Our Mecca: New York City

Before kids, Lar and I made our pilgrimage to NYC at least once per year.  For 8 years straight.  We saw over 30 shows on the Great White Way.  We ate our weight in pizza.  We zipped around on the subway like we lived there.  It was our city and returning to it, smelling the NYC funky smell and getting in step with the crowds always made me feel like I was home.

I really wish that I lived in a suburb of NYC, not stupid, clean, no character, no Broadway DC with the terrible public transportation system.

Anyhow though, for the first time since Abigail joined our family, we returned to our adoptive home city, hoping to show the kids some finer points of the city we love so that maybe they would love it too and we can commence yearly trips again.

Abigail did love it.  She didn't want to leave and was very sad to go.  Joseph started every day with tons of energy, refusing to be carried, literally running down the sidewalks and into traffic with youthful exuberance that doesn't know how to budget your energy for the day, but so full of life and happy to be "in the greatest city in the world"

"Look around, look around, at how lucky we are to be alive right now.  History is happening in Manhattan and we just happen to be in the greatest city in the world."  (little quote from Hamilton there!)

Joseph was terrified of Times Square because, as I may have mentioned before, (here) he hates green things. He also hates people in costume, like mascots.  And Times Square is packed with people in costume, many are green (green M&M, Shrek, Hulk, Statue of Liberty to name a few).

Before I post pictures, I HAVE to tell you that Larry and I each got to see Hamilton (on different nights).

Yeah, that's right.  The hottest ticket on Broadway for a reason, we have been in love with Lin-Manuel Miranda since In the Heights and the man is a genius.  Hamilton will be in my head for a long time.  

I am a packing guru:  family of 4, 3 days in the Big Apple all
packed into 2 school backpacks and we took one
toddler carrier backpack which our toddler refused to ride in the whole time.

Big, huge playground in Central Park and my
kids spend the whole time digging a hole in the sand with
a little boy whose nanny kept calling him "Ewan."
Like McGregor, I guess.

Little bit of Belvedere castle.  

Me and my girl

Upstairs in Belvedere Castle

The Statue of Wigglety (as Abigail called it) is directly
behind Larry's head.

"Hey look, Joseph.  It is the Statue of Wigglety."

Our confident little man with his
shopping from China town.
He carried it all the way to our hotel on 79th.

Abigail and I saw Matilda.  She loved it.

Joseph was delighted to watch some major building
construction happening in the Chelsea area of the city.
It was like Goodnight Construction Site come to life!

Abigail and I studied bridges this summer and she was
excited to name some different types on our trip.

She really wanted this hat.  She doesn't even know what
the Yankees are, she just liked the hat.

We walked the whole High Line
on a very beautiful, cool NYC morning.

Abigail loved to see old pieces of track
on the High Line

Taking a break at the 10th Avenue overlook on the High Line

Oooh Look!  The High Line has a water feature!

This is Joseph, about 2 minutes before he fell
asleep on the Ferris Wheel in the
Times Square Toys R Us.  It was 7 pm.
Larry had to carry him back to the hotel.
(I was at Hamilton.)

Last Farm Trip for the Summer

We took new family pictures at the farm

This is the sort of insanely-beautiful
farm day I am talking about!

Since our first day of school isn't until September 8th, we can take advantage of the wonderful August weather.  Warm days and cool nights create perfect summer days.  What better place to enjoy this time together as a family than at my parents' farm.  

Abigail loved to pick apples.

She also loved to eat them and
feed them to the horses.

Tractor driving.

Sleepy Snapshot

Why?  Why here, 3 dangerous steps from the top?
Why did she leave her bed, grab a turkey Beanie Baby,
and fall asleep balanced like she is training to camp
in a portaledge bivouac?

Firefly Frolic: a 1.6k run

For the month of July, Abigail trained for the Firefly Frolic, a 1-mile trail run in the dark that is an event for kids by our parks and rec department in town.  By "trained" I mean that she ran a 0.89 mile loop with me about 8 times before race day.  

The race was to begin at 8:30, so Abigail made sure to carbo-load for dinner.  She learned this from her Aunt Mary Jane. :)

Joseph LOVES to have his picture taken.
I cannot raise a camera without
Joseph jumping in front of the lens.  

With a headlamp and flashlight, she
was ready for the race!

At about 8:20, she complained that it was still "too light" outside.  

At 8:28 she confirmed that she really REALLY wanted me to run with her because she loves me and doesn't want to do stuff without me.  (Heck, this won't last forever, so I'll take it.)

At 8:30, the horn sounded for the start.  Abigail stood at the starting line and adjusted her head lamp for a while, before starting off.  We jogged around a field and then into the woods. The trail was covered in roots and rocks in places and it was, in fact, very dark.  It was so beautiful to look into the woods in the darkness because parks and rec hung yellow glow sticks from trees to line the whole trail.  It was a very cool atmosphere, but watch out, because kids were tripping on roots and going down all over the place.  Abigail just passed them and didn't break her stride.  Kids stopped to grab the stitch in their sides or walk and Abigail just passed them too.  From behind, I watched her silhouette, illuminated by her light, running in the darkness, pigtails bouncing.  She is such a beautiful runner.  Her form is graceful and athletic and perfect.  I could watch her run forever.

But I didn't get to, because she finished her mile run (over uneven terrain) in 11:01.  She was proud of herself for not stopping and as soon as we finished the race, she begged to go do it again.  She didn't care about the end-of-race snacks, all she wanted was to run in the dark with the glow sticks again.

Next year, Buddy.  I hope we can do it again next year.