Thank-"Fall"

As we're wrapping up Thanksgiving weekend, I want to take a minute to recap everything I have been thankful for this past fall:

1. Toddler Halloween party - We hosted 9 toddlers/babies (and their parents) in our 900 square foot apartment Halloween weekend (approximately 25 people total!) Thinking back, this was a very bold move...it could have been a total disaster - kids fighting with one another, things broken in the apartment, one of Cesare's legs broken, etc...but it was such a wonderful experience and everything "thankfully" worked out pretty great (no major disasters and all the kids played amazingly well together!) The outfits were all so adorable...Shaan was Elmo (his favorite Sesame Street character), and we also hosted a chicken, a monkey, a mouse (who wouldn't wear his mouse head, but would wear sunglasses, so they made him a "blind mouse" - very creative!), a carrot, a dog, a bumblebee, and my personal favorite...Billy Idol (complete with fake tattoos!) Two of the children who came are Jewish and they don't celebrate Halloween (so they don't dress up), but they were at least able to play and have some refreshments with us - it was lots of fun! Plus, my sister and my mom were able to fly up for the occasion, so having them around made the weekend extra special! The day of Halloween we went to the "Top of the Rock" (top of Rockefeller Center) and were surprised by a free Halloween fair for kids - complete with animal balloons, cotton candy, music, crafts, etc. Super fun!

2. NYC ING Marathon - I did it! I did it! I was able to complete the marathon...and I must admit it truly was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I was very hesitant in the weeks/days leading up to the marathon as I'd had several issues with my body. First, my ankle really started bothering me after one of our long runs (20 miles) a few months before the race. It got so bad that I could not even walk on it without experiencing pain. I visited an orthopedic surgeon and had several MRI's to make sure it wasn't a stress fracture. "Thankfully" it was only a bad case of tendonitis. I had to wear an ankle brace and scale back my training...so I wasn't sure if I would even be able to finish the race marathon day. Additionally, the week before the race, Shaan got double ear infections, and I was so nervous that I was going to get sick that I evidently took WAY too much Airborne and Zinc drops, and my stomach got upset. Then, the day before the race, Manu told me to take a teaspoon of salt since my sodium/water levels would get off-balance the day of the race. Well, the salt did not sit well with me, so literally within a minute of taking it I threw up my entire carb-heavy pre-race lunch. Not good. So...I was just praying I could finish the race. Luckily, my ankle held up, and I really enjoyed the experience, and I am very "thankful" for my finish time of 4:57!


















3. Holiday Season in New York - What can I say...it truly is magical! I am trying to soak it all up since this is our last holiday season up here. This past week, we went to the Children's Museum of Manhattan and made pilgrim hats. The day before the parade, a friend and I took our kids to the "balloon blow-up" (note to self...will NOT be doing this again...it was a zoo!) After our miserable experience the night before the parade, I almost didn't take Shaan to the parade. I just didn't know if it would be worth fighting the crowds. However, after watching it on TV for an hour, I couldn't resist (hey...we live only two blocks from the parade route; I really don't have an excuse not to try!!!) So, we braved the crowds and got sooo lucky with our view for the last bit of the parade. When Santa came by, we were literally FEET from him...Shaan was so excited! He knows who Santa Clause is, so he kept saying "Santa, Santa!" It was priceless! Tomorrow night is the Christmas tree lighting at Lincoln Center, which is one block from our apartment, so I am going to try and take him there. He also knows what a Christmas tree is since they've already put one up in our lobby downstairs.

What can I say...we've had a wonderful fall!!! Lots to be thankful for! Hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!!!