Serendipity and Such

We've had such a fun week! On Monday, Uncle Dave, was in town on business and we had such a great time getting together for dinner. It was a real treat for us to be with him and have dinner on his company's tab :).

Manhattan has all of a sudden turned intensely hot and muggy so we've been trying to do things to keep cool. Yesterday we spent the day in the Manhattan Children's Museum and explored a little of the west side. The girls loved the museum, especially baby Jane who loved exercising her new crawling power to explore everything. She was practically giddy. Millie and Abby especially enjoyed exploring the Dora the Explorer exhibit.

Today we had another park day and a special lunch at the restaurant Seredipity 3 -- known for its appearance in various movies and the frequency of celebrity sightings there (we actually did see, gulp, Amanda Bynes. She was, like, 10 feet from our table and actually smiled at us. :)) It's famous for its frrrozen hot chocolate and its ice cream sundaes. It was a fun "touristy" experience and the girls eyes popped when they got their desserts. There was a small table near us where restaurant employees sat to eat on their breaks. Millie observed it and said, "Mom, is that where the servants eat?" Apparently a great deal of vocabulary comes from her Disney princess movies.

We're feeling a little sad that things are wrapping up here in NYC and that Mark will be leaving for Atlanta soon -- we'll be done this Saturday -- but the girls and I are excited to visit dear friends in Boston before heading to SLC for Uncle Matt's wedding.

The Natural History Museum and a Visit from Grammie and Grandpa

We had a great week this week. The highlights: a visit to the Natural History Museum and a visit from Grammie and Grandpa Ward for Grammie's birthday. At the Natural History Museum, Millie was very taken with a bejewelled, three-sided dagger from ancient Tibet that was said to be poisonous and to exorcise demons. As we were walking away, she asked, "Mom, why did they do poisonous exercises?" Abby liked the little golden statues and rushed to the display cases exclaiming, "Oh how gohjus (gorgeous)!" We then played in the water park outside of the museum with some friends from the ward, whom the girls get along with famously. With Grammie and Grandpa, we had a great time eating Chinese food, taking an evening stroll through the city, playing and having a picnic in Central Park, shopping on 5th Avenue, and just having fun together. We were sad to see them go!

I Crawl, I Sit, I Eat (real people food)!

It's amazing how fast Jane is growing! Just in the past few weeks she's been become more and more mobile and has begun crawling (or something akin to crawling -- sometimes it resembles the break dancing move "The Worm") and she's fast. We have to be extra careful about what is left lying around. She's also sitting on her own now securely and can easily get into a sitting position by herself. And, she relishes being able to eat solids, snacks, and as you can see from the picture, Biter Biscuits. She's such a pleasant little soul -- loves attention and being tickled, and loves bouncing in her doorway bouncer.

Coney Island and the Aquarium

Yesterday, ready for an adventure, I decided to brave the subway alone with all three girls and go to the NY Aquarium in Brooklyn. I didn't realize that it was located right by the beach and boardwalk at Coney Island and so we also had an impromtu beach day. Abby loved the sea lion training show and Millie loved splashing in the waves (she's such a free spirit!). It was Jane's first experience with the beach and ocean. She kicked her little legs with excitement and, true to form, tried to eat the sand (everything goes in her mouth these days!).

Some New York Pics

Millie and the original Winni-the-Pooh animal toys in the New York Public Library Children's Room.

Jane's first taste of popscicle.

The girls at the Central Park Zoo

Disney World

We had a great family vacation to Disney World at the end of May. The girls were full of the magic of it all. Millie's favorites: Thunder Mountain Railroad, the swimming pool at "the vacation house", and meeting the characters. Abby's favorites: the Flying Carpet ride, meeting Cinderella, the Carousel. Jane's favorite: any time she was able to actually take a nap outside of the stroller. Mark's and Amy's favorites: witnessing the girls' wonder and excitement, Epcot, anytime it wasn't too hot and the girls weren't melting down (fortunately most of the time!).





Millie loved the pool, but after Abby accidentally fell in the first day, she refused to do more than dabble her feet.

Getting Started

After having received links to friends' blogs that have made it such a fun way to stay in touch, we've decided to create one of our own! We'll see how it goes.

We are thoroughly enjoying our month in NYC -- for me and the girls it is a vacation, for Mark a rigorous internship. However, we are all enjoying it. Our apartment is about 4 blocks from Central Park so the girls and I usually spend some time there each day and we've had fun exploring other places, too. We're usually out and about for about six hours a day -- it's been great to walk everywhere. Abby decidedly likes the city and Millie said that if is weren't for Woody and Oliver (the cats that live under the deck at home) she would like New York as well as Charlottesville. Sweet Jane is just willing to go along with whatever.


We've made quite a sensation on the street as we try to navigate the busyness with three small children -- Abby and Jane ride in the side-by-side double stroller and Millie has been a great walker. Some people smile and try to help out. Others groan or give me a look like "Are you crazy!?! Three kids?!" It is kind of strange being one of the few moms at the park with all of the children and their nannies. In fact, the first day we got here, we were at a park in Greenwich Village and Millie, after observing the nanny and child next to me, said, very concerned, "Mom, that lady has dark skin and the baby has light skin. Does that mean she 'taked' the baby?" Unfortunately, her concern was not voiced in a very soft voice. Abby thinks that our apartment itself is New York City, and says, whenever she has had it for the day, "Can we go back to New York City now?" All in all, it is an experience that we will always remember.