What is the Meaning of This??

Is that a baby?? It sure is! Surprise--the Hall family will be welcoming a new member in February! (2-2-09, to be precise... but since when are due dates precise?)

Let's face it, secrets are fun! And we kept this one well hidden from family until my mom came to visit and we surprised her with a little trip to the Maternal Fetal Unit of Columbia Medical Center... complete with tickets to my 10-wk ultrasound!

hi!

At my 13-wk ultrasound, the little guy would not wake up for anything (to allow them to measure the back of the neck), despite my best attempts to rouse him. That and the way he had snuggled so well into the wall of my uterus (and even found a little pillow) got my hopes up that we'd have an ace sleeper on our hands!

Pretty cute profile for an embryo, eh?

Then yesterday, it was finally time for the big 20-wk scan!!

We were so excited! I had a hundred reasons why I'd just love having either a girl or another boy. But it turns out, it's a...

Hooray !!!!!!!

(no room for doubt there...)

Our first family portrait with both kiddos

My mom cam into town for this ultrasound too--how cool! Felix loved sitting in her lap and watching the ultrasound, and seemed to want in on the action: he went up to the technician afterward, pulled up his shirt and smiled at her... as if to ask for a scan for himself!

I think the best part, though, was hearing Felix say hi to his baby brother for the first time!

I hope it's the start of a special friendship that will last forever.

Excursions

We're wrapping up our time in the Big Apple, and we'll be leaving on a jet plane on the 14th. Brian's last day of work was on the 8th though, so now we're trying to make the most of his time off by getting out and about!

So far we've been to the Met, The Cloisters (a branch of the Met that houses a world-class collection of Medieval paintings, tapestries, altarpieces, sculptures, and architecture in a gorgeous stone abby-like building at the northern tip of Manhattan), stood in line for $25 "lottery ticket" seats for the blockbuster Broadway hit "Wicked" three or four more times (to no avail...), played at some parks with Felix, had acaraje from a Brazillian restaurant, spent time with Uncle Dan, and also watched plenty of Olympics!

The best day, by far, though, was our trip yesterday to Jones Beach, about halfway out on the southern shore of Long Island. We took the LIRR out to Bellmore and a bus to the beach, and then spent a blossful morning there playing in the hot, golden sand and wading in the icy water. After a picnic lunch we headed north to the quaint town of Bellmore and walked around a bit looking at homes and stopping in a park to chase geese. I have to say that if we do end up in NYC, I wouldn't mind it nearly as much if I could live in a place like Bellmore. Exploring this place with Brian and Felix on a beautiful, sunny day--a perfect way to cap off our summer!

Grandma Time!

Braving bothersome airport security, crowded planes, crowded busses and subways, and scorching weather, my mom made it to NYC to visit her adoring family! I've been a little lonely in this vast city, and a visit from my mom brightened my whole summer.
We've soaked in NY life with a trip to Central Park (complete with spin on the historic Carousel!), a stroll around midtown with a stop at FAO Schwarz, a visit to Steinway Hall and a yummy Italian restaurant, and a night at the Manhattan Temple.

Her visit was great, and she loved seeing Felix and the place we're living, however, she did request that if we return to NYC that we live out in the suburbs... I see we think alike ;)

Four Years Down, An Eternity to Go

On July 10, Brian and I celebrated our Fourth Wedding Anniversary!

Time has flown by since that beautiful July day in Nauvoo when we were sealed for time and all eternity in the temple... It seems like just a few months ago that we were dating--hiking the Y, walking to classes and Church, meeting for Devotionals, holding hands for the first time at Christmas Around the World, standing on my doorstep in Stonebridge for hours as we tried to say goodnight--and then engaged--driving down to Zion National Park to test out his new convertible, meeting each other's families, spending every single waking moment together...

Now we sometimes only spend every sleeping moment together, but we are still trying to keep our marriage strong by keeping up our daily traditions and celebrating milestones... such as anniversaries!

So this year we decided to have a night out on the town, thanks in no small part to my amazing mom coming into town to watch Felix for us! How cool is that? She braved multiple forms of public transportation and near-death by heat exhaustion to give us a holiday and spend some time with her grandson. A-mazing!

We started off the evening by meeting up in Central Park at the Pond, to go row boating. Sigh... Que Romantique!

Then it was off toward the subway, with a stroll down Madison Ave. for some window shopping. Just imagining what you would buy your spouse is almost as much fun as actually doing it! We "received" a couple of outifts from couture shops, some Tiffany jewelry, and some lovely furniture. Then we took the 7 train into Woodside, Queens for Thai food--Brian's favorite--at the gem Sripraphai. Brian loves Thai food, so much so that we spent pretty much our whole "dining out" budget on it for the first year of our marriage by eating at The Thai Chile Garden in Provo each month. That place was cheap and super-yummy, and surprisingly, the prices at Sripraphai are about the same. (That is not normal for NYC!) The food was excellent, but a tad too "authentic" (read: sear-your-tastebuds-off HOT), so we actually had to send it back to the kitchen to see if they could tone down the heat. Sad, huh? After that our jungle curry and crispy duck were awesome.

Home again on the 7, 1, and A trains, with a stop at Grand Central Station to soak in its elaborately decorated astronomical ceilings, winding hallways, and opulent interior. We finally arrived home a bit later than planned, to a slightly worried mom and a peacefully sleeping Felix.

An evening to remember!

Little Man in the Big City!

Well, I think Felix is liking his time in NYC!

He gets a kick out of operating the elevator (including pushing the bright red emergency button twice so far, that they strategically place at his eye level), enjoys the sounds and lights in the subway, is entranced by the views from our windows at home, and loves the parks--especially the water features!

Felix and Manny, 26th floor buddies!

He's made some new friends too, like Manny, Graham, and Penelope.

Felix and Graham spinning in circles! Cuties :-)

He's also enjoying nursery, with minimal parting tears (well, in the two weeks he's gone so far!).

Oh, and like any true NYC kid, he loooves FAO Schwarz!

Brian and Felix on the famous FAO Schwarz Giant Keyboard

Love this pic--like father, like son. :-)

Home Sweet Home in Gotham

So we're in nyc for the summer! There's a ton to catch you all up on, so I'll waste no time.

On the employment side of things, Brian's loving his work at Steinway & Sons. He's working at Steinway Hall in midtown, which is the company's flagship piano showroom on W. 57th St. It's a quick (20 min) jaunt on the express A-train from where we're living in Washington Heights, which is on the upper-upper-upper west side. He's working on an institutional sales project, and from his descriptions of the work he does I can tell he's putting what he's learned at Ross to use, so it's exciting to see those tuition dollars pay off!

In news of everyday living, it's been a bit of an adjustment for me learning to get by in this big city. New York is so complex that I can't truly say that I feel any one way about living here so far, but I've had some fun experiences to counterbalance my list of daily complaints (the constant smells of garbage and urine, the grime that's inevitable in a city with 8 mil inhabitants, the cost of living, the noise, blah blah... let's not dwell on the negative!). For one thing, the neighborhood we're living in has the biggest Dominican population outside of the DR, and there's definite familismo charm here. I sense it when men and women of all ages talk to Felix (and sometimes me) as I pass, or when they block me from crossing the street cause a biker is coming, or strike up non-small talk conversations anytime, anyplace. Perhaps a better example of this "instant cousin" feel I get here is the maintenance man who came to work on the sink, and had Felix hand him tools while he sang him a song about the "little pipe that made a BIG mess". That experience was the first to really soften my heart to the genuine humanity that lies just beneath the deceptively tough exterior of many New Yorkers. (On that note, after getting back from interviews in both LA and NYC, Brian and I were discussing the cultures of the two areas. He felt that people were "nicer" in CA, but in NY once you develop a relationship with someone, you're like family, and they respect and look out for you. He asked me, wouldn't I rather know that people's smiles and words meant something? Hmmm, I'm still chewing on that.)

Oh, and I love our apt. We're subleasing a 26th floor apt. in the Columbia Med Student housing (thank you very much, Dan!). The laundry down the hall, hardwood floors, spacious (by nyc standards!) layout, and million-dollar views of the Hudson River, tri-borough and tri-state areas are definite perks to being a stay-at-home mom this summer!

View to the northwest from bedroom window

George Washington Bridge to New Jersey over Hudson River

So, although I'm still not used to $5/gal milk and other outrageous grocery prices, I have adjusted to some of the smells, noises, and miles upon miles of daily walking that characterize domestic life here. I have met some incredibly nice people in our building and ward, and the playdates and trips to the parks have been soo nice!

Well, this post is too serious for news on the little tot, so I'm going to do a separate, livelier post for him.

Ciao!

One Night in The City That Never Sleeps

For Brian, job-searching hasn't followed the typical MBA routine: 1) resume drop, 2) interview on campus, 3) second round fly-back interview 4) offer. Since he's bound by his dual Music degree to complete an internship related to the arts, he's been working on expanding his network. Fortunately, this January he had the opportunity to meet hundreds of people in a fascinating industry, Music Instruments. It was the NAMM show in Anaheim that gave Brian an introduction to two companies he admires very much:and

Having never visited the office of either company, Brian was really excited to see Yamaha Corporation of America's headquarters in Buena Park (just up the road from Anaheim). It seemed as though seeing Steinway's factory headquarters in Queens, NY would have to wait, perhaps in the form of a drop-in visit over Spring break in conjunction with a promised visit to Brian's brother Dan, who lives in Manhattan. A few weeks later, though, Steinway & Sons invited Brian to go out to NY. The timing and arrangements didn't quite work out for a family adventure, though, which was a little unfortunate because Dan is just crazy about Felix!

So Brian flew out by himself yesterday afternoon, and comes back this afternoon. Since my phone wigged out (again) I haven't talked to him since last night. So we shall find out shortly how it went!

Update from Brian: I did get an internship offer from Steinway & Sons and I am very excited about the prospect of working closely with one of the world's leading luxury brands.