Love in the Big Apple

Ben has been so swamped at work for the last several months and has been traveling weekly since Christmas, so when his boss suggested that Belle and I accompany him to NYC for the Valentines weekend, we quickly booked our tickets.

Our flight left at 7:05am so we were up and ready long before the sun. Belle always wakes up happy on travel days and was so excited to get dressed and head for the airport while it was still dark. We had a quick and easy flight to Newark and were greeted with a car service who dropped us off in Midtown Manhattan before noon. Our hotel was not quite ready for us, so we checked our bags and hit the streets. We were located in a great part of the city, 6th Avenue and 54th Street, so we were only one city block from Times Square one direction and 5th Avenue shopping the other. Just 5 blocks north was Central Park and the infamous FAO Schwartz and a few blocks north of that is the M&F offices where Ben spends most of his time. After a quick lunch at the Trump Tower, we decided we would spend our first few hours at the toy store and found ourselves back to the store more than once during our stay.



Belle was in awe of all three stories of fun and was able to paint in the craft area and happened to be on time for the story hour. She immediately picked out a dog to bring home and after a few days of begging, she once again adopted a new friend. We also enjoyed the yummy section called FAO Schweetz where I actually made a few purchases for Ben and myself.

Once our room was ready, we checked into our hotel and ate a quick dinner in the lounge before calling it an early night. After a long day of travel, Belle was exhausted and Ben and I were happy to let her sleep it off while he and I relaxed watching a Pay-Per-View movie. Morning came quickly and we were once again ready to hit the streets.

We started our Valentines Day on 5th Avenue where we drooled over all of the sparkling gems at Tiffany's New York before taking a carriage ride through Central Park. Isabelle was so excited to cuddle up and take a horse ride and although we were approached by members of PETA with signs telling us we were abusing the animals, we had a wonderful time seeing the park. Afterwards, we ate dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner in Times Square, where all of the waiters are from Broadway shows and sing and dance while they serve. Strangely enough, we recognized our waiter and after talking with him, discovered he was also a BYU Grad and we had actually been to one of his performances before in West Yellowstone. What a small world! We finished the night at "30 Rock" where we enjoyed very hot chocolate at the NBC studios. While we were trying to get Isabelle strapped back into the stroller, people started lining up behind us. I finally asked what they were waiting for and they told us that we were actually first in line for the taping of SNL. Obviously, we (mostly Belle) were not up for a late night of fun, so we gave up our accidental place in line and headed back to the hotel, tired and cold from a great holiday.



When Belle woke up much earlier than we wished, Ben decided to let me sleep in and he and Belle bundled up over their PJ's and enjoyed some yummy pancakes from a nearby shoppe. Once we were all dressed and ready for the day we headed north and walked about 20 blocks through Central Park to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. Belle and Ben shared a hotdog from a vendor on the way and we saw most of the sights in the park as well as a million people walking dogs.

I was definitely the most excited to attend the museum and once we arrived I quickly grabbed a map and plotted a plan to make sure we saw all of the paintings I hoped to see. My favorite exhibit was the European Impressionist section where we saw painting from the likes of Renoir, Monet, Degas, Van Gogh, Cezanne, etc. Ben preferred the Modern Art with pieces from Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, etc. Belle preferred anything with animals in it and said "there are a lot of nuders in here!" After a long day, and temps in the low 30's, we decided to grab a cab on the way home and ate a very NYC meal of Ray's Pizza in our room.

One our final day in the city, we decided that it was due time for a little shopping. Of course with the Empire State Building just a block or so from Macy's New York, we first rode the elevator 80+ stories and quickly viewed the city from the most romantic place in the city. It was so cold at the top that our visit was short stayed before we hit the 8 stories of Macys. After realizing we would never be able to shop the entire store in one day, we bundled up and walked home through Times Square. At nearly 8:00pm with 38 degree weather and no nap, Belle was still not ready to go back to the hotel when Ben and I finally peeled her away from the noise.



We were able to grab a bagel from our favorite spot, Ruppert's Hello Deli next to the Ed Sullivan Theatre before we took a long and uneventful 4:30 hour plane ride home. I think Belle and I are finally now thawing out and were so glad to come home to near 80 degree weather in South Texas. We were so cold the entire time we were in the city and all three of us had a cold with earaches, runny noses and sore throats over our break. Ben and I both really enjoy NYC and the madness that goes with it and I think we have now created another major fan with Belle. The bussier the better for her! While watching Sesame Street this week at home, she shouted out "Look mom, NYC!" We really have been blessed with a wonderful little traveler and we wouldn't be able to take and enjoy so many trips if she wasn't so pleasant to travel with. She is already pushing for a trip to Houston to go see her Grammie and Grandpa and since Ben's break is over, he will be back in NYC on Monday, we may just point our car in that direction.

Let's Rodeo San Antonio!

The San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo has become a Cosby tradition. We knew that with Belle's love of all things "cowboy" we would certainly not want to miss it this year so, last Friday we spent a fun night riding horses, eating food, watching the professional rodeo and listening to good music!

Isabelle loved all of the animals and was only disappointed that the pony she rode was not a "jumping horse" like the ones she saw the real cowboys riding. We were able to meet up with our friends ( and Belle's babysitters ) the Hubert family as well as the King's and Hampton's and also visited with some of Ben's colleagues and friends from work. Belle was dry in her panties all day long, so she convinced her dad to buy her a glowing necklace with a giant horse on the end during the event! It was pretty much hog heaven for a two year old.

The concert following the rodeo was Gary Allan whom I adore. Ben was kind enough to see Gary once again and although he doesn't share the same affection for him or his music, after a decade he can sing along to most of his songs. Gary once told me himself that he didn't think anyone but me and his mother owned all his albums and since then he has released two more! I was totally thrilled to see and hear him again although I was a little shocked to see that he had aged some. It was weird to see him a little more mature and possibly even slightly gray! He's only 41!
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Belle was awesome even many hours after her bedtime. She was sleepy bet held on until she could see Gary Allan herself before she finally fell asleep in her chair. We got home at nearly midnight and we are all still trying to recover from our missed sleep. It was a great honky-tonk night

Sew much fun!

Isabelle idolizes her Grammie. She can barely maintain herself when she knows she is coming to visit and she asks a million times a day WHEN will she get here? Last week I came down with a weird stomach bug and was sick all day and up all night Monday night. As luck would have it, Ben left for California Monday morning and was not planning a return trip until the following weekend. Thank goodness, Grandma came to Belle's rescue and by Tuesday afternoon her favorite playmate was in San Antonio and chasing her around the house.

I had bought some fabric hoping my mom would help me with a project and so when the opportunity arose, she brought her serger and went to town. Belle loved learning to sew with her Grammie and my mom took her time and let Jelly sew sitting on her lap. Belle even picked out some of her own fabric, pink with castles, crowns and princesses on it, and they sewed a tablecloth for her play kitchen and a blanket for her Molly dog to sleep with. With a lot of help, my mom was able to turn my idea into a reality and finished a new duvet cover for my bed!

My mom is a wonderful seamstress and Belle is often the lucky lady wearing many of her creations. Her sister, Grammie Gloria, sent Belle the cutest little handmade ribbon dress for Christmas. She has 3 little grand daughters of her own and saw a similar dress in a boutique in Arizona and decided to make some herself. We thought is was so cute and fun and so my mom sewed Belle another one for Valentines Day. Somehow I missed the sew-creative talent gene in my family but Belle and I are constantly benefiting from the masterpieces of my mom, Aunt, sisters and cousins.

Fortunately, I have since gotten over my bug and Ben came home (only to leave again) to a happy and healthy wife and daughter...and new bedding. Living just three hours from Grammie is always a bonus but last week it was a lifesaver!

A New Era of Responsibility

With the largest crowd ever gathered in the National Mall and temperatures in the 20's, Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America. He delivered a near perfect inaugural address and was accompanied by his accomplished wife and young daughters. He has promised that a new era has began and the world is watching anxiously at the newest commander of the free world.

Although my views do not align with President Obama, patriotism runs through my veins and I was moved to almost tears watching history in the making. Belle was at preschool and Ben is in NYC, so our inauguration day was spent like a usual day in the Cosby home. Four years ago, when President George W. Bush was sworn into office for the second time, I was lucky enough to receive tickets to the event and kindly sent my college-age sister and her roommates on a road trip to Washington D.C.. Ben and I were disappointed to miss the fun but we will certainly attend a Inaugural Gala in our future.

As Belle and I watched recaps on the news of President Obama's swearing in, she started to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Thanks to preschool, she has learned the pledge already and I am always excited to see a spark of her little American spirit. To quote a tired and gracious President Bush as he stepped off the plane in Texas today: "A good man took the oath of office today, and we offer him our prayers for success."

Tu Tu Cute!

Today was the long awaited day when Isabelle began dance class. She is technically not yet old enough for the 3 year old Creative Movement ballet class at the Performing Arts Conservatory of Texas, however, with a little smooth talking from her daddy her career began today. She was thrilled when she woke-up from her nap and I told her it was time to pull her hair into a bun and to get her leotard on. We had explained to her that she could not attend dance class wearing a pull-up, the Conservatory's rule not ours, and she was very obedient and tinkled on the potty before, during and after her class. She loved her pink studio as well as her friendly instructor. I watched from an observation room and wished the entire time that I could take a short video on my camera to show her Grandma and Aunts how well she was doing. She attempted everything the instructor demonstrated and sometimes she almost did it right! They had fun waving magic wands and she especially enjoyed watching herself in the mirror while she danced.


The Performing Arts school is a bit serious and I wondered how Belle would do, but after day one it seems to be a perfect fit. Her tight bun lasted through the class and she graciously bowed and thanked her instructor as class ended. Thank heavens for little girls!

A Family Portrait

Isabelle is growing into a wonderful artist! She has recently discovered her love for art and spends a fair amount of time everyday creating in some way. She enjoys painting both with water and finger paint, coloring, drawing, building, etc. She has her own set of magnets and after she finishes a project, she carefully hangs her masterpiece up for all to see and enjoy. We currently have pictures of all varieties covering our fridge, oven, dishwasher, washer, dryer and so on. We were not too surprised yesterday when Belle found a little notepad and pen next to mom's computer (thanks to Uncle Chris for the Vyvanse paraphernalia) and had covered each page with a beautiful drawing, however, we were surprised when she told us that she drew a portrait of her mom and dad. This was her first attempt at a person and it is fun to see her little brain hard at work. I am sure this is only the first of many piles of hand-drawn family pictures, but because it was the first, it is a keepsake!

While on the subject of family pictures, we were lucky enough to have a dear friend of ours take some wonderful pictures of us this fall. Jaimie Haley Photography is new to the area and a treasure to find! Jaimie, who is masterful behind the lens and just happens to be one of our favorite people, has finally begun her own photography business. She is creative, smart and fun and her work is worth every penny! Check out her website at http://www.jaimiehaleyphotography.blogspot.com/ and book your session right away. (Scroll down to the session titled Belle to see just why I am so pleased!)