We are about to leave for our annual trip to Germany, but before we go, I have to share our latest adventure, wee's big trip to the big city. Earlier this month, I took the boys to visit Grandma in New York City. Last weekend, it was wee's turn!

An all-girl trip has to start with some shopping, right? Wee is constantly talking about going to "the jewel store". (Don't ask me why. She's only ever been inside one jewelry store in her life and she wasn't really that impressed by the genuine articles.) Sensing that she really just wanted to treat herself to some kid-sized, übersparkly things, we took her to the accessories section of Crewcuts (the JCrew store for kids).

She picked out a bracelet and a fancy headband and got her own little shopping bag to carry around the city. She looked like such a little Sarah Jessica Parker with her sunglasses and shopping bag. (Just with much more sensible shoes!)

After shopping, we went to the Children's Museum of the Arts. My mother and I had both seen this place on a recent episode of Work of Art. It looked like a cool place for a kid to do some crafts and have some fun.

Wee played with building blocks, made a mosaic with paper and glue, did some dot painting and had a blast in the ball pond. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone with kids with a creative bent. It's not fancy but it was certainly fun enough to entertain my three year-old for two hours.

Since we were down in Soho, I persuaded everyone to stop by the new PurlSoho store next.

It's a gorgeous store and it's chock full of the same top-of-the-line, amazing fibers and fabrics that they've always had. But the new big space simply doesn't have the charm and coziness of the old stores. That giant center table where knitters bumped into one another and ended up trading yarn suggestions is now way in the back and way less inviting. And the mod and retro fabrics that looked so quaint and at home in the tiny Purl Patchwork store are a little lost in all the space of the new store (although there is now room to see all the exquisite Liberty fabrics on their huge rolls!). But what I missed most of all was the turquoise paint on the storefront. Silly, I know, but it kinda made the place special.

Oh well, this was wee's trip and our next stop was all about her.

American Girl Place NYC on Fifth Avenue. She was in heaven! Wee doesn't have any American Girl dolls for the simple reason that she's not really all that into dolls. What she does love, however, is tiny little accessories. She ran from display to display and studied each little bit of furniture, home goods and food the dolls had. Grandma treated her to a doll lunchbox, filled with a tiny thermos, a tiny sandwich and a tiny cupcake, all of which she shared with a dolly during our dinner in the cafe.

We had to reserve this table for a 5:30pm dinner over two weeks in advance. We were led into the dining room right on time (gotta keep schedule - next seating in 1 1/2 hours), and were immediately asked how many dolls we had dining with us. We had none, of course, so wee got to pick a dolly from a whole row of dolls, to come sit with us at our table. The dolly got her own little teacup and saucer, which wee got to take home with her after our meal. The food was good, especially the appetizers and the desserts and the folks there did a good job making the little girls feel special. Wee loved her fancy dining experience and I have a feeling we'll be back here again sometime. (Perhaps for the slightly less expensive afternoon tea?)

And now, after experiencing all the big apple has to offer, my little jet-setter is setting off for her fifth trip to Europe! I can hardly believe it.