Coleman family visit

We had a great time this last weekend with Mike's parents (and sister) who came to visit us.  Madi, Grandpa Tom, and Grandma Carolyn went on a tour of the USS Intrepid in Manhattan.  After we had a nice picnic in Central Park.  We had a great weekend showing them all the things we love, and introducing them to a little Rock Band.

Madi's Ballet Performance

After a year of hard work, Madi was able to showcase some of her progress at her ballet recital.  She was so graceful, lovely, poised, and thrilled that her Grandparents from Kansas and Aunt from London happened to be in town and were able to see Madi perform.  Bravo Madi!

(she's the tall one on the far left)

Mother's Day!

Madi was such a thoughtful girl on Mother's Day...she (along with help from Mike) got me two bunches of flowers, helped out with Cy, and gave me a wonderful card with over a dozen coupons:  free massage, free cleaning of every room in the house, and free hugs to name a few.  She then recommended that Mike light some candles, turn on my favorite music and give me an hour long massage.  I'm sure he was thrilled with her suggestion, but he managed to give me a nice massage (minus the candles and music).  Watching 60 minutes seemed to help him get through the 60 minutes a little easier.  

Chicago

My girlfriend Hayden (who I competed against on The Amazing Race) gave birth to an adorable little girl, Kaiya five months ago.  I decided to fly out to Chicago to "help" her for 5 days...this was before Cy turned into a high energy trouble maker.  I'm afraid I didn't provide much help to her, but we did manage to have a great time exploring the city with our babies and reconnecting after 2 years of not seeing each other.  Hayden's big heart along with her high energy personality is the perfect combination for an interesting and exciting time...never a dull moment with that girl.  Thanks for hosting us (and thanks to her hubby Aaron for being our chef)!

Happiness

Last night I attended an interesting evening with some women at my church about finding happiness now.  This doesn't necessarily mean we should stop pursuing growth or stop dreaming, but rather enjoy the moment we are in and take control over our own happiness through choice and paradigm shifts.  This article and short video back up the notion that happiness doesn't mean a smooth sailing life, but is more complex and involves love, struggles, and forgiveness.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200906/happiness

Dreamy Boy

The other day I was searching through the hosue, but couldn't find Cy anywhere.  Usually when he's this quite, he's playing with the toilet or has snuck into Madi's room to rummage through her jewelry.  I finally heard some baby talk after looking everywhere.  He was in the corner and had managed to get himself up on the chair and was reading his favorite book "It Could Have Been Worse".  He is definitely a book boy, just like his Dad and sister.  I never have to pack toys for him when we go out or travel, he is much better off with a diaper bag full of books!

Sunny Central Park

A couple weeks ago we had the most beautiful Saturday weather, so we decided to hang out at Central Park with the kids.  The place was packed due to the fact that it was one of the first good weekends after a miserably long winter, but we had so much fun together and Cy loved using his trike (which puts him eye to eye with all the dogs).

Iceland BABY

There aren't a lot of women with children who would enthusiastically say "YES" to leaving the country (with only 2 weeks notice) to explore a new land.  Lucky for me, my friend Rachel was up for the adventure and accompanied me to Iceland (using free tickets I had).  We packed up our babes and took off with no real itinerary other than to explore the southwestern part of the island.  I had such a great time seeing this beautiful country, eating delicious pastries, watching Rachel sleep in a hostel with a shared bathroom (heehee, sorry about that one), and soaking it up in the geothermal pools at the famous Blue Lagoon.  Other than getting our car stuck in gravel in the middle of nowhere, to which Rachel used her She-Ra skills to push us out, the trip was a success.  I'm a big believer in taking advantage of opportunities that come your way, and am glad I found a travel buddy who was up for it.

Spring Break 2009

We took a short little trip to Salt Lake City for our Spring Break this year.  Madi "needed" to spend time with her friend, so I decided to let her do what she wanted this year and not schedule too much.  

Cy and I had a great time hanging out with Anne and Christopher's family along with my parents.  I did manage to get a little R&R  with Gillian at our favorite spa and restaurant, The Kura Door and Zinn Bistro.  Other than a little girls day, it seems no matter how I keep reminding myself to spend vacation time going on a legitimate trip; with hotels, pools, sun, ocean, shopping, etc. I find it just too hard to resist the opportunity for the kids to connect with family.  I'm hoping one day we can reconcile this issue, but I only see a couple options: #1- Upgrade to a $2m home here to lure family to visit more often  OR  #2 - Move back to the west and get the same home for $500k.  hmmmmm

Thinking he's pretty cool at the airport

Sunday morning session of General Conference

The quadruplets

Madi and the cousins

Grandma Pia and Cy

The Kettler: A serious ride

One of Mike's best friends, Pete, is in the toy industry.  As you can imagine this has had its perks...especially this past month.  Not only did Pete hook us up with a huge set of his own toy line (Mighty World), he also managed to work out some deals with other toy manufacturers.  As a result, Cy is in toy heaven (and so are mom and dad who don't have to buy anything for a few years).  The latest edition is the Kettler Air Navigator.  This baby has everything you could imagine: a handle bar for pushing, a basket, seatbelt, bell, adjustable seat, foot rest, rubber tires, ergonomic seat, adjusting rear wheels.  I'm wondering if they have it in my size.

Last Night With Holly

My friend Holly moved last weekend, but not before one last girls night out.  She is one of the sweetest and most talented people I know, and will be greatly missed here.  I'll certainly miss her beautiful voice and basketball skills.  Adios baby!

The Amazing Race (and girls)

It was my little sisters birthday yesterday, and I couldn't help but reflect on all the memories we shared together competing on the Amazing Race. Here's a slide show of our highlights.

Cy admiring himself

Papa Lee Visits

My Dad was on the East coast for business and decided to visit us over the weekend on his way home. We had so much fun showing him our life in Westchester including Madi's school and dance studio, and hanging out in Manhattan. Madi and Papa Lee went to Mary Poppins together while Mike and I shopped around the West Village. Papa Lee took advantage of being in NYC and stuffed himself with hot dogs every couple of hours.

 

Cy's Progress

When my Mom asked me the other day if Cy is walking, I realized how much I've been neglecting downloading current videos of Cy's progress. He has been able to walk for a while, but lacked the drive to go more than a few steps. This past week he has finally gained the confidence to go for it. Here are some videos you might like to see of your grand baby (almost 14 months old)!

Rock Band with Good Friends

Living in such a crazy economy here in New York, it's nice to see even our Wall Street friends can cut loose and rock out, even if they are still wearing half their suit and blackberry holsters. Nice touch Dan!