After dinner, we went for yogurt close by, where we built our own cones and sundaes. It was delicious. The ride home was full of talk and catching up, and by the time we hit New Rochelle, it was time to get the kids to bed.Whenever we travel to NY, Liz and Evan prepare a list of things for Spence to do. He would be bored out of his gourd if he didn't have handyman jobs to keep him busy. I, on the other hand, enjoy relaxing and just hanging out with the kids. He accomplished a WHOLE lot of tasks while we were there which made him happy, and which delighted Liz and Evan.
Liz had arranged for me to play Grandma and visit Wesley's first grade class. We went on Thursday to meet the teacher and decide what I should discuss. They were just finishing up a unit on fish, so the teacher asked me to talk about fish...Why not? I prepared a little introduction, with a review about fish, and that night Evan and I worked on a little DVD with a video of Wesley catching a fish, and then some short videos of our whale watching trip last summer. I know! Whales are NOT fish, but the kids made the transition beautifully discussing the difference between fish and mammals. Alas! the DVD did NOT work in the teachers computer, so I ended up without my BIG visual aid. We made up with it be serving nautical Jello jigglers on a bed of graham cracker sand with a 'wave' of whipped cream. All in all, it was a success....at least for me.
After school that same day, even though it was freezing cold and windy (about 43 degrees) we headed to a local pond to go fishing with the kids. Grandpa and kids dug worms out in the back yard for bait, and we loaded the poles and off we went. Brrr......I was so cold. Neverthless they baited the hooks and began casting their lines into the pond. When Wesley cast his line he caught a big one! Me!!! His hook came flying back and caught right in my pants. We had to sacrifice the hook to save my pants, but I figured it was worth it.
Saturday was opening day of soccer season and we literally spent the whole day at the local soccer field, because all three kids were playing. They do it a bit differently there. The teams arrive at a given time, have a 30 minute drill/training session with an expert, and then play a 30 minute game.
Wesley's game was first, and he quite impressed me with his skills. He managed to dribble the ball and make some significant passes and kicks throughout the whole game. He really seems to enjoy the game a lot. He has also become quite the skier this winter, as have Sophia and Luke. They spent many weekends on the mountain during the winter period, honing up their skills and competing in downhill races. Maybe we will have some future Olympic champions in our family
We took a short break and went back for Sophia's game. Hers was quite exciting because she scored the first goal of the game and we were all cheering madly. She definitely has developed some good skills and looks very much at ease on the soccer field.
By this time we were all getting pretty hungry so Liz went out for pizza, and I have NEVER seen such delicious gourmet pizza in my life. The piece I chose had roasted asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and mushrooms plus the usual sauce and delicious cheeses. Spence's piece had everything but the kitchen sink on it and was delicious. Sophias was a white pizza with ricotta cheese, fresh spinach and Mozarella. I don't know what the others had, because they ate them before i could check them out. The crusts were thin and crispy....some of the best pizza I have EVER eaten.
Luke's game was the last, and it was a riot. They were all 3 year olds, or just barely 4, and looked like little ants roaming the field during their drilling session. I know it might not have been polite to laugh, but they were so adorable running around, not paying much attention at all to the instructors, and occasionally, one of them would actually kick the ball.
When they started their game, it was a whole different ball of wax from the other kids' games. There were no real rules. The coaches (multiple for each team...Liz and Evan were Luke's coaches) kept a supply of balls in their hands. If the ball went out of bounds for whatever reason, one of the coaches simply tossed in a new ball and they started all over. I really liked the concept. No urgency for competeteion, but rather just the experience of getting in there and playing.
Luke was a hoot. I am sure he spent equally as much time falling down and getting up (for no real reason) as he did running and playing. At one time he even sought solace in Mom's arms, but he was adorable. All in all it was a wonderful day of soccer, and the weather was pretty good....not too cold.
That evening we all went to dinner at a local Benny Hana type restaurant where the chefs sliced, tossed and stir-fried our dinner right before our eyes.
The kids were definitely tired and ready for an early night after all of this activity and I think the parents and grandparents pretty much felt the same way.
Sunday (and Saturday afternoon) we laid around and watched the broadcast of General Conference from SLC. As usual, it was very uplifting. It is always fun when I see my old friend, Bonnie Goodliffe, playing the tabernacle organ, and it is always interesting to see how many of the speakers I actually stay away to hear.
On Monday, after school was out, we headed to the CITY for Yankee Stadium. Liz had secured some $5 tickets for us (quite a bargain), and when we got there and were just about headed into the $25 parking structure, the attendant told Liz a spot on the street had just opened up, so we parked for free and headed into the stadium. It was free ball cap night, courtesy of HR BLOCK, so we all received a Yankees hat.....and to think I have been a Giants fan all these years. Our seats were almost at the tippy top out in right field, but the vantage point was still excellent. If we looked to our right, we could see the big screen, and the action on the field, even though fairly far away, was very easy to follow. Liz headed for hot dogs and I thought she was going to buy one for Spence because he said he wanted one. I didn't want a hot dog, so I made my own trip down the stairs to see what was available. I found a booth with Philly Steak Sandwiches with grilled onions, and I was delighted. The sandwich was $10.50 (not bad) but the 20 oz bottle of Pepsi was $5. But the sandwich was HUGE and delicious. In the meantime, Liz thought I was buying Spence something so poor boy got nothing. Actually, I think the kids all shared, and he didn't starve. Evan arrived just about game time, having come directly from work, since he now works in the city, near Wall Street. We left a bit early (7th inning) because it was a school night, but all had a good time, except for Spence, who kept saying, "Are we leaving soon?"
On Tuesday, we just kinda tied up loose ends. Spence finished a couple more small projects, and I did some laundry. We left on Wednesday for Texas after a lovely week....Thanks, Sophia, for your bedroom.
 |
| See the worm and the hook? |
Saturday was opening day of soccer season and we literally spent the whole day at the local soccer field, because all three kids were playing. They do it a bit differently there. The teams arrive at a given time, have a 30 minute drill/training session with an expert, and then play a 30 minute game.
Wesley's game was first, and he quite impressed me with his skills. He managed to dribble the ball and make some significant passes and kicks throughout the whole game. He really seems to enjoy the game a lot. He has also become quite the skier this winter, as have Sophia and Luke. They spent many weekends on the mountain during the winter period, honing up their skills and competing in downhill races. Maybe we will have some future Olympic champions in our family
By this time we were all getting pretty hungry so Liz went out for pizza, and I have NEVER seen such delicious gourmet pizza in my life. The piece I chose had roasted asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and mushrooms plus the usual sauce and delicious cheeses. Spence's piece had everything but the kitchen sink on it and was delicious. Sophias was a white pizza with ricotta cheese, fresh spinach and Mozarella. I don't know what the others had, because they ate them before i could check them out. The crusts were thin and crispy....some of the best pizza I have EVER eaten.
Luke's game was the last, and it was a riot. They were all 3 year olds, or just barely 4, and looked like little ants roaming the field during their drilling session. I know it might not have been polite to laugh, but they were so adorable running around, not paying much attention at all to the instructors, and occasionally, one of them would actually kick the ball.
When they started their game, it was a whole different ball of wax from the other kids' games. There were no real rules. The coaches (multiple for each team...Liz and Evan were Luke's coaches) kept a supply of balls in their hands. If the ball went out of bounds for whatever reason, one of the coaches simply tossed in a new ball and they started all over. I really liked the concept. No urgency for competeteion, but rather just the experience of getting in there and playing.
That evening we all went to dinner at a local Benny Hana type restaurant where the chefs sliced, tossed and stir-fried our dinner right before our eyes.
The kids were definitely tired and ready for an early night after all of this activity and I think the parents and grandparents pretty much felt the same way.
Sunday (and Saturday afternoon) we laid around and watched the broadcast of General Conference from SLC. As usual, it was very uplifting. It is always fun when I see my old friend, Bonnie Goodliffe, playing the tabernacle organ, and it is always interesting to see how many of the speakers I actually stay away to hear.
 |
| Cheering the Yankees |
On Tuesday, we just kinda tied up loose ends. Spence finished a couple more small projects, and I did some laundry. We left on Wednesday for Texas after a lovely week....Thanks, Sophia, for your bedroom.
No comments:
Post a Comment