A quick trip to the Met

Cohen and I finally made the trek across the park to go to the Met! (we went to three playgrounds the same day...it was a busy day) I didn't know how Cohen would like it, but I was so surprised when he totally got into it. He LOVED the armor exhibit and walking around looking at all the statues. We only saw a few exhibits so we will have to go back soon.

Niagara Falls...Cohen: "We are going to see a BIG waterfall!"

The day after the pageant we joined the Buhl's for a quick trip over to Niagara Falls. This was a first for all three of us and we were so excited to finally get a chance to see the falls. We first went on the Maid of the Mist to get an up-close look at the falls. Cohen enjoyed the boat ride and wearing the little poncho they gave him.

We then took a little trolley ride over to the Cave of the Winds. This was hands down our favorite part! You get to walk on a deck right next to the falls. They give you a poncho and sandals because you get amazingly wet! Cohen wasn't so sure what to think, but he did get into splashing in the water and wearing his sandals.

A very quick trip to Palmyra NY to see the Hill Cumorah Pageant

A couple of months ago our good friends the Buhl's invited us to meet them in Palmyra to see the Hill Cumorah Pageant. Well, they are such a good time and Cohen has never been to Palmyra so it was totally a win in our book!

We left on Thursday morning (stopping at Animal Adventure Park on the way) and arrived at Palmyra around 3:30pm. We first went to the Sacred Grove and the Smith Family Farm. About three minutes into the Sacred Grove Cohen decided it would be fun to play in all the mud puddles left over by the rain storm that passed through a few hours earlier. While I'm ok with Cohen splashing in mud puddles when we are on our way home and I can throw him in the bath, I wasn't too excited when on our trip and washing machines are not readily available. Well, after I told him not to play in the puddles he did one last jump which resulted in him tripping and face planting into a big puddle.  Please note all the mud on his "digger" shirt. One of the sister missionaries said she didn't even notice because she thought it was part of the shirt :)

We went to the visitor center for a quick look around. I mean quick cause Cohen was going crazy after riding in the car for so long, so we didn't stay long.

We then headed over to the Pageant to make sure we got seats (since the ground was so muddy and wet). Well, we got there VERY early and really had a large selection of seats to choose from. While we waited for our friends to arrive, Cohen and I made the trip to the top of the Hill Cumorah. We also spent some time talking to the cast members. Cohen LOVED it because so many people came up and wanted to talk to him and he in turn chatted their ears off. He also spent some quality time kicking a ball around with anyone who would join him. He convinced this poor woman into playing with him for a sold 20 minutes!

We really enjoyed the pageant and liked being so close to the stage. Last time we went we sat in the very back, which is totally ok, but we couldn't believe how much of the details that we missed. They use so much water/mist to help them tell the story and we really got the full effects being so close (we were third row center). Cohen was not that excited about the pageant to tell you the truth. It was late and he was tired. His favorite parts were when Nephi built the boat and Abinadi.

The Ruth and Arthur Smadbeck-Heckscher East Playground, Central Park, NYC

The last playground we visited on the East Side was the Ruth and Arthur Smadbeck-Hechscher East Playground. This is an amazingly small little playground. The water feature was similar to the one at the Adventure Park tots playground, but it didn't have much water pressure so Cohen wasn't that in. Luckily there were some little girls playing with water balloons and Cohen was a happy kid.

Feeding April at Animal Adventure Park - Harpursville, NY

On our way up to Palmyra, NY to see the Hill Cumorah Pageant, we stopped at Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, NY, so Cohen and I could feed and pet April the giraffe! Eek! While checking out travel time to Palmyra, I realized that we would be passing the park and decided to check it out. It was the perfect half way point for us to get out and stretch our legs and have lunch before making the rest of the trek to Palmyra.

I've been wanting to go to the park for some time, but couldn't justify the 3 hour drive to spend 1 hour at a zoo. This is the park where April the giraffe had her baby (for those of you that watched the birth on the Facebook via the live stream)

We had a fantastic time! It was totally crowded but it wasn't too bad. Cohen loved walking around and feeding all the animals. Surprisingly, his favorite part was feeding some of the animals through the white pipes or "slides" as he liked to call them. This place it totally out in the middle of nowhere and it cash only, so basically who ever owns this place is making a killing. :) I'm glad we went because it was fun to feed and pet the animals, but I don't think we will be making the trip again soon (unless Auntie Harmizzle comes out and wants to go)

 

James Michael Levin Playground, Central Park, NYC

The next East Side playground we visited was James Michael Levin Playground. The play structure was ok, but Cohen really liked the water feature. It was just a bunch of small sprinklers in a row going around a little fountain in the middle. This meant that a lot of kids could sit and play in the water at the same time and the water wasn't too powerful. Cohen just filled up his bucket over and over again and LOVED it!

E72nd Street Playground, Central Park, NYC!

For the past couple months Cohen and I have been working on visiting every playground in Central Park. Since we live on the West Side we have seen most of those with friends and for playdates, but we haven't been to many of the East Side playgrounds. Well, since the weather was so amazing last week, Cohen and I did a little tour of some of the East Side playgrounds.

We started with the E 72nd Street Playground. We actually didn't spend a lot of time here. While the playground was nice and clean, we weren't that impressed. They have a huge concrete structure with sprinklers, but it seemed like a bit much. There was a lot of concrete with not that many sprinklers. It seemed kind of like a waste. Also, they have the same concrete pyramid structure they have in the playgrounds near our house, so it didn't really offer anything new for us.

Another day....another Zoo!...Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn

It's official....Cohen and I are collecting zoos. :) I did a quick count and we have now been to seven different zoos and two aquariums. Maybe that doesn't seem like a lot, but it feels like a lot to me! We still have one more zoo in New York (Queens Zoo) and I'm hoping to hit up a zoo in Minnesota when we are there next month.

Last week Cohen and I made our way to Prospect Park in Brooklyn to go to the zoo and a playground. The zoo is really really small, but it was so beautiful! There were some AMAZING flowers and the grounds were just lovely. They really didn't have very many animals, so we didn't spend much time there, but I'm still glad we made the trek out there.

We then made our way through the park to a playground that was near our subway stop. Cohen LOVED the playground. It was HUGE! The water feature was kind of lame, but it was ok because there were so many other things to do.

A day in New Jersey with Jeff's Family

Summer is in full swing, which means we have been busy! Last week some of Jeff's family came for a visit. We had Anne and kids at our house on Wednesday night and then Sharon, Gerrie, Emilie and baby Sam at our place Thursday through Sunday. It was a bit crazy, but so nice spending time with them. Cohen LOVED playing with all his cousins.

Last Friday everyone gathered in New Jersey for an internment for Jeff's brother Jon who died last September. It was a quick little ceremony where Gerrie shared a few words. It was nice to be there with family and some close family friends.





















We then headed to Kanji for a family lunch. It was the first time all the kids had done hibachi, so it was quite an experience. Cohen LOVED it! He's totally a steak boy, so he was in heaven. He also had sushi for the first time and surprisingly liked that as well. Of course, we had to finish the meal with a little fried ice cream. Cohen is totally a Neu....he could eat ice cream all day every day.



































We then drove a few miles south to Ocean Grove. This is a city on the Jersey shore that Clara (my mother in law) use to frequent as a child. We went to Days Ice Cream for a second helping of ice cream (Clara use to come to this same ice cream place when she was a child) cause everyone needs two helpings of ice cream. Maybe it's because we have been in the City for a while, but I was shop at how inexpensive Days Ice Cream is! If you ever go to Ocean Grove, totally stop by!

It was a lovely day. It was so nice to spend such quality time with Jeff's family. They really are such lovely people and I feel so blessed to be part of their family. We ended up in New Jersey the next day as well for a little BBQ at Bob and Noramah's. I can't wait to see everyone again next month.

4th of July in NYC!

Happy Birthday America!

We totally enjoyed our first 4th of July in NYC! We spent the morning in the park celebrating with some families from our church. The family that hosted did an AMAZING job. There was food, a bike parade, popsicles, water guns, and water balloons! Cohen had the time of his life running around with friends and eating candy and all things sweet!

We then headed home for a nap and to run some errands. We went out for some dinner and then hunkered down at home and watched the fireworks going off in the distance. I couldn't believe how many fireworks we could see. The were itty bitty, but hey...we could still see them and from the comfort of our own home! That said, I think we are going to try and find a small town in upstate New York to enjoy a more small town celebration.