Santa & Hanukkah

We aren't going out of town for Christmas and nobody is coming from out of town to visit us, so there was no need for me to take any time off Christmas week. Instead I took off today.

Let's start at the beginning. I slept in until 7:00, took Molly out then went back to bed until 8:45. Normally I"m at work by 7:30, so this was a wonderful start to my day. Next we went out to breakfast. A trip to Friendly's. Benjamin's first trip to Friendly's. Hmmmm What should I get?
The breakfast food was good, but I prefer a Big Beef Cheeseburger with a 5 scoop m&m sundae. I think Ben enjoyed his first visit. He passed out about halfway through.
(If you are wondering, NO, Ben did not have coffee or pancakes)

Next stop on our busy day Disney's Marketplace to visit with Santa. (see 31 seconds)


There was about a 30 minute wait. That's not bad for any Disney attraction. Rumor has it that this was the real Santa. Disney spares no expense. They flew him in from the North pole. That's what we told Ben anyway. He was very excited while we waited online.
He finally made it through the line. He sat on Santa's lap and told him what he wanted. I couldn't really hear them, but I imagine it went something like this:




After Santa, we decided to see some of the Christmas decorations in the Disney Hotels. We went to the BoardWalk, Yacht Club and Beach Club. The decorations were made out of chocolate and gingerbread. They all smelled delicious. Disney as always thought of everything and put up a sign.
Lastly, tonight is the first night of Hanukkah. Ben's 1st Hanukkah.
I made Allison a traditional Jewish/Hanukkah dish. I whipped up a pretty mean Chicken Souvlaki. LOL (for those who don't know, chicken souvlaki is not a Jewish dish)
Allison said the prayer and lit the menorah. It's going to be interesting when Ben gets older to celebrate both holidays and explain the differences in the religious beliefs, but for now all we need to worry about is presents. We didn't get Ben a present for each night. We'll probably give him the same gift for the next 7 nights.
He looks pretty excited. What could it be?
It's a phone! What do you guys think is a good nickname for him? Baby Phoneguy or Phonebaby? It's a cool toy and to be honest, I think I had more fun with it than he did. I was pretty proud of him tonight. It's for children 6months+, but he was pressing buttons and having fun.



That's all I have for now. Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate.

Some folks like to get away, Baby C's first trip to NY part 2

Day 2, Baby C's first full day in NY was a busy day. We are all very tired.

Started off with a good meal. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So off to Bagel Boss. One everything bagel w/cream cheese please! Can't find good bagels in Central Florida. What a treat this morning.
Next stop, dance class in East Islip. Baby C's cousin Olivia had tap & ballet today. After she worked up an appetite dancing, off to Friendly's for lunch & ice cream. Olivia got a balloon and had fun playing with it. My job was to make sure it made it to the car. As you can see below, mission accomplished.
Next it was time for Baby C to meet his other cousin, James. James was asleep, so Baby C kept his distance for the picture. Wouldn't want to wake the baby.
Now off to soccer. What a busy day. We'll all sleep good tonight. Olivia did well at first, but the coach wasn't there for the first ever practice, so the parents just through together a makeshift practice. They lost Olivia's attention, so I ended up kicking the ball around with her. The substitute coach was overhead saying "Over there...the bar is over there."
Dinner!!! Finally, the magic hour is upon us. NY PIZZA. Baby C's first taste of NY pizza. We found Winter Garden Pizza to be very good and very close to NY Pizza, but there is nothing that compares. Regular, Sicilian and a calazone, great dinner. GREAT.

Last item of the day, dessert. Uncle Carlo brought out doughnuts from Brooklyn. These are the best doughnuts I have ever had. I cannot describe how good they are. You just need to have one. Peter Pan Bakery, 727 Manhattan Ave, Greenpoint, Brooklyn. If you are ever in the area...get a chocolate sprinkle.Since it's Saturday night, I'll go ahead and steal a line. Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.