A day in Central Park...

Bringing the girls to Central Park was at the top of 

our vacation to-do list... but not before we needed to 

make a stop at FAO Schwarz so that we could find Kate

a baby doll just like Ella's because Kate kept trying to 

manipulate Ella into giving hers up... 

We had reservations at the Boathouse for lunch.

Fall was starting to touch NY. The tulips and cherry blossoms that
were there not even 6 months ago when I came to see Oprah were gone...

in their place were crunchy, brown leaves all over the floor and crisp fall air.

Both were equally beautiful...

 

Atop the Bethesda fountain.

Being here with them was so special. There are things I'd

always imagined doing with my kids before I had them. This was

one of them... Showing them this majestic place and showing them

the beauty that exists all over the world.

Makin' wishes in the fountain. She learned how to flip her coin

with her thumb and she's so proud of herself!

I've always wanted to take a row boat around Central Park lake. 

Since it was such a nice day, the girls and I put on life jackets and

I rowed us around... I SO did not know what I was getting myself into. 

No part of me wanted to fall in that water. There were ducks and green
stuff floating in the water. Really not appealing to swim in that.

I have never rowed anything in my life and here I was, with my two girls, 

who also really didn't want to fall in. The grossest part was that I kept accidentally

splashing us with the pond water... so gross. Ella was a little upset at me for that one.

Aside from that, it was perfect... I wasn't such a bad rower after all.

Ella, after I splashed her.

Lunch at the Boathouse

Ella scored some cotton candy that she was really happy about and then

we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the Central Park Zoo.

The girls got to burn off some energy at the playground before heading over

to the Plaza Hotel where they could go see Eloise's room.

I had never been to this zoo before. 

That's one of the big perks of traveling with little ones.

We get to see things in a whole different perspective. 

Seeing the world through their eyes is so enchanting.

I love the song "At the Zoo" by one of my favorite groups, Simon & Garfunkel.

It played in my head throughout the entire visit.

The girls watching the seals.

Polar Bears

The view if you look up at the zoo...

Underneath the bridge has the best acoustics. I love listening to these guys play
their songs. The sax was so melancholy but filled with love and hope
at the same time. The perfect soundtrack to a walk in the park.

Playgrounds are so fun to explore. The kids also did one of these slides

at the huge park when we were in San Francisco and they loved it. 

...and then we were off to the Plaza. 

Eloise's room was a big hit with the girls.
Kate was disappointed that she didn't meet Eloise though. 

The employees told Kate that Eloise was in Paris and then gave her 

a form so that she could write Eloise a letter.
My little write adored this task and took it very seriously.

We ended the night with dinner at the Todd English Food Hall

and then another visit to Toys R Us because FAO Shwarz didn't

have the doll that Kate wanted.