NYC: Day 5

Steve and I woke up early this morning. Stephen was talking to us. He said, "I want to show you all the taxis." He has said this every morning since we got here. It is so adorable. Our hotel room is very high up and looks out over Times Square so we do get a very good view of "all the taxis." We told him that it was still too early to look at the taxis and that he should come to our bed. We all slept until 8:30.

Our plan for today was to go to Central Park to ride bikes or row boats. We tried going without the stroller today. Our thinking behind this was that we could take more direct train routes and not walk as much. Last night my body told me that it was working a little too hard and that unless I wanted to have this baby really early, I'd better take it easy.

Well, our very direct train never showed up. It wasn't running today. So we took a cab to Central Park and walked to the lake. Our kids got tired of walking pretty quickly so we both ended up having to carry them quite a bit. We probably should have taken the stroller.

We got to the boat rental place and the sign said "cash only." We didn't have any. We went to the bike rental, but there were no bike trailers as advertised online. So we walked out of the park to the nearest bank, which was closed.

At this point, I was feeling a little like a failure because our plan wasn't working out. I've learned, though, that getting mad, frustrated, or complaining never helps anything. So, I smiled, I told Steve that I was still having a wonderful time and that I loved being together.

A few blocks later, we found a bank that was open and we got our cash. We walked back to the park to rent our boat.

We rowed our boat for an hour in Central Park lake in the most beautiful weather. It was sunny and warm with a refreshing breeze. Certainly this weather was a blessing to everyone, but I felt like it was a specific gift to us from Heavenly Father. The weather was perfect on the day we could be together.

All setbacks were forgotten in this perfect hour. The children sang "row, row, row your boat," we saw lots of turtles resting on rocks, and we talked.

We returned our boat, and then ate some snacks on a big rock. We hired a pedicab to take us to the Central Park Zoo. Steve and I are pretty sure he charged us more than he was supposed to, but Steve assured me that it didn't matter.

I spend a lot of time worrying about what is fair, and Steve never does. I've seen people take advantage of his kindness, and it doesn't bother him. He knows he's better off being the giver than the taker. How is it that I get to be married to such a good man?

The Central Park Zoo is so lovely! It is very small, which was actually very nice. The kids could walk without being carried and we saw the whole thing in just over an hour. We ended our tour just before dinner.


Our plan for dinner was to go to Serendipity 3, which was very close, but it was going to be a two hour wait. Thankfully, Patsy's pizzeria was just across the street. It was very delicious. Thanks to Rachel for the recommendation.

We took a cab to Magnolia bakery in Times Square, where Steve and I ordered cheesecake and the kids ordered cupcakes. We ate our treats in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. I don't watch "30 Rock" and had no idea that the title was an address!

Our kids chased birds in and out of benches, up and down the street. They were delirious with happiness. My kids are happy kids. My greatest pleasure is to see them happy.

Next, we went to the "Top of the Rock" observation deck. It was pretty amazing to see New York City this way. New York City is beautiful.

The kids are asleep, Steve is reading Treasure Island, and my body is aching in a good way. I loved today.