City of Water Day

The John J. Harvey on the right arriving at the pier downtown.

The waterways surrounding the city were flowing with activities for the City of Water Day.  As part of the event we snagged tickets to ride on the John J. Harvey Fireboat. 

I use snagged loosely...I stalked the website for weeks until the ticket release date and time would be announced and then set an alarm to remind myself to get online and secure some tickets!  There were tours complete with a boat ride on several boats and they were free, so they went fast.  Mama knew she had to get her boys, including her biggest boy who loves fireboats, onto that boat.  Ah, the things mamas do.

It was a beautiful day to be out and on the water.  We had to be downtown first thing in the morning for the hour long cruise to Hoboken, NJ.

The boys spent some time exploring the boat, and taking in the sites and skyline.

 

When we got in front of the Statue of Liberty the boat began pumping water and putting on a show for everyone on Liberty Island.

The captain warned everyone on the bow before turning on the hoses, but who wanted to move from the stern to the bow?  My guys. 

Who stayed with them and endured the salt water crashing down from the tarp the crew had rigged for protection?  This Mama.

The boat finally arrived at our destination:  Hoboken, NJ.  I am not sure we would have ever made it to Hoboken during this NYC adventure had it not been for this one way trip, but it was nice to get another peek into a nearby neighborhood. 

The boat heading off with another group.

The pier and waterfront promenade in Hoboken were a nice place to spend the afternoon especially with the festivities set up for Water Day.

The boys LOVED the pier set up with tables and chairs.  They really could have stayed here all afternoon.  I love seeing what different neighborhoods have done with the old piers.

Wish the ferry hadn't been docked behind us in this photo!

There were several food trucks to hit up, although they were pretty pricey.  Freddie discovered cheese curds...Yum! 

 I love our little NYC adventures.  Definitely a fun day for us all.

Catching Fireflies

It's hard to tell from the photos, but we were out after dusk.  Rare, very rare that these boys are up after the sun sets in the summer....it just takes too long for night to come in the summer months.  Anyway, after bath and pajamas the boys found their flashlight and grabbed a old pickle jar (with holes in the lid!) and we headed out to the lawn next to the playground to see if we could find some fireflies.  They were everywhere!

No surprise that Hans didn't think twice about grabbing one or two. 

Freddie took a while to get up his courage but eventually caught a few in his hand as well.  It was so cute to see the lights flickering in the grass and watch the boys quickly dart in that direction to find the source. 

Hans declared "this is the funnest night ever, Mom" as we walked through the lobby back to the elevators.  Simple summer fun...flashlights, wearing pajamas outside of the apartment, and hunting fireflies.  Yep, it was a pretty great night.

Book Lover

Mom, do you know what book I'll never forget?  Little House in the Big Woods.  It's a great one.

Freddie and I have been working on his reading each night after Hans is in bed and then I read some from a chapter book to him.  I look forward to that time in the chair with him when the apartment is quiet and still.  Having that time with him is really a gift.

Several months ago he picked out some Magic Schoolhouse chapter books at the public school's book fair and he loves them, but mama, not so much.  They are the perfect  first chapter books for new readers with repetitive language and short sentences, but are painful to read aloud.  When reading aloud I try to select books which are not only engaging but are above a child's reading level because often the plot and vocabulary are rich and provide lots to talk about.  Too bad for me that Freddie repeatedly asks me to stop talking and just read so he can hear what happens next.  Ha!  Teacher Erin has to let go of the probing questions and just let him enjoy the story.

Anyway, it took some convincing that we should abandon the Magic Treehouse series and try out some of the Little House books.  He was not at all on board so I pretty much had to wield my Mama powers and lay it down...we are reading Little House in the Big Woods and that's that.  I did tell him if he really, really, really didn't like it after a few chapters we could abandon it and find something else.  And wouldn't you know, he loved it.  It's a classic, and he's at just the right spot for it.

We're now reading the next in the series, Farmer Boy, and he's equally enthralled.  He doesn't say much about the "whippings" and "lashes" the kids get as punishments which I thought he'd be curious about but he definitely asks about hunting and farming based on information in the books.  We are planning to make butter after reading about it in the book, but he has decided we should make cheese.  Let's just see how we do with butter first, ok?

As part of the summer reading program at the library he has the opportunity to rate books.  So far all he's rated all of them as 5 star books, but I am sensing he is beginning to get a better feel for what makes a 5 star book for him.  Watching this all develop is so exciting!  I hope his entering school in the fall enhances his love of books and desire to read.

A night at the theater

It's so nice to have a friend in town to get me out into the city after dusk!  And what better way to spend an evening in the city than taking in one of the many awesome musicals on Broadway.

Kinky Boots was fantastic!  You know a show has got to be good if it's convinced me to start wearing high heels more often.  Getting out in the evenings and laughing with a friend was quite a treat.  Need to get the next plan in the works.

Over the Brooklyn Bridge

We had a visitor in town so in between a pot of coffee and a bottle of wine we took Jessica on an adventure to explore a area of the city the boys hadn't ever visited.

It was a beautiful day so we took the train downtown and walked over the Brooklyn Bridge.

 

We weren't the only ones with this ideas as the bridge was really crowded, and surprisingly there seemed to be a fair number of locals, particularly on bike, trying to trudge across the bridge as well.  It's a great view of the city and a nice way to get to DUMBO (the area "down under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) and the piers of Brooklyn Bridge Park. 

  

Before exploring we stopped for lunch, walking past the LONG line at Grimaldi's.  I may never get a bite of Grimaldi's because I am just not willing to stand in that line, ever!  Thankfully directly beyond Grimaldi's is one of our favorites:  Shake Shack!

Freddie opted to lounge as he lunched separate from the rest of us.  It tickled me to see him so content by himself having his lunch on the cool bench.  

 

After a yummy lunch we just walked and walked.  

The carousel is beautiful with the city skyline behind it.  

 

You know we don't walk past a carousel without riding.

The promenade that makes up Brooklyn Bridge Park is nicely done with lots spots to take in some sunshine and the view.  It has several piers which have been redone to include basketball courts, playgrounds, swimming pools, but probably the favorite spot with the boys was the exercise stations.

We pushed them on so we could get to a playground for a bit, but they REALLY would prefered to stay on the pier using the "machines" all afternoon.

It was a great day and so much fun to visit a new part of the city with a friend and the boys.  We'll be back to explore some more and I promise to get more pictures!