Grandma Dot and Grandpa John’s Farm 
Thursday we spent the day at Great Grandma and Grandpa Roper’s house.  I don’t know who had more fun, Great Grandma and Grandpa or the kids.

Grandma sat the kids down first thing and told them all the fun things they were going to do that day.

First up; four wheeling!!!



 
Even Liberty got to try.  As you can see, she didn’t like it much.
 
While the boys went four wheeling, Liberty and Grandma Dot watered the strawberries.

 
Then everyone played in the irrigation ditch.  They raced boats up and down the water.


This is my FAVORITE picture!  The Colorado National Monument again.  What a view!

Next we helped Grandma plant some flowers in her garden.

Liberty really discovered her green thumb.

 
Then we went down to the pond to catch tadpoles.

As usual, Reagan and Levi were ready to dive into the mud and Cade held back a little. 

The boys also got to go inside the big old red barn.
I think they all look really old here.  Is it just me???

And here’s a few more really cute ones of Libby:

Picking wild flowers

We had such a good time.  The farm was very exciting for these suburban kids. They definitely had a Grand time!

Thanks for a great day Grandma and Grandpa!

The “Pwopewty”
One of the first things we did when we got to Grand Junction was to go see Rock’s parent’s property or “pwopewty” in Levi speak.  They’ve been talking about building on this land since the day I met them and have owned it for even longer.  Now they are finally here and are beginning the process of fulfilling this dream.  So we went to check it out.

Their view overlooks the Colorado National Monument and it is an amazing view.

In the pasture.

The next day Grandma went out to supervise some work that needed to be done on the property and she took the boys to watch.  They had quite the adventure.

They watched for a while and then Jeff, the excavator, offered to let them try it.  They thought they’d died and gone to heaven.

Levi took the controls like he would a bucking bronco and went a little wild.  Very typical of his personality.  Fearless.

Reagan took the cerebral approach and asked lots of questions, trying to do it just right.  Also typical.

Cade was in awe that he even got to try.

Then they got a fire pit ready for the hotdog roast we’ll have out there next week when Rock and Grandpa get here. 
We’re having tons of fun!

At first our plan was to move at the end of June.  No sweat.  Two months is plenty of time to pack, I thought.  Then we had to move it up to Memorial Day weekend and I got a little nervous.  Four weeks was just barely going to cut it.  Then the move date got moved up one more time to May 19th.  Panic!  I went from having 2 months to pack to having 3 weeks.  Never having packed an entire house on my own, I knew I was in for a major job and I wanted plenty of time to do it.  I’ve been spoiled and the company has paid for movers every time we’ve moved.  There was only one time we moved ourselves.  That was from our apartment to our house in Duvall.  Not too big of a deal when you only have one couch and one bed, a crib and a few dishes, oh and one kid.  And that move was not from one side of the country to the other.  This move was going to be a massive undertaking and I admit to hyperventilating a bit over the decision to move so fast.  But I dove right in and packed everything I could and… it was easy.  I couldn’t figure out what all the fuss was about.  I left the essentials out, but packed everything else.  I was so packed we had time to take all those trips back into New York City and go to upstate New York all a few weeks before we moved.  I was feeling pretty darn good about myself- until the last few days before the move when all the “essentials” had to be packed all at once and then it got pretty crazy. I didn’t see how I was going to be ready.  It really does snowball there at the end.  What almost drove me over the edge, though, was having to pack for a week long trip in Grand Junction with 4 kids on an airplane while at the same time packing everything in the house to be moved.  And to make matters worse, I got food poisoning of some kind two days before the move and got no sleep.  It was then that my wonderful neighbor and friend Natalie stepped in and took my kids so I could get some sleep and finish packing.  She took them every day for 3 days.  I couldn’t have done it without her.  She is an angel.

We had a wonderful little run in with nature just before we left Berkeley Heights.  Thursday morning after a huge rainstorm, we found a bird nest that had been knocked out of the tree by the rain.  Four little baby birds were dead but one little one survived and not knowing what else to do we took care of it for a day. 

The very next day Rock and I went into NYC for our last date.  It was the perfect night and the perfect ending to our time in the East.  We came here for the first time three years ago Memorial day weekend to see if we could live here.  I laugh now to think that back then I was scared of being mugged and left for dead in the street.  I didn’t think I should carry a purse for fear of being pick pocketed.  I was sure I would have to wade through garbage and step over homeless people in the subway.   But it’s not like that at all.  The streets are safe, I carry a purse now just like every other woman in New York and the subways are shockingly clean and free of graffiti.  Instead of fearing it, I’ve come to love New York in the time we’ve lived here. Rudy Giuliani is a hero in my book for cleaning up this city so that my family and I can enjoy it safely. 
Rock took me to Adrianne’s Pizza place on Stone St. in the financial district.  It was Saturday night so the streets were all quiet and empty until you go to this one street.  And then we turned the corner and it was raucous and alive.  It’s a street lined with restaurants that put tables out in the street in warm weather.  It was full of people-all under the age of 35 trying to pick up on each other.  It’s where all the Wall Street types and the women who love them, go to hang out after work or on the weekend.  It was basically a big outdoor bar.  The food was fantastic and it was such a fun little slice of New York.  I didn’t get a good picture, so here’s one I found online.

Next we stopped at a street vendor to buy a couple pictures of New York City to put up in our next home.  There were two guys with their little fold up tables crammed with pictures RIGHT next to each other trying to out sell the other.   Rock picked one of the city scape and I picked the Mall in Central Park. 
Then we finished our night by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge to watch the sunset-something I’ve wanted to do since the day we got here! 



The Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building from midway across the bridge.

Our sad attempt at getting both of us and the bridge in the same picture.  Aren’t we attractive!
As we drove away from the city that night and I looked at it for the last time, I couldn’t help but cry a little.  When Rock first brought up the idea of even applying for a job in NYC I said, “NO way am I moving there”.  But we have had a fantastic experience.  I’ve learned so much about myself and what I am capable of in the last three years.  I conquered the subway and jug handles (in NJ you have to turn right to go left)- a feat I never thought possible.  I conquered our issues with homeschooling-a feat I also never thought possible and I grew to love New York City-a feat I never ever thought possible. 

Thank you, Rock, for bringing me here.

We took the kids into the city one last time weekend before last.  We threw around the idea of doing some other things, but of course, we ended up deciding on Central Park.  It really is our favorite place in NYC.  The kids have really enjoyed their time there, so it was the only fitting choice as their last trip in.  It was the perfect afternoon.  One I’ll always remember.

Libby, who is much more aware now than the last time we brought her in, was very bothered by the loud subway.  She clutched onto Daddy and would not let go.  Even once we got on!


Last time on the subway. 

We needed to eat and what better place to go than our favorite restaurant in NYC, the Shake Shack!  I will miss those burgers and shakes.  YUM!  And I will even miss the lines, because it’s so worth it and part of the experience!

Then we headed over to Central Park.

It is so beautiful!  I love love love these amazing trees.  I’m sure you’re tired of hearing about them, but I will never tire of seeing them.

There’s always something cool going on in the park and this time we came across a man blowing BIG bubbles.  The boys went wild!

Next we played Frisbee in the Sheep Meadow.

Last we hit the kids favorite spot-the big playground.  Libby had a good time on the swing.

One of my favorite things about this park is the backdrop of the huge buildings. 

Goodbye Central Park!  We will miss you!

Last weekend I took a couple of the kids up to see the Wesel family relatives one last time before we leave.  We had a great time!

Liberty loved Uncle Mark and his cat.

Reagan loved Uncle Gary and his gun!

Liberty and James (Andrew’s little boy) had a great time in the car.  They are almost exactly the same age.

We went to church with Corinne and her family in Fayette, NY.  This is the Peter Whitmer farm where the church was organized.  Reagan and Alex are also the same age and hit it off immediately!  It was fun to see them get along so well!

I couldn’t resist stopping by the Sacred Grove one more time.  It is one of my favorite places on earth.

I wish we could have gotten up here to visit more often during our time here.  But I’m so glad we were here to see Grandma Wesel before she died.  It was perfect timing for that in our life and hers.  As I was driving through New York state this last time and especially as I spent time with my relatives, I thought again how grateful I am to Grandma for making it possible for me to be a part of all this.  She worked hard to make sure I got to experience Pageant and the church history sights, the cabin and Niagara Falls, and to get to know my cousins and aunts and uncles.  I have so many foundational memories here.  What a precious gift she gave me.  Thank you, Grandma.

Rock’s mom graciously watched the kids for us during the day while I was in Boise house hunting and when I got back we spent a long overdue day in New York City.

I’ve been wanting to see the New York City Library for a long time.  It was amazing inside from the beautiful paintings and murals to the ornate woodwork.  I’d pay money to study there! 


Can you tell I liked the lions? There is one on each side of the entrance.  The lighting was bad for this photo, but they are awesome in person!

Bryant Park, right next to the library is also beautiful.  I will miss the amazing deciduous trees in this city.  They are like nothing I’ve seen in the west.

I was trying to get more of the trees and got this great Roman profile of Rock. 

We hit Union Square, Strands Bookstore and then came here to Rosa’s Mexican Restaurant.  It is gourmet Mexican!  They make fresh guacamole right at your table.  Rock and I ate here when we first moved to the east and knew we had to take his parents here.  And they loved it too.  (And no, we did not plan our matching wardrobes!  Great minds just think alike.)

We topped off the evening with the Broadway show, Anything Goes.  It was mindless fluff with lots of fun dancing and singing.  Three of us enjoyed it and I’ll leave it to you to guess who patiently endured it.

Before Grandma and Grandpa left the next day, Grandpa taught Cade to tie a tie.


Not bad for the first time on his own!

Just got back from a fun trip to Boise to find a house.  I left the kids with Grandma and Rock and flew to Boise.  I had a great time with Penny, Derek and Lincoln who drove me all over creation so I could find us a place to live.  Penny was my go to gal for all things rental!  She’s a pro.  Derek informed me that he married Penny, not for her good looks, but for her rental market prowess.  After 5 long days of searching, we found the right house!

And do you know what the most exciting thing about this house is?  The GARBAGE DISPOSAL! No wait, the OUTLETS IN THE BATHROOM! No wait, THE BUILT IN SANDBOX!  Ok, for the boys obviously the sandbox wins hands down.  But for me, the garbage disposal is by far my favorite feature!   They are against code in many cities here and I have sorely missed having one.  I know, I’m a wimp.  This home is on a quiet street, in a neighborhood near a dead end, and backs onto farm land with a beautiful view of the Boise “mountains”.

When people ask me what they should do when they come to New York City, I don’t tell them to go to Broadway or Wall St.  I tell them to go to the 9/11 memorial.  It is life changing and a very important reminder that we all need to have.  Seeing the pictures in the museum and hearing survivors and family members of survivors tell their story is very powerful.  This past year the two fountains finally opened to the public and we went to see them for the first time while Alli was here.  It was again a very moving experience.  There were not many children there, I noticed, and at first I felt guilty for bringing ours.  But I want them to know.  I want them to know what those two gigantic holes in the ground represent.  I want them to never forget.  They need to be aware that evil is out there and that they should do all they can to fight it.  I haven’t gone into tons of detail about that day with them but enough for them to understand the fountain’s significance.  When we got to the portion of the fountains where the flight 93 names were listed I told them about it.  We don’t know for sure whether the plane crashed as a result of the passengers fighting the terrorists or if it was actually shot down by a missile, but we do know that several passengers on board did their best to stop what was happening.  They are heroes and I want my kids to know about them.  I want them to know about the more than 300 firefighters and policeman who also gave their lives to save others.  I want them to know about my experience that day.  As most people do I’m sure, I remember it very clearly.  My hands shaking as I unlocked my classroom door, turning on the radio to hear an emotional radio announcer reporting that people were actually jumping from the buildings, standing in the library watching a tv screen in disbelief as the towers crashed to the ground. I remember trying to explain to my sweet little first graders Why and not really having any answers. It was a heartbreaking day.  But we owe it to all those people whose names are engraved on these fountains to remember.  

 



The Freedom Tower-WTC 1 again officially the tallest building in NYC