December 2022

CAST OFF!

Brooklyn was excited to finally get her cast of this month.

WARD CHRISTMAS PARTY

Playing with friends

Abby and Maddy did a nice instrumental musical number.

Audrey and Abby did a good job singing with the Primary.

NYC TRIP!

For Christmas this year Abby, Maddy, and Nathan decided to have an experience gift. So we dropped Audrey and Brooklyn off with their very capable cousin Emily and we took the 3 oldest to NYC.

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

The kids got to go see Phantom of the Opera. 

The whole theatre made you feel as if you were in the opera house.

The acting, music, special effects, and everything were absolutely amazing. When asked, all the kids said that seeing Phantom was their favorite part of the trip. 

TIMES SQUARE

Crowded and loud, but lots of fun!

LEGO STORE

We had a blast at the LEGO store. 

ROCKEFELLER CENTER

The Atlas statue

The biggest decorated Christmas tree we've ever seen.

The iconic tree and ice skaters. The tree doesn't look quite so big next to all the tall buildings.

ST PATRICK'S CATHEDERAL

SAKS 5th AVE

The light display to music was fascinating to watch.

FAO SQUARTZ

The kids had fun dancing and playing a tune on the giant piano. It brought back memories of Abby on this piano when she was just a baby. 

We found Brooklyn's favorite stuffed animal Rory.

THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Lots of cool fossils.

The Night at the Museum T-rex.

Cool historical artifacts.

The rocks, gems, and mineral section was probably our favorite part of the museum.

The largest piece of meteorite in the world.

There was an amazing tree filled with cool origami ornaments. 

We saw another slice of this tree at Sequoia National park. 

Skeleton of one of the last Dodo birds.

CENTRAL PARK

It nice to take a step away from all the tall buildings.

Belvedere castle

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD

We enjoyed seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. We especially enjoyed the special effects that felt a bit like a magic show. We were a bit disappointed in the director's changes to the original script, but we liked it overall. 

THE MET 

We spent almost all day at the MET and it was not nearly enough. You really need a day for each section. It really competes with the Louvre as far as the quality and quantity of art pieces on display. 

So beautiful!

I really liked this painting of Joseph and Mary's flight to Egypt. 

The harpists

The kids really appreciated the musical instrument section of the museum.

The Egyptian room was amazing!

The American wing

The armor section was awesome.

BRYANT PARK

Ice Skating is free at Bryant park (you just pay for the skate rental), but we didn't have enough time to do it. It was still fun to sit and watch the skaters for a bit. 

THE STEINWAY STORE

Abby and Maddy had fun trying out the gorgeous pianos at the Steinway store. 

METRO

Having fun riding on the metro--not really. We were grateful for affordable public transportation, but it's definitely a step down from the DC metro. It smelled like smoke, pot, and urine, and we had a stop shut down because a couple of crazy people jumped on the tracks. 

Nathan and Maddy were sticking their hats up to look taller than the other. 

THE FINANCIAL DISTRICT

The charging bull statue. 

TRINITY CHURCH

Beautiful cathedral and location from National Treasure. 

ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER TOWER

Tall tower built to replace the world trade centers after 9/11. It is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. 

It is also called Freedom Tower because with its spire it is 1776 feet tall. 

We got to go up to the 100th floor to the one world observatory.

We had great views of NYC

Great vies of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island too.

9/11 MEMORIAL

The 9/11 memorial was beautiful and sobering.

ELLIS ISLAND

Treasured item the immigrants brought from their home countries. 

The bunks in the holding area. 

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

We took a boat out to see the statue up close.

Bronze casts of her face and feet.

The original torch

View of NYC from Liberty Island. 

GOOD-BYE NYC

Last ferry ride before heading home.

CHRISTMAS EVE

Kids in their Christmas jammies. 

Christmas Eve dinner. Vegan pizza, appetizers, and dessert.  

Jared reading the traditional Night Before Christmas.

Our family ornament for this year is of the Bodie Lighthouse to help us remember our fun trip to Outer banks, NC.

Reading the Christmas story and acting it out.

TEMPLE VISITOR'S CENTER

It was bitter cold (even the water in some of our pipes froze), but we still enjoyed the beautiful outdoor Nativity and lights at the temple visitor's center on Christmas Eve. 

They were so beautiful with the temple in the background. 

We also enjoyed the Nativity sets from around the world. 

We got to meet the Cranney's, including Aunt Rachel who is STILL pregnant. 

CHRISTMAS MORNING

BROOKLYN

Brooklyn wanted pictures with all her gifts

Brooklyn got a Brooklyn hat from Brooklyn NYC.

Elsa's coronation Dress

A Ukulele

Animal Magnatiles

A tiger mosaic

MARY

The new illustrated Harry Potter for me

JARED

Jared got all of his favorite treats-Turkish delight, dark chocolate, Australian licorice, and Ginger beer. 

ABBY

She got a stocking full of stuff and a trip to NYC.

NATHAN

Stocking and a NYC trip

MADDY

Stocking and a trip to NYC

AUDREY

Audrey with her Belle twirl dress and gold shoes. 

HOMESCHOOL PORTFOLIOS

Maryland requires homeschool portfolios to be submitted twice a year. Here are some of the pictures I took of the fun things the kids have done for school.