Fact: Day Fourteen

Today was a great day. Except for the spotty internet connection at the apartment which caused a delay in getting this posted.

We spent the day split up into two groups. It allows us to have greater mobility in the city. Also, it keeps us from freaking out as the boys spool each other up and play too rough (causing innocent bystanders to look disapprovingly at my parenting).

Rachel, Jourdan, and I spent the morning at the Manhattan Temple doing baptisms for the dead. It was beautiful and amazingly white and quiet in the middle of the city. We got their early (better to overestimate how long the subway's going to take) so we got to chat with the front desk worker until they were ready for us. He told us that the temple has no outside walls--all temple walls have something outside (offices, meetinghouse rooms, etc). It's a double barrier against the noise of the city--and he's right. It's silent inside.

We came home to change clothes and as we were leaving the subway, we met Will, Jim & Matt coming down the same stairs that we were going up. Which may not seem like such a coincidence to you (we were at the stop closest to home), but in reality it was remarkable. Almost every subway stop has at LEAST two exits to the street...some have 4 or 6. So to be at the same stop at the same time on the same staircase--awesome.

They were on their way to play at the sandbox in Central Park that Will had spied the day before. We came home and changed clothes and then took the bus to the Natural History Museum. Jim and the boys met us there (a bit sandy but happy) and we looked around together for a while.

Jim and Will stayed at the museum while the rest of us went down to Times Square. Rachel, Jourdan, and I got tickets to see Mary Poppins and Jim & Will met up with us to get Matt and they went off to find a movie (we weren't sure if they were too tired/wild to sit and be happy so we didn't feel good about forking over big dough for them to see a Broadway play after our busy day).

Mary Poppins has to be one of the best plays I've ever seen. I have always loved the movie. The musical is better. WAY better. The special effects on stage blew my mind and the story was just different enough to give the whole thing a new feel. I can't wait to see it again (not on this trip, however).

We got home just before midnight and found out that the boys did not find the movie they were looking for so they just decided to come home. They had a minor adventure when they took the wrong subway line home and ended up on the campus of Columbia University. But it all ended fine seeing as how they made it home eventually.

Today I assigned everyone a line of a haiku--either 5 or 7 syllables. With 6 of us, it made 2 complete haikus. That go like this:

New York City rocks!
I really like the subway.
Busy is better.

Walking and sitting,
Exhausted satisfaction,
New York is my fav.

I briefly considered making you guess who gave what line but then I acknowledged that I re-wrote Matt's line since he was determined to give me 6 syllables. Like this determined:

me: OK, Matt, what are your 5 syllables?
Matt: "I really like New York." It's 6 syllables. Use those.
me: Well, your job is 5. Or you can have 7 and I'll take the 5.
Matt: I am sure that "I really like New York" is 6, though.
me: I think you're right. So can you change it a little?
Matt: Why? I really do like New York.
me: (baffled by the thought of defining a haiku to a 6-year old) You're right, I don't know what I was thinking.

So here's the haikus again, with authorship assigned:

New York City rocks! (Will)
I really like the subway. (Rachel)
Busy is better. (Jourdan)

Walking and sitting, (adapted from something sort of, but not really, said by Matt)
Exhausted satisfaction, (Jana)
New York is my fav. (Jim)

The living room. The place is basically 3 rooms--the kitchen/living room, and one bedroom on either end. The master bedroom is through the door to the front, the guest room is behind. The master bedroom has all our luggage and junk and I was too lazy to clean it up so I didn't photograph it separately.

The guest room where the kids are sleeping.
The kitchen side of the living room area. We were amazed/surprised by how huge it is. There are two complete bathrooms (one with each bedroom) and it's got tall ceilings which make it feel even bigger. It's been SO fun to have this place to come home to. The balcony gets a lot of traffic from us--people-watching on this street is so fun.
On our way to the temple. We got a recommendation to try the "Make My Cake" Bakery and didn't stop but we were excited to find it. It looks adorable and we'll have to try it--the red velvet cupcakes were recommended...but it didn't sound so good at 9:30 in the morning.
The outside walls are on the left--temple walls are on the right. See...no exterior walls.
Can you see Moroni way up there?
Subway stop under the Museum of Natural History. That's a fancy subway stop!
Another part of the same station.
Matt with his dinosaur hands.
This song where they spell the word (see photo below) was beyond impressive. The scene where they choose the letters and make this word was one of my most favorites.

A final note for tonight:

I fully believe that if there is swine flu in New York City, Matt will find it.

And it won't be New York City's fault. He has touched, rubbed, licked (don't ask), picked up, brushed against, and grabbed every public surface on the island of Manhattan.