Jamie Joins us for Central Park Visit

Jamie has been wanting to visit Central Park for a while, so he left work early and made the trek with us. Kyler loved the bubble man and counting the turtles in the pond. Kyler found a ball in the grass and this is a great shot of Kyler playing catch with Daddy. Maybe I am biased, but isn't that an amazing throw???!!!

FAO Schwarz

After the Central Park Zoo we proceeded to walk back to midtown (our hotel) and stopped at FAO Schwarz. Kyler was BEYOND over tired at this point, but we ventured in anyway. I bought a little lovie for Baby Girl Hood as a souvenir but Kyler did not want to leave empty handed and made sure the entire store knew it. He cried for about 3 minutes and then passed out asleep.

Central Park

Aunt Jeanne took us to Central Park Zoo first. The animals were so happy; it was like the movie Madagascar. They seemed to love to perform and get cheers from the crowds. The goats loved to be fed and the sea lions loved to perform for cheers. I think the polar bear is actually posing for pictures.

Summer in the City!

After the memorial, we headed into New York City since Jamie had to stay the week for work. Aunt Jeanne met us in the city and Kyler got to go see all the sites and ride the subway (a.k.a "choo-choo") for the first time! He was blown away with seeing taxis for the first time, buses, and police cars everywhere you look! He waved continuously at them for days. Our hotel was mid town near Times Square, so he also got to see all the over-the-top lights around there and the show signs on Broadway/42nd St. Here are some of the major sites he got to see: World Trade Center and Twin Tower Memorial Preview site at Ground Zero (also my first time back since the tragedy), inside a real FDNY firehouse, Battery Park (with views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island), Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, City Hall, FAO Schwarz, Rockefeller Plaza, and Macy's just to name some. I didn't think I had the endurance at 7 months pregnant to walk up and down subway stairs (while carrying a stroller) and trek 10 miles a day, but I did great! It was so much fun!

Captain Kyler!

Here are some more pictures of us down on the Nautical Mile in Freeport, Long Island.

Dinner at Nautical Mile

Following the memorial some of us headed down to the Nautical Mile in Freeport, Long Island, just a few blocks from where the Ross homestead was located. The weather was gorgeous and even a bit on the chilly side. We took in the sites and posed next to some boats. Ginger & Tom, Tony, Charlie, Jenny, Teresa, Ray, Cecilia, Jamie, and Kyler ate on the patio at Otto's Restaurant located right on the dock. Kyler really enjoyed sitting by the water watching the boats go by and running around on the dock (of course, keeping us on our toes!). I just realized that this is the first time Kyler has touched the Atlantic Ocean!

Tom Ross Memorial in New York

My grandfather, Poppy, passed away in March, but we had a memorial for him in New York this past month. Over 130 people attended, most of whom were cousins and nieces/nephews of Poppy. A big thank you to Jeanne Ross, Jenny Truglio, Cathy Roth, Teresa Roth, and Brian Roth for setting up and organizing the event. It was wonderful seeing family members and friends of the family from back home in New York.
The pictures include: Memorial service, lunch buffet, Claire and Gus' Families, The Claires show NYPD & FDNY badges, Michael and Kyler sneak off to the school music room to play the drums and piano (glad our aunt is the principal or we could be in trouble for this!), Hood Family (Cecilia, Jamie, Kyler, and Baby Girl), Cecilia, Teresa, and Jenny in front of Poppy's pictures.