Oh, the places you'll go!

Pier 6 ~ Brooklyn NY.

I love finding new places around the city that we love.  Today, we ventured down to Pier 6 in Brooklyn - it's an area that they have slowly been converting, and now there are 6 Piers dedicated to being part of the Brooklyn Bridge Park.  Pier 6 opened last summer, and I heard rave reviews about the space and it had a water feature -- -which we love water features! --- so I knew that we needed to try it out.

It has been a little tricky to actually get to many of these places to try out their water features.  We have left the previous 2 summers right when school gets out and then when we return there is a frenzy to get ready for back to school.  This year is busier than ever - PTA could easily consume my life, and some days there has been a lot going on.  Tuesday for example - we finally got out of the apartment around 6pm.  That was a long day.
                                                     





















I knew that the kids deserved a break & to help me stick to the plan of getting out on an adventure - I signed up to host a playgroup for today in our ward.  It turned out that there were only 4 of us that showed up...but those kiddos played, and played to their hearts content.

And we now have a new favorite place to go!

Thankfully one of the other moms sent me all the pictures from today, because I did not take my camera out once!  I actually had to leave early from the playdate - I had a meeting back at school with The Trio - I finally found a nickname that works for our Principal, Assistant Principal and Test Administrator - which I think she has another official title, but I can't remember what it is...and since it is obviously so long to type out all their titles I realized today I shall refer to them as 'The Trio'.  So much easier!  The amazing thing, is that my friends offered to let the kiddos stay with them, and then they would bring them back to the island.  Seriously - that is a wonderful offer and I was a little nervous about leaving them in a place crawling with children...but then I realized they would be bored if I took them back to the meeting....because in meetings you can't be as goofy as one can be walking from the park to get ice cream!!!

 The crew - not sure how she got this group picture - but look how fun!  I'm at the meeting - so these are the amazing moms that are watching my kids...and the crew of kids.  Madeleine was in heaven that another girl showed up --- whew!

I had thrown out the idea of stopping at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory - however there was another amazing ice cream shop they walked to where everyone got a nice cold treat.  What a perfect day!  The sun was out - it as warm.hot - but not too hot.  And to spend with friends --- I think we need to balance life with a few more of these outings!

Thanks Brooklyn.....we'll be back for another day in your area!

p.s. remember how I was excited to come back to consistent Internet access?  That will happen NEXT week.  The past 2 weeks we have been home, I have to sit in a chair and be connected to the router - wireless is a thing that is not working at our place for whatever reason.

I don't know who is more excited ---- me for wireless internet again, or Bryson for the Cable T.V. that he decided to sign up for --- because after all, why just get wireless internet when you can get the BYU Football games for fall season?!

Hopefully when wireless is on, and once our big school supply fundraiser is over and the kids are all in school full time (yes - all 3!  hooray!) --- I'll be back to posting more regularly.  There is still summer to post about you know! :)

checking-in....

....takes on two meanings right now. 


First I realized I haven't checked-in at all since we've been in Utah! We've been here since July 20th and have had an amazing 4+ weeks. Absolutely wonderful. Full of swimming, sun, family, fun, cousins, get-togethers, friends and chocolate covered cinnamon bears. I love being able to come here to visit. It does not feel like home, but I love coming to a place so familiar so I can drive without looking at maps and knowing where to get good food. Did I mention Cafe Rio in the above list?! Their new mint lemonade was amazing, and a new love along with my favorite salad.  The only thing I didn't want to try was the worm that Bryson found and enjoyed.....even after he washed it I could not be convinced to try that delicacy!

Totally opposite of yucky - look how sweet! Madeleine loved being an older cousin who was called upon to hold the babies.  She was in baby heaven!  

I haven't had consistent internet access - my mother doesn't believe in it. Okay - just kidding! My mom just doesn't use it - so she doesn't have it. Good for her - a tad bit exasperating for me. So I visit my in-laws and let the kids play here and jump online to catch up...but usually it's been to do PTA things which are more than in full-swing and causing me to have slight heart jumps every few hours. We start school in 3 weeks and there is a lot that is being done...but so much to still do.

Which is why - I'm checking-in tomorrow to fly home....a week earlier than I had planned, and I'm taking the kids back with me. Which was totally not planned. I mean they are our kids - so of course they were going to come eventually! I have some friends from college coming next weekend for a girls get-together so the kiddos were going to stay here for the weekend spending time with my mom and Nana & Papa Lord, then my mom was going to fly them home. However, we couldn't nail down a schedule where my mom could reasonably fly them out - life is too exciting with a zillion things going on...and most importantly - Bryson missed us. Terribly.

And we miss him. And are ready to wrap up an amazing 7 weeks and go HOME. It's so incredible to me that as much as I can't wait to leave the city when school gets out, my body and mind needs to go back after a break. It's our place. Our abode. And we do love it because it's where we are supposed to be right now. I'll probably not love it so much mid-January --- but for now, I'm missing our city.

Ta-ta for now...I'll post again and catch up on the summer adventures when we land and get SOLID Internet back. Whew - I've missed that. Until then...here are some quick pictures to enjoy.

   

 

BLOOM where you're planted

Last weekend we had an amazing weekend outside enjoying the beauty of the weather and our area!  On Saturday, our community here on Roosevelt Island had its' first annual Cherry Blossom Festival, with all proceeds going towards the relief efforts for Japan.  It was the most beautiful day & I love our dear friends from this country so much....they really are some of the most gracious and kind people I know!  

Booths were set up around a promenade area that we have on the island, and the children and I were able to sign names and messages to the people of Japan, learn how to fold paper cranes - folding 1,000 is a sign of good luck in the Japanese culture and all of the cranes that were folded by the community will be on display in our school.  Does anyone know how to make a mobile?!  I want to figure out how to have the cranes arranged in a floating/flying arrangement and hang down in our entry that is 2 stories high.  It would look amazing - I'm just not sure how to do it...one of those moments where you know what you want, just not how to get it exactly.  :) 

Madeleine's friend Aoi showing a group of the girls how to fold cranes...

Aoi's mom Junko has a special certificate from her country for her work in calligraphy.  She spent a lot of time making these cards that they were giving to people - asking for some donation to the Japanese Relief Fund in exchange.  Her work is beautiful!

This is Junko (left)....and I also met another Junko who is on the right :)  This is now my 4th Junko that I know from Japan - they said it's a common name, like Heather - Jennifer - etc. would be in our country!

Thankfully the Cherry Blossoms were bursting right on schedule from their predicted date through the NYC Botanical Garden.  It smelled amazing and looked gorgeous!

Bryson was working (no surprise!) and so we went from baseball back home and scooped up our friends that lived down the hall - this is Lillian....who has become like a sister/cousin/best friend to the kiddos this year.

I let the kiddos ride their scooters around for the event & Lillian was excited to try one out - by the end she was begging her parents for her own...although, why bother?  Look at this great set-up that she and Jacob figured out where they can share! :)

The following day - Sunday - we took a little adventure after church up to a spot I've wanted to visit basically since we have moved here.   Welcome to the Central Park Conservatory.  Or....NYC's Garden of Eden.  Not only was it absolutely gorgeous - it is free!!!

Bryson had been at work since Saturday at 10am - and I kept thinking that he would be able to come home during church and start to sleep.  As we were leaving for church, I had the thought that if he were to come home, we would need to be quiet...and as much as Sunday is a day of rest, we haven't really figured out how to have it be a day of quiet.  Working on that - just not there.  

I packed a snack bag and told the children that we would probably be going to a park after church.  Jacob was rather excited - and I found out he thought we were going to a park to play...and then when Madeleine and I clarified that it was a park to walk around, he was not happy at all...until we got there.  The children thought it was as beautiful as I did - we were just blown away by all the colors, flowers and overall exquisiteness of the garden.  

{the kids loved finding these baby tulips in the flower beds & were so persistent that I take a picture!}

Thankfully I was not completely on my own with the children.  We have a darling couple that lives on the island - she is my visiting teacher, and the husband home teaches with Bryson.  They don't have any children & were actually the very nice couple that watched our kids overnight in March so that Bryson & I could get away for an Anniversary celebration.  Her husband had gone into his work after church and I told her to come with us - we usually drive them to and from church...and when I told her where I wanted to go, she agreed to come along.

So, not only did I get to have an adult with me - but she took our picture AND I found out she was a film major in college and she gave me some pointers with my camera.  Double bonus - yeah!   I told her we would need to pack a lunch each Sunday, because there are a lot of gardens to see in the city and she is going to need to come with me all the time....it was so nice to have the company (and photo tips as well!)

The gardens are up at the top of Central Park - around 105th Street....to give an idea of how big the park is, they bottom of the park is at 59th....we don't usually go that far up, as our activities center around mid-town where Bryson's work and church is....so it was fun to be in a completely new part of the city.  I loved this view of the one big green space they had in the garden with the building behind - I have no idea what is in the building, but if it's apartments they look onto one beautiful scene!  

 The boys decided to stand on the edge of a fountain and get a little wet from the spray.  No biggie I thought at first...it was warm and it was only a few drops....

Then the wind picked up & I heard Bryson's laugh....

and that is when I realized he was soaking wet!...and as it was too late to do anything about how wet he was - I decided to take pictures :)

I love that boy!

...and that was our amazing weekend of blooms here in our gorgeous city that has finally found spring!!

p.s. Bryson (Sr.) did not get home until around 2am Monday morning.   He had been at work well over 36 hours & although we missed him terribly on this little trip, I told him we are definitely taking him back!  I can't wait to see what flowers they have in for the summer months!