Hot Dogs, Hats, and Shopping.

Brrr.

It's cold outside! Not that I didn't expect NY to be cold, but the last two days have been rather nice. I have to tell everyone about Allen and  The Hot Dog. 

Everyday as we walk to the gym we pass this:

A hot dog/pretzel/ food stand!  As we were walking by, Allen started whining for a hot dog. I told him after the gym, if he still wanted one; I would get it for him. I figured he would probably just forget about it. Wrong. As soon as I picked him up from the Kids Care, the first thing out of his mouth was: "Mama, I get a hog dog now"? I couldn't go back on my word, so we stopped to get one. I thought that maybe if I acted extra excited for him to eat the hot dog that he would be more likely to try/eat it. I think he was more excited than I was:

He even wanted me to take his picture next to the hot dog stand. With all this hype, I was hoping he would actually eat it. I also bought one for Mason. When we got home, Allen told me that he wanted to picnic in the entryway by the Christmas tree. Okay. I set up their hot dogs, napkins, and got them a drink. I sat down, and he said: "I need strawberries and popcorn too".  Strawberries are the current new food we've added to his list of things he will eat. I went and got them. "What about ketchup to dip it in"? I went and got the ketchup. I then sat down, and they both picked up their hot dogs, and tried them. Allen exclaimed, "mmm! this is good!" I will admit, I was, and still am, a little shocked by all of this. Allen eat a hog dog? Yes. In fact, for the past three days in a row that his been the only thing he wants to eat for lunch. I'm so proud of him for trying new things! He has also reminded me: "Allen likes hot dogs. Allen eats new things". Yes, son, I'm happy that you are just now realizing trying new things won't kill you. It is a miracle! 

Now, I would like to talk about hats. Yes, hats. I've never really been a hat person. It is cold here in New York. Cold does not bother me, but it is very windy here making it seem colder. I bought a hat at Target, and now the boys and I have our own little "hat club". Here we are:

Allen and I in our goofy hats. 

Mason didn't want to put his hat on (he wasn't going bye-bye with us). I think this  a cute picture. 

My hat!

I'm thankful for warm ears. Thank-you, hat.

I've been also meaning to update my blog on my trip to visit Jill. Jill lives in NJ, and last Saturday I went to visit her! I rode the subway to Times Square, caught a train at the Penn Station, and spent the day shopping! It was so nice to see her. We had so much fun walking around the realllllly nice mall. Yes, realllllly nice. They had a Coach store, Juicy Couture  Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Tiffany & Co., ...yeahhh those are just some of the really nice stores they have. We shopped at LOFT. (My favorite store). We got some pretty amazing deals. We got $263 worth of clothing (we combined it, because I had a coupon) for $88 dollars. Yes. The store was 40% off everything (including clearance), and I had THREE $25 off $50 coupons. Pretty sweet, huh? As we were walking through the mall, we enjoyed live Christmas music being played, as well. It was amazing. we ended the day eating at George and Martha's. It was very yummy. I think the thing that I appreciated most, is the fact that we could talk about anything and everything. It is like we just picked up where we left off. I love friendships like that. Here are some pictures:

Water fountain ball thingy. I thought it looked cool.

Here we are!

Live Christmas music. It was beautiful. 

The place we had dinner at. I thought the walkway lighting was cool. 

Mmm. Appetizer.

I was so hungry, I forgot to take a picture of my main dish. Totally enjoyed a hamburger. It was completely worth the stomach ache later. 

Yes!

Well, now that everyone is up-to-date, you can all look forward to my post I will be making later about my adventure to see Santa. I can't wait! 

Today, consider eating a hot dog, wearing a hat, and shopping. It will brighten your day. I promise. 

-A