Hurricane Sandy and Halloween

The funny thing about kids is that natural disasters are always very exciting.  They don't worry about danger and inconvenience and loss of personal property - they just find it exciting that mommy and daddy are home more than usual and there are lots of baked goods (had to use up the eggs and milk in case we lost power!)  Thankfully for us, the upper west side felt very little of the damage from the storm and we've managed to get back to normal - except for the lack of subway.  A lot of the city is still without power and the subway may take several days to be running again so the city definitely needs continued prayer and practical assistance.  Above is Theo preparing for the storm.

However, the storm did not stop Halloween on the UWS.  After 2 days of being stuck indoors, the Discovery club on 100th and West End opened this morning for a Halloween party.  We were so excited to get out!  It was so much fun - art projects, open gym, a juggler and snacks for kids and adults.  It was insanely crowded b/c it was the only thing going on and all schools were closed, but still a lot of fun.

Art project

Liam really wanted to climb the step and was a little mad he had to do art :o)

Theo loves art!

Finally - gym time!

Theo loved it too

Apple and pumpkin picking on the farm!

Friday afternoon I told Theo that we were going to go to a farm on Saturday.  He looked at me and said, "a farm with cows, and chickens, and pigs!"  Unfortunately for Theo, Outhouse Orchards (about 45 minutes north of NYC) did not have any farm animals, but it did have wonderful apples for picking and lots of pumpkins to choose from.  We headed out of town Saturday morning and after a few wrong turns, managed to make it to the orchard before anyone had a melt down.  The great (and sometimes annoying) thing about NYC is you have to do something.  You can't just sit at home and play in your backyard - you have to leave your apartment and go somewhere, otherwise you'd go crazy.  And we have recently learned that one of the most popular things to do in the fall is apple picking.  And I can see why.  There are dozens of orchards within an hour from Manhattan, you buy a large bag and then head to the orchard and pick until it is full.  So far, we have made pork tenderloin with apples, apple pie, apple sauce and apple fritters - and we still have over half the bag left!  Theo enjoyed watching Shane pick the apples with the large "picker" we were given, but otherwise his favorite part was the pumpkins.  We bought 2 (1 large and 1 small) and have them on top of our entertainment center at home.  Over the past few days he occasionally has pulled a chair over and just sat and stared at the pumpkins :o)  I can't wait to carve them!

love, Sarah

Only in NYC!

Only in NYC can you be walking through midtown and see this:

A horse, surrounded by sky scrapers!  Theo thought it was the greatest thing every and spent the next several minutes looking for more horses.  He was then distracted by the 20 tour busses that we passed and moved onto the colors and letters on every bus.

However, other than the excitement of a horse in NYC, I do not recommend getting your car towed!  It was a very long, tedious and expensive endeavor and we hope to avoid midtown for awhile now :o)

love, Sarah