New York City and Missy Mumford--GREAT COMBO!!

Missy Mumford arrived in New York on Dec 23rd and she and her Mother (me!) met and hugged for 5 minutes at least--outside the Downtown Metro Station at 66th St and Columbus Ave--right by our apartment building. It was such a "sweet reunion"!! Then our 10-day "Holiday in New York" began!! She had her "list" of must dos, and wanna dos and we/she calendared/mapped it out to try to get everything important to her, this trip, in the mix of everyday. We went to see the Radio City Rockettes in their Christmas Spectacular, up to Washington Heights for dinner at our favorite Inndian restaurant (Kismat), made a stop in to St. Patrick's Cathedral on 5th Ave ( lovely renovation just completed), spent some time in the NY Manhattan Temple accomplishing her 2016 goal for endowments completed. A friend gave her a ticket to the Empire State Building so she strode out on her own--to go see it!! We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art ( and so did ALL OTHER NYC HOLIDAY VISITORS!!) and stood in a line almost 4 blocks long, IN A POURING RAIN, but we did it!! And saw the "almost Victorian-looking" Christmas tree with the absolutely stunning array of Nativities and Crèches surrounding it's base. A hard one to find-- in the Medevial area of the museum. (Go figure!!) But worth our search!! There was also a trip--after our evening/night shift at the Temple--to see the Rockefeller Plaza tree, the light show and Times Square (still FULL OF PEOPLE) so very late at night.  Missy and I went to see "Fiddler on the Roof" on Broadway--which closed it's short run on New Year's Eve. Sorry to see that one stop-- it was so well done!! We loved it and wished that Elder Mumford had come with us😘. She even came to the Missionary New Year's Eve party--which ended close to 9:30pm--as Pres Bench said 9:00 was really the "new midnight" in NYC!! So she then left us to join some other friends 3 blocks from Times Square, to watch the famous "ball drop in Times Square" above the crowds, 22 floors up in a warm Office building!! She was in Heaven!! It was something she has ALWAYS hoped she could do if she ever found herself in NYC on New Year's Eve! She also journeyed out with us to our Ward in Rego Park (in Queens) where we serve each Sunday as teachers to 9 youth, mainly young men, ages 12 to 17, in the only Youth Sunday School class in the Ward. We love it--and so did Missy. There were some "food musts" also--so she made a stop at LeVains Bakery for the " most famous chocolate chip cookie in New York City", Burger and fries from Shake Shack, New York Cheesecake and up to "Patsy's" for a delicious New York Pizza!! Y-U-M-M-Y is the best description for all of those choices!  Needless to say, we DID HAVE A GREAT TIME!! She left us on Monday, Jan 2, 2017--but not before we "discovered" Frames Bowling Alley so we could "join the Tradition" going on in Preston, Idaho at Pop 'n Pins Bowling Alley where the Mumfords and Sears families carried on with our  60+ years of NEW YEARS DAY BOWLING with lunch somewhere after. Then the tears started to flow as we rode with her on the Subway to get her on the AirTrain to JFK airport.  And she went through the turnstyles--and was on her way to her departing flight!!  Where did 10 whole days go?? We loved her visit--best gift ever!! She says she's coming again--we say "PLEASE DO!!" Love you so much!!
Just a few of the photo ops we captured are seen here:

On the Subway--going to Grand Central Station to catch the Metro North RR--out to NY Botannical Gardens

Papa Mumford, Emma and Missy--"Up on our Roof"

Outside St. Patrick's Cathedral

Inside St. Patrick's

New York Public Library--E & S Mumford and Missy Mumford--to see Alexander Hamilton exhibit

Missy & Mom-- outside the inside doors to NY Manhattan Temple 

Some views of the Christmas tree in the "Medevial Room" of the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art

Missionary New Year's Eve Party at Pres & Sister Benches' Apartment

Missy's "capture of the Times Square ball drop"

Bowling at Frames Alley in downtown NYC--Jan 2, 2017 

More from NY Metropolitan Art

A Rainy day as we cross through "Central Park"

More "flavors and  sites" of NYC

Alexander Hamilton exhibit at the NY Public !ibrary--thanks, Grace Mumford, for telling us about this one!!

"Fiddler on the Roof" and NY cheesecake-- great combo  

Rockefeller Center and Times Square--in all their glorious display!! ( check out the Church's display of " Light the World. 25 ways in 25 days"--very prominently displayed in Times Square!!)

The M & M's store--so crowded--we never even attempted "Entry"😩!! 

More Times Square-- late--and as we commented on ALL the People who were still up--it dawned on us--WE ARE SOME OF THEM!! (After Midnight!!)

Such a Fun time was had by All!!

Christmas Day 2016 in New York City!!

Christmas Day arrived at about 8:00 am to Apt 4E at Lincoln Square in Manhattan, NY!! Kyle wakened us to tell Papa Mumford that Emma and Hiro were "waiting" for him to "ANNOUNCE" that Santa had really come ( something we had always done with our kids as they were growing up--fun for Kyle to have remembered and wanted to include us that way.)  So we all went out and the "Wild Rumpus" (or Not)---did begin!

A "careful" gift-opener for sure!

New pajamas for Emma

This is actually the morning of Dec 26th--and Emma is showing how "sad" she is that they have to go so soon! Grammy will miss you,too, Emma!!

Words to truly "ponder" from a former Apostle of the Lord

Since Christmas Day did fall on Sunday, we were able to attend Sacrament Meeting together as a family. That created, in me, (and others as we talked later) such a sweet Spirit and appreciation of our Savior, who really was born in a stable over 2 Millenia ago.  His birth was so humble, yet so heralded by Angels to those "believing shepherds" who came to Bethlehem to adore Him. Oh how grateful I am for the birth, the life and the Atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World!!

Emma, Sachi, Kyle and Hiro Mumford with Elder & Sister Mumford and Missy Mumford just 

outside the foyer of the Manhattan 1st Ward in New York City after Church on Christmas morning, 

2016

We truly enjoyed this day with our special Christmas visitors and loved hearing from our families that were far away from Manhattan, too!! Some special gifts were given as 3 families announced "trips to NYC" in the upcoming months ( the Duke Mumfords, Grace & Hazel Mumford ( along with their 

parents, Marcus & Michelle and the Lincoln Mumford family) with others "waiting to see" if they can "swing it" ( Bryce & Lissa and Katie & Sef). We will truly look forward to these visits!! 

This is the "surprise" announcement to Hazel and Grace Mumford (but the video won't play)

Below are just "random pics" of the rest of our time with Kyle's family--as they left early Dec 26th, to travel to southern Virginia to be with Sachi's parents who had come from Japan and were at her Sister's home near Williamsburg, VA.

Papa Mumford, Emma Mumford and Aunt Missy Mumford "Up on our Roof"

One more "Hug"!! ( the morning Kyle & Sachi and family are leaving to go South to Sachi's family gathering in Virginia)

I take these 2 pics by Emma, as "proof" that she liked her Christmas gift from Grammy & Papa Mumford!! She really LOVES to draw--and she's very good at it, too, 

Hiro didn't get into the "unwrapping, at least not right off --but he sure was a good boy with that cast!!!

It sure was "hard" to say "Good-bye" to Kyle & Sachi--yet so glad they could be with us at all!! 

These are the beautiful pics we got while Emma and Hiro were in Virginia to visit the Sugimoto grandparents who came from Japan to visit them.

Isn't she so beautiful--Emma Angela Mumford

Samurai Warrior--Hiro Mumford (age 18 months)

Lovely Emma Angela Mumford (age 5 yrs) 

We love all of our family so much!!!

ENJOYING MORE OF DECEMBER 2016

We knew we were in for a wonderful Christmas time when Missy and Kyle (along with Sachi and Emma and Hiro) made plans to be here in NYC with us!! Oh it was so glorious!! Both Missy and Kyle's family made plans to arrive on Friday, Dec 23rd--Kyle in the morning and Missy in afternoon. We "traded shifts" at the Temple so we could enjoy some evening activity with all of them. We gave the gift of "Aladdin" to Emma and Sachi--to enjoy that afternoon before we got home. Sachi said

Emma "loved it"!!

Sachi and Emma Mumford

 

Emma Mumford (age 5) enjoying "Aladdiin" on Broadway

So we met up with our Visitors at SantaLand in Macy's downtown NYC's 34th St location for a "historic" visit to see the Jolly Old St Nick. Good thing Sachi investigated the "48 hour ahead reservation" which allowed us to go to the entrance at our appointed time and get into see Santa in under 20 minutes. Instead of waiting in line for 2 hours!! We never would have made that--at least not with Papa Mumford or a very happy Hiro!!

All of us "sitting" on Santa's lap

L-R: Grammy & Papa Mumford, old World Santa, Emma Mumford on Santa's lap, Kyle & Sachi Mumford with Hiro Mumford on her lap, with Aunt Missy Mumford in front

Sachi & Kyle and kids 

Hiro and Emma Mumford talking with Santa

We so enjoyed our evening but upon returning to our apartment and getting the kids ready for bed, Kyle's "suspicions" were confirmed ( at least in Kyle's mind)-- by an Orthopedic Dr/friend back in Erie, PA-- that a fall from a dining room chair earlier in the day may have caused a "broken arm" for little Hiro. So at 10:30 pm-- Kyle, Sachi and Hiro head out the door to go the 10 blocks to the Emergency at  Mt Sinai Med Center in Manhattan. And 10 HOURS (yes, You are reading that correctly) they return home with the confirming cast on little Hiro's arm--that he does have a fractured bone below his wrist. But needed a cast up passed the elbow to immobilize the bone.

Hiro Mumford and his broken arm

So, needless to say, Kyle, Sachi and Hiro were not in any shape to go with us on our planned outing to the New York Botannical Gardens in the Bronx, to see the Holiday Train show.  So we (Papa, Grammy, Aunt Missy) took Emma and went to Grand Central Station to catch a train on the Metro North line to the Botannical Gardens. It was raining pretty much the entire day--but we were able to get there at our "ticketed time" and wow!! It was BUSY and the Show was AMAZING!!

Just a few "collages" of the many displays involved in this exhibit !! 

The "Holiday Train Show" (in a "nutshell") that one really needs to see in order to really appreciate the hours and hours of creativity and imagination that went into each beautiful display.

So glad we got to go. Sorry that Kyle and Sachi missed it!!