Fall photos

Many of our October weekends were spent outdoors at fall festivals or checking out the changing leaves in the park. We had a wonderful time collecting leaves in Prospect Park. Ellis filled up her stroller basket with every shape and color leaf she could find. She dressed up as a princess for Halloween and ended up painting four different pumpkins. I should photograph them before we break out any Christmas decorations! The mornings and nights have been chillier. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Ellis can still fit in her coats from last year, especially since I will be needing a maternity winter coat. We were really hoping for a Spring baby, but it also means my stretched out maternity tank tops and sun dresses are pretty useless this time around. 

Ellis turns 3!

Oh dear....October passed and I did not have a chance to post. So much has been happening. Being almost five months pregnant (with a boy) is probably my biggest distraction. We are very excited for our growing family and we were also excited to celebrate Ellis’s big third birthday in late September. The weather was perfect for our small get together in the park. We kept the food and decor pretty simple and just let the kids enjoy being together, running around in the new, soft grass at Transmitter Park. This was the first year Ellis was really looking forward and aware of her birthday. She talked about her party for months. I’m enjoying this age so much. It’s wonderful to see her playing with her friends and playing by herself for longer stretches. Drawing, coloring, Play-doh, Duplo, and cutting shapes with her scissors are her favorite things to do in her room. She also likes to play teacher, doctor and cashier, sometimes with us and other times completely on her own. Her version of hide-and-seek cracks us up. She tells me where she is going to hide and then has me count to ten. As soon as I enter her room, she giggles and yells “here I am”. I’d describe her three-year-old character as sweet, artistic, silly and even tempered. She really is our little ray of sunshine.

Block Island 2012

Our week in Block Island this summer was wonderful. The house was great and we were spoiled by amazing food and daily trips to the beach. Ellis is not a big fan of the waves, but sure loved playing in the sand. Ellis really bonded with Sophie, Roman and Rubi.

Sara and Ronak’s wedding

In early August, after months and months of preparation, all of the beautiful details, friends and family came together to celebrate Sara and Ronak’s wedding. The setting was perfect and the smiles couldn’t have been bigger. I was honored to be a bridesmaid and loved getting to wear a sari for a day. The professional photographers captured some amazing moments and here are a few from our camera.

Sandy Hook-y

Before the warm temperatures have completely disappeared, let’s take a quick trip back to July 17th, our 8th wedding anniversary. Erik surprised me with a work day beach trip via ferry to Sandy Hook, NJ. Ellis was in school, so it was the perfect one day getaway. The water felt amazing and for the first time in almost three years, we were able to swim far out in the ocean together. With Ellis one of us is usually on the beach for sand castle duty. We ended the great day with dinner at a not so kid friendly restaurant with a corner table for two. Already looking forward to our boat ride and getaway next year.