These Are Two of Our Choicest Blessings!

On June 2nd, we made the arduous drive to JFK International Airport to pick up our Jenny and her sweet baby, Lyla. Driving in New York can really be crazy. But, despite slowdowns and traffic, both the drives went well and the traffic seemed to clear out when we needed to go through it. I call these tender mercies.

Lyla was an angel on the flight, sleeping at least half of the time and being pleasant the other half. Jenny was looking good when she got off the plane, and Lyla was still sleeping. What a tender reunion we had. We are so happy that Jenny is still with us and that she and Lyla could come visit us.

Here is Lyla showing her dimples and big, beautiful eyes.

When she smiles, her whole body smiles and so does everyone else.

Jenny enjoys a sweet moment with Lyla, reading a counting book with her.

The day after Jenny arrived, I had to go into the Family History Center to take care of things. Dick stayed home with Jenny in the morning, and then they all came down to the Family History Center. Dick, Jenny and Lyla took a walk through Central Park, up 5th Avenue and then through Lincoln Center. They also visited with me at the center for a few minutes. After I got off from family history, we walked to the Shake Shack and had a delicious shake and hamburger. You should have seen us going home with this stroller and all four of us trying to fit into the subway train at rush hour. It was ugly, but very entertaining. Jenny just kept laughing because we were standing and were smashed in like sardines, while Lyla was asleep in the stroller. The aroma sometimes wasn't the best, especially when your nose is at armpit level, if you know what I mean. It took all three of us to carry the stroller as we manuevered up and down the stairs in the subways.

On Saturday, Dick was a good sport and volunteered to watch Lyla so that Jenny and I could got into the city. We took a trip up to the top of the Rockefeller Center and got the famous "touch the top of the Empire State Building" picture.

Here we are at the top of the rock.

We had an enjoyable time walking down Sixth Avenue, which had a street fair for about ten blocks. Jenny was able to get some souvenirs for her kids. Then, we walked through Times Square and went to see Mary Poppins. What a treat! We had a fun time together.

On Sunday, we went to church. In our foyer, we have what is called the "stroller brigade." Jenny took a little time to feed Lyla.

She was such a good baby and didn't make much fuss at all.

On Monday, we took our neighbor, Jay Steele, and went to visit the Rockefeller Mansion, Kykuit. Jay was very proud to be able to hold Lyla and not have her fuss.

Just a nice little bungalow--right? There were about 500 acres of land on the estate.

Grandpa trying to teach Lyla to walk. She's just a little too young.

A beautiful view of a fountain. This was taken from the door of the Mansion.

We all took turns holding Lyla because we had to go to the mansion in a shuttle and they wouldn't allow strollers. Here is Dick taking care of Lyla. She was so good and didn't fuss at all.

Here is the Rose Garden on the estate. The home looked out over the Hudson River. It was absolutely beautiful.

Afterwards, we got a bite to eat at a Greek restaurant. Lyla was asleep at this point.

What a treat to have Jenny and Lyla come. Lyla has won our hearts, and it was sad to see them leave. But, it was so good to have them come. And, the drive to and from the airport really wasn't too bad. I'd say that we've figured out how to drive around here a bit more than we did a year ago. Time is a flyin'.

How could you resist that face!