g is for greta

I have heard patients talk about Bunny Hill for years without ever looking into it. BIG mistake! Corinne only had a few days left before school started, and I wanted to go somewhere new. I checked in with someone at the ward to get directions, and we were off! I was told I would know when I was there. Here’s why:

The bunnies are on top of a big hill. Underneath them is a waterfall.

The kids loved playing in the waterfall and the fountains.

After they were waterlogged, they headed into the field next to the water play area to climb on the large rocks.

It was a fun time. I’ll miss sunny days. How many months until spring?

-g.

Sigh. Tonight during Corinne’s prayer she prayed for Santa to find our house safely this year. Guess somebody’s gotta look out for the Big Guy.

-g.

I called Tony this morning to clear up a few things about the day (I know…I’m clingy), and he mentioned that it was snowing where he works. I looked outside, and, sure enough, it was snowing here, too. There were just a few flakes blowing around. That was all the kids needed to see. They shoveled breakfast down and got dressed in full winter garb (snow pants, hats, gloves, boots, winter coats, etc) and went outside. While I was getting them ready, Mason asked if he could make a snowman. Corinne told him no. Probably just a snow angel. By the time they got dressed, there were no more flakes in the air. They played anyway. Ethan was so pitiful crying at the door that I got him dressed, too. He was like Randy and kept falling over. Corinne had to help him up multiple times. Cute kids. Don’t get me wrong. I’m in no hurry for snow accumulation. I’ll take global warming.

-g.

Tony has always had great luck with tomatoes. They seem to grow anywhere and everywhere. This year, however, was something different. We started making our own sauce a couple years ago and prefer its taste. We didn’t get too many cans this year, but it’s more about being together making it. I helped my mom make sauce and juice as a child. It’s fun to see my kids having the same experience.

Corinne’s turn to smash

Mason liked to crank

Look at that deliciousness

A good time for all with a yummy reward.

-g.

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-g.

Corinne is loving kindergarten. She has class 5 days a week in the afternoon. They let us as parents pick am or pm but not pick the teacher. I think afternoons are better for her. She can have a lazy morning then get ready for school. Here’s pictures of her first day:

She is always talking about kids in her class. I’m eager to meet them. I found out recently that I am the Room/Parent Coordinator for the year. Not sure how I got roped into that one. Oh well. I think it will be okay. It basically means I have to plan the class parties. There are only two so it shouldn’t be too overwhelming.

Corinne has also joined Daisy Scouts. They meet once a month. She likes doing the crafts and playing with the girls. However, it’s the cookies she keeps asking about. She is eager to sell! Lately she is quite the business woman. She keeps saying that we should make banana bread and sell it. Sell her artwork, etc, etc. What a hoot! I’ll let you know for all you locals when the sale is on. I’m not big into going door to door.

Now that Mason is potty trained, I think I’ll start looking into parttime preschools. He wants to be just like his big sis.

-g.

Our last full day of our trip was spent driving to Maine so that Jeremiah and Tony could have Maine lobster for dinner. How does Maine lobster vary from the other 500 states we were in on this trip? Good question. The travel to get there was fun, none the less.

Before we could head north to Lobster Land, we made a day trip out of Boston. The Sharpes signed us up for the Duck Tour of Boston. You start the tour aboard a Jeep/Van/Bus that drives you to various points of interest before turning into a boat and entering the water. No joke! Check it out:

It is quite the rave in ol’ Boston. Here’s some pics I got while aboard the jolly ship thing.

The thing I love most about Boston is how it mixes in the old with the new.

After eating lunch, we jumped back in the car to head north. Here are some state signs I missed posting previously and the one for Maine.

Maine at last!

Tony and Jeremiah had researched online and mapquested our way to a lobster shack in Ogunquit, Maine. It was a great town right on the coast. The people that live there said they are only there for the summer due to brutal winters. I fell in love with the little spec of a town.

The destination of the day

Dinner

Jeremiah and Tony were in heaven. My favorite part was the family owned candy store. Yum!

We headed back to the homestead. It was such a peaceful place. It was sad to think about returning to our everyday grind.

Our getaway in the woods

My travel companions

Day Seven was spent in the airport WAITING. Our flight was denied the ability to fly into Newark. It was rescheduled so many times. We even boarded the plane for awhile just to be told that the flight was cancelled. We ended up changing our whole flightplan and barely got home in time to see the kids before bed. It was, by far, the worst day of the trip. Seeing the kids was worth all the headaches.

Thanks, Sharpes, for a great vacation. I’m so glad we took you up on your offer to visit.

-g.

***WARNING: Post is FULL of pictures and is very long.

Tuesday Tony and I got up early to head into town and catch a train to New York City. We crammed lots of sightseeing and WALKING into three days. I’m not feeling like a play-by-play so pictures will have to tell the story:

Grand Central Terminal

Statue of Liberty

World Trade Center Site
(The area is HUGE! It’s hard to get the idea from the picture. You could see deep grooves in the marble of the surrounding buildings from what must have been the towers coming down. Sad.)

Carnegie Deli (overrated–This is Tony’s corned beef on potato knish after he had stuffed his face. You can see my chicken soup with vegetables in the background. I was so sick of eating junk and opted for something light. It was less than good.)

Chinatown

Tony wanted Peking Duck BAD! He spent the afternoon scouting out the perfect place. (He’s pretty proud of himself for catching my reflection in the window. Nerd.)

(Notice my chicken and broccoli in the background. Not too adventurous of an eater.)

Boeing, Boeing

My pictures of the cast are blurry. Tony got the best one on his phone. I’ll spare you the rest.

Outside our hotel heading to Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill for our anniversary dinner. (FYI–LOVED our hotel. 1/2 a block from Times Square with nice rooms and afforadble price for NYC.)

Lounging in Central Park

Anyone who can tell me what building this is wins a prize!

FAO Schwartz (playing the piano from BIG)

My visit to Good Morning America (I think they all drink alot of coffee. I couldn’t get anyone to stand still long enough for a good picture. That or else I can’t use my camera correctly. Anyway, Imagination Movers were there for a concert.)

The site of Project Runway (I had wanted to find it but was tired of walking. We got off at the wrong subway station and TA-DA! I was stoked!)

30 Rock (Can’t wait for the new season.)

View from The Empire State Building (aka The Building of Many Stairs and Crowded Elevators. Don’t forget your deodorant!)

ESB at night

John’s Pizza (Delicious and cool. Inside an old tabernacle. The place was so huge that my flash couldn’t light up enough for a clear picture of the lanterns.)

Times Square

That about sums it up. Boy, were we tired. We did get subway passes but walked alot. We also had trips into lesser known parts to get yummy cupcakes at Magnolia and frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity. A good three days spent together. We were ready to get back to a slower pace and ride in the Sharpes car again. Anything to get off our feet!

-g.

Since Day One was so full of action, we slept in on Day Two then hit the road for more! The Sharpes took us to Rhode Island to swim at the beach. Before heading out for a swim, we ate lunch right on the coast. Mind you, I don’t like seafood. I was just trying to be a sport for my husband and his food-loving friend, Jeremiah. Tony had a lobster roll and was ready to head to the ocean. Tony had never been in the Atlantic Ocean. Here’s a horrible picture of us getting our feet wet:

The place we went was Judith Point, Rhode Island. The stretch of beach was a state park that had nice facilities. Parking was robbery, but what can you expect?

After spending the day wading, playing, and reading we headed back toward the homefront. Jeremiah, in his infinite wisdom, took us to Ted’s for dinner. The place was a tad disconcerting from the outside:

However, I have learned long ago that the scarier the place looks, the better the food usually is. Not necessarily good for you, which is fine by me. The thing that sets this burger joint apart from the rest is that the burgers are STEAMED. Sounded gross in the car when it was being described, but once I saw the glob of melted cheese on top of said burger and some perfectly cooked homefries, I was a believer.

I ate until I could eat no more. It was cheesy heaven. The place was playing classic rock and housing bikers. There were maybe 3 small booths and a counter. Tony and I sat at the counter so we could watch Ted in action. Definitely a good meal. We treated at Friendly’s for dessert and headed back to the Sharpe Homestead for some downtime.

-g.