I got a bag and sweatpants with 'I Mickey NY' on it (like the I 'heart' NY Logo. Here is one of the amazing window displays. I thought it was so pretty.
On our way walking home to their apartment, I saw a pile of moving boxes someone had put out for the trash, and grabbed one to help protect Sariah's Characature that she had drawn on our travels home. I was able to cut the ends off the box, and two sides, and tape it together (with the rest of the tape I've been using to tape my still sore -broken- toes to help me be able to do all the walking I've been doing). It worked great! we were able to fit it in the suitcase and it didn't get messed up or bent at all.
She made windows and drew portrait pictures on the walls. She allowed 'T' to color, but only on the parts that weren't showing as much or the extra end pieces we'd cut off. ;-) They had so much fun making their house!
'A' had Sariah help her put in a doggy door (a plastic baggy), so her build-a-bear dog could come and go... :-) 
After packing and repacking all our suitcases and bags, I realized I only had directions TO Rach's house, so we got on the computer and printed out directions to drive from Manhattan back to JFK airport on Long Island. I thought we'd left in plenty of time to drive there and be there early enough to check in and make our flight, but then with all the traffic, one way streets, difficult to understand directions and wrong turns,(at one point it said make a sharp turn onto the 59th street entrance to the Bridge, well, it didn't specifically say what road we should have turned onto to get to the sharp turn,, it was actually on 58th somewhere I think?) we were on our way - finally on the Van Wyck expressway - heading to the airport, when Bill called to ask if we were about to board the flight. I had to sadly express that we weren't even at the airport yet. (close, but not quite there, and we had to turn in the rental car, take the air train to the terminal, check in, etc...). Bill got understandably upset, but started calling and making arrangements. They couldn't get us on another flight out of JFK that day that would have gotten us home, but we were booked on a flight out of LaGuardia Airport that would get us where we needed to be. We had about 3 1/2 hours to get to LaGuardia, and check in. Sariah thought that was a ton of time and we'd be just sitting around for a long time! 
We got on a bus that took us to LaGuardia, (for $7.00 a person - the guy at the rental car return was getting us a taxi that would have cost us $40.00). By the time they finally directed me to the right ticket counter (I walked back and forth from one to the other about 4 times with our stuff - but luckily the two counters/airlines were right next to one another). 
I had to get our tickets reissued at the one airline, then go to the other counter to get a new ticket for their airline since we'd been switched to another sister carrier. They have gotten to where they have the self check in kiosks, and after you do that part of it they only have ONE person helping tag your bags, and weiging and putting them. So we would have to wait our turn and then hold up everyone else while we took care of each step of our ticket switch head ache! When we FINALLY got everything taken care of and were actually checking in, our main bags were each too heavy by 2 or 3 pounds... so I had to take some things out of the big suit cases, and stuff it into the other smaller bags. 
It's amazing how one pair of shoes, and another small thing or two weigh about 5 lbs! We got that taken care of and then had to walk our bags around to security, where they sent our checked bags through an x-ray scanner, and would open and go through your bags if there was anything suspicious in them. I was a bit nervous, as we had transfered our 1/2 gallon of apple cider from the Farm, into several smaller more securely closing topped juice and water bottles, and put them in in ziplock bags, and then inside our checked suitcases! The next part was when WE went through security, we got our tickets tagged as the one's to be searched, since we'd JUST bought our tickets at the last minute basically... so Sariah and I both had to get a more detailed screening, and had to wait for a female to come pat us down. I wanted to ask if we could have her do it again so I could get a picture, but Sariah didn't think that was amusing at all. ;-)
Finally, we boarded our plan 
and got in the air, headed back home. 
Sariah made me take a bunch of pic's of her and her bear, in the plane. She pretended to cry that she was leaving NY.
She also took a bunch of pic's out the window of the plane as we prepared to leave 
(the guys on the flight line, the guys loading our luggage, etc). 
We arrived in Ohio, and had a couple of hour lay over. Sariah passed teh time by playing her D.S. - she tried to teach me how to play a game or two. Then we finally arrived home in AL. We were so glad to be safely home and return to our family. I think Liam was a bit mad at me, since he gave me a cursory hug then sort of ignored me for a while. Since I came home however he has been quite clingy. Sometimes it isn't so bad to get to sit and snuggle with my little guy. I'm sure my days are numbered, and one day we'll wake up and he won't want to snuggle and hug on mommy so much any more, so I'm trying to enjoy and take advantage of it while I still can! I sure missed my family while I was gone! I had a lot of fun, but, It's good to be home!
