Photos From Our First Trip to NYC!

The Staten Island Ferry

The Ferry Ride across the Hudson

Inside the Ferry Station

Just getting ready to board the ferry

Our foggy/rainy view of the Statue of Liberty from the ferry

The New York Skyline from the ferry

The Subway Station

Our ride in the subway

Kelsie so excited she is about to pop!

Times Square

Times Square

Times Square

Katie & Kelsie in the American Girl Store

The girls having their picture made with Saige

In front of St Patrick's Cathedral - in our "unfashionable" ponchos

Soooooooooo unfashionable...according to Kelsie

The Big Piano

Just a little soggy

The Big Piano

After the fall, but VERY THANKFUL to have made it back to the subway

The last stop before the Emergency Room

My First Experience in New York City by Katie

On Saturday, our family and Rich and Susan Flaker decided to go to New York City. We wanted to go to FAO Schwarz. It’s a big toy store in New York City.  So we did!  We first drove to Staten Island. We took the ferry. We went by the Statue of Liberty.  After a couple of other stops, we went to the toy store. There was a toy soldier at the door. He said “hi” to us. I thought that was nice.  We walked around and looked at Skylanders and other toys. Then we went to the Big Piano. We got on the Big Piano and danced. It was so much fun. At the end there were pictures that a photographer had taken of us. Then we looked around some more. It was now time to leave. Susan and I were coming off the escalator and there were two stairs. Susan did not see them and she fell. She said, “Oh my ankle hurts.” She took off her shoe. Her ankle was swollen. Employees walked by her and did nothing. So my dad got a store employee.  The employee asked my mom to fill out papers so she did.  We decided to go to Morristown Hospital. We went back to the subway, to the ferry, and then in the car to Morristown. I felt bad for Susan. We got to the hospital. She and Rich went in. Then, we got some food, and went back to the hospital. Thankfully, Susan only had a sprain. So, we got home at 1:00 in the morning. We were so tired, we went to bed. That’s what happened at FAO Schwarz. Thanks for reading.

My Day In New York City by Kelsie

On Saturday, February 23, we went to New York City for the very first time.  There are five parts to New York City. The five parts are Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens, and the Bronx. The part we went to is the borough of Staten Island. There we boarded a ferry and went to the borough of Manhattan.

 After we got off the ferry we had a break at the restrooms. Then there was a subway right next to the ferry building. We hopped on and got off at Times Square. It was supposed to rain that day, but it hadn’t started yet. As we got off the subway, I was really excited that we didn’t have to wear these ponchos that were totally unfashionable.

  But as we were coming out of the subway, it started raining, so we had to wear them. As we were walking around I saw that no one else was wearing ponchos. After that we had a yummy lunch at a little Italian restaurant. Then we walked to the store called AG (American Girl Doll Store).

Inside we saw a lot of very cute things. Everybody was very nice in the store and everyone else in the store was one thing we were not… dry (and not in unfashionable ponchos)! We even got to see the American Girl Doll of the Year, Sage.  After we visited the American Girl Store, we walked ten more blocks to FAO Schwarz.  As we walked, just looking at all the tall buildings amazed me.  On the way, we stopped at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  The cathedral was beautiful!  After that quick stop we headed on to FAO Schwarz.  Inside the store, they had tons of toys and then we got to visit the Big Piano. It was spectacular!  Katie, Caleb and I got to dance on it and a photographer was there to take pictures.  We had a wonderful time.  As we were going down the escalator, our friend Susan fell.  Her foot was really swollen.  Here is where the story really gets bittersweet.  We thought her foot was broken so we had to go back to the subway, onto the ferry, into our car and off to the hospital in Morristown.  I felt so bad for Susan that I cried.  When we got her to the hospital, they did x-rays and felt she probably didn’t break her ankle, but sprained it really bad.

Overall, it was a great day, except for the little hiccup at the end.  I loved New York City and hope to go back again soon.  Next on my bucket list…I want to get on Good Morning America!  And that, my friends, was my day in New York City.

My Favorite Thing About New York City by Caleb

We went to New York City on Saturday. We went on a ferry and I saw the Statue of Liberty. It was cloudy when we first went by and it was hard to see it. So we went up to the very top level of the ferry so we could see it better through the big windows. Then we went out on the deck to see it. It made me feel proud of my country when I saw the statue. It was so beautiful, because it is the symbol of my country. I especially like the island. I loved the water, too. I would like to go up in the statue sometime. We can’t right now because of what happened with Hurricane Sandy. On the way back at night on the ferry, we saw the Stature of Liberty again. This time the torch and the windows were lit up. We learned that it was powered by a generator! Then, we had a snack on the ferry. It was warm little cookies. We had a good day in New York City, and seeing the Stature of Liberty was my favorite thing.

Reflections On The Life Of An Ol' Man by Kelsie

On Friday, February 15, 2013 we celebrated my Dad's birthday.  He turned 40 years old on his birthday.  I began to wonder, what have his forty years been like?  So, after much thought, I decided to ask him ten questions.  This is what he said.  I asked him to tell me about his favorite birthday.  He had to think about it and said, "Well my favorite birthday was when I was twelve years old.  I had a big sleepover and stayed up all night watching movies."  I then asked him about his siblings and what they were like.  He said, "They were very good and loyal.  We might not have always gotten along, but we loved each other."  Question three - What was your favorite childhood memory?  He said, "My favorite childhood memory is of hanging out with my brothers and sister on the farm, riding my bike on the country roads and church activities like RA's."  I then asked him to tell me about a time he and his siblings got into the most trouble.  He answered, "One time when I was five years old, a friend gave me a toy and it wasn't the one I wanted.  I got mad and told him that I hated him.  My Mom washed my mouth out with soap."  I then wanted to know who his best childhood friend was.  He replied, "My best friend's name was Eran Jones.  We did all sorts of things together."  I then asked him who his best friend is now that he is an old man.  He replied, "I have many friends, I don't want to name them by name because I might leave someone out."  Then I began wondering what the most daring thing was that he had ever done.  He said, "The most daring thing I ever did was when I was a kid, I went up on top of the roof of the church and threw water balloons at cars that were driving by."  As I was writing down his answer, I don't know why, but it suddenly made me think of another question.  So I asked my Dad about his favorite gift he had ever received.  He explained, "When I was a kid, I got Wrist Racers.  I loved them and played with them with all my friends."  My next question was for him to tell me about his dog.  He said, "I had two dogs.  Their names were Addy and BJ."  At this point I realized I only had two questions left to ask, so I wanted them to be good questions.  I asked my Dad to tell me about the scariest thing he had ever done.  He quickly replied, "The scariest thing for me was the day we brought three babies home from the hospital."  I was astonished!  I'm pure precious.  I just decided this answer must be because he has recently been dealing with mental issues since turning forty.  My final question for my Dad was for him to tell me exactly what it's like to be forty.  He responded like only my Dad can:  "It's better than the alternative - DEAD!!!"  Wow Dad, really?  So there you have it.  Reflections on a life of an ol' man.

What I'll Be Doing When I'm Fourty by Caleb

What will I be doing when I turn 40? I will jump off a cliff and try to be Superman! I will buy man diapers. I will spend time with my kids and cook them a meal. I will go swimming with my kids in a pool. I will help them with their homework. I will buy them a new dog. I will play Skylanders with them. I will play with my kids and their dog.  I will kiss my wife. I will buy clothes.  I will eat FOOD.  I will buy a hotel. I will take my family to Hollywood. I will build houses and give them to the poor.  I will clean.  Yep, that’s what I’ll be doing when I turn 40!

Oh, and one more thing-- I will be managing Mr. Paul as he runs the food truck and I will be running the restaurant.

Celebrating Dad's Birthday by Katie

Dad and us in front of the bakery.

Inside the bakery.

Some of the goodies.

More goodies!

Lisa and us

One of the cookie trays that were for sale.

Dad picking out his cake.

Taking Dad out for lunch.

Dad getting his cake to go.

Dad's cake!

Caleb just being Caleb!

Looking across the Hudson River at NYC.

Dad and his cake - YUMMY!

Mom and us standing in front of the NYC skyline.

Today I will tell you about my Dad’s birthday. First off, I want to tell you my Daddy is 40 years old. Olga, my Dad’s secretary planned a birthday party at church. She made hotdogs and Turid, the other secretary, made a cake. It was good! The next day we told Dad after he got his phone fixed, we were going to take him some place. We went to a town that is called Hoboken. In Hoboken, we surprised him with a trip to Carlo’s Bakery. Once we got in the bakery, it was busy. Buddy’s sister, Lisa, came out and talked to us and we had our picture taken with her.  A lot of people wanted to talk to her. So then it was a time to get a cake. My dad picked the cake he wanted. Then we went out to eat. After we finished eating our lunch, we had some cake. It was so good. Then, after that, we were going to stay at a hotel, but some of us were not feeling good so we decided to come home.  Before we left Hoboken, we went down to the Riverfront and walked along the Hudson River and saw the New York skyline.  It was a great way to celebrate the big 4-0!

The Big 4-0!

With Aaron turning the big 4-0 last week, we decided to focus this week's writings around that number.  Everyone had a little different assignment this week.  Katie writes about how we celebrated Aaron's birthday.  Kelsie interviewed Aaron and shares a few highlights of his past fourty years.  Finally, Caleb talks about what he thinks he will be doing when he turns the big 4-0.  Enjoy!

My Bear Story by Kelsie

One day, I was walking through the woods when I saw a bear. “Please don't eat me,” I said. Then I remembered that Bear Safety Tip Number 4 said I was supposed to talk to the bear. I wondered what I was going to say to the bear when an idea popped in my head. “Have you ever been to New York City?” I asked.

“Yes,” said the bear.

“What is it like?” I asked. “I’ve never been there before.”

“Well,” said the bear, “it's wonderful! I haven't been to all the shopping , but  I have been to some of the shopping, Central Park, and Times Square.”

“Can you tell me about the adventures?” I asked.

            “Well sure.” The bear seemed pleased that I wanted to listen. “Well, I was hanging around the bus station when I saw a bus come around. ‘A dollar just to go to New York City,’ said the bus driver. People went and got their cheap tickets. I wondered what New York City was, so when the bus was leaving, I hopped on the back. It was a long ride, but I knew that this city had to be big. Finally, I got to the city. It was beautiful. And it was so bright. The bus stopped, and I got off. Where nobody could see me, I walked through the city. I checked through some windows of shops. I took a stroll though Central Park. I got some ice cream. I played on the playground. Then I went to Times Square. I think I got on Good Morning America. Then, I got some lunch. It was very yummy. I went to a couple of other shops, then I got tired. So, I got on a ferry and went home.  That was my day at the city.” said the bear.

“Kelsie,” Dad said. “Come inside.”

“Bye bear,” I said, and I went inside.

What I Would Say To A Bear by Katie

One day while walking in the forest, I heard a noise. Then I saw a bear. I remembered some bear tips. One tip said, “Talk to the bear.” So I said, “Hi, Mr. Bear. My name is Katie Elizabeth Robb. What food do you find in the garbage? Is it good or bad?” I said. “Do you have a wife? Do you have kids? Where do you live? If you every need some food do not come to my house. You want to know something? I love my dog Snowflake. She is the best! And I have one more dog. I like him, too. I have a brother and a sister. Their names are Kelsie and Caleb.”

Then, just then, my mom and dad came outside and saved me. My dad beat the bear away. My mom gave me a bath. That night, I thought about what happened.                 

My New Friend Bear by Caleb

I was walking in the forest and I met a bear. He looked like this:

He could talk, so we started talking about games, food, toys, and how much we loved them. We also talked about TV, Legos, and jokes.  I said, “I have a joke and here it is: which Pokemon loves to eat?  Answer:  Pignite!” The bear laughed at my joke.  Then we went off into the river to go swimming.  After swimming, I asked him to come back to my house and play Skylander Giants.  After the game, we went back out into the forest and climbed trees.  After climbing, we were hungry so we had a honey sandwich.  The sun was getting ready to go down and it was getting dark.  I knew I better get home, so I asked him if we could be friends.  He said yes!

What Would You Say To A Bear?

Last week, we spent an afternoon talking about bear safety.  We thought it might be important to be educated on this topic since there seems to be lots of bears in our area.  In the publication that we were reading, it stated that one of the things you should do if you come face to face with a bear is talk to it.  We all found this rather amusing.  I mean really, what would someone talk about with a bear?  For today's writings, the kids were told to write a story about what they would talk to a bear about if met face to face.  Enjoy!

Our Trip To Washington DC by Katie

We went to Washington DC for the March for Life.  It is for people who think abortion is wrong.  Abortion is when someone kills a baby while it is still in its Mommy’s tummy.  It is wrong.  We were on a bus for four hours.  When we got to Washington DC it was cool.  We stood with a bunch of other people while people spoke about abortion being wrong.  It lasted about an hour and was cool.  Then we started the march.  It was freeeeeeeeeeezing!  There is a man from our church who is a US Representative in Washington DC.  He invited us to a reception after the march where they served donuts and hot chocolate.  Yummmmmmmy!  After we ate we went into a big room where they have hearings and listened to some people speak.  We then started back to catch our bus at Union Station.  On our way, we passed by the Capitol Building.  There were lots and lots and lots of policemen all holding big guns.  Did I mention that this was a lot of walking?  We then went to Union Station and had to stand out in the cold waiting for our bus.  It was snowing.  Did I mention it was freeeeeeeeeeeeezing?  Once we got on the bus we had to wait two hours to get out of all the traffic in Washington DC.  We did not get home until after midnight.  We all got home safely and it was a great day (but it was cold)!

Listening to the speakers before the March begins.

Our view of the Capitol building as we marched.

The Washington Monument was directly behind us as we listened to the speakers.

Looking back at the marchers behind us.

One of the House of Representatives office buildings.

Stopping for a time of prayer.

Sitting in a House hearing room waiting for our U.S. Representative (and church member) Scott Garrett to speak.

Posing in front of the Capitol building--and a very serious Capitol Policeman!

Waiting for the bus at Union Station.