Happy 30th Birthday was quite the understatement this year! The celebration began with a lovely dinner out with Lana, Stephanie, and Amy at the Melting Pot the day before my birthday. We then had a fun family day at home decorating the house with Christmas decorations and enjoying a dinner at home, cooked by Karl, with my brother, John, and Oma. After that it was my big surprise trip to NYC! This was definitely a birthday to remember!
Early morning flight to NYC...yawn!
Central Park
Rockefeller Center
View of Times Square from just outside our hotel
Times Square
On the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Our hotel - Doubletree Suites Times Square
Radio City Music Hall - Getting ready to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular
Rockefeller Center tree at night
Part of the Saks holiday window display
Ball is ready to be dropped on New Years
Kyle's first candy cane of the season
Reading Christmas books with Daddy
Pp week...playdoh, counting and placing Cheerios onto dry spaghetti noodles stuck in playdoh
Painting an ornament at the pottery store with Alex
Pp week - Penny counting and drop
Sorting pennies and other coins 
more Cheerios and playdoh...Kyle loved this
Pouring Christmas colored sand into a jelly jar
Eating candy canes and cookies before watching Polar Express
Enjoying the tree together
Holding Mommy's hand during the movie
Few more sips of hot chocolate
Crushing candy canes to make candy cane cookies
Sifting sugar
The finished cookies...was originally all done after this but baked many more a couple days later.
Telling Santa he wants Barney and socks for Christmas
Making craft stick Christmas tree
Getting the cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer ready on Christmas Eve
Santa arrived and left all these presents!
Kyle originally didn't want to go downstairs on Christmas morning...
Went straight for the hopper ball we got in Germany this summer
Checking to see if Santa ate the cookies and drank the milk
And the opening of presents began!
Construction vehicle magnets
Kyle wanted to play with each toy after he opened it up. This made for a long day of gift opening.
Spelling puzzle
Remote control train
Barney book
"laptop"...he was so excited to have his own computer
playdoh and accessories
Personal training
slippers
tinker toys
playing with the tinker toys
a favorite from the library, "If You Were My Bunny," is now a part of our home collection
dinosaur floor puzzle from Uncle Jacob, Aunt Sara, Keely, and Jordan
stamp set from Oma 
Lincoln Logs from granny
A collection of most of Kyle's Christmas gifts
Our hotel - Doubletree Suites Times Square
Radio City Music Hall - Getting ready to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular
Rockefeller Center tree at night
Part of the Saks holiday window display
Ball is ready to be dropped on New Years
Kyle's first candy cane of the season
Reading Christmas books with Daddy
Pp week...playdoh, counting and placing Cheerios onto dry spaghetti noodles stuck in playdoh
Painting an ornament at the pottery store with Alex
Pp week - Penny counting and drop
Sorting pennies and other coins 
more Cheerios and playdoh...Kyle loved this
Pouring Christmas colored sand into a jelly jar
Eating candy canes and cookies before watching Polar Express
Enjoying the tree together
Holding Mommy's hand during the movie
Few more sips of hot chocolate
Crushing candy canes to make candy cane cookies
Sifting sugar
The finished cookies...was originally all done after this but baked many more a couple days later.
Telling Santa he wants Barney and socks for Christmas
Making craft stick Christmas tree
Getting the cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer ready on Christmas Eve
Santa arrived and left all these presents!
Kyle originally didn't want to go downstairs on Christmas morning...
Went straight for the hopper ball we got in Germany this summer
Checking to see if Santa ate the cookies and drank the milk
And the opening of presents began!
Construction vehicle magnets
Kyle wanted to play with each toy after he opened it up. This made for a long day of gift opening.
Spelling puzzle
Remote control train
Barney book
"laptop"...he was so excited to have his own computer
playdoh and accessories
Personal training
slippers
tinker toys
playing with the tinker toys
a favorite from the library, "If You Were My Bunny," is now a part of our home collection
dinosaur floor puzzle from Uncle Jacob, Aunt Sara, Keely, and Jordan
stamp set from Oma 
Lincoln Logs from granny
A collection of most of Kyle's Christmas gifts
