The Dietrich Boys Take NYC!

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Approximately number 13 on my bucket list would be to stay in a hotel that completely overlooks Central Park without any obstructions.  Well… CHECK!

Yes, it was excessive.  Just a little.  But dang, it was worth it!

The Dietrich boys painted the town red!  Our weekend started with a trip to The American Museum of Natural History which itself could have taken up an entire day if my boys were that patient.  When researching fun things to do with the kiddos in NYC, I saw that there was a limited time exhibit dedicated solely to the T-Rex!  Bingo!  From the moment we started the walk through, Bennett was engrossed by every little detail surrounding the ideals of this no longer existent predator.  There were sculptures of how scientists believe it was created, what it looked like as it transformed into the beast we know it as today, there were interactive tools that kids could enjoy to learn more, there was even a 3D video-like imagery that took up an entire wall (think maybe 2 times as big as a movie theater screen) of a T-Rex and baby stomping around the woods, breathing heavily, grunting, and staring at you directly like it was there in real life… yep!  That’s what we saw!  It was so life-like, Remy flipped the ‘F’ out!  He was so scared!  Poor guy, it kinda ruined him for the rest of the museum.

We moved on to the entire dinosaur wing, which is the largest dinosaur collection in the world (by the way), where Bennett had to see the Stegosaurus which is his current favorite dinosaur.  We also got to see the newest member to the museum, the Titanosaur, which was discovered in Patagonia, and the cast of this dinosaur is 122 feet long!  It’s only been there since 2016, go check it out next time you are in New York!

On Saturday we spent majority of the day in Central Park.  The boys loved climbing all the big rocks and staring out at the skyline.  We rode the Carousel, which they absolutely hated.  We then moved on to the small, but fun (!!) Central Park Zoo.  Our favorite thing to see was the penguins.  They were SO interactive!  They loved coming up to the glass window and diving right in front of everyone, they really put on a great show for us!

To top off the trip we had a late lunch at Serendipity 3 where we indulged on the frozen hot chocolate (the best!), then moved on to Dylan’s Candy Bar where Bennett got a cotton candy bigger than him!

We had such a great time and did more than I thought we would!  There’s just something about doing all the kid things in NYC that is just SO.MUCH.FUN.  Seeing and experiencing everything new to them is what makes patenting the best!  I don’t know… now that I have my sons, I feel like I have such limited time to share with them.  I want to show them the world!  We are not promised tomorrow, take the trips now! Who cares if they are wearing the latest designer outfits and who cares if they miss so-and-so’s 3rd birthday?  Make the sacrifice, plan the trip, and go.  There’s nothing more educational than traveling.  I promise.  Someone once asked me, “Why do you travel so much?  Do you not like being home?” It really took me aback a little bit and made me judge that person slightly (if I’m being honest)… my response was probably something like…. “uhhhh… because we love it… and it’s awesome!!” but really, I felt happy in that moment with this person, because it’s not every day you get to try to influence someone to travel more :)

Anyway, that’s my daily rant for now!  WE LOVE NYC!  Gotta go pick up my little rugrats from escuela!

P.S. Guess who’s turning 4 years old on Wednesday?!?!?!?


Ambergris Caye, Belize

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Oh, Belize… you were so good to us.

Going to Belize, I really had no idea what to expect.  Everything that I heard about Belize was not the most flattering of reviews.  People said the bugs are insane (which they are, but manageable), that Belize wasn’t the best idea for a family vacation (false), the infrastructure was terrible (yes, but… whatever).  As soon as we arrived at the resort, White Sands Cove, (three flights and almost 5 hours of travel), I knew I would never want to leave.  This place was pure paradise.

The backstory… so my good friend (you all know her- Laura- she takes all of my family photos) went to a charity event and won the trip at an auction.  When she was telling me about it at church one Sunday a few months ago, I obnoxiously and overwhelmingly invited myself and my whole family to tag along with!  Of course, she said yes, because… who wouldn’t want me and my two terrorist (JOKING!!) children to join them on their fabulous trip?!?  All in all, I’m so glad we went with another family.  The kids entertained each other and the adults got to hang out and sip the local cocktail favorites.

We spent a lot of our time hanging by the pool, beaching at the not-so-secret Secret Beach, eating so much good food, drinking all the drinks, and oh, yes (!!), we took a private catamaran trip for a whole day where my TWO YEAR OLD swam with sharks!  No need to clean your glasses, or re-read that last line.  You saw correctly.  My baby, Remy James, swam with sharks in Belize.  We did some snorkeling too.  Did you spy the Spotted Eagle Rays and Green Moray Eel in the underwater pictures above???

We drove around town to see all the sights via golf cart which is the ideal transportation on the island.  The roads are very rough, but not the worst I’ve ever seen.  Everything was extremely casual.  No need to dress up for any of the restaurants, even the nice ones on rooftops were shorts and flip flop appropriate.  Speaking of restaurants, the food… my mouth is still watering over the wonderful Snapper they would prepare in the Belizean way, wrapped in foil with spices, peppers, and onions.  Wowza!  So yummy!  Another thing, the first language of Belize is English.  All of the signs and locals speak it perfectly, no language barrier whatsoever.  This makes traveling there even more perfect!

Our whole family had the best time with our friends in this wonderful country!  Hope you guys enjoy the pictures!


My little family.

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I cannot even begin to describe the feels I get when looking at this absolutely beautiful collection of images that my dear friend, Laura Gattis, captured of our family.  Do you ever look at the moment within a picture and wish you could go back to the day, that minute, that exact second to relive it?  That’s how this session was.  It was supposed to rain… but it didn’t.  Bennett was in the BEST mood of his life, and Remy didn’t mind wearing the cowboy boots I picked out, #MomWin!

Oh. My. Goodness.  I will cherish these pictures forever and ever.  I cannot wait to scatter these in fresh frames all over my home.  You don’t realize how fast life is soaring by you until you look at pictures from a week, month, year ago… I want to cherish every single smidge of time I get with my boys.  For every tantrum and what seems like torturous moments, there are seriously hundreds of incredibly heart flutteringly wonderful moments.  I love this little family of mine more than comprehension, and nothing will ever change that.  These pictures captured about two hours of our life together, and I’m so thankful to have them to stare at later when my kids are grown and no longer hang on me for love and attention.  I will remember these small moments of time with fondness, thinking about their innocence and joy, and they will bring a smile to my face every time.

Worth the investment… 100%.