NYC & Airport - Day 3 & 4

Dear Wiley, Rosa, and Eva,

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. (That reference will make more sense when you're older and Dad introduces you to A Tale of Two Cities.) First, the best. There was a forecast for snow on Saturday, so we decided to spend the day indoors in the theater. The first show we saw was West Side Story. It's your classic girl meets boy, boy kills girl's brother in a fistfight gone bad under the bridge, all set in Spanish Harlam. Let's just say it's a show only for Mommys and Daddys. Here's Mom outside the theater in her coat on loan from Luke Skywalker at the beginning of Star Wars: Episode V -- Wiley, you know the one -- it's the one Luke wears while riding the Ton-Ton.


After the show, we went for food. We started with dessert -- just like we do at home. It was a place called "Chikalicious" and we ordered a three-course meal. But the best part is this: all three courses were desserts! Here is course #2: Cheesecake.


After dessert we went for a healthy dose of vegetables: fries. These were authentic "Belgium fries" from a place called "Pommes Frites" -- complete with rosemary-garlic, thyme, and our personal favorite, mango dipping sauces. (Mommy got some plain old ketchup just to be safe.) Yummy.


After dinner we set out for one of every tourist's most common experiences in New York. Not the Empire State Building, not the Statue of Liberty, not having an awkward confrontation with a panhandler -- no, I'm talking about trying to find a bathroom in Times Square. Thankfully, the good people of Charmin were there to help us out.

We went up an escalator and entered a world that can only be described as High School Musical meets the latrines. There was singing (about going potty). There was (potty) dancing. There was cheering (about going potty). It was bizarre -- yet strangely motivating. After fifteen minutes of enjoying the show, we were admitted into stalls that would have made the Waldorf-Astoria proud. Each one was as big as a small apartment. Each one had four kinds of toilet paper (so you could sample -- the best one had aloe). And each one had an iPod, so you could listen to your favorite "jam" while you, ahem, enjoyed the facility. This is Daddy emerging from his five minutes of paradise -- by the way, he chose the song "Bad" by Michael Jackson. Fitting.


After we finished, the cast members of the Charmin show invited us to "rate your go." Yes, that's exactly what they called it. Sharalee gave hers a "cartwheeler" and Ben opted for a "champion" -- just one degree shy of the highest level of "moonshiner," which, even after much discussion, we're not quite sure what means. Anyhoo ...


After our Charmin experience, we went to the evening show -- "The 39 Steps" -- which was putatively an adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's film of the same name, but was remade as a comedy. Very funny. When we emerged from the theater, however, we discovered that what had only been coming down as light fluff before had now evolved into what newscasters later called "one of the top five worst storms in the last 140 years in NYC."

Great. And just on the night before we were supposed to go home.


Which brings us to the worst of times. Currently, Ben and I are nestled cozily in a corner of JFK airport. We have been bumped from two flights and are now spending the night in terminal 14 on a couch that appears to have been designed by Tim Burton to resemble a spleen (see below).


Don't cry for us, we're having fun still and are reasonably comfortable. But just everybody pray that we make our 7:26 flight to Las Vegas. Check-in is at 2:26 a.m. -- so if you're up at that hour, feel free to petition on our behalf.

Well, kids, we are excited to see you again and tell you more about our adventures. Hopefully, we'll be on our way while you're still nestled all snug in your beds dreaming of sugarplums and LEGOs and teething cookies ...

Love you,

Mom & Dad

NYC - Day 2

Dear Wiley, Rose, and Eva,

Today we took a ferry trip out to see the Statue of Liberty. We rode on a big boat -- bigger than Grandpa Tim's boat but not as big as the Disney Cruise boat. Mom had a pretzel with cheese dipping sauce.


Next to the Statute of Liberty is another island called Ellis Island. One hundred years ago -- back when your great-great-grandparents were around -- anyone who wanted to come and live in the United States of America had to come to this island first. They had to answer questions and take tests to see if they were smart enough and healthy enough to stay in the United States.


After we got off the boat, we went to the Museum of Modern Art. Mommy's leg was hurting so we got her a wheelchair and Dad pushed her around. We saw some very famous paintings, including a lot that are on the Baby Einstein videos or the Little Einstein cartoons, like this one.


But we also some funny paintings. These are called "modern" paintings. Some of them are interesting, but some of them are, well, a little strange, like this one --


We decided that Rosie has lots of artwork that could go in this museum (and most of her stuff is better than what is already on the walls). Who knows, maybe it will be there someday.

After we looked at the paintings, we had dinner, including the best cup of hot chocolate we've had in New York (probably just as good as they ones they serve on the Polar Express). Then we got some dessert and went back to Uncle Dan and Aunt Minna's house to rest. We hope you are having fun having a sleepover at Grandma's house. We miss you.

Love,

Mom & Dad

NYC - Day 1

Dear Wiley, Rosa, and Eva,

Last night I surprised daddy with a trip to New York. We flew through the night and slept when we arrived for a few hours. We read books and twirled in the living room with your cousins Hannah and Jane.



It is so cold here. We are bundled up with coats, hats, and gloves and still the air from the ocean is so chilly. This is a picture of us at a famous place called Rockefeller Square. The tree is about 75 feet tall. We went to lots of amazing places today. But one place we went called FAO Schwartz (a huge toy store) had two cool things made out of Legos. Wiley, can you tell who they are?




We love and miss you.

XOXO
Mom and Dad

Dear Santa,

Here is my Christmas Wish List

1. Eat any and all amounts of cheese balls and logs without the consequences.
2. Show up to every party, with the food steaming and the table set.
3. Help Rosie be more "girly". Someone besides me needs to be the teacher.
4. Have someone send out Christmas cards for me. (I'm not doing Christmas cards otherwise)
5. Have wigs and hair pieces come back into style. Grandma Ruth knew how to "rock" the look.
6. Send a chef over right around 5:00 p.m. each day with groceries, ready to get to work.
7. Not feel guilty for not sending out neighbor gifts ie cookies, treats, etc.
8. Like Snugglies, I'd like for the Muumuu's to make it big this style season as well. Every young 20-30 something-year-old should have one right? Lined in fluffy goodness too. Maybe even a coordinating hair wrap to go with the Muumuu would be nice as well.
9. New slippers.

You might think that I'm joking about these, when in fact, I'm not.

Thank you Santa.

The Latest and Greatest- Check It Out!

Alright lady friends. I know you are all sitting at home with a house full of kids and possibly a hidden talent that needs to be explored. I admit that I have a thing for cards and scrapbooking so this website is awesome. And being that I majored in this area this website has got me going crazy. CardsInk.com is a website were you can go and submit card designs, vote on card designs and purchase other people's card designs. This company allows it's users to vote on the cards, those cards with the highest votes make it to the printing press or offset printer and you earn $100 bucks. I know you all have some design in the back of your heads and you are wondering if other people would think it is cool as well. So find out. Check out CardsInk.com

Offset Printing- The following card is an example of an already popular artist Holly Brooke Jones. But you don't have to be as well know as her to make it to print.


Offset printing- This card is by Lisa Nelson.


Letterpress! If you don't know what a letter press is Google it. Imagine a 100 year old press, the large kind- think Guttenburg, or think colonial, with real ink and a person manually setting each card, yeah it's that cool.

This is art work designed by the well known artist Jacob Carter.
I have ordered a number of cards from this site. Truly amazing pieces of art that you share with your friends. Keep in mind these are not cheep Hallmark cards selling 5 for a buck at Albertsons. This is art put into a card. I've been really impressed by the quality of paper CardInk is using, one of my obsessions is paper- so if you know paper like I do, you will love their 100% cotton paper- letter pressed works of art.

Check them out! CardsInk.com my new obsession. For those of you wondering, no I have not submitted any art work yet. It is on my to do list. When I do you will know because I'll be begging you all to go on and vote for my art work!!

Dear Dan,

Don't people always give what they secretly want to receive?

Wish granted. Here is a birthday video back.

Love,

Your wonderful, flamboyant, bodacious, esoteric, loquacious, punctual, serendipitous, soporific, laudable, parsimonious, bombastic, pugnacious sisters.

Thanksgiving is my brother's birthday from Keri Dyer on Vimeo.

Wiley's Movie- Only for the Grandparents and cousins.

I just showed him how to find the pictures and this is what he came up with.
So cute, and he is the star of his own show.

Last weeks highlights

We lived off of left overs the whole week. No grocery shopping for me.
A neighbor wrote Wiley's Primary Program talk for me.
Rosie cut her own hair just hours before the Primary Program.
Eva pulled herself to her feet using the couch and let go.
Wiley asked me, "Would you mind if I used a swear word.". . . "Oh my gosh, it was so cool!"
We finally found a chemical based formula that Eva is not allergic to.
Ben mopped the floors.
I went to bed on Saturday night at 9:15 p.m.

The Birds, the Bees, and Bill Nye


So Ben had a rather revealing conversation with Wiley the other day. He was in the kitchen making some of his world-famous potato salad when Wiley entered to show him one of his new LEGO creations. Ben congratulated him as Wiley showed him the various features. Then the conversation took a different turn:

Wiley: Dad, I think we should have another baby.

Ben: Oh really? Already? But we just got baby Eva.

Wiley: Yes. Only this time I think we should have a baby boy.

Ben: Well, I'll see what we can do about that.

Wiley: Do you know how to make a baby boy?

Ben: (somewhat panicked) Ah ...

Wiley: It's easy. You see, Mom has two X's and you have an X and a Y. If you want to make a girl, you have to give Mom your X, and if you want to make a boy you give Mom your Y.

Ben: (slightly relieved, but also intrigued) I see. And where did you learn this?

Wiley: From Bill Nye, the Science Guy.

Ben: (unable to resist asking the $64,000 question) So Wiley, how exactly do I give Mom a Y?

Wiley: (considers this for a long moment) Mmmmh. That's a good question. I'm not sure. I guess you would use a lot of words with Ys in them.

Ben: Is that the only way?

Wiley: Well, I guess you could also tell Mom that you love her. Or maybe you could just say a prayer.

Ben: You are one smart boy.

At that point, Wiley wandered off to make another LEGO ship. Ben relayed that story to me shortly thereafter. I don't remember seeing that episode with Bill Nye the Science guy.

Sweetness

My little gift. She is amazing. So easy, so perfect.