Tricks and Treats

(Jenn) So if you haven't heard, Henry is officially walking. Don't believe it? Check out the movie we just uploaded to our video site (see link, left). Anyway, so this morning Henry walked into our bedroom, stopped by our night stand (one of his favorite spots), and walked out drooling a little more than usual. I didn't think anything of it, but a few minutes later when I checked on him, he had the look of a child who is eating paper. Henry looks this way a lot, as eating paper is one of the sneakiest and most fun things to do around our house, so I was familiar with it. As I went to swipe my finger in his mouth to get the paper out before he choked on it, he started to fight me much more than usual. He kicked, punched, screamed, shook, and would not open his mouth. Finally, I caught a glimpse of it -- a piece of Trident gum, still in its wrapper, sloshing around in Henry's mouth. Apparently, Ben had left it on the nightstand within reach. I didn't really feel like having a battle, so I let him "chew" the gum until it finally fell out on the floor after 5-10 minutes. I wish you could have seen his happy, drooly face, letting that gum churn around in his mouth. So Henry is now a gum-chewer, although he has not yet reached age 8, which, I believe, is how old you are supposed to be to chew gum (correct me if I'm wrong).

Sorry, I didn't get a picture of the gum-chewing experience (hence the "Henry Potter on Nimbus 2000" picture). But we put a couple of movies up with other tricks, including throwing and pat-a-cake. Enjoy!

Hay Ride

(Jenn) Henry and I are part of a few playgroups in the area here. This week, we went with one of the groups on a hayride. It was a beautifully crisp fall day, especially with all the gorgeous trees here on the east coast. It was a festive and fun trip!

Woodburning Project

(Jenn) I don't know if you have seen my hope chest, but it's a project I've been working on for years. Over the past few months I've had some time to work on it though, and I've finished one side of the box. I'm hoping to finish the last side in the next month and then call the whole project complete. Each box is a different part of my life mission statement, and I think it's pretty cool. :)

Henry enjoyed the trip too!

Henry gearing up for a big helping of whipped cream at Cheesecake Factory. He loves this place almost as much as we do! This is mostly because of their 30 page spiral-bound menu, which keeps him entertained for most of our meal. On our first trip here (yes, we came twice) he liked playing with the purple cabbage as well, and he got it under his fingernails! Yum.

This other picture is Henry on the Brooklyn Bridge with Grandpa Dave. Grandpa Dave is one of his favorite friends, although his big, orange mustache is scary at times. During walking practice, Henry would walk to everyone except Grandpa Dave. In fact, he was so scared that he would walk to within a step or two, flip a U-turn, and run back to someone safer!

A view from Hoboken

This is a view of downtown Manhattan from Hoboken, NJ. Hoboken is only 15 minutes from our home and it's quite the happening place. We took a walking tour of significant Frank Sinatra sites, who hails from Hoboken, and enjoyed the aura of this charming brownstone town. There was a youth soccer game going on right next to us here--what a place to grow up playing soccer, eh?

Traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel

This was the mess we went through getting to Wicked.

The Griffin Family Visit

(Ben) This past week Jenn's family (her parents and Tanner) came to visit and we had a wonderful time. For me, the highlight of their visit was a day trip we took up to Palmyra on Columbus Day, which I had off from work. Palmyra is about 300 miles away from our house, so to get there, see everything, and then get back makes a pretty big day. But it was so worth it! The drive through Pennsylvania and upstate New York is beautiful, and we caught the leaves at the perfect time. I hadn't been to Palmyra since 9th grade, and it was cool to see the replica of the Smith cabin (which they were excavating when I was there last), the temple (dedicated on April 6, 2000), and the Grandin Building where the Book of Mormon was published (which was also under construction last time I was there). But the Sacred Grove topped them all. I know that the First Vision took place in the spring, but it is sure beautiful in autumn as well. I hope the pictures do it justice. While we were there, I couldn't help but think, "It's no wonder that Heavenly Father chose to come here to visit the Earth." It just seemed so true. Anyway, we didn't get back home until 1:00am, so it was a long day, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Besides Palmyra, I was at work most of the time while they did the regular NYC tourist stuff. However, I did get to go to Wicked the musical, and it was spectacular. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has an extra $100 for a ticket (or in-laws who do), since it is completely sold out and there are no discount tickets available. For those of you who don't know, Wicked is the backstory behind The Wizard of Oz, focusing on the Wicked Witch of the West. It is really creative and highly entertaining.