First snow.

Today was the first snow of the winter. I couldn't believe how much it snowed! We went outside after it had been snowing for a few hours, but then it turned into big, fat snowflakes after we came in. Cala was in heaven, Ethan seemed bewildered, and it got me excited for Christmas!

Wedding.

A couple weeks ago my father-in-law got remarried, so we packed up and headed down to Pennsylvania for the big event. We had such a great time! We got to see Mark's sister, her husband, and their kids who came from Arizona and Mark's brother who came from Utah.

They got married in the LDS temple in Washington, DC. It was the most gorgeous day, sunny and 75 degrees.

The happy couple!

Another happy couple.

My cute sister and brother-in-law. I had them kissing for quite a while because I kept telling them to hold it while my camera took the picture. They finally looked over and saw that I had put my camera away!

Mark fixing his Dad's boutonniere.

The new family. Mark and brother and sister, their dad, new wife Chris, and her daughter Julia.

The wedding was at 2pm, but because we had to leave early and drive 2 hours to get there we had forgotten about lunch until our tummies started rumbling during picture taking afterwards. Don't worry though I was prepared with some of Cala's Halloween candy!

Mark with his brother Dave and sister Beth.

Mark and Dave are best friends if you can't tell.

Silly boys.

The reception was held the following night back in Pennsylvania. It was beautiful, although the weather was quite a bit chillier.

Cala with her uncle D.

Cala holding my bouquet at the reception.

Me and my brother.

Blowing bubbles.

Our sleepy little man.

First dance.

We had the best time! Dave, you are up next, so hurry up and find a wife!

Happy Halloween!

I started off the Halloween season with a candy corn (my favorite Halloween candy) craft. This wreath turned out pretty good!

The week of Halloween we were visiting family in Pennsylvania so we went to that ward's Trunk-or-Treat. Cala got her face painted with a pumpkin, which she loved, but really she couldn't wait for the candy!

Where my parents live in Pennsylvania they do trick-or-treating on the Thursday before Halloween. Since Mark and I were at a wedding that day, my mom, grandparents, and brother's girlfriend all took Cala trick-or-treating. It makes me laugh to think how that must have looked... 4 adults taking one 3 year old. They had a great time though.

When we got back to New York we went to a Halloween party, which was so fun. Here are my little muchkins.

It was so fun how everyone dressed up for the party. My costume was totally unimaginative, but I used the excuse that we had just gotten home after a 5 hour car ride...

I just love this picture!

Clown Car

Rain, rain, go away!

It has been raining here almost everyday for the last two weeks. Just as it was starting to feel like we should start building an ark, the sun has peeked out from behind the clouds! Hooray! These pictures were taken on one of those rainy days, Cala LOVES to jump in puddles!

Funny girl

The other night Mark was talking to Cala about why she had knocked over her lamp (which shattered the lightbulb). Their conversation went like this...

M: "Why did you knock over your lamp?"

C: "So I could get a pink one!"

M: "But we don't have money to just go buy a new lamp."

C: "Daddy, it's ok. Mommy has all the money. We go to the store and buy stuff."

Ha ha! Smart girl, she sure knows how things work!

When we were at a store recently, a woman said to Cala, "You're so cute! I just want to put you in my pocket." Cala replied, "Sorry, I no fit in you pocket."

Just can't get enough of his cute smile!

This smile made getting up 7 times last night all worth it!

Nemo's Near-death Experience

Do you remember this guy? We have had him for over a year now and he has survived all sorts of things. He's been on numerous vacations with us because for some reason it seems easier to stick him in the cup holder than to ask a friend to babysit. On the way home from one of those vacations we stopped in Lake Placid and decided to walk around the town for a few hours. Since it was a hot day I felt bad leaving him in the car so I stuck him in my purse and he sloshed around Lake Placid with us. Also sad to say we often forget to feed him and change his water, even more so since Ethan was born. And Cala is constantly tapping on the side of his fish bowl!

As if all that wasn't enough for the poor little guy, a couple nights ago Mark was cleaning out the bowl, and Nemo was hanging out in the little plastic cup we bought him in. I fed him and then forgot to snap back on the plastic lid. A while later I went back into the kitchen to get a drink and noticed something black in the middle of the floor. I was about to nudge it with my foot to see what it was when I looked up at Nemo's empty cup! It was Nemo! I was sure he was dead and screamed (yes I'm a little dramatic sometimes) for Mark to come get him as I ran out of the kitchen.

To make a long story short, Nemo survived flopping around on the table (there was a wet trail from his cup to the edge of the table), the four foot fall down to the floor, and flopping two more feet across the kitchen floor. We are shocked that he is still alive, and I have made a personal resolve to do better at remembering to feed him everyday :)

Happy Birthday Cala!

My baby girl is 3 years old! I can't believe it! We celebrated her birthday a little early while family was in town. We had her favorite spaghetti made by Papa, princess cupcakes, and presents.

A lot of her presents were Barbie/princess-related items which she is very into right now and she has been playing with them ever since.

Then on the morning of her actual birthday we gave her another Barbie! She was thrilled! (notice that even her PJ's have princesses on them, thanks Kristina!)

That morning she got to see friends when she went with me to a craft fair for a few hours.

Later that day we took her to Build-a-Bear. She was a little shy, but she loves the bear she got. As you can tell the bear is a girl and Cala named her "boy".

Here are some fun facts about Cala at 3 years old...

Favorite Color: Pink

Favorite Foods: Pizza, Spaghetti, Grapes, Candy (that one is totally my fault)

Favorite Phrases: "Sorry mom I didn't mean to", "Not quite"

Big Accomplishments: Potty training, becoming a big sister

Favorite Pet: Nemo (beta fish) who recently survived a near-death experience

Favorite Hobbies: Playing with barbies and princesses, helping mom bake

Best Friends: Georgia, Emry, Ruby, Maddie, Camden

Favorite TV show: Curious George

Talents: Making people laugh, mixing brownie batter, cheering up her little bro when he cries

We love you so much, Cala! Happy Birthday sweet girl!

NYC Girls' Trip

I have made some great friends here in New York, and last weekend we all decided to get away to the city for the weekend.

We said goodbye to our husbands (they were so good to watch the kids for the weekend!)...

...and we said Hello to New York City!

First thing we did was to eat some of the amazing food that you can only find in New York City.

Then we checked out Times Square (the place we stayed was only a few blocks away).

We even got in a little trouble from the security guard while posing for some crazy pictures... oops!

I don't think any of us had been out this late in a LONG time!

The next day was gorgeous, and we had lots of things planned.

First, we headed to Central Park for a run and tandem bike ride. What fun!

Later in the day, we stopped by Doughnut Plant for some DELICIOUS doughnuts! (yes, there was a line! I think we waited about 20 minutes to get some doughnuts, but they were worth it!)

They were huge! This is the fresh blueberry doughnut.

Then we shopped 'til we dropped (literally)!

We all bought purses. Mine is the green one, I love it!

We saw some things that you only see in New York City, like a gigantic purse covering a store front during remodeling.

On the way to church the next morning we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. It was hot and I ended up with blisters, but I'm glad we did it.

We got to attend church in Brooklyn where one of my friends served her mission.

We took a taxi to rest our tired feet.

Then on to Greenwich Village and more good food... pizza baked in a coal-burning oven. It was the freshest-tasting pizza that I have ever had.

And who could pass up a bakery window that looked like this!

After a weekend full of shopping and eating (every girls' dream, right?) we wondered how in the world we were going to fit in the car to go home... somehow we did!