Peter: Week Three (Which Was Week Before Last) In Pictures

This picture deserves context. These two elders have known each other for over a decade, ever since their dads were in the BYU MBA program together and we participated in a babysitting co-op with them and two other families. Every Friday evening for about three months these boys, and their siblings, got together for a playdate while the parents took turns going on dates. Did either of them realize this and recognize each other? Nope. But the other elder's mom saw a picture of Peter on the mission Facebook page and knew right away what family he belonged to. She contacted me and told me they were serving in the same mission.

And I think that's very cool.

I don't know what church this is. I should probably ask.

Manhattan, I Prepared for You*

Our Broadway binging was over, but we weren't quite done with New York. On Sunday morning we got up and took the subway to the Manhattan Temple, which is also the location of a regular meeting house. We knew we wanted to attend the 9 o'clock Sacrament Meeting, what we didn't know was that it was a Young Single Adult ward. The talks were great, but I definitely missed my family and my regular family ward.

With just a few hours left before we needed to head our separate ways, we took the subway south and caught a glimpse of Lady Liberty.

 Photo credit: Brett 

After some wandering and searching for the right subway station, we made it back to the hotel. We gathered our belongings and headed for our final New York bucket list item: The New York Public Library. I would expect nothing less from our little book club.

Photo credit: Brett  

It's a gorgeous building, inside and out.

Photo credit: Brett  

Since we were nearly out of time, we made a beeline for the children's department, the home of the original Pooh Bear and friends. They live in a glass case and are worn, but it's the kind of worn that comes from being loved so much. That's the type of worn that I aspire to.

Photo credit: Brett

Also, Lego lion.

And this is what the entryway to the library looks like. It is so beautiful!

Photo credit: Brett

I had waited too long and had to run. We said our goodbyes as Brett went to the hotel to retrieve her suitcase before going to JFK and her flight home to Utah and I hustled over to Port Authority. I was so proud of myself for not getting lost at all. And it was pretty important that I not detour, I got to my gate just before they started boarding. The two-hour bus ride home was pleasant and restful, though I wish I had known we couldn't eat during the trip. My snacks stayed in my bag and I focused on the book I was listening to to distract from my hunger.

Bryan brought all the kids to the airport (bus station) to pick me up. The first thing Phoebe said to me when I opened the door was, "You look younger!"

True story.

I am happy to report that I was a calmer, happier, more fun mom that first week. And all those positive benefits lasted an entire seven days. I'm only slightly less fun now, still muuuuuuuch better off mentally and emotionally than I was before the trip.

Big thanks go to two people for making this adventure possible. Thanks for trekking all over NYC and binge-watching Broadway with me Brett! It was an absolute delight! And huge thanks to Bryan for not only keeping everyone alive and fed while I was gone, but also providing a fun weekend for the kids. Need proof? Here are the pictures he sent me while I was gone:

They ate fun food, watched movies, and played video games. Several sisters at church on Sunday asked Bryan and the kids how everything was going in my absence. Sophie was quick to explain that they had had the BEST TIME EVER!

I think we all benefited from my reset.

*Final quote in the title for this trip, anybody want to guess what it's from?

Instant Best Friends

On Sunday after church we had a lovely visit from my friend Liz and her two daughters. Liz was part of the epic MBASA book club that I was in while Bryan was in grad school. She was a good friend and we've kept in touch. I was delighted to get a message from her last week saying that she was visiting family near enough to come see us and asking if we were available. Of course I said yes!

Her younger daughter Adelaide and Sophie were born the same year. Sophie loved that she had someone just her size to play with. In fact, Sophie shared our riding horse on wheels with Adelaide, but was quite upset when her older sister Zara rode it. I asked Sophie what was going on and she said, "She can't ride it. It's only for little blonde girls." So I guess Adelaide's blondness earned her points as well.

Zara and Phoebe are only a week apart in age and they used to play together during those MBASA years. Neither girl remembered the other, but by the end of the reunion they had each pledged to be BFFs, were planning future visits, and were terribly heartbroken to be parted.

Phoebe was so sad in fact, at Zara's departure she dressed herself in black and announced she was mourning.

Seriously.

Thanks for visiting Liz! We loved it and looked forward to seeing you all again.

Cultural Enrichment

We had a fun day at the local children's museum with some friends this week. I didn't take many pictures since I was busy chatting and not losing my children, but I did get a few.

They had a cool traveling display about China which included a section on Chinese theatre.

It also taught about Chinese schools.

The girls were all happy to pose for this picture, because who doesn't want to sit in a giant pink chair? Also, Phoebe wore those boots to church this week because she couldn't find her regular church shoes.

Behind Sophie is the water section of the museum. We've been to several children's museums that have water tables, but this was the first that also had soap and water tables. The bubbles were awesome and included a ring big enough to make a bubble Sophie and I could stand in. On an unrelated note, I hope to someday take non-blurry pictures of Sophie on a consistent basis.

Thanks for the fun day Lisa! The girls and I had a great time.

All That Swag

When we moved to New Jersey I made a list of all the family and friends that live on this side of the country. Over the last nine months we've planned trips and adventures around who we could visit, or who could visit us. This weekend, some adventurous friends made the trek to our house.

The kids (their five and our four) had a grand time playing outside most of the day. Seriously, they were outside not long after 8 in the morning. We got some funny looks from our early-morning dog-walking neighbors, but the kids didn't care. After bikes and games and a picnic, we all journeyed to a local Spring festival, though a more appropriate title would be Swag festival. We came home with toothbrushes and Frisbees and toys. The most exciting item that was handed out? Full-size boxes and bags of M&Ms to each person that was willing to stand in line and wait for it, including Sophie. Peter and I can't even eat M&Ms, but it was still exciting. And our guests were sufficiently impressed.

Look! We got all thirteen of us in one picture!

Thanks, Dan and Robin, for visiting!

Clubbing

Once upon a time I was in The Best Book Club Ever. That wasn't its official title, but it might as well have been. We would talk for hours about the books we had read. We would share our insights and our questions. We developed wonderful friendships.

When my time in that book club came to an end, I mourned. I missed it terribly. I found another book club in our new ward and anxiously read the assigned book. I arrived the night of my first book club ready to discuss and ask questions and be edified. We talked about the book for thirty minutes, then proceeded to talk about the "super-cute" refreshments for another thirty.

I left crestfallen.

My expectations, it appeared, were way out of whack. No book club would be able to live up to the memory of The Book Club That Filled My Soul. I attended the new group a handful of times, then just stayed home and read books on my own.

I related the disappointing book club experience to a good friend who had been in The Magical Book Club of Wonder with me. She shared her own less-than-satisfactory book club experiences with me. I don't remember who had the idea originally, but in a moment of brilliance we decided that we would form our own book club. We were in two different states, so our meetings would take place over Skype or Google Hangouts. We made a list of books we wanted to read, picked one, and scheduled our first official book talk.

We've now had several meetings of our miniature book club. Last night we talked about To Kill a Mockingbird. I've been saying for years that it was one of my favorite books and I was relieved to find that, in the eighteen years since I first read it, my opinion of the book has not changed. My perspective and understanding have grown, but my love for the book has remained.

My new book club is one of the highlights of my month. Not only do we have wonderful discussions about the books we've read, we also have a chance at least once a month to catch up with each other, which is pretty marvelous. And though I'm no longer part of The Book Club of Mythic Proportions, I'm delighted with my Exactly What I Need Book Club that I have now.

The Reunion Tour

It's time for me to inundate you with pictures!

I know you've been itching to find out how our drive across the country went. Well my friends, your wait is over, at least partially. I'm not going to cover a whole week in one post; that would be crazy.

But I will write about a weekend.

We finished cleaning and checked out of our Washington house on the last day of July. It took longer than we had planned for (as always) so we didn't even start our drive until dinner time. This meant that we didn't arrive in Boise, Idaho (our night's destination) until 3 in the morning. We had lots of late nights on the trip, but that was the latest.

Since I knew we were traveling across the country I looked to see which friends and family members we would be passing. It turned into quite a reunion tour. First we saw my friend Elise. She lives halfway between Boise and Utah Valley (which was our next stop) and let our motion-starved kids run wild through her house, for which we were thankful. And she fed us! It was lovely.

That night in Utah we had a big ol' sleepover. Remember the friends that drove up to see us when we were in Utah in May? Well they offered to let us crash at their house. It was sooooooo fun. It was also the best night sleep I had had in weeks. The next morning we didn't want to leave. We just wanted to stay and play with our friends. We finally pulled ourselves together and returned our friends' home to a normal decibel level. Thank you Brett and Ben!

As luck would have it, my brother Isaac and sister-in-law Falisha happened to be visiting Utah Valley from Idaho, so they spent the afternoon wandering around BYU with us. I loved getting to see them and the kids loved getting to play with them. Bonus: we went to the Museum of Art on campus and saw the exhibit advertised in the picture below. It was really cool. Phoebe especially loved all the ball gowns they had on display.

Bryan's brother Spencer came and spent time with us as well, including a stop at In N' Out, which really doesn't require an explanation. Also, I found it amusing that my youngest brother and Bryan's youngest brother had a great time chatting about math, calculus if memory serves. Sure boys, whatever makes you happy.

We also saw two more dear friends that day, but somehow I failed to take pictures. I've been kicking myself about it ever since. Charlynn, thank you for taking time to come see us! Gretel, thank you for letting us stop by! I'm so happy I got to see both of you.

After haircuts and a mall stop for some new jeans (I don't recommend eating bread and jam while traveling at 2 in the morning, you'll probably spill), we headed up to Bryan's grandparents' for the night.

The next day we went to church with Bryan's brother Dallin and his wife Melody. Phoebe adores both Aunt Falisha and Aunt Melody, so seeing them in the same weekend was kind of a big deal for her. Sadly, I again failed to pull out my camera for most of the day. I did catch this fun exchange between Dallin and Sophie.

I squeezed in one more friend visit before the traditional family Sunday dinner at Bryan's grandparents' house. Sophie and I drove twenty minutes to see my friend Makana and meet her sweet newborn baby girls. If we had come through the next weekend I would have missed her, but I caught her before she and her family moved to Texas.

Bryan and I stayed up late on Sunday night making sure the laundry was clean and the car was packed to begin the big drive across the country the next morning.

Fantastic Friends

When we made our crazy-fast trip to Utah back in May, some of our good friends from the MBA program made the trek up to see us. Their kids are roughly the same ages as our kids, and they all get along with each other, so when we're together everybody has someone to play with.

It was a joy to see them and we look forward to seeing them again soon!

Look at All the People, At All the People*

We concluded our Seattle adventure by doing the most touristy thing we could think of: we visited Pike's Place.

The masses were there in full force. It was hard to see the famous fish shop and the smell was a mixture of seafood and unwashed human. We didn't stick around for long.

We hiked many levels down to the pier. And we had an awesome guide!

My MBASA friend Ashley drove forty minutes to meet and lead us around downtown. We had a lovely time catching up. She filled me in on some of the MBASA happenings of the last year (her husband graduated the year after Bryan) and I assured her that MBASA withdrawals would dissipate over time, though I'm not sure if they ever completely go away.

After walking all day and not getting to ride on or go into anything, the kids finally got to do something fun. On the pier below Pike's Place there is a carousel, and for $2.50 a pop, we rode it. I think they enjoyed it. Phoebe certainly had fun.

The kids were good sports and walked much more than their legs wanted to. Sophie hung out in the Björn all afternoon, which I think was a nice change from the car seat. Also, the stroller would not have fit through the crush of humanity.

I'm glad we took the time to visit Seattle. I liked the city. It felt like a combination of San Francisco and Orange County, with a dash of Portland sprinkled in. And with our big move coming up, I'm not sure when we'll be close enough to visit again.

That's one more major item on our bucket list complete!

*Giant bonus points if you know what I'm referencing in the title.

In Review

Most of the pictures I post on here were taken with my phone. Since my phone automatically uploads all movies and pictures to Google+, that's where I often go to find blog inspiration. 

I was perusing my files yesterday, looking for something post-worthy, when I found a little gift from the folks at Google+. It's a year in review, made up of the footage I've uploaded.. Some of these pictures have been on the blog before, some are new. When I saw it I thought, "That's perfect for my last post of the year!" And yes, it made me a little weepy. Sadly, it does not include pictures of Sophie, but you can scroll to any of the other posts since her birth and look at those pictures and imagine that she's part of the movie.

Happy New Year!