Christmas Storm

Did you hear about the winter storm warning for the east coast? We got about 8 inches or so out of it. Church is canceled today and everyone is busy plowing and shoveling. As Matthew watched Joseph shovel the sidewalk outside he said "Thanks for cutting the snow ground, Daddy."

This is actually Matthew's first time really playing in the snow and he loved it! Thankfully Joseph will be home for the next couple of weeks so he can play outside with him. I usually find any excuse I can to not touch the snow all winter!

But this sure does help it feel a little more like Christmas!

Holidays

We are grateful for good friends that make it a little easier to be far away from home and family during the holidays.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with a great group of friends and lots of delicious food. Now we're looking forward to a relaxing Christmas holiday with a couple weeks off school and our own little family traditions.

Happy December and Happy Holidays!

Our Home: Kitchen

There wasn't much we could do in here, but I did get our shelves organized and we made a pegboard to hold our keys, pens, paper, and calendar.

I'm loving making our apartment feel more like our own!

Next task: getting the office/guest bedroom ready for our visitors in 10 days!

Sleepy Hollow

The Allens let us tag along with them to Sleepy Hollow a few weeks ago. It was more colorful than last time we went, and we got to see a little more of the cemetery. It is always nice to get out of the city and enjoy some time as family and friends!

Oh, and I got my hair cut and I love it!

Wanna Take a Trip?

If you feel like making a spur-of-the-moment decision here you go:

JetBlue tickets from SLC to NYC are only $89 each way if you buy them today! You have to travel between Dec. 2-16 or Jan. 6-28. There are great deals from other places, too. Click here to see the flights.

The Gedge Hotel located in Staten Island is already booked from Dec. 10-14, but we would love to have visitors any other time!

Just so you know....

Our Home: Living Room & Dining Room

After living here for almost 4 months, we finally hung something on the wall! Moving, having a baby, entertaining lots of visitors, and a very small budget kept us from getting our place decorated for a while. It's definitely simple and inexpensive, but that's how we like it!

I love our NYC picture collage (pictures taken by us and sis Robin) with the satellite map of NYC that Joseph found at his Grandpa's house. I also love the toy storage in the bookshelf, the G that Robin gave to me for my birthday, and the silhouettes of our little family.

Next task: the kitchen.

Dog & Cat

Matthew loved going trick-or-treating for his first time! He was good at knocking on the door and saying thank you, but he never quite got the hang of saying "trick-or-treat"! He eagerly ran up all the driveways and stairs to knock on the doors, got the candy, and then bounced on to the next house. But by the end I was carrying his heavy pumpkin and his doggy ears, and he was distracted by all the colorful suckers he had been given, so it was slower going. It was a fun Halloween!

October

Joseph and I got to go to the NYLDSPA Scholarship Banquet in Manhattan a few weeks ago. Elder Richard G. Scott spoke and was presented with an award. It was great to listen to Elder Scott, and to meet people from all over the NYC area. The view from the ferry on our ride home was so cool!

We have had some beautiful fall weather this week. Staten Island is covered in trees, and they are just beginning to turn colors. It is nice to enjoy a few more days outside before the cold really hits.

Oh ya, GO YANKEES!!!!

Sweet

Visit & Blessing

Joseph's parents and sister came to visit at the end of September. We loved having them here! They saw "Mary Poppins" on Broadway, we went on walks, and sat around talking and enjoying the kids.

Joseph and his dad made a toddler bed for Matthew. It was a lot of work and they spent a lot of time on it, and it turned out really great!

We were also able to bless Anna while they were here. It was a special day, and we were so glad to have family here for it.

Measured

One of these is not like the other:

1 week --- 3 weeks

4 weeks --- 6 weeks
8 weeks --- 2 years & 4 months

Yankees, Ducks & Bed

• We got to go to a Staten Island Yankees baseball game over Labor Day weekend. They are the local minor league baseball team. The stadium overlooks the water and you can see the Manhattan skyline. It was beautiful, and we had lots of fun all together!
• Matthew finally figured out how to climb out of his crib, so we've been making the transition to a bed. Last week I didn't think he would ever learn to stay in bed, but it is going pretty well now.
  
• We live a few blocks from a beautiful park with lakes and ducks. We love to go for walks and runs around the lake. Matthew talks about ducks and geese pretty much all day, every day. Those, and his Thomas & Percy trains, are his favorite things right now.
  

Tiny Clothes

I've been sewing a lot the past few weeks. It all started when my mom showed up with stacks of beautiful fabric and tiny dress patterns.

We used these free patterns that we found online, and then made up some of our own, too. Most things were a bit too small or a bit too big, but by the end we got it about right. I've had to stop myself from making any more teeny clothes. She's growing fast, so I'll save some fabric for the next bigger size.