Picking Pumpkins and MBASA Halloween Party

MBASA Halloween Party

we had the mbasa halloween party last night and it was so much fun. here are a few pictures of elle and her friends.

elle (ladybug) elly (belle) - elly's aunt made this belle dress!
brandon (gaston) and elly (belle)
elle and bryson

elle and mathew

davis (hamburger), keira (gumball machine), elle (ladybug), jacey (kitkat bar)...my friend Candy made all of her kids costumes. She is INCREDIBLY talented. If you are looking for holiday gifts she has an Etsy shop you should check out here (Candy Arglye Designs).

davis and elle

just checking things out

Picking Pumpkins in a Blizzard

we went to lehi to the house that mathew's grandmama grew up in to pick pumpkins. as we were pulling up it started snowing and after about a 20 minute tour of the house we walked outside to a mini blizzard and 2" of snow! we were here last year for snow, but elle didn't know what it was. she had so much fun. i am glad i brought mittens!

me and elle

mathew and elle

the pumpkin she picked

great aunt melodie and mathew helping hold the pumpkin

aunt melodie and elle

just check out the snow that fell in a few minutes!

just testing it out...

we obviously did not come dressed for this!

MBASA Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

as you have probably noticed the mbasa is always doing something! it has been one of my favorite things about BYU's MBA program. with kids in tow a bunch of us went on this field trip and had tons of fun.

elle and me

elle and bryson

not sure which one she likes...

week 5 in NYC

monday: we ventured to SOHO today and went to the Scholastic Book Store. It was fun putzing around SOHO and watching all the 'fabulous people'. sharla and i were probably the only people that had strollers in the area if that says anything. after the girls nap sharla and i joined forces to make breakfast for dinner. afterwards we had family home evening and then treats (which are a must after family home evening).

sharla and the girls
elle and i reading....

...then 5 seconds later she noticed another book she needed to read

elle pointing to pictures while mathew is trying to lead a 2 minute family home evening

sharla and colette

it is a tradition now that everytime we have someone over for dinner that we take a group picture. most of the time the funny face shots are the best.

the lovell's

mathew, elle and me

tuesday: today was a mellow day, so we decided to hit the park for play group. elle found some kids stroller and took it over for the time that we were there.

colette catching bubbles

wednesday: today i turned 27...WHAT? how am i already 27?? i think just the other day i was 21! today we went to time square and bought student rush tickets so that we could go see Mary Poppins on Broadway for my birthday. the student rush tickets are great, because they only cost us $30/each! after we got tickets we went and ate a quick lunch with mathew. elle loves visiting mathew in his building! she thinks the massive amount of stairs are free game for her to climb all over, which means one of us is up chasing her or following one step behind in case she falls. after naps we hung out with sharla and the girls for a bit then rushed off to see Mary Poppins.

p.s. thanks to everyone who sent birthday cards, packages and wishes! they were all greatly appreciated.birthday package from dad, kris and maddy (thanks!!)

mathew and i at the theatre

a picture of both of us smiling...rare

elle singing into the flashlightand now elle trying to make kendra sing in the flashlight

thursday: we went to Gray's Papaya, which is apparently really famous but nothing i would write home about. after our dirty water dog we walk along riverside park and then to pier 1. after naps we went to Wicked to put our names into the lottery and the Lovell's WON!!! So i went to their house and watched the girls while they went to the show.

one of my favorite buildings behind the 72nd stop

the trump towers

on our walk to the pier

elle chasing pigeons...they are everywhere!

elle loves her friends

friday: diana is in town visiting her husband, which means tons of fun ahead! i met diana today around 34th and went to H&M (which is quite possibly one of my favorite stores) and walked to time square. After naps we tried again for Wicked with no luck so decided to meet the Strikes for dinner at Patsy's Pizzeria. they are basically locals and knew all of the good food on the menu.

saturday: we had a picnic in central park today for all MBA students and all BYU MBA incoming students. it was so fun meeting some of the families that will be in the program next year. after the picnic we went to shake shack with tyson and diana, then we headed over the the museum of natural history and met up with the strikes. after elle took a very late nap we ordered take-out with the lovell's from Thai Market (a new favorite).

tyson, tim, mathew and anthony

diana and tyson

anthony and stephani (and elle)

the belvedere castle

elle playing catch with anthony

elle being the curious little girl that she is

it was allison's birthday so chloe and emily brought cupcakes...of course elle loved it

first and second year MBA spouses

first and second year MBA's at the picnic in central park

we left to get take-out and came back SOAKING WET!

sunday: we had the lovell's and mortensen's over for dinner tonight. we had such a great time, espcially since kendra, elle and sara are all around the same age and colette and lucy are close in age too. after dinner we took a little walk around riverside park to let the kids get some fresh air.

harrison's, mortenson's and lovell'sthis picture is funny because elle sees a dog and everytime she sees a dog she has to stop and point

week 4 in NYC

monday:
i have already forgotten what we did on this fine monday, i do however remember walking into the bedroom and finding elle rummaging through my make-up.

elle uses her carseat as her watching chair for backyardigans in the morning before her naps

as a treat for family home evening we had popsicles from trader joe's...this was mathew's popsicle, but elle ate the entire thing!

tuesday: one of the great things about this city are free activities during the day. there are free concerts all over the city during the summer for children. a group of us from church went to Madison Square Garden to see Elizabeth Mitchell for a free one hour concert. afterwards we went and had a shake shack burger. it was great to get out today, because the forecast calls for rain the entire week!

elle really enjoys playing with hair..you can't really tell in this picture, but she is stroking colette's hair.

elle, me kendra, sharla and colette

elizabeth mitchell

the girls from church

fountain in Madison Square Garden

we were in the flat iron district so had to take a picture by the famous Flat Iron Building

sharla and the girls

we met tim and mathew after work for a little get together at a restaurant inside the world financial center.

wednesday: we walked to the Central Park Reservoir today and hoped to make the walk around but were quickly kicked off the path because we were not runners...afterwards we wandered over to the Great Lawn and had a picnic, then walked back home just in time for naps.

thursday: it was pouring down rain today, which made our daily outing a little more difficult. we went to trader joe's and came back soaking wet! i can imagine how comical we looked walking down the streets and people watching me carry the stroller, my two bags and an umbrella up and down the subway stairs.

after our trip to trader joe's

friday: we went to meet mathew for lunch and on our way ran into Whole Foods. it was the first time i have been to a grocery store since i have been here that more than one person could walk down an isle. while in the produce section we came across these beauties: ostrich eggs...which could be yours for $39.99...so....does it just make one big scrambled egg?we also won tickets to Shakespeare in the Park to see Twelfth Knight. the tickets were through a lottery system and the beauty of it all was that the play was free! the cast was incredible and included people like Anne Hathaway and Audra McDonald. after the play we were able to meet some of the cast. the play was hilarious and we couldn't have picked a better night to watch it. luckily we have such great friends here so the lovell's watched elle for us while we went.

outside the Delacorte Theatre

Audra McDonald (she might look familiar, because she is on ABC's Private Practice)

anne hathaway was one of the stars of the show

sunday: it's father's day! mathew is such an excellent dad to elle....he is so sweet to elle and does such a great job showing his love for her. as soon as she hears the door unlock she starts squealing and runs to the door saying 'dad, dad, dad'. he is extremely protective, almost paranoid...which i am sure elle will appreciate as she turns 16 and can start dating.

we had tyson over for dinner, which was so fun since his family is in utah for the summer.
i too have a wonderful father who is very loving, caring and compassionate. he has been a great example of hard work and has always been an example to me, he is a great dad and a great 'pappie' to elle. i am extremely lucky to have a great step-father too...james is also a hard worker and a very caring man, his home is always a welcome home to anyone and everyone. he is also a great 'pop' for elle!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONICA!

I hope you have an awesome day with Elle. Thank you for all that you do for our family. I'm extremely grateful to have you in my life. I love you and look forward to having a fun evening with you in

New York City!

I love you!

week 3 in NYC

monday: today was another good day at the park (in between naps that is). after elle's afternoon nap we met our friends the katzenstein's just a couple of blocks away while the youngest tried out for a soccer team here. we met this fantastic family right after we got married and they are moving from dallas to the city in a few weeks! after practice we went to dinner with them at Le Monde, just a block away from our house, it was fantastic.

cecilia and elle

tuesday: after taking it easy on monday, we decided to get cruising today. after elle woke up we went to Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. the cathedral rivaled many i have seen in europe and was absolutely massive. they were playing the organ and it sounded a little scary. the tune was very familiar and it wasn't until i sat there for a few minutes that i realized they were playing 'happy birthday' on the scary organ. after the cathedral we walked through Columbia University and then home for a nap. after elle woke up we made our way to the east side to attend the Museum Mile Festival. one day a year, for the past 31 years, nine of the country's finest museums, all located on Fifth Avenue, collectively open their doors from 6pm - 9pm for free to New Yorkers and visitors for a mile long block party. we only made it into the Museum of the City of New York but really enjoyed their MANNAHATTA/MANHATTAN exhibt and the DUTCH SEEN exhibit. we walked around outside for awhile and enjoyed the street musicians and general people watching that festival's tend to provide. sharla and i left early to meet erin and chloe for a girls night out. we went to Petite Abeille, a darling belgian restaurant for dinner, and is known to have the best mussels in town.

elle really likes wearing mathew's shoes...she can't quite walk in them yet, but enjoys relaxing in them.

scary version of 'happy birthday' being played in the cathedralcolumbia universitythis is why we don't got to morningside park...look at all of those stairs!

we tried the little bear back pack on elle...she wasn't exactly a fanthis is manhattan before and nowof course elle loved the pictures of the dogswednesday: seriously i think i had the swine flu (i didn't really, but goodness i was so sick!). sharla took elle for me during her naps and let me sleep (i am so grateful to have sharla here!). today is all a bit of a blur since it was spent sleeping and going to the pharmacy.

thursday: still sick, taking it easy today...not much to report.

friday: i started to feel more like a normal person today. i am totally wiped but mobile which I am sure elle appreciates. we went downtown to have lunch with mathew and made it back in time for elle to take a nap, only to turn right around after she woke up to meet the guys at Wicked to try and win lottery tickets (no go), after we found out we didn't win we met sevak and julie at Cosi for dinner. after we left julie came over for a bit and we were able to chat then it was time to hit the sack.

right outside mathew's officekendra and elle entertaining each other outside/inside of cosielle, me, mathew, sevak and julie

saturday: today we went to the Children's Day at the South Street Seaport with the lovell's. the festival was amazing and had loads of free things to do. there was a stage in the middle with children songs being performed..not to mention American Express is a huge sponsor of this event. we had a great time and were wiped when we got home. after the kids napped we ordered take out from the Thai Market. i really enjoyed my dinner as did mathew, which is a surpise because he is new to thai.





sunday: after church we had several people over for dinner. i love having people over for dinner, it is always more fun with people here. the lovell's, chloe a. and tyson w. came over and we had a big taco dinner. it is always amazing to me how fast such a small kitchen can get dirty!

week 2 in NYC

monday: lauren (one of my favorite people from my time in Boston) came down to visit this past weekend. after elle's morning nap the three of us headed to levain bakery (which will probably be mentioned multiple times this summer and then we went over to Strawberry Fields in central park to have a picnic. we made it back in time put elle down for a nap and then met up with sharla and the girls to go to the Burger Joint, which inside it hold maybe 15 people and looks like the inside of shack...yet it is located in this fabulous hotel, Le Parker Meridien. we also met up with Amanda (another one of my favorite people from my time in Boston), marc and the lovell's. when tim and mathew got off work they met us there, it was so fun. our party alone filled up half the restaurant.
crumbs is another delicious bakery in NYC.
the chocolate chip walnut cookie from levain
me, elle, lauren and amanda.
(elle had a HORRIBLE eye infection which is why she looks so sad)
what would i do without sharla in this city??

tuesday: sharla, me and the girls went to our ward's playgroup and quickly decided that the park we went to was too 'big kid' for our little ones even though they were having a great time. afterwards we left, we decided to make a trip to levain and get the kids a treat and then have a picnic in the park. it POURED down rain on us and i used my body to shelter elle in her stroller. it was kind of funny actually. we were in the middle of central park and our only shelter was a big tree...so we parked underneath the tree. i think i found the one spot under the tree that let every drop of rain break through.
best friends, kendra and elle (this is elle's 'cheese' face)

wednesday: sharla and i realized we were in desperate need of some wall flowers from bath and body works. the closest one was on the east side. if you are familiar with nyc, the transit across central park from the west to the east is limited to say the least, so we decided to walk. after our trip to b&b (which is in the famed upper east side) we went to central park (east side) in the true land of nannies to have a picnic. we saw a group of families having a party to celebrate preschool being over for the summer and i am not exaggerating when i say i think i was watching a ralph lauren photo shoot. the kids were absolutely darling wearing their khaki shorts with a belt on and their little button up polos with the sleeves rolled up and the little girls in their smocked dresses with giant bows...not to mention the mom's were dressed to the nines. i would have taken a picture, but that might have been a little awkward. after all, we both look like nannies with our kids.

a fountain in central park on our way to the east side
this building is being renovated and just thought was too beautiful not to take a picture of.

thursday: elle had a 104 fever last night and was feeling horrible! it is pretty chilly right now, which is very unusual for this time of year so i took her on a walk in riverside park in shorts and a t-shirt, when most people have jeans and jackets on, hoping it would cool her down. even though she wasn't feeling well she was still being a happy little girl. i spent a majority of today searching and calling doctor's offices trying to get elle in for an appointment. her right ear (which had a tube put in it) was draining so i knew she had an ear infection and needed an antibiotic. finally i had to take her to the emergency room at mt. sinai hospital because NO DOCTOR'S would see us, even as a cash paying patient! insurance can be such a pain sometimes! that little trip to the er to get a shot is going to cost a pretty penny.

this is riverside park, the beautiful park we look at from our window

friday: elle was feeling a little bit better so we decided to go eat lunch with mathew. again, it poured on us so when we finally met up we looked like wet dogs! that evening we did take out with the lovell's and got pizza from Coronet's and seriously each slice is the size of elle! two slices fit into a LARGE pizza box!
mathew didn't tell me, but i had mascara running down my face which i am sure looked lovely.
the piece of pizza that has the tip cut off is just to show the size of a NORMAL slice of pizza.
elle and the girls were having fun talking to hand puppets

saturday: the allred's came in town this weekend so we were able to go hang out with them! we went to the museum of natural history and then met the strikes, amanda and mark in central park to enjoy a Shake Shack burger.
elle is really big into giving 'high-fives'
us and the allred's.

sunday: we had almost everyone (except carrie) over from mathew's team the first semester for dinner. it was so great to see everyone and hear about their time in the city!

**this is the picture from last week that I mentioned a friendly passer-by took for us in central park...elle loves dogs and either makes a dog sound or says 'dog' every time we pass a dog.

week 1 in NYC

so our summer has begun and I will do my best to provide weekly updates of our time here. so far we have a good schedule and are staying incredibly busy while Mathew is at work.

monday: we still had our rental car from our trip to Palmyra and Philadelphia so we made a trip to Wal-Mart...several hundred dollars later we made it home with a car full of food that will hopefully last us through the summer. a box of cereal at the local market (3 blocks away) costs $5.20! Hence the reason to stock up at Wal-Mart.

tuesday: sharla and i with the girls braved the subway and made a trip to Union Square. we hit up a couple of shops, but more importantly found a Trader Joe's! if you aren't familiar with TJ's it is AWESOME! I had to limit my purchases because we still had a subway ride home and carrying elle and the stroller up and down the subway isn't exactly easy. we made it back in time for elle to take an afternoon nap and then after she woke up we headed to the park until Mathew got home from his first day of work.
Kendra and Elle swinging in Riverside Park outside of our apartment

wednesday: elle and i packed a lunch and made our way down to time square. they say in an effort to save energy they shut down a couple blocks on time square and set up a ton of lawn chairs (random). it worked out perfectly for elle and i, we took a seat in the middle of time square and had lunch. elle was so curious about all of the people and the lights. we even ran into the promotional team for ABC's Wipeout. elle wasn't really sure what to think about the big red balls with hands. we also ran into the famous Naked Cowboy....it was a little awkward when he came up to elle and was singing and dancing. elle received her first lap dance at 15 months old... on our way back home we strolled through central park and she realized that central park has tons of horse drawn carriages. every few minutes she would stop and point and watch all of the horses trot by.




thursday: sharla (who you will be hearing a lot about this summer) and I ...with the girls of course went to the Swiss Cottage to watch a Peter Pan marionette puppet show. elle and kendra (who are the same age) checked out after 30 minutes or so, but really enjoyed the first half of the show. we also packed lunches and had a picnic on the great lawn in Central Park next to the Turtle Pond and the Castle...IN CENTRAL PARK!


and of course after her afternoon nap we went to the park and she played. we went to a park that had sand and she LOVED it. it was straight to the bath after we were done.

that evening Sharla, Chloe (MBA student with Mathew, interning at CitiGroup), her friend and I went to dinner at La Focaccia and the had treats from Levain Bakery, which were incredible! they have cookies that are the size of my head (no joke!)
friday: Sharla, the girls and I ran to Old Navy then I walked 20 blocks to meet Mathew half way for lunch. we weren't really able to spend time together, but I was able to pass off his sandwich. elle was in melt down mode after the hand off so we headed back home and she took a nap. after her nap, we made our daily trip to the park and then had take-out indian food with the Lovell's at their apartment.


saturday: a jam packed day full of fun! we went to the Children's Museum of Manhattan, which is an interactive museum and elle loved it.



elle tried to step into the water, but i caught her before her entire leg went in.


we went and had shakes from the Shake Shack and ate lunch outside, elle sneaked my shake and was sucking it down. this is also where we had Bruce Willis walk 3 ft. in front of us!
after our shakes we went into the Natural History Museum for a quick look inside. our friend Lauren came to visit so we left the museum early to go meet up with some other friends. Luckily mathew, with his Amex badge gets us into the museums for FREE! (Thanks Amex!) It saved us about $60 in museum entry fees just on saturday!
after the park and meeting up with friends we playing in Central Park in Sheep's Meadow. elle found a little dog that became her best friend...she was hilarious and became quite an attraction to onlookers.

the great lawn in Central Park.
sunday: we made our first trip to the new ward. we meet in the building that is underneath the Temple in NYC. i think it will be a great ward and am very excited about.

it has been a super busy week and just the start of an excellent summer!

our view in nyc

this is the gorgeous view from our bedroom and living room windows...don't you love it?