Busy Weeks

(Jenn) It's been a while since we've updated the blog for a couple of reasons. First of all, we have been sucked into the world of Harry Potter. Ben and I both recently re-read book 6, and now we're reading book 7 aloud together. We are loving it, although Henry is not as easy to ignore as we had hoped! We're only about 1/3 of the way through the book. Anyway, I'm sure we'll have an update on "Deathly Hallows" within the next few days. If you are a Potter reader, I'm sure you are doing the same thing and know exactly what it's like to be swallowed up in the wizarding world. Sometimes I forget that I can't just whip out a spell and get the dishes done, open a door, or stun Henry. I have seriously found myself wanting to say "Accio telephone!" and have the phone float across the room into my hand. You have to admit, it's a pretty fun world to get lost in.

Secondly, I spent the last week at Girls' Camp with my young women. Ben did a marvelous job taking care of Henry, shuttling him from here to there, and holding down the fort. We are also so blessed to have good friends who watched Henry during the day. I had a beautiful week -- Monday through Friday of last week -- immersed in Eden. Seriously, it was a week full of nature, beauty, spirituality, inspirational women and girls, swimming, napping, reading, writing, talking, and eating candy. I can't remember the last time I was this carefree and unstressed. Wow. It was beautiful.

It was also an invaluable experience for my young women girls. 7 girls from our branch went, and for 6 of them, it was their first time at camp. They had an incredible time, and each of them made good friends and had experiences they couldn't have anywhere else. 5 of these girls bore their testimonies at our testimony meeting on Thursday night. It was amazing for me to be with them for this experience and see how happy they were! I was in charge of the first year campers -- the 12-year-olds -- for the week, and I also got close to this group of girls. They were so sweet and so much fun. I set my CD player alarm clock to go off at 7:00 every morning with the song "Good Morning!" from Singing in the Rain. The girls said they hated it and tried to steal my CD, but I know that deep down, they liked it. I would hear them humming the song throughout the day. Personally, I can't think of a happier way to wake up in the morning!

Lastly, yesterday was my fateful gall-bladder surgery. Everything in the surgery went well. I went in at 6:00am; they started the surgery at about 7:30; and the operation was done by about 8:30. It all went pretty smoothly, but I still didn't get out of the hospital until about 3:00 in the afternoon. I was out cold for several hours, and they made me walk around and use the bathroom before I was allowed to leave. I was kind of a wimp, because I remembered how hard it had been to walk around and use the bathroom after my C-section. Sitting in that hospital bed, I felt pretty much the same as I did after the C-section. Still, I finally got up (and after a few failed attempts, finally got a few drops into the toilet), and it wasn't quite as bad as the C-section recovery. Still, it hurt more than I would have guessed last week. I don't know what I was expecting, but it definitely feels like somebody went inside my abdomen and messed a few things up. Today, I feel better than yesterday. The prescription they gave me actually seems to be helping, and it's less painful to walk, breathe, and move than it was yesterday.

Ben is home on family medical leave at least until Wednesday, helping out with Henry and all of the household stuff. I'm afraid by the end of this week, he might decide he'd rather be at work! I think he was expecting it to feel a little more like a vacation than it has so far. This morning, Henry pooped in the bathtub, and while Ben was cleaning it up, he peed on the carpet! It was a great start to the day . . . Anyway, Ben's doing a great job taking care of us. He even bought me flowers! I probably won't put up a picture of myself after the surgery, because I look pretty awful! They had to inflate my abdomen for the surgery, and it hasn't quite gone down yet. I look like I just had a baby. I'm afraid if I'm not back to normal by Friday, I might have to wear maternity clothes on our trip to Utah and tell everyone we're expecting (p.s. we're not)!

Seamus Finnigan Sighting

(Ben and Jenn) Whilst traversing Greenwich Village, we stumbled across this man who is certainly a wizard, most likely Seamus Finnigan from Harry Potter's world. Who else would go around carrying a broom? Someone should tell him that Muggles aren't normally seen carrying Nimbus 2000s over their shoulders!

Okay, so maybe we're just a little too obsessed with Pottermania. Only 3 days until movie #5 and 12 days until book #7! Wands at the ready!

Greenwich Village and SoHo

(Jenn) So up until a few months ago, I had not officially fallen in love with anything about New York City. There are definitely things I love about it (Broadway, shopping, cupcakes, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, Ellis Island), but I haven't been able to say that I'm IN LOVE with it. I don't know if I can explain it. I have always compared it to Boston, and I definitely love Boston. There was so much of Boston that just made my heart leap with inexplicable ecstacy. Boston has so much natural, tangible, poetry-infused beauty. I hadn't found that in New York City . . .
Until a few weeks ago. On a walk while Ben's family was here, I stumbled into a quarter of New York City that I didn't know existed: SoHo. I guess I had heard about SoHo and Greenwich Village before, but I didn't know enough about them to know that I would love them. Anyway, there is something about the architecture there that I love. You can see what I'm talking about from the pictures, I guess. The brownstones and cast iron remind me a lot of Boston's Beacon Hill. I guess both of these neighborhoods have been largely homes to the artists of New York, up until recently, as they have gained popularity. SoHo was mostly factories that were preserved historically when converted into residences and businesses. Greenwich Village was the center of the bohemian scene for many years.

Anyway, I dragged Ben and Henry along on a walking tour yesterday. We explored Greenwich Village, Washington Square, and SoHo, finishing up the tour with some great (window-) shopping on West Broadway, which seemed to be the center of good music, happy people, and a relaxed atmosphere. I was DEVASTATED when we looked at our watches and realized -- halfway into our shopping and before we had time to grab the dinner we were planning on -- that we would have to leave immediately to catch our train to get home at 8:00 instead of 10:00pm. So I'm still left with just a tiny taste in my mouth, and I'm definitely craving more. I'm sure we'll get back.

As much as I loved walking around in these areas, I must say that I suppose I'm glad we don't live there. Although the neighborhoods and buildings are beautiful, there is a culture there propogating ideas I don't agree with. Ben and I were glad to come home and realize that, although we saw a lot of people that seemed to be having a good time, we feel sorry for them because they don't seem to know what brings true happiness in life. So much of the world is confused. We are so lucky to know that happiness doesn't come from fancy clothes, expensive homes, nights out drinking with lots of friends, and expressing alternative lifestyles. I really don't think anyone could be as happy as we are -- we know the way of life and choices that will make us happiest, and we have each other to add further to our rapture. I wish everyone could know the feeling of giggling with Henry before putting him to bed! Anyway, enough rambling. I'm off.

Henrietta

(Jenn) Every time I go into the city, my brain seems to shut off Mom Mode. I NEVER remember that I need to change my son's diaper regularly! Poor Henry! This is either the 3rd or 4th time that he has had major leakage on a city trip. This time, luckily (?) for him, Sophia had an extra pair of shorts for him to borrow. The cute little red bows matched his outfit perfectly, and you must admit that they're pretty patriotic. Another embarrassing moment for Henry, courtesy of Mom. :)

Happy 4th

(Jenn) What could be more American than going to a Yankees game on the 4th of July? True, we technically claim ourselves as Red Sox fans, so perhaps a Red Sox game would be more appropriate. But it just so happens that we live near New York, so the Yankees are what we got. Joanna and Doug, friends from our ward in Provo, are on a marathon roadtrip right now, visiting 25 states in 24 days (for more info, click here). Seriously, they're doing like 10 vacations in one -- they're amazing. Anyway, they had one day in New York City, and they chose to go to a Yankees game and visit us! We were excited because we didn't have any other plans for the 4th.

If you know Henry very well though, you might worry how he would do at a professional baseball game. He cries inconsolably whenever someone sings "Happy Birthday," or when 3 or more people laugh at the same time. We knew a stadium with 60 thousand people cheering might not be a good idea, but we decided to try it anyway. As soon as the announcer gave the lineup, Henry was ruined. He basically cried for 20 minutes. He and I spent another 20 minutes wandering the concession area, and then we tried the game again. He did better after that, only crying on MAJOR applause and groans from the crowd. The Yankees lost, which probably helped our situation, although I'm sure it's more fun to be at a winning game. Still, we loved the atomosphere, the vendors, Henry's free T-shirt (size XL), the national anthem, and of course -- the 7th inning stretch.

Henry had fun playing with Sophia on the train and again at our house. We opted to play games at home and let the kids go to sleep rather than chasing down any fireworks in the rain. We had fun being with Joanna and Doug again, so hopefully that was the right choice. They had to get up early the next morning to get on the road again, so it was nice to relax. We hope they last the next 3 weeks of their journey!

Red, White, and Blue Jell-O

I just tried this fun, patriotic recipe last night. It was my first attempt at a layered Jell-O, and we were pleased with the results! It turned out to be pretty and tasty! Actually, we were surprised at how well the berry flavors blended together compared to some other layered Jell-Os we've tried.

Red, White, and Blue Layered Jell-o
Compliments of Betty Crocker

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Start to finish: 5 hours and 30 minutes
Servings: 18

1 box (6 oz.) berry-blue flavored Jell-o
1 box (6 oz.) raspberry flavored Jell-o
2 packets Knox plain gelatin
1 (6 oz.) container Yoplait mountain blueberry yogurt
1 (6 oz.) container Yoplait red raspberry yogurt
1 (6 oz.) container Yoplait vanilla yogurt
water
½ cup sugar

1. In medium bowl, stir 2 cups boiling water into blue jell-o until jell-o is dissolved. In another medium bowl, slowly stir 1 cup of the blue jell-o into blueberry yogurt. Pour yogurt mixture into 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until set. Meanwhile, stir 2/3 cup cold water into remaining plain blue jell-o; let stand at room temperature.
2. When blue yogurt layer is set, carefully pour plain blue jell-o over yogurt layer. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set.
3. Pour ½ cup cold water into a bowl. Sprinkle with two packets of Knox plain gelatin; let stand one minute. Add 1 ½ cups boiling water and stir until gelatin completely dissolves. Stir in ½ cup sugar. In another medium bowl, slowly stir 1 cup of the gelatin mixture into vanilla yogurt. Pour mixture over blue layers. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set. Stir 2/3 cup cold water into remaining plain gelatin; let stand at room temperature.
4. When white yogurt layer is set, carefully pour plain gelatin over yogurt layer. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set.
5. In medium bowl, stir 2 cups boiling water into raspberry jell-o until jell-o is dissolved. In another medium bowl, slowly stir 1 cup of the raspberry jell-o into raspberry yogurt. Pour yogurt mixture over layer of clear gelatin. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set. Stir 2/3 cup cold water into remaining plain raspberry jell-o; let stand at room temperature.
6. When raspberry yogurt layer is set, carefully pour plain raspberry jell-o over yogurt layer. Refrigerate at least 2 hours until set.

Hiking at Campgaw

(Jenn) This past Saturday, another lovely day, we decided to try out New Jersey's mountains. I have been craving HIKING since spring hit, and I've really been having Wasatch Mountain withdrawals. We discovered a few places to hike nearby, and we decided to try Campgaw near Mahwah, NJ -- about 30 minutes away. It was beautiful! Of course, it was different from the Utah hiking we are used to. These trails were much less-traveled (although they were well-marked and color-coded) and less steep/challenging than what we were used to (Ben was aghast to discover that the 720 ft. "peak" we reached was also the top of the ski slopes). In other words, we didn't get as much exercise as we were hoping to get. But the terrain was gorgeous! The trees are beautiful, and the hiking area is all wooded and shady. We noticed that it actually looks similar to the Sacred Grove in Palmyra. And on our hike we only saw a total of four other people. We're shocked that a place this serene exists so close to our busy NJ neighborhood, and even more shocked that nobody seems to take advantage of it. Anyway, we had a great time and are definitely planning more discoveries like this for the future. The whole trip probably only took us 3 hours, including driving, and we had a nice hike and a little picnic. Another great Saturday!

Happy Saturday

(Jenn) I feel like we need to celebrate every time we have nice weather! Over the past few weeks, we have had some pretty nasty hot, sticky days. But the past two Saturdays have been gorgeous -- between 70 and 80 degrees, breezy, and beautiful. Last Saturday we took it really easy and spent most of the day just playing outside. Pat and Bernie let us borrow their old wagon, and we went on a walk around the neighborhood. Riding in the wagon was fun for Henry at first, and then he decided (of course!) that it would be more fun to push the wagon himself! He also discovered for the first time one of the greatest joys of childhood -- BUBBLES!!!