We Heart NY!

Recently, the girls and I went to New York for a little mid-week vacay!  It was my birthday week, Daddy had a wicked coaching and working week, and my mama had off from work for the whole week!  God was basically forcing us to go.  ;) And boy were we glad we listened!  We had SO much fun.  Here is our trip to the aquarium!

Reilly loves her Mimi!  I wonder where her fascination with long hair comes from?  Meems, you are her idol.  It actually makes me smile to think that one day Reilly and Reagan will call Mimi for help with a problem, because she is the only one who will understand, and because she knows the perfect balance between listening and offering advice.  It will make me smile, even if they go to her instead of me.  Because I get it.  My girls have a blind, all-encompassing admiration for her...and they get it from me.

 So back to our day at the aquarium with Mima!  It was a day Reilly will not soon forget.  She got to pet a penguin!  And she pissed it off, because she pet it with a mitten on and apparently penguins don't prefer mittens. Oopsie. 

Here she is, walking like a penguin.  I mean, really.  Is anything cuter.

But THESE guys were her favorite.  They were the sea lions.  They had an underground viewing area, and then we went outside and could see them POP out of the water.  These guys were the friendliest, most playful little animals ever.  They would swim up to where she was standing, and then pop out of the water and dive their heads at Reilly to splash her!  They did it over and over, and we were all cracking up.  She is still talking about it, saying "Remember when those guys splashed me?!"

This was when we first arrived.  She was just in awe of the whole place, it was so sweet.  I couldn't get enough of her reactions. 

Beans.  I mean, she's just such a little beans.  I would be happy if she sucked her thumb until she was 6, because it is just the cutest thing in this world.

Mima and Reilly admiring all the fishies!

Me and my girl.  I love this little chicken. 

Thank you Mima for our day of aquatic fun!  We made some wonderful memories!

And yes, I am quite aware that Reilly looks much more like she should be my mama's daughter rather than mine. :)  I am also aware that this scenario leaves me being the nanny, or the babysitter, or maybe an auntie to passersby who make this assumption.  It still, 2.5 years later, makes me laugh that she is a blondie and has been since birth. 

Oh hey pretty! There's where all our Italian genes ended up! ;)