A week of smiles

This may be the longest break I have taken from writing since I started blogging. We’ve had an incredibly busy 12 days.

We spent the first weekend of August in Sharon. On Sunday we took Joshua to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. It was the first time any of us had been there. The park is 103 years old, and although there is a good deal of history we really appreciate the two modern New York City ballparks. It was a good game, with the Red Sox initially out ahead, but by the end they lost.

First thing Monday morning we packed up the car, picked up Ella, and headed to New York. We stopped at Mystic Aquarium and had a fun time there. 

Then we continued our drive to New York, arriving in time to take Ella to have her nails done before dinner at Corner Café. It is so much fun to take Ella to restaurants because what her taste lacks in variety is more than made up by her enthusiasm for the foods she likes. She must have gotten the cheesy Italian food gene from me!

On Tuesday we visited the American Girl store, where Isabelle had her hair done and we had lunch and shopped for new clothes. 

Then we went to see the movie “Inside Out,” which Ella had seen but was anxious to see again with us. This animated movie is about an 11 year old girl named Riley whose father takes a new job that moves the family from the Midwest to San Francisco. Riley’s various emotions are a bunch of characters, and we watch as they determine her mood and interact with each other. Voices include Amy Poehler as “Joy,” Lewis Black as “Anger,” and Mindy Kaling as “Disgust,” each one pitch-perfect. This film received a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and we can see shy – it is terrific for adults and children. A.O. Scott’s review ended with “Inside Out” is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). Young children may be mildly alarmed in places, especially at the sight of their parents weeping through the last 20 minutes.”

Wednesday was the highlight of the week in our minds – we went to see the Broadway Show Matilda. This musical is about a girl whose parents did not plan or want a second child, and whose father cannot seem to accept that this child is a girl. But despite adversity and neglect, she grows to be an incredibly bright, caring, and insightful child. And in the end everyone lands where they should be. The cast was largely children. There are four girls who rotate the lead role, and the one we saw was fantastic. Ella wants to go back and see the other three!

We had dinner in that night – we learned last year that the excitement of going to Broadway and seeing a show is a full day memory in itself.

On Thursday we went to the Museum of Modern Art. Ella really enjoyed seeing the beautiful Monet and other impressionist paintings. 

For dinner we returned to Noi Due, our favorite Italian dairy restaurant. We had taken Ella there with her parents a couple of years ago, and she loved it. Unfortunately when we ate there last year after seeing the Broadway Show, she was exhausted and could not really appreciate it. So we were determined this year to pick a quieter day, and MOMA was perfect. She thoroughly enjoyed her dinner, including the breaded and fried macaroni and cheese balls and the cheese ravioli. Barry and I enjoy their sweet potato ravioli with a tomato-based sauce of diced vegetables. A lovely dinner was had by all.

On Friday we went to the Bronx highlights, the New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo. Ella has been to both but every year it is a different experience as she grows and her interests change. She picked out a large stuffed leopard to bring home.

We had a wonderful Shabbat. We went to synagogue in the morning, had lunch, and then continued to work on a 756-piece Lego set we had bought for her that she and I had been building during the week when Barry was at work. Barry and I have continued to play two games of Rummikub on Sabbath afternoons, a tradition which started while I was undergoing chemotherapy. It was fun having a third player.

On Sunday, Barry and Ella took the train up to Boston, and he got on the next train back to return to New York. It was a lot more relaxing than doing the drive and he was able to get work done, so it turned out to be a great idea. I, meanwhile, went through over a week’s worth of unopened mail and spent a few hours trying to weed through all the pictures we took, which is how I am able to include some today.

It is so quiet here now! When I woke up this morning I missed seeing that beautiful face. But we are already planning for next year.

Love,

Rebecca