2011 New York Trip-Day 16 – 08/04/2011

2011 New York Trip-Day 16 – 08/04/2011

Tried making a paper airplane with the girls from a kit they had.  A resounding failure.

Jenny and the girls set up a car wash outside that was really funny.  They took a rake and put the handle between the tops of two lawn chairs.  Then Jenny suspended strips of crepe paper from the handle to look like the washing thingies that are in car washes.  They had an old vacuum hose that was either a gas pump or vacuum – depending on who was using it.  They would take turns driving something through the wash, and then someone (usually Olivia) would use a spray bottle to spray the “car” and a sponge and towel to dry it.  Whoever was driving would have an umbrella to shield them from the spray.  Olivia and Jenny had chalk signs on the ground.  There was even a tip jar, except that with their car wash, the customer does not give the tips – rather the customer takes the tips.

Later, all three of them were running all over the yard with their umbrellas. One of them would have a spray bottle, chasing the other two around.  It was funny to see how much fun they had with just three umbrellas and a bottle of water.

I made my journey into town to Shop Rite to buy food supplies for the trip home.  Last time, I don’t think I found the ATM that was supposed to be in the store – this time I had no problem.  That store sure has a lot of slow old people wandering the isles.

Dinner was a real battle of wills. Jenny bought a chicken pie from “the pie lady”.  It was really good, but neither Nathan nor Zoe wanted to even try it.  When Nathan refused to try it, she started removing anything that he was playing with – water glass, spoon, extra fork. It was hard not to laugh when Jenny told him that everyone else was being “awesome” for eating their chicken pie, he went around the table: “Is Olivia awesome”, … and would end up with “I’m not awesome”.  Zoe only wanted to eat the crust.  Andy got home and she still balked.  Eventually, she would eat a microscopic piece of chicken and then a piece of crust.  Jenny, Olivia and I finally left the table and left Andy to deal with Zoe and Nathan.  About 10 minutes later, Zoe gave in and ate enough.  About 20 minutes later, Nathan finally gave in.  I have never seen anyone who can drag out the process of eating as much as Zoe.  At one point, Andy told her that at the rate she was going, it would be bedtime by the time she finished – so she might as well go to bed right now.  I would love to have gotten the entire process with Nathan on tape – it would be great to show it to him 10 or 15 years from now.

Before the girls went to bed I was finally able to let them look at the moon through the telescope.