Our computer was fixed sooner than we had hoped, so here is a recap of our trip...

Friday morning my alarm went off at 5:15 am and I stumbled to the bathroom to get a shower and try to figure out how I was going to wake the boys. I had just closed the bathroom door when it opened back up and in walks Russell. "You didn't have to wake me since I am up so early." He has been waiting to get to The American Museum of Natural History since he first fell in love with dinosaurs, some 4 years ago. Maxwell slept in while we all got dressed and ready to go, but when he did decide to roll out of bed he was happy and also ready to go.

We got to the bus stop at 6:30 am to make the 7:00 am bus to NYC. Max sat on R.C.'s lap the entire trip (even though he had his own seat) and soon fell asleep, along with R.C..

While R.C. and Max slept, I had this guy sitting next to me talking the entire trip. He was so excited! Russell talks a lot to begin with, and when he gets excited he talks even more!! Oh man!!We got off the bus and decided to take the subway to The Museum of Natural History first. The boys loved the subway! When we were standing on the platform and the train whizzed past us they looked a bit frightened, but once we boarded they were happy as could be and both said a highlight of the entire trip was getting to hold the pole on the subway. It takes so little to make a child happy!

We had a great time at the museum! The best part...obviously, the dinosaurs. Max really (REALLY!!) wanted to see Attila the Hun. We searched and searched for him, but could not find him anywhere. When we got home and did a bit more research we found that Attila the Hun is not a part of this museum. Sorry Max!

Maxwell showing how fierce a dinosaur is.

We did see more than just dinosaurs, but I do not want to bombard you with pictures!In this part of the museum it was dark. They made it look like you were underwater so you could look at the sharks, seals, fish and other sea life and feel like you are really underwater. At one point Max and Russell were looking at a display and R.C. and I were standing behind, to their left, watching them. Max turned to his right and tried to tickle a lady, who he thought was me. He quickly realized that it was not who he thought it was when we started laughing. "I got confused!" was what we heard for the next 10 minutes.

When we left the museum we walked through Central Park and enjoyed the beautiful day along with hundreds of other New Yorkers. We listened to a man playing the saxophone, saw a horse and carriage, dog walkers and loungers. Next stop, MOMA (Museum Of Modern Art). Walking on 5th avenue was exciting, to say the least. There were stores that I had only read about in my Glamour magazine, and everything made me think of Seinfeld episodes. We also walked by Trump Tower, but The Donald was not to be seen. As we were walking we came across a little toy store called FAO Schwartz (as if you've never heard of this). 3 floors of toys! The same one that TomKat (Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes) closed down for Katie's birthday. Inside we found, well, toys, but also Legos. A life size Batman, Star Wars characters and the Harry Potter clan were among the many Lego structures. Before we went into MOMA we decided to grab a New York hotdog from a vendor outside the museum. The boys were hungry, but after a few bits of yummy hotdog they perked right up. Max decided that he loves pigeons on this trip. As we were sitting on the sidewalk eating (literally sitting on the sidewalk...no picnic tables in NYC) R.C. gave a bit of bun to a pigeon and Max went crazy! He jumped up and was talking to the bird and chasing it. Passers by were loving the little show and soon Max and Russell were laughing so hard they almost lost their hotdogs.

We went inside MOMA to find it packed with people. We got in line to check R.C.'s backpack (you have to check bags. Only purses are allowed.) and soon realized that we were going to be there awhile. After waiting and waiting, we decided to make a change of plans. We jumped out of line and decided to skip MOMA and save it for another day. We instead walked the streets and made our way back to the bus to get home a little earlier than we had planned. If there's one thing we have learned with having kids, it's that you must be changing plans at all times. We were having a great day and noticed that the boys were beginning to fade so we were going to call it a day and end on a high note, instead of dragging half sleeping boys through the rest of the city. Why run everyone to their breaking point. There's always another day. On our way back we saw:

Rockefeller Center. (No Liz Lemon to be found)

Max got a shoulder ride. He and Russell did so great walking! I knew they would, but I was still impress with how great they did. By this time we had walked several miles, not to mention the walking in The Museum of Natural History. R.C. decided to give Max a lift since we were coming up to Times Square.

This is only a snippet of Times Square. As we walked through there was NO way I could stop to take a picture. The crowd of people was so thick that I could hardly see Russell, even though I was holding his hand. The visual stimulation was almost too much to handle. All the billboards flashed from one ad to another. There were movie trailers playing, news stories being broadcast, music blaring, and people shouting in your ear. It was during this time that the boys got very quiet. They were obviously trying, but unable, to take everything in. Their eyes were HUGE and their mouths just hung open. This was also the only time that Russell clenched my hand the entire day.

We made it back to the Port Authority to catch our bus at 6:00 pm. Everyone was exhausted! R.C. and Max were sound asleep before we left the city and Russell soon joined the sleeping duo. We were greeted back in Providence with cold weather and a wet lap (Max was a bit too tired to realize he had to go potty. Ahhh...the joys of motherhood).

This was my first trip to NYC and I was pleased with how great it was. I realize that I do not quite fit in to the New York crowd quite yet (or ever will). There were 12 year old girls (just an assumption on the age) that wore more makeup and walked better in high heels than me. I did realize that I might have fit in better than I thought. I got the ultimate boost of confidence when a woman asked me (ME!) for directions. Of all the people on the street did I look like I knew where I was going the best? Did I really fit in that well? Do you really not need high heels and a scowl to look "New York"? I guess not! I did let this lady down when I quickly answered, "I have no idea!" But, hey, at least I was asked! I look forward to another (maybe more?) trip to NYC in the future. I am also confident that I never want to live there. Just visit.

I know I forgot some points, but you get the idea. We had a GREAT time.