(Jenn) We love Kati and Joe! They were here from June 5-9 (I know, I'm slacking off on the blogging), and it was wonderful to see them! I felt like I was in a dream world to just get to spend time with my sister for five days. It was unique, though, because Sophie, Isaac, and Ivan had to stay home, so we certainly missed them. But it was great; we had lots of grown-up time (a rare thing) for playing games, talking, cooking, etc. Henry also didn't seem to care that he didn't have cousins around (he didn't know the difference!). Kati and Joe were exciting enough themselves. It's been over a week since they left, and he's still seeing "Joe" everywhere we go (I sadly have to remind him that the mailman couldn't be Joe, because Joe is in Utah). While they were here, he also really warmed up to Kati and snuggled up to her like he does to only Ben and me when he's "shy" (code word for sleepy).
While they were here, Joe had one day of work in Connecticut, so Kati and I got to stay home all day together! She brought an old sewing machine for me to use for all of those Relief Society skills I SHOULD have but don't. Henry took a generous nap, and in that time Kati taught me to use the machine, and thanks to her help and preparation, I got a whole quilt ready for tying (get ready, young women!). While I was sewing away, she made delicious carmels which we devoured for the rest of the week. We both finished our projects, and Henry still hadn't woken up! It was amazing for both of us to see how productive we can be without kids! We enjoyed the rest of the day talking and taking our own naps.
Another thing I'm glad we did while they were here was visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, both which can be reached by a ferry from New Jersey. It was amazing to see "Lady Liberty" close-up (she is much bigger and more MASCULINE looking than I ever imagined). Henry loved it and said "Woobie" (liberty) EVERY time he saw the Statue. I would have to say that I think I enjoyed Ellis Island even more than the Statue of Liberty, though. It was surprising to me how involved I felt as we walked through the museum there and learned about the immigrants who came to the U.S. I had an overwhelming feeling of what America is -- practically all of us come from some other place with a story to tell. I think as Americans we take this extraordinary history for granted most of the time.
Also, Henry and I joined them for our first double-decker bus tour of New York City. It was a 90 degree day, which made it a little hard to endure the whole tour. Henry wanted to jump off the edge of the bus the whole time, which also provided a challenge. But it was an interesting way to see the city -- from the streets, seeing several different neighborhoods and how they connect. I believe you have to luck out with the tour guides on these buses . . . ours were fair. My favorite factoids: "SoHo," one of my new favorite neighborhoods of Manhattan, is so named for being the area "South of Houston (say House-ton)," which is the street marking its upper border; "Tri-be-ca," another neighborhood, is named for being "the triangle below Canal Street." Now, I bet every New Yorker doesn't know that! We ended our tour at the south end of Central Park, which is now my favorite part of the park. Kati got some beautiful pictures!
