Amy's Wedding

(Ben) We just returned from a wonderful trip to Utah to see our great friend Amy Squires get married! Although the trip was on the short side, we had a marvelous time seeing so many of our friends and spending some time with family as well. It was great to catch up with so many people, and we're looking forward to coming back out for a longer trip for Jon Gardiner's wedding in about a month.

Our trip began as many of ours seem to: with transportation issues. This time we had the best situation possible with a direct flight from Newark to SLC, but alas, we were still held for almost 4 hours on the runway before they finally let us take off. Although it was nice weather in Newark, apparently there was some bad weather to the west of us that air traffic control would not let us fly through (or over). The pilot told us that the thunderstorms stretched from Massachusetts to North Carolina, so there wasn't a good way to get around them. Not only did they make us wait, but the in-flight movie system was out of order so there weren't any movies or TV that we could watch either. Anyway, after waiting forever, they finally re-routed us up over Toronto and then down across the Dakotas and to Salt Lake. You can imagine that sitting on a plane for a total of 9 hours with a 20-month old wasn't the best scenario, but Henry actually did surprisingly well. He just played and ate dinner while we were waiting, and he fell asleep for the whole flight just after we took off. We both agree that Henry was MUCH easier on the plane than last time we flew at Christmas. We were glad about that.

After arriving in Utah, however, it was well worth the trouble getting there. We spent the weekend with the Griffin family and Henry had a great time playing with his cousins, and with their Matchbox Cars. Meanwhile, we had a good time doing the Pepsi-Coke challenge with Mom G. The idea was to test whether she could tell the different between Pepsi and Coke in a double-blind taste test. In fact, we all took the challenge (the caffeine-free version!), and overall we guessed correctly about 60% of the time. Mom, however, was 100%, so I guess there really is a difference for the hardcore drinkers.


We also had a shower for both Amy and her then-fiancé Dave, and Jon and his fiancée Kristie at Griffin's house. It was great to at least get a few minutes to catch up with so many people that we haven't seen in a long time.

On Monday we went down to the Iverson household and had a nice barbeque at their house that night. Henry had a great time running around, jumping on the trampoline, and looking at Grandpa's birdies (pigeons). He was in heaven at both grandparent's houses, really, with so much yard to run around in. We hope he doesn't get too bored back at our house.

Tuesday was the wedding, and it was great day! Jenn and I left Henry with the grandmothers and just pretended we were college students again, hanging out with the gang. We were able to go to the sealing at the Bountiful Temple, and it was beautiful to be in the temple with so many of our friends. The ceremony was very nice, and following that we went to the luncheon, also in Bountiful, and then the reception that evening in Layton. Amy and Dave are a perfect couple, and we're so excited that they are going to be just a few hours north of us in Connecticut while Dave attends Yale and teaches elementary school, and Amy finishes her nursing degree.

We flew home on Wednesday, back to the humidity and real life. The flight was uneventful (luckily!), and now we're really looking forward to a relatively calm August and then another trip out west in a few weeks!

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!!!

Gallbladder Removal: Seeking Comments

(Jenn) To make a long story short, my doctor has finally attributed my abdominal pain to gallstones, which showed up in the ultrasound (nope -- not a baby!). I have a laparoscopic gallbladder removal surgery scheduled for July 23rd. Here are my questions: do any of you know someone who has had this procedure done? Any thoughts? I'm wondering if people have had good/bad experiences with the surgery. Also, I'm wondering about the recovery process. As of now, I have my surgery scheduled for a Monday morning and am planning to fly to Utah that Friday night. Am I crazy? Will that be too soon?

I would love to hear your comments! Thanks!

Umbrellellellella!

(Jenn) "Umbrella" is one of Henry's favorite words to say! It's actually surprising how often he sees umbrellas and points them out. This clip is from a few days after Ben's birthday. He had opened all of his presents except for one, because it was late coming in the mail. It came while Ben was at work, and so Henry and I wrapped it and put the empty box out in the hall to take to the garbage can later. When Ben came home that day, Henry greeted him in the hallway, saw the box, and ruined the surprise by announcing "Umbrellellellella!" over and over again. We got quite a laugh out of it. I should point out that the umbrella in the clip is NOT the new one Ben got for his birthday. It is the old one that Henry now gets to play with!






Umbrella from Ben and Jenn on Vimeo

Go Yankees! And Binkies?

(Jenn) Henry overheard a conversation I was having with a friend on Wednesday about the Yankees. He thought "Yankee" was an interesting word and kept repeating it. As soon as we got home, he had already decided which item to attach the word "Yankee" to. He just can't sleep without his Yankee! I guess he's a true New Yorker now. Watch this:






Yankee from Ben and Jenn on Vimeo

Real Talent

(Jenn) I've heard some women say they could NEVER walk in my 3-inch platform shoes! Henry is a pretty new walker, and he doesn't seem to have a problem with it. After I took these pictures today, he walked around in them for at least two minutes! Now, that's a challenge I dare you to beat!

Ben's Edit: For all of you who, like me, wondered just what it would take to beat Henry's challenge, Henry is 32 inches tall. That means that Jenn's platform shoes increase his height by about 9.4%. So, for me to perform an equivalent task at 6 ft. tall, I'd need 6-3/4" platforms!

Kati and Joe

(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!

Ben and Ernie?

(Jenn) Last week Henry saw a picture of Bert from Sesame Street and shrieked, "Daddy!" He now officially calls Bert "Daddy," and Ernie is either "Ernie" or "Henny," his latest version of his own name (a big improvement from "Hen," don't you think?). I can easily see the resemblance between these two handsome figures; can you ? Now if only Ben would let his eyebrow grow in to complete his unibrow . . .

Jennica's Big Trip

(Jenn) Ben's mom decided that for each of her grandchildren's 12th birthdays, she will take them on a trip to visit someone in the family. Jennica is the first of the grandchildren to get this grand birthday present, and they decided to come here for her trip! At first, the trip was just going to be Grandma and Jennica, but as the trip planning continued, Grandpa and Andrea (Ben's sister) jumped on board! They were here for a week and left on Tuesday this week. I must say that of all of our visitors so far, these four have been the most energetic and eager to do EVERYTHING! They really did squeeze a LOT into a week, and we had a great time.


They visited Central Park, The Museum of Natural History, Times Square, American Girl Place, The Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center, the World Trade Center Site, the Federal Reserve Bank, Wall Street, and the Statue of Liberty. They also attended Wicked and Mary Poppins on Broadway; they did a bunch of shopping on Canal Street and at H&M; and we ate at The Cheesecake Factory. To top it off, we squeezed in a birthday party for Ben and Jennica, Church on Sunday, and an overnight trip to Palmyra, NY for LDS Church History sites. Wow! If you've been to New York City, you know that they really did fit a lot into a short amount of time.

Henry loved having the company and warmed up to them fairly quickly, considering the fact that he is now suddenly VERY clingy. He called Grandma and Grandpa by their correct titles about half of the time, although that "ma" and "pa" part is really confusing! He managed to learn a slurred version of "Andrea," and he called Jennica "Jenny" or "Cup!" On Tuesday morning we dropped them off at the train station to send them on their way to the airport for a sad goodbye (although not too sad because we'll be in Utah this summer). On Wednesday morning, Henry and I went out to run some errands, and as soon as we got to the car, he started asking, "Grandma? Grandpa? Cup?" and I was sad to tell him that we weren't going to pick them up from the train station today. It must be so confusing to him that people just show up as a major part of our everyday lives one day, and they vanish the next.

Pictures: Statue of Liberty with Dad I., Ben, and Andrea; Jennica at the top of the Hill Cumorah in Palmyra; all of us on the top floor of the Joseph Smith Log Cabin in Palmyra.

Portraits

(Jenn) Henry had his 18 month pictures taken at JC Penney last week. Here are a few of the samples! He still gets a little tentative about the whole portrait studio thing, so it's hard to capture his happiest faces. But these are still cute and turned out well. Enjoy!

Important Figures

(Ben) Jenn has been making an effort to teach Henry the names of three very important figures in history. Next up, Socrates?






Important Figures from Ben and Jenn on Vimeo

Jenni & Troye

(Jenn) Last week, we had a great visit with Jenni (Wahlen) and Troye Davis. They were here from Tuesday to Saturday. It was so fun to catch up on them and get to know Troye better. Right now Jenni and Troye live in West Point, Utah. Their twin boys, Declan and Keegan (sp?), are almost three years old. They are expecting another boy in September!

On their visit, Jenni and Troye covered a lot of NYC essentials (Times Square, Rockefeller Center's "Top of the Rock" view, a Yankees game, shopping on Canal street, Central Park, the Museum of Natural History, etc.). We also took a day to go visit the New Jersey shore, which was a nice break from all the chaos of the city. It was a beautiful day, and we got to see the view of the Sandy Hook shore from the top of a lighthouse tower. We got to go up the towers of two different lighthouses, which I hadn't done before. We also got to see the ocean just as a storm was coming in!

Unfortunately, the only pictures I have of the Davis' trip was on this day at the shore, and I didn't get any pictures of Jenni. I remember feeling like I was taking a lot of pictures of the two of them, but it turns out they were all on their camera, not ours! So maybe when Jenni sends me a few of her pictures, I'll have to update.

Update: Here's a picture of Jenni and Troye at the "Top of the Rock" at Rockefeller Center. We decided it's by far the best way to get a view of the city.

Grandma and Grandpa Griffin

(Jenn) We have been lucky this week to have a little taste of what it would be like to have grandparents living 15 minutes away. My grandma and grandpa are on a gardening tour, mostly looking at gardens and other sites in New York and New Jersey. Their hotel for the first four days was in Secaucus, just 10-15 minutes away from our house. We were able to have them over for dinner on Monday night, and we went out to eat together on Thursday night. Tonight we will go to their hotel in Fort Lee for a regular Sunday night visit! It's been quite a treat! Henry absolutely LOVES seeing them, and it didn't even take a minute for him to warm up to them. He was quickly comfortable letting Grandpa hold him, read to him, and play with him. All week, he's been saying "Bye Bye! Gomps!" which I interpreted to mean that he wanted to go see Grandpa again. I can't resist a demand like that.