The L.A. Dime

When we moved to Upstate NY, everyone told us that we should plan a winter-get-away for the holidays as soon as possible since the cold, wet and dreary days would surely be getting to us by then. We listened to that advice and booked a trip to FL. Funny thing is though, we hadn’t really had super cold days in NY or snow that stuck around for more than 2 hours. Nevertheless, here we are visiting my parents and having a fun time….

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We’ve decided not to get a big tree this year as we’re heading out for a holiday get-away in a few days. But, I did try to decorate a few corners of the house just a little.

We’re having a little snow dusting right now too so it sure feels like “that time of the year”:)

It rained on Saturday afternoon so I tried to find my inner “crafty mom” and decided to have a Halloween cookie making session for Sophie and Willa. The cookies got a bit dry but the girls had a great time adding icing and sprinkles.

Mister Clayton has figured out how much fun playgrounds can be…..

Trying to beat the squirrels from eating the entire batch of pumpkins we got, Brad and the kiddos carved them on Sunday afternoon. Sophie had drawn out some “happy”, “sad” and “baby” faces that she wanted to see on the pumpkins. Clay was happy stirring up the seeds with a rainbow pencil.

There was a parade and classroom trick-or-treat at Sophie’s school which she thoroughly enjoyed. She was a ballerina during the day but to allow for extra layers for the night time outing, she was a queen (re-purposed from last year’s CHA celebration).

We spent about an hour going door to door while Brad (dressed as an 80′s zombie with some awesome make-up thanks to neighbor Ashley!!) stayed back handing out candy. We didn’t get as many kids as we expected so now we’ve got a little bit of a candy stash that we will just somehow need to get through:)

PS: Sophie’s already told us that next year, she wants to be Belle….we’ll see if she remembers that in 2012

Sophie and I joined our friends Amy and her daughter Maya, plus Manousha and her 2 daughters Ana and Alaia on Sunday for a hike at Buttermilk Falls in Ithaca. It was 3/4 miles one way…..the falls were absolutely amazing….the path full of tree roots and slippery rocks. We had a quick snack at the bottom, threw some rocks and then headed back up. All the kids did great and were treated to a yummy lunch of French Toast (yes, that’s what Sophie chose). Before driving back, we walked around Ithaca for a little while but all decided that it was somewhat of a sad little town.

…is of course to enjoy a day at a Pumpkin Patch. So we headed out to Critz Farms on Saturday and took along our neighbors for some extra fun. The kiddos enjoyed the petting zoo, climbing hay bails, Apple Fritters and choosing their perfect pumpkin. Happy Fall!

PS: I unfortunately didn’t get a pic of Clay but he’s been enjoying fall too — see him sitting/playing with our leaf piles?

Last winter we received a “save the date” wedding invite for an October 1st wedding in Cape Cod. We initially didn’t think we’d be able to fly across the country for it but after moving to NY, we decided to pack up the kiddos and make a road-trip out of it. The groom went to USC with Brad and we were fortunate to have met the bride many times in LA during Mul & Barb’s courtship. They are a fun couple, completely meant for each other and we wish them all the best!!

So here’s a recap of the weekend: After arriving on Friday afternoon, we checked out Main Street Falmouth, MA where we visited the cute little shops, stopped for ice cream and ran into the first of many USC friends from LA. Dinner that evening was a casual clam bake where we ate Lobster, Clams and Sophie danced the night away. Saturday morning was a bit overcast but we knew we wanted to take full advantage of our trip so headed to the harbor and boarded a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard. The island is super cute with all these great big, fancy mansions but also these great little homes that reminded me a bit of “small world” in Disneyland. The wedding itself was on Saturday afternoon, right on the ocean in Mashpee, MA. It was a beautiful (and funny – thanks to Mul jumping the “I do” gun as soon as the preacher started the ceremony!!) ceremony where you could feel the happiness all around you and hear the waves crashing in the background. The party lasted well into the evening and the dance floor was packed all night.

While seeing these two lovebirds tie the knot was certainly special, we were also so happy to have a mini reunion with some of our dear USC/LA friends like Ama, Aaron, Harry, Lisa, Mike and Nithu. Being the “let’s take a picture” gal that I am, I made everyone walk down to the sand with me and take some pictures…..I know I’ll treasure this weekend and those memories for a long time. Thanks gang!!

It was a beautiful day where we played in the pool, and the sandbox, and ate ice cream!

We all pulled out long-sleeved shirts this morning as it seems that fall is slowly making itself known here in Upstate NY. We fondly look back at our great summer though (hover over the pictures to see a description)….