The Mormons

This morning, our Stake President was featured on the Today Show. Matt Lauer interviewed him about the LDS church. We think he did a nice job. Click here to see his interview.

Look at Lexi

Lexi has recently delved into the exciting world of Mommy & Daddy shoes! Here she is in Daddy's recently shined dress shoes. 

Halloween

This year we attended the Inwood 1st Ward Halloween Party on Saturday, October 29. We dressed Lexi as a black cat since we couldn't justify purchasing a costume for an hour's worth of wearing. She wore cat ears I had purchased a few years ago and let me paint her nose & whiskers with some eyeliner. Although she loved admiring herself in the mirror, she had wiped it off by the time we arrived at the church. Her favorite acitivity by far was the art table where she decorated many a pumpkin, bat & witch hat to be hung on a string for decoration. Here she is with Desmond Jones, a well-dressed race car driver, complete with dirt smudges on his face. 

At the party, the kids went around the halls to all the classrooms to do some Trick-or-Treating. This was a new and most wonderful concept to Lexi. Candy! We gave her a little bag to carry her candy in, but she refused to put her goodies in. She insisted on carrying ALL her acquisitions in her little hands. We just had to get it on film.

The Central Park Carousel

One of Lexi and Mom's favorite outings is to the Carousel in Central Park. This from the Park's website: "Central Park's first carousel was built in 1870 and, according to Park lore, was turned by a blind mule and a horse. . . . Crafted by the Brooklyn firm of Stein and Goldstein in 1908, the Carousel is one of the largest in the United States, with 58 hand-carved, painted horses. Stein and Goldstein were among the foremost carvers of their day and the horses – nearly life-size in the outer ring – are caught rearing or mid-stride with almost fierce reality." This time around, Lexi didn't want me even touching her and requested that I sit on my own horse next to her. This is one of the best smile pictures we have of her.

Central Park Zoo

Grandma Susan recently got a job with Pepsi. As a result, we are now able to enjoy fun Pepsi corporate benefits from time to time- such as free admission to the Central Park Zoo. Our friends Scott & Lisa Russell were visiting from Utah, so we all took a trip down to see the animals. A beautiful day for a walk through Central Park.

At the Central Park Zoo, there is a little area where the kids can feed the goats & sheep. At first, Lexi was a little unsure about the whole thing. I helped her hold the feed and put her hand out for the animals to eat. After a few tries with mom's help, she eagerly did it on her own. She begged for me to buy more feed when she ran out and howled with laughter every time the sheep/goat would lick up the pellets. After the second round of food, she wanted me to buy more. I told her we couldn't and so she turned on her resourcefulness and started picking up the pellets that had fallen on the ground to feed one by one to the animals. Here she is putting a food pellet in the goat's mouth.

Lexi and Nanny are watching the penguins up close and personal. They were quite active- diving and swimming and waddling on the rocks. Most fascinating!

Trying out life as a rabbit

A most intriguing bird in the Tropical exhibit at the Central Park Zoo. You can walk into the building and it is quite literally like walking into a rain forest. All the birds are out in the open flying around you and perching atop rocks right along the path. That's how we got this close-up of a beautiful bird. Our camera is not playing tricks here- his eyes really are that red!

Trip to the Botanical Gardens

Lexi at the Bronx Botanical Gardens 

Lexi, Mabel & Ian taking a rest at the Botanical Gardens

Our Vacation

So, here they are ... finally. Pictures of our wonderful trip to Utah and California this August. We began with a reunion for Matt's grandmother Klea Worsley descendents. That includes 4 children (Matt's mom, Joan, and her 3 siblings) and their families. There was a total of 85 people there (including babies, but they are people, too, right?) and turns out only 1 couple was missing!! It was a great time. We got to do lots of fun things- swimming, horseback riding, paddleboating, crafts, and chatting with relatives. We can't wait to do it again!

After the reunion, we headed to some suburbs of Salt Lake to spend several nights with friends- first Scott & Lisa Russell, and then Brandon & Emilie Campbell and daughter Katie. It was so great to be with our old friends and to see our old stomping grounds of Utah County www.utahcounty.com).

Then we packed up the Copes van and headed south to California. We did the 10 hour drive in one day and only had to stop twice! Lexi was a trooper on the ride!!

We got to spend 2 wonderful weeks at Grandpa & Grandma Cope's house in Glendora, CA. Everyday after breakfast Lexi would run over to the back door of the house and practically beg to be let out in the backyard. She loved the grass to play in and her new playmate (aka. Grandpa). We spent lots of time with family and friends and just relaxed. Matt & I left Lexi for the day (my first time away from her for a whole day) to go to Six Flags Magic Mountain with friends Scott & Lisa (www.sixflags.com/parks/magicmountain/index.asp). We also took Lexi to DisneyLand (www.disneyland.com) and the J. Paul Getty Museum (www.getty.edu/museum/) where we met up with friend Natalyn & Jeff Jacobs.

In the end, it was kind of hard for us to come back to the city. Although we love the city and all it has to offer, there are so many wonderful things about suburban life that we love. It was a really wonderful trip- so great to see family and friends. We are seriously considering making this an annual August trip.

DISNEYLAND!!

One of Matt's friend's (from high school) husband works for Disney and they offered us free tickets. Who could pass that up?! We went with friends Jason & Tiffany Smith and their son, Trevor. Trevor loved showing Lexi around the park, holding her hand and taking her on the lines to the rides. We got to skip some of the longest lines thanks to Tiffany's handicap pass! Free tickets and no lines... the only way to see Disney with a toddler. Thanks friends!!

Here we all are outside the Tiki Room.

Uncle Lewis and Lexi

Trevor Smith driving the firetruck with Lexi on board.

Great-Grandpa & Great-Grandma Portlock

At the Newport Beach Temple Open House in Orange County, California.

At the J. Paul Getty museum in Los Angeles.