Madi Graduates

This morning was Madison's moving up ceremony.  She is officially a High Schooler and is finally finished at her Middle School which she has been going to since 5th grade!  She's been on the honor roll, played a part in every school play and concert, sang solo's, had her artwork displayed, became a ballerina, and is becoming such a lovely girl.  

First Day of 5th Grade

8th Grade Graduate

Celebrating with Crepes

Birthday

This year was a bittersweet birthday since we are moving over the summer.  A group of my girlfriends here in New York threw a wonderful birthday/farewell luncheon for me.  Later in the evening, Mike and I went into the city to see the Broadway musical Everyday Rapture and ate dinner at one of our favorite restaurants Giovannis.

Willy Wonka

This year Madison played Violet Beauregarde in her Middle School production of Willy Wonka. It was a lovely night as several of the Young Women from our church came to support her. Great job Madi!

Cy's Brothers

A couple of my girlfriends and I alternate houses hosting a day of play each week for our energetic toddlers. This gives us a chance to run errands, play, shop, sleep, or do whatever our hearts desire. Since the boys nap, it usually ends up being a full 5 hours off (or on when it's my week to host). I highly recommend this to anyone who doesn't have the luxury of family close by. They have become so close, and Cy loves my friends like Aunts.

Have you ever seen a haircut on a kid that was so ugly, it was actually cute?  This is how I feel about Cy's bowl cut/toupee look.  Mike wants to buzz it and thinks it's horrible.  Cy was so difficult and wouldn't let me shape it, but it makes me happy and gives me a laugh.  Is this child abuse?

ROME

It's a long story, but I had an international ticket I needed to use and decided to take a 3 day trip to Rome since I had never been. The weather was perfect, the food was to die for, and the enriching and educational experience was as phenomenal as I could have dreamed.

St. Peter's Basilica

Massive columns at the Vatican

In front of St. Peter's at the Vatican

The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

The Colosseum and Arch of Constantine

Inside the Colosseum

National Museum of Castel Sant' Angelo

Trevi Fountain

Spanish Steps

My room at the Convent

My breakfast and lunch....Gelato!

Anniversary

Mike and I have officially been married for 5 years! Neither of us are sentimental, which was a good thing because we both woke up forgetting what day it was. Lucky for us, Mike's parents were in town so they watched the kids while Mike and I headed into the city for dinner with my sister and her boyfriend. We had a great night jumping around 3 different places in SOHO and catching up with Lena.

Thomas The Tank Engine

To say that Cy loves Thomas The Train would be an understatement. Whether it's naming the trains that Dad and Madi take everyday to work and ballet, or pretending his blocks are trains, Thomas is a big part of our lives. Here's a cute video of Cy naming all the trains from his favorite show. I love seeing how his little lips look when trying to pronounce new words, too cute.

The Coleman Family 2010

Last week our family had some photos taken by our friend Elisa. After showing up late which resulted in unfavorable lighting, along with Cy being a holy terror and me feeling horrible after gaining 10 lbs. this month in order to try and have more babies (TMI?), Elisa somehow managed to get a few nice pictures out of what should have been a disaster.

I have to say kudos to her for pulling things together on a very off day for us!

Mother & Child NY Premiere

Every year Mike and I used to get our "fix" of celebrity encounters, parties, movie premieres, swag houses and dancing from attending the Sundance Film Festival. This year we missed it, and other than our travels, life has been a little more suburban and mundane. Even my blog has turned into something I used to make fun of....pictures of the typical family life, amusing to only those who are closest to us. While I embrace my newly found simple (or should I say unamusing) life, it's still nice to shake things up and party like we used to.

We finally had a little action last night thanks to Mike's friend and partner of their never ending movie Foxcatcher. Tom went to Columbia with Mike and has produced some amazing movies including Precious and most recently Mother and Child starring Naomi Watts, Samuel L. Jackson and Annette Bening. He invited us to the NYC Premiere and after party which included the cast as well as Ed Norton, Alan Rickman, Kerry Washington, Robert Duvall and a surprise solo from Alicia Keys. Here's a little peak of a video Mike took so we could prove to Madi we "hung" with Alicia Keys.

Photo Shoot

Our family attempted a photo shoot today with a friend who is a photographer. I say attempt because Cy was an absolute pill...running off, crying, sticking his tongue out, and not cooperating on any level. I suppose I was ignorant to think I could negotiate with a 2 year old boy! Here are some outtakes I took of Madi.

27 months old

Whenever someone asks me how old Cy is, I usually reply with 2 years. This almost always is followed up with some annoyance and the follow up question "how many months?" I wonder if this phenomena occurs everywhere in the U.S. or just New York. When can I stop counting months? Anyway, here is my little boyfriend at 27 months.

Easter

We had a lovely time this year playing outside in the beautiful weather, watching General Conference and eating wonderful food with friends who have become our little family our here in New York. Unfortunately I lost my camera and had to use an old backup. As a result our pictures were horrible, and I wasn't able to capture Madison and Cy together in a good Easter shot. Maybe this is a good excuse to buy a new one!

Madison trying to lure Cy in with Easter candy....it didn't work

The Schmidt, Roddy and Coleman kids...all so cute, kind and fun

An Easter nest snack Madison and I made

Old Friends

One of Mike's old friends Dave (as in friends for a long time, not OLD) was in town on business and brought his family with him. We went with the Barnes' to eat Chinese in Chinatown, and hang out in Central Park. It's amazing how much the kids have grown since I first met them back in the Lake Powell houseboat days!