Haleigh, Gavin, and Henry

We have had quite the busy few weeks! A couple of weeks ago, Gavin had a career fair in Philadelphia, and since he was driving anyway, Henry and I decided to tag along! Hotels in downtown Philadelphia are extremely expensive (300$/night for a very average one) so we decided to use a service that Gavin's sister Katie told us about, Airbnb.com. Basically you rent either someone's whole home, or a room in their house. We found a woman who had all great ratings, and decided to take a chance, and we are so glad we did! This woman owns a yoga studio about two blocks from downtown, and she has an apartment above it. She rented us her room, and we shared a bathroom and her kitchen, but it was no problem at all. It was quiet, comfortable, and she even made us smoothies one morning and left us a fruit basket. All for 75$ per night! Plus, the first night, she walked us to this quaint restaurant a few blocks away where we could get a late dinner. It was fun to discover a local secret! This place was called Sabrina's, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for something different and delicious. It is a brunch place, but they have other things too. The waitress suggested a few brunch-y things, and we were thrilled with what we got. Gavin got the Challah French toast, and I got the best sandwich: the bread was really good French toast, and inside, there was pulled turkey that had been cooked in a honey mustard/cider sauce, and was moist and flavorful... I just stopped and looked up the menu online, and their description is better! Here it is:
Patty & Selma’s Twice-Smoked Special Sandwich
Country white French toast stuffed with apple cider-honey mustard-glazed pulled turkey, crispy bacon, sliced green pears, roasted peppers, wilted spinach, and melted fontina cheese with a dried cranberry-old school cole slaw. Served with southwest-spiced sweet potato chips
Anyway, it was amazing. I could eat that every day. Okay, moving past the food. Henry was wired from the long car ride (12+ hours split up into two days). We didn't have to stop too often for him, but enough. He did really well until the last couple of hours. The speed limit zones were so weird. It jumped from 40, to 70, to 55, to 70, to 45 again over and over in a matter of minutes. We got pulled over, but when the policeman realized we weren't from here, and weren't familiar with the roads, he let us off with just a warning. Thank heavens! I would have cried if we had just done that exhausting drive and we couldn't flown for the price of the ticket. Anyway, Gavin pretty much saw the inside of the convention center for two days, but Henry and I got to see some amazing sights! Our hostess had recommended the Phlash bus, and I think every tourist should know about it! It's 5$ for the whole day, and Henry was free. You can hop on and off as many times as you want, and it stops at all the great sights. So, early the next morning, Henry and I dropped Gavin off, came back and then headed off for the bus. Our first stop was the Liberty Bell because I heard the lines get really long. Luckily, we only had to wait 15 minutes. It was so neat to be inches away from something we've heard about since elementary school. It's such a powerful symbol of independence, and so neat to think of the times it rang: the first time, when it cracked, and after they tried to restore it, when the Declaration of Independence was read, July 8, 1776. We don't get to see too many things that have been around since our country gained independence. After that, Henry and I visited Independence Hall, where we took a quick tour. This used to be known as the Pennsylvania State House, and the Liberty Bell originally hung in its steeple. This is also where both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were debated and adopted. I let Henry run around outside for awhile to get his wiggles out, then we hopped back on the bus and headed toward my favorite part of town: the art district. Our first stop was the Rodin Museum. I had heard it was small, and disappointing if you've seen the one in Paris, so maybe it's because my expectations were low, but I loved it! I was not disappointed at all! Online, it said nothing about any of Camille Claudel's works in the museum, but when I got there, there were actually two! They had been bought in the 30's and thought to be Rodin's, but later discovered to be hers. Everything in the museum is original, except the copy of The Kiss, which is everyone's favorite. I had forgotten how much I love it! When I took Gavin to Paris, the original was in storage for cleaning and restoration, and it really felt like something was missing. And, as hard as this is to believe, Henry was a dream in the art museums! We spent 5 hours between 3 museums and he sat in his stroller like a champ the whole time! He talked a little loud, but no one seemed to mind. People said, "Oh, you're starting him young, huh?" or "What does the 2-year-old art critic think?" :) haha. Anyway, back to Rodin. There was a bride having her pictures taken while we were there. The garden area really is lovely. Inside, there are a few rooms full of his works from all the periods of his working life. I love so many of the pieces, and it's fun to look at the ones that Claudel was the model for. (Joan of Arc, The Helmet Maker's Wife, etc. etc.) I had to talk myself out of buying a small copy of Rodin's Cathedral/Clasping Hands statue and a miniature The Thinker. They had some of his versions of Adam and Eve, (Lille's Musee des Beaux Arts had some too.) and a white marble version of The Gates of Hell. I almost like it better in white, than the black in Paris. But I guess black is more fitting for "the inferno". Anyway, I could go on and on, but since Henry will be up from his nap soon, I'd better continue. Next, on our trek was the Barnes Foundation. It was close enough to walk, and a French Teacher of mine had recommended it. It was absolutely worth the ticket. Oh! That reminds me - at the Rodin Museum, they told me the entrance fee was by choice. They have recommended prices (10$ for adults), but you can actually pay whatever you feel it's worth. I stopped to think for a moment, since obviously we're in poor-student-mode, but I just couldn't get past the feeling that if I didn't pay 10, I would be implying that it wasn't "worth" 10 to me. Which is absolutely not true. It's worth a lot more. So I went ahead and paid 10$, and in the end, was glad to learn when I later arrived at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, that they reduce your ticket by however much you pay at the Rodin Museum! So, I got mine for half price. Pleasant surprise :). Anyway, back to the Barnes Foundation. There were so many Renoir paintings, it was fun to see a large collection of them. There were also many familiar others, but I wasn't allowed to take pictures. I did, however, find a few of them online and I'll post those. Next, we hopped on the bus to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I only had an hour left before the bus stopped running, but I really wanted to see it, so I did a quick 1-hour tour. I am so thrilled I did, because they have a Gustav Klimt painting! I can't believe it: almost all of his work is in Austria, and yet I have seen one in New York, one in Paris, and now one in Philadelphia! I snuck a picture, and that's why it's blurry. This wasn't one of his where he crushed up gold into the paint, but still, I love his style. There was also a Degas ballerina, a Rodin, and several other fabulous pieces. After the museum, we looked around at Reading Terminal Market at the millions of food booths and waited for Gavin to finish. When he did, he and Jake, a ward member and fellow MBA student, and Henry and I, went to get an authentic Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich. We had been recommended three different places which many people claimed to be THE best, so, we decided to try all three! We went to each of the three places, got one sandwich at each cut in thirds, and tried them all! Pat's, Geno's, and Jim's. We all liked different ones, but I liked Pat's. Then we went and saw the progress on the Temple being built there. It's beautiful, and smack dab in the middle of downtown! The next day, Henry and I drove to Baltimore, to meet Allie! We were so excited that we were within driving distance to see her! We met at the funnest place she had picked out! It was called the Rusty Scupper, and was right on the water with a beautiful view. We had a yummy lunch! The best cream of crab soup I've ever tasted, and I had delicious coconut shrimp. I got to meet her sweet newborn baby Clara. She is so beautiful! We had fun eating and chatting, and then took a lovely walk around the edge of the water. I wish we lived closer; every time we get together we pick up right where we left off. When Henry and I got back, we picked up Gavin and Henry ran around the park for awhile. Then, we decided to splurge on one fun restaurant before leaving town. We had been recommended a place called Max Brenner's, and it was fabulous! It's a chocolate store/restaurant, and everything was incredible! They have funky food and are known for their fondue. Gavin got a waffle club sandwich, and I got a fancy mac and cheese, and then the best part...we shared a fondue sampler. They brought a mini grill to the table to roast marshmallows, and a plate of really fancy things to dip, and a little chaffing dish over a flame of the yummiest chocolate! Henry thought it was so fun to "dip it". He yelled "dip it" about 25 times in that 30 minutes. Well, sadly the trip came to an end and we drove home the next day. It was a long drive, but our friends Jake and Jen came by with dinner that night when we got home! They brought yummy lasagna, peanut butter bars, salad and bread...it was a great meal to come home to!
The following weekend, Janell came to Iowa city to visit and watch Brighton while Katie took her boards, and we drove up to see her. We had a fun couple of days watching conference, playing with Brighton, and being together. Janell put a bunch of plastic balls in a tub and put Henry inside and he loved it! He spent a good chunk of the weekend in there :). She sent us home with a big bag, and now they are in the bath tub where he plays with them several times each day. He loves them :). Even more so if Gavin or I are throwing them at him.
Finally, our last adventure in the recent weeks, was last week. Grandma and Kathie and their friends were on their way to England, and they had a 6 hour layover at O'Hare airport. So, Henry and I drove up to Chicago, picked up a pizza at Lou Malnati's, and went for a visit at the airport. We had such a good time seeing them! Henry remembered GG and Kaka immediately. He wouldn't hug them, despite my endless begging him, but he did smile and play with them a bunch! We stayed a few hours and chatted, then they got on their way, and Henry and I went and cruised downtown for awhile. We started at The Bean, then walked all over Millennial Park, past Crown Fountain and over to Buckingham Fountain. We met a student from Columbia University who took a picture of us. Then, we got a snack at Pret-a-Porter for nostalgia's sake. (They were all over Paris. I didn't eat at them much, but they have a variety of "on the go" snacks". Hence the name's meaning, "ready to take"). The worker kept raving about the cookies they had just baked, so I got one, thinking Henry and I could share, but after an unsuccessful several minutes of trying, he wouldn't share, so I got another one :). However, speaking of really sharing, he doesn't always do great at home, but his nursery leader sent us a nice message. I'll attach a picture of it.
Well, before finishing up, I wanted to document a few of Henry's habits lately. He is getting really good at repeating things! He loves the routine of going to get the mail! He gets to push the button at the gate, use the fob to come back in, and try to put the key in and look inside the box. He is happy very often. Almost always. He loves the Halloween decorations. If the pumpkins aren't turned on and the orange lights not on when he wakes up, he yells "off! off!" (meaning, "on! on!") so usually I try to remember to turn them on before I get him up in the morning. He love to say the word pumpkin. Yesterday we made dinner in a pumpkin, and he loved it! He ate a bunch of it. He is really developing a sweet personality. When accidentally hit me in the eye with the remote, he looked at me really concerned, and said, "K? K?" meaning "Are you okay?" Often if I ask for a huggy-buggy he'll come and give me one. He loves to go outside, no matter how cold it is. My friend Ann, who just had a baby, named him Aayush (eye-oosh) and Henry loves to say his name-with a little lisp on the "sh". He says "gink" for drink, and "hommininny" which is Greek to me. I love him so much. I am so happy to be his mother.

Smelling yummy after bath time! (He still hates the bath by the way)