st Visit” and Mardi Gras gear!

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Sweet water slide!

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Conrad is living his best life:  in the pool with Dada at Disney World!

Our first morning, we enjoyed the Character Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian.  Because we had a specific reservation time, we opted to take a Minnie Van (Lyft, but operated by Disney) to get there on time.  The Minnie Van came with a car seat, which was installed by a properly trained driver and cost $25, which we thought was a great deal for 5 people, including a toddler in a car seat.

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Minnie Van!

The character breakfast at 1900 Park Fare was wonderful.  Conrad loved some characters (Winnie the Pooh and Tigger) and wasn’t so sure about others (I’m looking at you, Mad Hatter).

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Not of fan of the Mad Hatter’s antics

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Pooh kisses!

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Tigger!

After the character breakfast, we hopped the monorail and headed to EPCOT Center!

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Baby’s First Disney Park!

Once in the park, we made our way to Imagination, which would be Conrad’s first Disney ride!  The ride hasn’t changed at all since John and I were little 🙂

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Baby’s First Disney Ride!

After the ride, we decided to check out the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, sampling cuisine and drink from all over the world.  This was certainly a hit with this crew!

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Mumsie and Grandaddy

Later, we checked out some of the other attractions EPCOT has to offer.

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Conrad’s first 3D show

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Trying to spot Nemo!

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Food and Wine Festival

The next day, we ventured to Animal Kingdom.  Our first stop was Pandora, to see the world of Avatar come alive!

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Ready to rock in Pandora

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Kilimanjaro Safaris

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Beautiful Savannah in central Florida.  Brought to you by Disney!

There are a ton of lunch options in Animal Kingdom, but we decided on Yak & Yeti which is close to Everest.  They specialize in Pan-Asian cuisine and it was delicious.  Plus, it was nice cool place to sit and rest on a hot day!

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Lunch oasis

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Posing in front of the Tree of Life

After a full day at Animal Kingdom, we returned to the hotel to dine al fresco and watch the University of Louisville football game!  Conrad was very into the grilled cheese.

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Go Cards!  It did not end well…

Our final full day at Disney, we went to the MAGIC KINGDOM!  We saved this day for last and I think it was the day the four adults were most excited about.  Conrad did not disappoint–he seemed to have such a great time.  And, so did the rest of us!

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Main Street, USA and Cinderella’s Castle 

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Waiting in line has changed since I was little–playing some bongos while waiting for Winnie the Pooh

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DUMBO!!!!!

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Holy grail of toddlerhood at Disney…

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The carousel.  One of his favorites.

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It’s a Small World with Mumsie and Grandaddy!

When we came out of It’s a Small World, we were met with another Florida tradition–the afternoon deluge!

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We got wet…

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Happy Boy with Happy Grandparents!

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All five of us 🙂

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The classic…

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He felt at home, so he decided to take a nap 😉

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Conrad LOVED the Country Bear Jamboree

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Cruising through the Jungle with Mumsie

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Mickey Ice Cream!

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So good, he’s saving some for later

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Mickey Beignet

We ended our Disney Holiday with the quintessential new Orleans treat (since our hotel was New Orleans themed) shaped like the Mouse himself.

Thank you, Mumsie and Grandaddy for such an amazing Disney adventure!  I don’t know who had more fun–Conrad for the adults.  Already dreaming of our next time together at Disney. 🙂

Quality Family Time in Tallahassee

On our way to Disney for the annual Wallace family vacation, we decided to stop in Tallahassee and pay John’s Grandaddy a visit!  Caroline and her kids were stateside from Japan so they drove over from North Carolina and Steve and Lindsey drove up from Miami for the occasion.  There was quite a crowd!

We had a great time visiting Grandaddy and visiting with each other!  Below is a photo documentation of our trip.  Can’t wait to see everyone again.  And next time, hopefully Lucy, Jeremiah, and Matt can join!  🙂

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Flights are the perfect time to get in some quality reading

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This lady is AMAZING!  Not only did she fly from Japan to the USA alone with 4 kids, she road tripped from NC to FL with them!  Super Woman!

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I found this gem on Grandaddy’s refrigerator. I see SO MUCH CONRAD in baby John! Miss his sweet Mom…

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Playground at the Mall

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All 5 kids (plus John) are in this photo.  Bonus points if you can find Silas!

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Big Family Dinner at Olive Garden!

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Someone ate an ENTIRE children’s portion of spaghetti and meatballs…

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The hotel had a pool so of course we took advantage.

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I really love how much is going on here…

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Chloe was a bit under the weather and about to take a long car journey, so the boys improvised a solution!

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Worn out–not used to so much quality cousin time!

Wallaces Unite: Megan and Patty’s Wedding!

The first weekend of August we headed down the Acela Corridor to Washington DC (actually Arlington, VA) where Patrick and Megan tied the knot!  Disclaimer:  these are all photos that I (or my family) took.  Such an amazing weekend–welcome to the family, Megan!  🙂

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Babycinno before the train ride.

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Wedding Rehearsal

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Rehearsal Dinner:  Embracing the Wallace Plaid

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Roasting–I mean TOASTING–my baby bro!

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Family Photo with the Groom

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It’s Wedding Day!  Prepping for Photos…

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Our little kilted lad…

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Love my sweet boy!

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Family Photo!  Bridesmaid, Ring Bearer, and Groomsman

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Hanging out during cocktail hour…

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Couldn’t resist…

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With the newlyweds!

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First Dance!

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Head Table

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Selfie time with Great and Papaw!

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Father/Daughter Dance

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Mother/Son Dance

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Dance Floor Vibes!

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Toddler Train Strategy: block him in!

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Unexpected surprise:  Uncle John got stuck at the Philly Airport!  Grabbed a quick bite with him on our way home!  🙂

Dallas, TX 2018

Our boys were traveling so Katie and I decided we (and our kiddos) needed to spend some quality time together!  So, Conrad and I boarded a plane to Dallas to hang out with our sweet friends!

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When flying alone with a baby, this is a win!

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First stop:  Dallas Zoo!  Finn is checking out the lion.  Conrad is checking out Finn.  

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Conrad LOVES giraffes.  Feeding them was a dream come true…when he wasn’t afraid of them!

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Katie, Finn, (and sweet baby on the way) waiting to feed the giraffe

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Water Table!

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Taking an afternoon drink break…

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Backyard sprinkler playtime!

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Dallas World Aquarium (so thankful to be inside on such a HOT day)!

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Delicious Arepas for lunch!  Complete with plantains…yum!!!!

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Finn and Conrad at the splash pad.

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Conrad is totally living his best life.  This boy LOVES water!

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Oh hey, Hattie!  Such a patient, sweet dog.

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On our way home, we got stuck in Birmingham…

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Hour Six into our flight delay…

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We ended up having to get a hotel overnight.  We tried again in the morning and made it back to Philadelphia!

Thank you, Katie and Finn for such an amazing time!  We love you all and can’t wait for our next adventure!!!

Conrad’s First Birthday!

On 29 April, our little boy turned 1!  On that exact day, we were on a plane bound for Japan.  So, the day before we threw him a first birthday party!  We were blessed to have about 50 friends and family members show up to celebrate with us.

I cannot say “thank you” enough to the people who made the trip!  In attendance we had many friends from Philadelphia, KY, DC, and New Jersey.  I know it took a lot of effort for everyone to be there for our celebration:  THANK YOU!!!!!

Here a few photos from his party!  I wish we had taken a few more with the people in attendance, but here are TONS of Conrad.  Enjoy 🙂

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Ready for the birthday boy!

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Mumsie, Grandaddy, and Uncle Patty

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Conrad’s Birthday Cake! Lemon Chiffon Cake. I made it myself 🙂

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Miss (almost Aunt) Megan, Uncle Patty, Mumsie, and the Birthday Boy!

 

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General view of the party ambiance

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With Grandaddy!

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We made it a year!

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“They said something cool was going to happen when I sat in this chair”

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“Oh my!  What is that?!?”

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“I’m loving the singing!”

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“Why are they cheering?!?!?!”

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Carefully checking it out

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“I’m going in!”

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“It’s good, Mama!”

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Conrad’s round of applause

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Mumsie, Aunt Megan, and Mama

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Mumsie and Grandaddy

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The baby is asleep (sugar coma)–Mama and Dad post party!

 

Tallahassee to Meet Great Grandaddy!

John’s Grandaddy (Conrad’s Great Grandaddy) lives in Tallahassee and hasn’t been able to make it up to see his new great grandson.  So, we decided to make this happen before Conrad’s first birthday!  We flew down to Florida and met Steve and Lindsey who drove up from Miami to spend some time with Grandaddy!

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This kid loves airplanes.  So glad that he does!

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Cannon/Candeto family tradition:  Barnaby’s!  They give kids pizza dough to play with while they wait for their dinner.

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Blurry shot…but a good memory 🙂

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Conrad and Dada going for a ride on the stair chair thing

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Hi Grandaddy!

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We love Uncle Scoob!

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Maclay Gardens

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Love this lady!

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Soooo gorgeous

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My favorite picture of these two…

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Traveling parent happy place…

Fly Eagles Fly: Super Bowl Win Philly Style!

What a fantastic time to live in Philadelphia!  The Eagles won the Super Bowl this year and we got to be in the middle of all of the celebrating!

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Watching the NFC championship at the bar at the Ritz 🙂

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The Eagles are going to the Super Bowl!!!

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We were fortunate to attend the Super Bowl viewing party at the Union League.  This was the selection of cupcakes!

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EAGLES WIN!!!!  WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA?!?!?!

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Celebrating in the streets with thousands of our closest friends!

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Broad Street was packed

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The city greased the light poles to prevent revelers from scaling them.

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#fail

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Fireworks in the street!  With literal fire and bottles flying, we decided it was time to head home.

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People on top of the news stand by our apartment entrance

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View from our apartment at 1am

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The police clearing the street at around 2am…

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The next morning–the Eagle at Macy’s chomping on a Patriots jersey

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In Philly, even the donuts trash talk! #creamedboston

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Preparing for the Super Bowl victory parade!

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Mumsie was in town!  🙂

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Here come the Champions!

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Fly Eagles Fly!

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There they go!

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Go Eagles!  Such a fun time to live in Philly…and on Broad Street!  🙂

A Night in NYC: January 2018

There are a lot of great things about Philadelphia–but one of the best is it’s proximity to NYC.  We can get there in two hours or less on the train or bus making it an easy weekend escape.  This is exactly what we did!

Unfortunately, I came down with something that evening and spent most of the night in bed at the hotel.  John and Conrad mainly played with hotel keys and explored the hotel.  But, we still managed to have a little bit of fun!

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On the bus–ready for our weekend adventure!

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The bus dropped us on one end of The High Line–our hotel was at the other.  It was a great opportunity to check out this cool NYC attraction!

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Beautiful NYC Day!

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Sleepy Conrad–all bundled up for his nap!

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Conrad at the Conrad playing with his favorite toy:  a hotel key.

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Emily and John came to our hotel to see us!

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Subway/Mall at the World Trade Center.  VERY impressive!

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Catching the subway back to the bus!

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Our city boy loves exploring!

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Worn out from his NYC adventure!