The Mormon's Take Manhattan Part 3

Our second day in NYC was amazing.  We took the ferry to Staten Island so that we could see the  Statue of Liberty.  The statue and Ellis Island were closed due to Hurricane Sandy damage, but it was still a wonderful sight.  I am honored to live in this country and all it represents.  

We also had the opportunity to visit Ground Zero.  It was a sobering experience to reflect on that tragic day, and it was also powerful to see the remembrance and rebuilding.   

We ate lunch in Little Italy then returned to our hotel to get ready to see Newsies!

We ate at dinner at a yummy Italian place in Times Square then headed to the play! 

Newsies was wonderful!  It was all I could do to not belt out the songs right along with them!  

After Newsies we walked to the Empire State Building and went all the way to the top!  The view was stunning!  As I looked at every window lit in the countless buildings, I was touched to know that Heavenly Father knew and loved every single person in the city... no matter how small we may feel, we are never small to Him. 

The Mormons take Manhattan Part 2

After lunch on our First day in New York, we found the Temple! We were thrilled, and I even ran into some people I knew! I love how being a Mormon ties me to people all over the world!

 After our visit to the temple, we returned to our hotel to get ready for a Yankees game! 

Dallan and I loved the stadium!  He enjoyed a hot dog, I loved my cheese steak sandwhich and we really liked our ice cream even though it was a chilly night! 

It was a great game with several home runs, Miriano Rivera closing, hilarious fans, and a Yankee win!  

There was also a neat museum in the stadium filled with autographed balls and other Yankee treasures. 

 On our way out of the Stadium we couldn't help but sing "New York New York" with all of the other fans as we headed to the crammed subway! 

The Mormons Take Manhattan Part 1

We recently went to New York City with some of our dear friends!  We decided to fly on the red eye and see if we could stay awake the whole next day!

We arrived in New York city at 7:00 AM.  Since we couldn't check into our hotel we started exploring bright and early!

      

Dallan was thrilled to be in NYC at the same time as the NFL draft!

St. Patrick's Cathedral

After we spent some time exploring the city, we walked through Central Park. It was neat to see a such a beautiful park in the middle of the busy city!  

Our favorite moment was watching our friend Colby run through the park like Phoebe (from friends)  We couldn't stop laughing! 

After we explored central Park, we went to the Natural History Museum.  This is the museum where "Night at the Museum" was filmed. Mitchell was thrilled when we called and told him where we were.  We looked everywhere for "Dexter" and couldn't find him, but we did find the Easter Island statue that says, "Give me Gum Gum, Dum Dum!"  

We ate lunch at the shake shack near the museum and loved our hamburgers, fries and custard!  

Easter Time!

I love Easter time.  Every year we enjoy dying eggs, going on an Easter egg hunt and getting little surprises.  I love the feeling of hope and anticipation in the air as the trees start to bud and the flowers start to bloom.   We know the late Spring snow storms and heavy clouds will make appearances, but they won't stay. The promise of spring fills our hearts with the hope of sunshine and warm days ahead!  

St Patrick's Day at Preschool!

Aren't I a LUCKY teacher to have such a sweet Preschool class? 

Court of Honor

Congratulations to Matthew for earning several merit badges and Josh for earning his Life!  Eagle Scout here we come!

Matthew's Dare Graduation

Congratulations on your Dare graduation Matthew! Your program was wonderful, and I loved the essay you wrote! Thanks for committing to be drug free!

One year ago...

The morning after Caleb died we opened our door to find that it was covered in hearts with sweet messages for our family written on them.  Also left on the porch was a sweet treat for breakfast.  It touched our hearts deeply to know our friends knew how hard that first morning would be.

On the year anniversary of Caleb's death, we returned from visiting the cemetery to find our door once again covered in hearts by those same friends.  They even left a sweet treat for us to enjoy.

I have been so humbled to by the goodness that surrounds us.  We have been remembered in such personal and tender ways.  Thank you to so many who have been angels for our family.  Your kindness, your visits, your invitations for lunch, and your quiet acts of remembering have filled my heart to overflowing.  Thank you, again and again. 

"Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind.” 

Josh's 13th Birthday

We officially have a teenager in the house! Josh recently turned 13!   

He is such a gentle soul.  It takes a lot of courage for him face the world every day, but he does it wonderfully.  I'm so proud of him.

  

Josh was really looking forward to his birthday, and he was especially excited to receive Minecraft legos!

Josh chose to go out for all you can eat for his birthday lunch.  This was the first year he didn't want to be checked out of school for his special lunch because he was too worried about missing class.  He chose to go out for all you can eat on a Saturday instead. 

Josh always choose a caramel score bar cake for his birthday and for his birthday dinner he chose roast and potatoes.  

Grandma and Grandpa and joined us for dinner and Grandma shared a birthday story she wrote for him.  You can read it here! 

Josh is a wonderful young man and I am so proud to be his mother.  

Happy birthday Josh.

I love you forever.