When it is time to feed the cats I just call and they come a runnin'.  A couple weeks a ago when I called she didn't come after a while of looking she eventually came out of hiding but was the worse for wear.  She wouldn't out any weight on her back leg.  When we took her to the vet they found that she had a broken leg.  It is very sad but are glad to have her with us.  The funny part is that she sounds a looks like a pirate! AaRgHHh!!!!

New York, New York!!!!

New York, I finally made it! 
Ever since I can remember I have wanted to go to N.Y. I wanted to know what the biggest city in the U.S. was like.  Well, first impression, it was AmAZinG!  It was big and busy and just everything I thought it would be a so much better.

We arrived in New Jersey late at night and the attendant at our hotel had given away our room.  So we went across the street to a motel.  I realized while Kyle was checking us in that any motel that gives rates by the hour is probably a different kind of hotel, but we decided we had no other option.  So, the next morning we went back to our original hotel and straightened things out!

Broadway Ave.

Kyle with Optimus Prime!

Times Square

N.Y City Sunset

The next day we hopped on a bus and took the Lincoln Tunnel to Manhattan.  It's a pretty neat experience in and of itself, the turnpike literally takes a hairpin turn under ground into the Lincoln tunnel under the water.  It takes about 15 minutes to get to the other side.  The bus terminal is deep under ground as well, and it was a little disorienting finding our way out.  The metro is in the same place and we used both a lot, so by the end of the week we had it all pretty well figured out.  Once we left the terminal we went straight above ground and started walking!  Sad moment in my life was when we walked straight through Times Square and I didn't even know it!  AArrgghh!!!  When we had a couple minutes to sit and take is all in this is what we saw.  It was bright like Las Vegas, with all the billboards and news ads, it smelled like the county fair, and the movement of all the people no matter the time of day was energetic.

Metorology Observatory from the mid-late 1800'

 That day we also went to the central Park and ate lunch, another jewel for my crown!  An absolute dream come true!  Something you wouldnt know about the Central Park unless you were there is that it, like so many other things in N.Y. goes down in the ground.  Not under ground but below street level.  So it moves and flows unlike parks out west where there is more room for it to meander.

Central Park

Notice how happy I am?

This little guy about the size of a chicken.

So life like!

After lunch we walked over to the Natural History Museum.  Any one who as seen the movies Night at the Museum would feel just like they were in the movie walking through here.  The animal sets were amazing and the dinsaur exhibits had so many types that I didnt even know exshisted!  When we left the Natural Hisotry we walked clear the other side of Central Park and just made the last hour of the Gougenhiem.  It was interesting, I found it confusing and frustrating but Kyle, my art buff loved it.  

The Gougenhiem.

Thanks Lloyd another high five for you!

 

Tile sign on the Subway.

On the platform, hot and stinky.

Inside The Empire Building.

The next day, we decided that because our feet hurt so bad that the subway was the way to go!  It was really nice to travel around the city so much faster but the subway itself is not nice smelling.  The first two levels were ok but the third level down smells like gym socks and farts, because there is no air flow, not to mention it's hot!!!  I was impressed though at the attention to detail that we just dont have these days.  Tile signs every where; nice looking and functional too!

On the subway train.

Skyline from the top; oohh, pretty!

Anyway,  we went to the Empire State Building.  When we were at the building I didnt think we were at the right place because at ground level it just looks like any other building, lol!  The inside kind of reminded me of the Ministry of magic from Harry Potter.  We also went to ground zero and even though I was on the other side of the U.S. and knew no one who was invovled I was equally moved that day we visited as the day it happened.  The little visiters center was lovely and the memorbilia was moving being there was almost spiritual.  

The Twin Towers should have been in front of those 2 buildings.  That is outside of the front doors of the visiter's center.

Twisted metal supports recovered from the site,

The time piece from the lobby of one the Trade Centers recovered.

My fav. piece of art drawn by a child displayed at the visitors center.

The New York City skyline from the farey going to Ellis Island.

Eatin' lunch at the Statue of Liberty.

Later, we went to the Statue of Liberty (which is not as big as one might have imagined).  We ate lunch there as well and surprised my mother in law with an impromptu call and made her guess where we were at!  That was priceless!  One of my favorite stops was Ellis Island, I was able to locate ancestors in the ships manifesto and learn more about her.  It was awesome!!!!

Rockefeller Plaza.

Breakfast at Tiffany's (corny!)

Lastly, we went to Tiffany's, I know that it was corny but I had to have breakfast at Tiffany's.  We then tried to get on the Today Show, according to sources our sign was seen.  We took in a little music on the plaza.  I sang along with Carol King and James Taylor.  

The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Egyptian temple.

 The remainder of our day was spent viewing some of the world's most famous art at the Metroplitan Museum of Art and the Modern Museum of Art.  At the Met we took in most of the museum, it took about 8 hours.  We saw statues both originals and reproduction, we saw whole Egyption Temples reassmbled inside the museum.  Paintings that were so much more beautiful than any photo graph, it makes one feel silly that we buy prints of these and say that that is beauty.  We ate lunch in the cafe in the Met and every bite was a taste of what our eyes took in, in art and culture.   The very last place we went was the Modern Museum of Art and it was really cool, but at that point we couldn't concentrate on anything because our feet hurt so bad!  So we called it a trip.  The following morning we packed our little bags, wiped a tear from our eyes,  blew a kiss to Manhattan from our car window and headed for home.  But all corniness aside I would live in New York in a heartbeat!  Maybe, someday, who knows.

THE END!!!!

Kikis Birthday was January 26th.  She turned eight.  In our church that means she's old enough to be baptized.  It has been a long awaited event and we are so excited for her.   Grandma and Grandpa came for the big day.  She decided to wear my baptism dress and Dad baptized her.  Others who came were the Anderson's, the Dean's, the Altomon's.  It was wonderful considering she had the flu.  She threw up right before we left but she toughed it out and did it anyway.  Her father and I couldn't have been prouder.  Grandma and Grandpa got her a set of scriptures, Mom and Dad got her a CTR ring, Kasey Bassatt took the photos.

Happy 1st Birthday

Maxikins!

He got a quiet book, keys, a big bouncie truck, and a walker, for his birthday.  He got German chocolate cake and loved putting his pudgy little fingers into it.  His brothers and sister helped him blow out the candles.  He has only one tooth on the bottom.  He loves doing high fives and waving, too!  We love you our sweet little boy.  We are so happy you are in our lives.

Friends Forever

The other day Do-do kept talking about how his friend wanted something to eat and that his friend wanted a valentines card and that his friend doesn't like milk but he loves root beer.  So I asked him about his friend and he said that his friends name is Cheerio and he lives at far far away mountains.  It reminded me about Kiki's imaginary friend.  It was a dog named Allygog.  For about two months I had to put food out for the dog at every meal.  The dog had to have her seat belt on any time we were in the car, too!  The funniest thing was that you could hear Kiki play with her friend alone in her room all the time.  She would even sing the dog to sleep at night!

No sense crying over spilt milk?

I see myself as a lively, active mother willing to do whatever it takes to make my childrens lives enjoyable.  Most days I find my children to be an absolute joy.  However, on days like today I thank the Heavens above for anti-depressants.  While helping my husband scan in images for his class, I hear my three year old Do-do from the floor above, crying and that he needs me.  Absently, I said, I will be right there, hold on a minute.  My daughter comes down a few moments later saying that she smells apple juice.  Instantly, I know that Do-do has spilt the apple juice on the floor.  If only that was all.  He not only had he spilt it, but some it when into the vegetable drawer covering all the vegetables.  The remainder of it that was on the floor leaked into the crevices in the floor to the folded laundry below and the table they were sitting on.  When it hit the parts of the table that were bare it splattered onto everything.  Little tiny sticky dots of apple juice all over the walls, the washer and dryer, ALL OVER the floor int he laundry room.  Just when you think, "oh, its not that bad".  It does get worse Do-do decided that his bear pajamas are water proof and walked through the big puddle on the kitchen floor and tracked it through the living room.  So when someone tells you there's no use crying over spilt milk.  Don't you listen, you just go ahead a cry, while you mop it up.

From: The Chronicles of One Whacked Out Frazzled Mommy.

H1N1

Thanksgiving Day was just the beginning. It started out ok, kyle and I enjoyed the morning cooking together and chatting. The food was fantastic! We made everything from scratch and I really couldn't complain that the only thing that didn't turn out was the dinner rolls! i loved setting my table with all of my Grandmothers fine china that she gave to me. And setting out my fine silver was the special touch, we even had Kyle's Great Grandmothers platters! What could possibly ruin such a wonderful day. H1N1, that's what! It is more commonly known as swine flu. (The government decided to name it something else because ignorant simpletons thought that if they killed all the pigs it would go away. It is in fact a viral infection that attacks the lungs of swine. However, it has mutated and no longer resides in swine. Humans do not have a natural immunity to it so that is how it has become a pandemic.) Katey got swine flu and it hit her late Wednesday night and got worse rapidly. At it's worse she had a 104.7 temperature but she carried a temperature for about 10 days. She was in and out of the hospital for days for dehydration. She also suffered from hallucinations that were really scary. I didn't leave her side the whole time. Kyle also got swine flu and was throwing up all night after Thanksgiving. About a week later Jack got it and then a few days later Sam did. Luckily, the boys had had the Vaccine on board for almost two weeks so they did not suffer as Katey did. I thank our Heavenly Father that no one has suffered any long term effects from it.