Gracious Rain

Day 5

Maybe it would be helpful to tell you how we planned out this New York vacation in the first place. Jacob had us sit down one evening and write down two things that we would feel really disappointed if we missed seeing. Two things might not sound like much, but with 7 adults going to one city that could be a ton of “important” places to go.

Today, we mapped out where everyone’s “not to miss places” were and realized that most of them were on the same street—5th Avenue. So, we started walking, and pointing and snapping pictures.

Today, it was raining and we quickly found that everyone in the state of New York has an umbrella hidden somewhere on their person–except us. How do they do that?

An MTV salute to SpongeBob? Help me.

I really like this town.

One of my kids said, “We have those at home, mom.” Pretty sure they meant the bird.

Well, we don’t have anyplace like this where I come from. I didn’t even know such a place existed. Now, I ask you–how is a rational person supposed to behave?

I’m all a quiver.

Oh, we’re going in, all right.

Pretty sure that my Daney Boy would always catch this football. Yum!

Even the Hershey’s store can’t interfere with Chompy’s nap time. How would it be to just magically fall asleep whenever you’re tired?

Wait. Maybe I already do that.

Nevermind.

A store dedicated to the proposition that all M&Ms are created equal. I totally lost sight of nearly all my children and all their children in this place.

The bald kid and I sat in a corner and waited it out.

This thingy looked pretty important, so I took a picture.

It’s soup to me.

Oh-ho! So this is where the natives are getting those umbrellas. Very clever indeed. It did me no good though, because being hobbit-like in stature, I still couldn’t reach them.

Being book lovers, we needed to see the NY Public Library. This building holds over 15 million books. Sounds like our family room. What a cool place.

We sat outside the library to regroup and Jillian found a couple of birds that were happy to eat out of her hand. We don’t have them back home.

This incredible place is St.Patrick’s Cathedral. It has been here since 1879. It is actually much bigger than it looks on the outside.

Breathtaking on the inside.

While we were walking quietly around, admiring the beauty of this reverent place…

we looked over at sweet baby Beckham and without any prompting from anyone—

…he was so reverently—folding his arms. Babies “get” things better than we do sometimes.

To be continued…

Day 4

Or New York…to you guys.

You know how, when it’s time to pack up and leave a hotel–a hotel you’ve called “home” for 3 days–how it’s kind of an ordeal to sort out his, and hers and theirs and ours and somehow get it all packed back into those really little shrinking suitcases? Well, we did it.

April even rounded up her arsenal of 843 Binkies–for the road. It’s apparently a twin thing.

Little dudes are ready…

Teeny, tiny Aunt Jillian has squeezed into her cozy spot–where no other human being could possibly fit. So, we are indeed ready to head off to the big city.

Several hours and a couple of rest stops later, we spotted signs that we were leaving the quiet, foresty, calm world that we had known, thus far.

“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

“Look! Emerald City is closer, and prettier than ever!”

WAIT. Nobody told me about the tunnel….

the UNDER WATER tunnel!

Dude.

Perhaps I haven’t shared with you how I feel about tunnels. We won’t talk about the underwater part.

Imagine me, with my eyes squinched shut, fingers in my ears, shrieking. Not a fan of tunnels.

Ok, ok. When I opened up my eyes, I realize that we had survived.

But it was close.

And so the city approaches.

Those are some mighty tall buildings, Opie.

And that-there is a busload of people, Aunt Bee.

While unloading the car we had a swarm of passer-byers make sweet comments about seeing 3 babies all in one place, and about Chompy’s new hat. Wait a second–is this the cold, mean New York, that we’ve heard so much about? Hmmm….

By the time we got our luggage to our rooms upstairs the place really came to life. We did learn fast that if you see something cool and stop to take a picture of it, you’ll cause an immediate 17 people pile up. The proper procedure is to step off to the side and then snap the picture. That may make a few people smile and shake their heads, like, “Oh, you tourists,” but it beats being trampled to death on Broadway.

Our hotel room was just around the corner from Time Square.

We found a familiar pizza joint, first thing. The guy behind the counter yelled at us–and I’m not kidding–to give him our order,  before we even stepped up to the counter.

He said, “Boom, boom, boom! What you want? Hurry! Move!” Don’t be dilly-dallying around in this town man. These folks are in a hurry.

Obviously, some of us were particularly hungry.

Ditto.

So many lights. So many people. So far away from home. So much to look at. So much to squeeze into the next couple of days.

So nice of Johnny Depp to welcome us to town.

Yeah…I feel at home already.