This Morning

It was snowing this morning, prompting this conversation:

Ezra: Remember when the three musketeers got caught in that big blizzard and some of them died?

Me and Erik: Huh?

Ginny: I think he means the pioneers, not the three musketeers!

Ginny's Holiday Concert

This is the second year Ginny has been invited to participate in Glee Club at her school, and she loves it! They had their holiday concert on Friday, and since this is New York City, they sang songs from Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, and Eid. It was a lot of fun. Ginny had a speaking part this year, and although she says she got nervous, she did a great job. See for yourself, below!

I tried to get some videos of the actual singing, but Isaac decided that the only place for him was on my lap, and he proceeded to make it impossible for me to get a decent video. So I stopped trying and just enjoyed the concert. :)

It's been a busy week for us. Mostly because kids have been sick, and I had some doctor appointments as well. Ginny got sick at the beginning of the week, and just as she got better, Ezra came down with it. Then today he was feeling better, and sure enough, this afternoon, Isaac started running a fever of his own. So joyful. But, on the positive side, hopefully that means we will be done before we fly to Utah so we can enjoy the holidays with our families. We can't wait to see everyone!

Just as a bonus, I'll tell you this funny story. Isaac and I were finishing up with my rheumatologist when the school called to tell me that Ezra wasn't feeling well and needed to be picked up. I told the school nurse that I was in Manhattan and that, while I would hurry as fast as I could, it was probably going to take me probably an hour to get there (it was raining, so all the cabs were full-otherwise it might have been quicker). 

She was very understanding, and since it was going to take some time, she sent Ezra back to his classroom where he could lay down on his cot (they each have a cot for "naptime"). When Isaac and I arrived at the school, the office called the nurse to let her know we were there, and then called the classroom so his teacher could bring him to me. At the school, anytime your child goes to the nurse, the nurse has to fill out a report to give to the parents, so before Ezra arrived, the nurse came to give me the report.

As she was describing Ezra's symptoms, and explaining that he had a low fever, she kept patting Isaac's head, and feeling his forehead. I thought that was odd, until it occurred to me that she had confused Isaac for Ezra. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Thanks for helping Ezra. I appreciate it. This isn't Ezra, though.

Nurse: Of course. I'm sorry he isn't feeling well. (She proceeds to pat Isaac again.)

Me: But this isn't Ezra. This is my other son.

Nurse: Oh, you have another son? I know you have a daughter, and of course Ezra. (She gestures to Isaac.)

Me: Yes, I have Ginny and Ezra, and this is my youngest, Isaac.

Nurse: You have another son besides Ezra? Does he go to school, too?

Me: No, he's my youngest. This is Isaac.

The nurse was still not getting it. It was really funny to me, because to me they don't look alike! I gave up on the conversation, and a minute later they brought Ezra to me. The nurse had been talking to the receptionist, and when she saw we were leaving, she turned to say goodbye and said "Oh! That's not Ezra! Is that what you were trying to tell me? I didn't realize Ezra had a little brother. They look so much alike!"

Anyway, I really got a kick out of the whole thing. I'm glad she finally understood what I was telling her, though. She was DETERMINED that the boy in front of her was Ezra. So funny!

Ice Skating and other Adventures (In no particular order. . .)

Back in July, Erik volunteered to help with the NYC Tree Census. As a result, he was invited to bring his family to an ice skating party at Wollman Rink in Central Park. We got three hours of free ice skating, along with free hot chocolate and pretzels!

We had a blast--Ginny and Ezra were especially enthusiastic about it. Isaac went around the rink three times, and decided that was more than enough. So we took turns skating with Ginny and Ezra, and relaxing with Isaac.

After the skating, we walked down 5th Avenue and looked at the window displays. It was a perfect family night!

Every once in a while, the boys play so nicely together, so I have to document it. Usually this ends in a war over legos or someone knocking something down, but that night they were just so happy building and playing together. I hope we see more of this!

Our bishopric spoke in Sacrament Meeting last week about gratitude. Our bishop encouraged everyone to write a letter to someone they are thankful for. Ginny took the advice to heart, and wrote one to the bishop. I thought it was so cute that I snapped a picture before she gave it to him. Enjoy!

A few weeks ago, we enjoyed a nice fall morning in Central Park. I love the fall out here. There are so many beautiful trees, and the park is gorgeous. The kids had a great time climbing on all the big rocks!

Isaac did a "joyschool" type preschool this fall, and one of his classmates has a dad who is a firefighter. He was kind enough to bring his crew and his firetruck to preschool one day! The kids thought it was really cool, but Isaac didn't actually want to get inside. I had to stand next to him to even get him on the step. I guess it's a little intimidating close up!

We spent our Thanksgiving day and Friday in Pennsylvania with my cousin Kaylyn and her family. We had a great time! The kids had a blast playing at the park, eating the delicious food, and enjoying a nice evening by the fire! It was 60 degrees on Thanksgiving weekend, so we got to enjoy some great outdoor fun!

On Friday, the Cummings took us to Longwood Gardens, which was beautiful and so fun. They had everything decorated for Christmas which was a great way to start off the season. Here are the kids hanging out at the outdoor children's garden. It was a beautiful place, and we are so glad we got to go!