The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

One of the things on my NYC Bucket List was to attend a taping of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.  We tried to get tickets and were put on the waiting list.  I think we found out we got tickets two days before the taping.  But we were able to make it work.

Our fancy souvenirs

You're not allowed to take pictures inside the studio, so this was the last and only proof we were going inside.

besides this sneaky picture Marcus took inside the lobby.  It was a fancy space.

We had a lot of fun, although I only really knew who one of the guests was.  Jimmy interviewed actor Greg Kinnear about method acting and foodie Padma Lakshmi about her new book and being a super taster.  And comedian Andrew Dice Clay did a performance at the end.  My favorite part was probably the Bad Signs segment, and of course Jimmy Fallon always is entertaining in his monologue.   I do have to admit we had a few good chuckles when Jimmy Fallon joked about Chipotle opening a burger joint.

We called my dad to have him record the show that night, and he was able to spot us in the audience.  We were pretty center, but a bit farther back.  I'm amazed he was able to see us.

So this is awesome...  Walking into the Rockefeller Center, we ran into two of our friends from church, Angie and Dave.  (Their daughter Winnie is friends with Chase.)  Small world, right?  They were coming to Jimmy Fallon too!  And Angie was on the edge of the row and got to hug him when he walked through the audience.

Jimmy & Angie (and a random guy in the background)

Marcus wanted to celebrate our Tonight Show experience with some Tonight Dough.  The store was out, but we got some a few days later.  It's good stuff.

The Tonight Show emailed us a thank you for attending.  How sweet.

And then a few days later, the train doors opened, and I saw an ad for Andrew Dice Clay's comedy show.  I saw him live on Jimmy Fallon! :)

The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon... check!

Ward 4th of July Campout

Every time a ward campout comes up, Marcus always wants to go, and finally I couldn't come up with a decent excuse not to go.  This year they planned it for the 4th of July weekend.  That wasn't my favorite idea at first, but it was nice that most people had the Friday off work.  That made the idea of getting up and back seem easier since we had more time.  I also knew Marcus would obviously enjoy camping, but I was certain Chase would love it too.  Chase was so excited talking about seeing bugs and sleeping in a tent -- it really was cute.  So we decided to go.  Not sure it was the smartest decision I've made as I was 36 weeks pregnant, but I lived to tell the tale.  However, we rented a car, so honestly, if something had happened, it would have been easier to get medical help than normally :)  

We decided to rent a car with some friends, the De Leons.  It was pretty tight in the car with 2 dads, 2 pregnant moms, 3 little boys, and our camping gear.  And due to where carseats needed to be installed and rental car insurance, I ended up in the back corner of the car.  Melissa was next to me.  Dads were up front, and the boys were in all the other spots.

My view (blurry since we were driving)

Luckily the ride didn't last forever.  It took awhile to get out of the city, but it was nice to finally reach some trees and fresh air.  The campsite was beautiful.  It was up in the Catskills -- an area of NY we've never visited before.   

Chase was really excited to get his tent set up

He was a great supervisor while Marcus worked

Yeah, we all slept in the little tent...

Chase could hardly wait to get inside

There was a lake just behind the campsite, so of course, that's the first place all the kids wanted to go.  We didn't have time to even switch Chase into his water clothes, but what would camping be without unexpected dirt, bugs, water, etc.?!

Chase loved throwing rocks in the water

We grilled hot dogs for dinner on the fire.  Of course Chase wouldn't eat one, that little turkey, but he did try it!  Progress ;)

Alexander, Javier, and Chase having dinner

He enjoyed every second being outside and dirty

It was my friend Angela's birthday, so her husband brought Sprinkles cupcakes to share.  Definitely my kind of camping -- delicious cupcakes for dessert!

Yum yum yum

Chase's favorite thing to do right now is give flowers to his friends.  He was happy to see some flowers that he could pick and take to Angela and Harper, two of his most favorite people.

By the time the sun went down, we were all exhausted.  Chase and I got in bed first, took all the room, and fell asleep.  Marcus squeezed in a little later.  We definitely weren't cold.

Two fit easily.  Three was just a little close :)
Mainly because Marcus insisted I needed an air mattress.  Probably smart!

In the morning, Chase was excited to explore more.  He quickly let us put shoes on him, and he was out the tent door, in his PJs.

Looking for more flowers

Enjoying the morning fire

Alex and Chase playing with water squirters

What a goober!

This cracked me up -- indigestion, Pledge of Allegiance?  :)

We did end up leaving a little earlier than planned because it started raining.  We stopped at a huge mall on the way home to get lunch at Chili's (I wish we had one in the city!!!), and had no issues with traffic at all.  Amazing for NYC on a holiday.  We were all excited not to be squished as long as the ride up to the campout.

The car didn't have to be back to the rental company until late Saturday night, so Marcus ran a few errands to the church and store.  We finally put the rest of the bins in our hallway in storage!  Be impressed -- they'd been there for probably a couple weeks.  Marcus got home after the Macy's firework show had ended but just in time for the replay on TV.  While Chase snored away, we enjoyed our traditional 4th of July firework show on our television.  It's funny knowing how close the real show is (you could see the show from our favorite Gantry Park), but this is definitely the better view.  Plus we can hear the music that accompanies the fireworks.

Chase and his friends

Chase has a bunch of cute friends.  Thought I'd share a couple pictures of a few of his buddies.

Chase Darcy wearing their animal hats.

Chase and Alexander making a HUGE mess with shredded paper.

Chase and Harper on a slide

Chase and Winnie reading books.

Chase and Heidi drumming.

Santaland

I love New York City at Christmastime.  It's so festive EVERYWHERE.  One of my favorite places to go is Macy's :)  Seriously though.  They do a great job with all the decorations (and of course Santaland!!!)

This year, I decided seeing THE Santa at the 34th Street Macy's was a must.  I crossed my fingers Chase would agree and headed to Herald Square with Melissa and her two boys.  Did I mention it was pouring outside???  Yeah, quite the adventure. 

Looking like Christmas in Macys

We met up with several moms and kids from our ward outside Santaland.  They were all really excited.

Although this basically sums up our experience...

Yep, Chase was going to be great...

Thankfully there was a train so he didn't run off in the store :)

Basically Chase took off once inside Santaland.  The employees just smiled and said that he'll stop at the trains.  Obviously they've seen a few kids with Chase-like energy.  And they were exactly right.  He stopped right at the trains.

And finally we made it to Santa.  Definitely a magical experience.  Too bad I hadn't planned on being IN the pictures...  There are a couple attempts at a decent picture.  All have personality, but zero Chase smiles.

Probably my favorite :)

Crazy kid.  Maybe next year he'll smile in pictures.  Definitely not in 2014.  Maybe our New Years Resolution will be getting a decent smiling picture of Chase.  Or maybe that's just a little too much for a resolution :)

Since we were at Macy's, I decided that I wanted to go check out the rest of the Christmas section of the store.  Seriously, I love this Macy's.  It's huge, and Christmas is such a big deal in it.

Chase LOVED the singing and dancing Christmas tree

I think that made it even more exciting when my mom got one for Christmas :)
Chase remembered his dancing buddy!

More decorated Macy's Christmas trees

Now we're in the mood for Christmas!!!