Ellie turned 7!!

Yay for Ellie! She is one cool, ebullient, joyful, wonderful little girl. And she is delighted to be 7!

Ellie's school doesn't allow food on birthdays, which I find rather irksome, but we made an afternoon of it in her class anyway. Nico and I got to visit her class where I read Who's Got the Apple by Jan Loof. It was an old favorite from Alex's childhood and has become a favorite of ours as well. After that, Ellie and her classmates made apples out of paper plates and construction paper. All in all, a good visit.

After waiting "forever" for Alex to get home, we had a delightful dinner of Beef Stroganoff and Green Beans (Ellie's choice). For dessert we had brownies and chocolate chip cookies as Ellie does not like cake. She requested the very center brownie; obviously she knows the finer points of brownies.




Finally, Ellie got to open her presents, and let me just say, it was so fun to watch. Ellie is super expressive on an average day, but she outdid herself when opening gifts. You'll just have to see for yourselves...








Happy Birthday Ellie!!! We are so glad you're here!

Easter

Easter turned out to be tumultuously fun this year, rather than the peaceful fun we had anticipated. Initially we planned on having our great friends, the Dyers out for a day of General Conference, an Easter Egg Hunt and Easter Dinner. All those things still took place, but we were joined our other great friends, the Bates, and their friends the ...??? (Darn! I can't remember their last name.). Anyway, we ended up with a house full of good friends, good food, LOTS of candy, and kids a plenty... all while "attempting" to listen to 4 hours of conference. Needless to say, I'll be checking out the Ensign this month to see what I missed.

Nico eyeing the Peeps and Ellie checking out the spoils of her Easter Bucket.

Keeping at least some of the kids busy (and reasonably quiet) during General Conference.

Ellie found the Big Egg on the hunt.

Nico and Jane on the hunt.

Minna's attempt to get all the kids in one shoot... we lost a few, but you can check out the final product here.

Thanks Dyers and Bates for making this a wonderful Easter!!

the elder barnes pay a visit

We had a great week with the Barnes (that's Scott & Liza, not Beth or Bob). They also brought 2-yr old Maddie, who proved to be generally cheery and lots of laughs, and an inseparable companion to Ellie and Nico.

Most days they made the long trek to the city for sightseeing, but we did spend a day together trekking to the eastern end of Long Island. Those of you who frequent this blog may recognize Montauk, or "The End" as it's referred to around here.

We stopped on the way at a sandy beach, for a picnic. Scott demonstrated good rock-skipping form to the kids, who were fascinated.



















the young man and the sea...




















Along the coast of Montauk they've placed very large boulders to prevent further erosion. So to reach the tip, the visitor must traverse a trail over these boulders. Somewhat interesting with kids; not recommended for those with questionable knees.






































At the very tip is a structure the kids call the Sunken Castle. Its origin is mysterious, but it makes for a good play structure (if not quite up to code).




















We had to pay a visit to Washout Rock, the very spot where, a few months ago, Ellie and Nico nearly bid a final farewell to solid ground. We kept a closer eye on them this time.




















On the way home, Scott and Liza treated us to a great East Asian dinner (or 中国菜, I have just learned). The kids were intrigued by the chopsticks; less so by the sushi.



















Thanks for coming out! We hope to see you again soon.

Equal Representation???

Last Sunday, Ellie and Nico were drawing in Sacrament meeting. They were being quiet and I was listening to the speaker. At one point Nico asked if we had any red crayons. I rustled around in my purse, found him one, and continued to listen to the talks.

When she was done, Ellie handed me this picture she drew:



(The contrast is a little off, but it's a good picture of her mountain climbing - I think - and the text reads: Heavenly Father loves me)



A minute or two later, Nico, obviously delighted with himself, held up his own picture (below) and rather loudly exclaimed, "Look Mom, a demon!"



I didn't even know he had ever heard of demons...

the new park continued...

Suzanne asked about the park's name on the last post... and the NYT responds!

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/a-park-for-mr-green/

Andrew Haswell Green really was a cool guy. The NYT article misses the fact that he singlehandedly put the city's finances back together after the Boss Tweed debacle, no small feat. At one point he was paying city employees out of his own pocket, keeping the city's credit afloat.

Sorry for all the park stuff lately. We'll return to our normal programming as soon as I can find the camera cable to download photos.

more park press!

The initial response to my latest park concoction is coming in quite positive... we had a community meeting a few days ago where the entire audience of 40+ people had many comments, every single one enthusiastically supporting. Is this still New York, I wondered? Anyway, now I know how Kim Jong-Il must feel when he addresses parliament. (And it is all good.)

As usual, the local paper of the Upper East Side had a reporter there, and this was his take on it. Final review is scheduled at City Hall on Monday, and then I get to build the place!

A few more images...

This is how the ramp looks now:














And here's my proposal.
















Existing roof pavilion...















And how it will look soon.















Finally, the lower level, such as it is...















...and the proposed changes. Kind of subtle, you may not notice much of a difference.
















But wait a sec, Alex, what does it look like at night? Bet you haven't thought of that, eh?















I'm always amazed at the alternate realities that are possible with just the right combination of Photoshop and loud music.

babies coming!!!

We are excited to announce not one, but apparently two new Harts on the way!






















Wow.

We are still in shock. We had expected one, but two?? It's going to be great. And very challenging, I'm sure. Any advice from applicable Jacksons will be more than welcome. Also, if you see a good deal on a minivan... you know who to call.

Ami's still in the first trimester, and we are learning that with twins, there is a higher than usual chance that one of the two will miscarry. So we will keep you posted if anything changes. But for now we are planning on a 50% increase in our family size, on or before September 24.