Philadelphia

We spent a few days in Philadelphia this week during Joseph's spring break. We saw so many things and had a wonderful time.

first view of Philadelphia --- Love Park

City Hall --- Benjamin Franklin Memorial in the Franklin Institute (which is awesome!)

Benjamin Franklin's grave site --- Elfreth's Alley (the oldest continually inhabited residential street in the country)

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Washington Square --- Independence Hall

Statue of Rocky outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art (the steps he ran up in the movie) --- Logan Square

George Washington Memorial --- Liberty Bell

The weather was beautiful and the trip was just the right length. I love that we live so close to so many things. Where should we go next?

Musicians

There are street/subway musicians everywhere in NYC. Most are pretty amateur and don't sound all that super. But we have seen some great performances while waiting for the subway or walking through a park. Here are two of the best we have seen:

My favorite is probably the awesome mariachi band that came onto the subway one day not long after we moved here. {three men in costume with a guitar, upright bass, and harmonica, playing and singing "La Bamba"} Matthew and I had the biggest smiles on our faces - I couldn't believe it was actually happening! It was the best subway ride into Manhattan we have ever had!

Books

These are the last few books I have read. I enjoyed them all, and would recommend any of them. I spend my time reading at night when Joseph is studying. I love having some time to relax after Matthew is in bed.

I think I'm going to take a little break from reading for the next couple of weeks. There are a lot of other projects, responsibilities, and things to think about that could use some of my attention.

Check out my goodreads link on the sidebar to see what I have read (and how I rate it) during the last couple of years.

Wedding

Little sis Megan & Kyle are engaged and getting married in June! I'm so excited!

Utah

We had a fabulous time in Utah. Matthew did GREAT on the plane rides. Even though it's only been 7 months since we moved, I had almost forgotten what Utah was like. I couldn't believe how few cars and people there were. It seemed so wide open and quiet to me - and I loved it!

We did some shopping, ran errands, saw cousins and friends, and mostly just enjoyed our time there. Matthew was the center of attention. He was a great traveler and was so happy and sweet the whole time.

It was wonderful to be home and to relax and spend time with family. It was hard to leave, but Joseph missed us and needed us to come home. And, as always, it is nice to be back.

Big News

We surprised our families by having Matthew sport a t-shirt with this printed on it when we got to Utah:

I am about 15 weeks along and we are very excited (and nervous) to add another little one to our family on August 12, 2009.

This Week...

Matthew and I will be leaving the subway behind and flying home to Utah for a visit • Joseph will be studying, studying, studying here in Brooklyn • Let's hope the flight goes better than last time since my sisters won't be there to help • Four hours of screaming will still be worth it to get to spend time with friends and family • YEAH!

{all pictures by Robin}

Coney Island

I'm dreaming of summer and trying to think of how many times a week, logically, I can take Matthew to the beach. I love Coney Island. Here are some of the pictures I took when we went in September.

Only a few more months...

Mmmmmm

He likes pizza, too!

Books, Matt & Staten Island

• I finished reading Uncle Tom's Cabin a couple weeks ago. It was a fantastic book and I loved everything about it. I couldn't believe most of the things that happened to the slaves during that time, and I came to love Uncle Tom and some of the other characters for their strong faith no matter what they went through. I recommend this book to anyone.
• Matthew has been so much fun lately. He learns new words, sounds, and skills every day and always finds something to get into. It has been so cold here that we don't get out much, but he really enjoys his time at the children's museum, nursery, and riding the bus.
• We went to Staten Island for the first time last weekend. We met up with some friends, went to lunch, and explored the area. It was a nice little community, and felt like we were back in Utah (almost). We really liked it there, and it was hard coming back over the bridge into the real city.
• I just read Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. It was very interesting, and it takes place in NYC so I enjoyed reading about some things that I have seen first hand. I can't recommend it because of some bad language and other things. Too bad!

Sleepy Hollow

We went on a little road trip to Sleepy Hollow, NY. It was absolutely beautiful, and made me miss mountains, trees, open spaces, and normal neighborhoods. Washington Irving wrote "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" after spending some time here in his youth. He is buried in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, next to the Old Dutch Church.

It was a charming little town, and it was so nice to get away from the big city for a few hours.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

• Merry Christmas! We had a wonderful Christmas. Robin got here on Tuesday night and we really enjoyed having her with us. We did a lot of relaxing at home, had Chinese food for Christmas eve dinner, got and gave fun gifts, talked to family, and saw some sights.
• It has been great having Joseph home for the past little while. He goes back to school next week, so it will just be me and Matthew at home together again.
• Happy New Year! No, we didn't venture out to Times Square, but we did watch the ball drop on tv, played some games with friends, and had sparkling cider. We had some big changes in 2008, and we are looking forward to 2009.