Private Eyes

When we first started blogging, it was not such a huge phenomenon. But the blog world has really ballooned over the past 3 years. We're just trying to be a little more careful with all the crazy nut jobs out there. Sorry for the inconvenience that making this blog private may cause. But we do put a lot of pictures & videos etc. up here, so we'd like to know exactly who is viewing us.

See you soon!

Grand Jury Report

So today I had to go downtown to the Office of the District Attorney. The ADA assigned to my case spent some time with me reviewing my statement and briefing me about what would happen when we were in with the grand jury and how to tell my story (stick to the facts and don't talk about your emotions). I was nervous. This is a secret proceeding, meaning it is just me & the ADA and the jury & the stenographer. No defendant or defense attorney. But I was still sick about it. I mean, I want them to believe me, not her! What if her story is completely different than mine? I know I'm not a liar. And I don't have really any visibly physical injuries. Will they still sympathize with me? I'M THE VICTIM.

The entire *testimony* took about 6 or 7 minutes. They deliberated and decided to indict the girl. Hooray!

Flowers

I ordered something online last week, so when the UPS guy showed up this evening, I thought he would be bringing that package. But when he arrived at our door, he had a big box of flowers for me. To my surprise, my sweet cousin & his fiance sent me not one, but TWO DOZEN roses. So thoughtful and kind and spirit-lifting. Thank you thank you. Love you folks!

Mets Game

Mormon Night at Shea Stadium. We made the trek, but when we got there, Lexi complained of the noisiness and just put her head in Matt's lap and covered her ears. Ella, on the other hand, was so interested in what was going on around her- her very first baseball game! Too bad the Mets lost.

A Few Days Later

Wow. Just wow. I am so humbled by the outpouring of love and support from so many people- even people I really don't know. Thank you. Really. I have been able to talk through many feelings over the past several days with many people. And although I feel that I can talk about it without crying, it still conjures up some pretty intense feelings when I think of the actual incident. I have never felt like a target. Ever really. (Even when I lived in Spain and was the obvious tall, American, religious proselyting woman). I am almost 6' tall without shoes, and that night I had some pretty big shoes on making me more like 6'1" or so. I'll just say here, too, that I am still carrying some weight from my pregnancy, so they were not exactly messing with a lightweight. The cops said that I probably surprised them when I resisted. They must have thought I would be an easy target, and when I wasn't they were caught off guard as well. Guess I had the element of surprise on my side, too, in that regard. There were many miraculous things that happened in apprehending the girls etc. and I am so amazed at the way the Lord has actually had His hand in this awful incident. I truly believe He was as involved as He possibly could be.

The evening that this all occurred was crazy. I was hysterical. HYSTERICAL. And the cops explained the whole justice system order of events and the possibilities of what I might have to do- pick the girls out of a line up, testify against them etc. etc. I was petrified. I didn't ever want to have to see them again. I never had anything to do with them before, and didn't want to have anything to do with them again. Plus, the *good person* in me felt a teeny eensy weensy bit sorry for them, too. What kind of terrible life do they have that they set out to just "beat someone up" ? However, over the past couple of days, I have felt more and more like I am willing to testify if it comes to that. For a number of reasons. Mostly, I don't want them to victimize me anymore than they already have. But, I also feel that they need to deal with the consequences of their decisions. This was a PLANNED attack. One of the girls had approached me outside of my building crying and asking me for help. She wanted to use my phone, but I said I didn't have it and gave her money to use the pay phone. I GAVE HER MONEY. And they still beat me up. They preyed on my kindness. Intentionally. And I feel that that is just wrong. Evil, even. And they made the decision. So they need to deal with the results of that decision. And being LDS, and constantly hearing about loving one another etc and the balance between justice and mercy, I've thought about this a lot. But I truly feel that my desire for their *punishment* does not come from an intentionally malicious place in my heart. So I am ready to testify, if need be...

I'm Starring in Law & Order: Real Life

And no, I'm not an actor on the show. It's a long story and the investigation is still ongoing, so I'll just give a shortened version here, but essentially, I was jumped (attacked) in our elevator last night by 4 young women (teenage girls) on my way home from Enrichment. They attempted to rob me, but couldn't get the messenger bag off of me before Matt heard my screams and came running down the hall. The cops caught one last night and she gave up the other 3, so they are all in custody at the moment. I'm in contact with the detectives and the District Attorney assigned to the case and may have to testify in front of a grand jury next week.

Physically, I am not too badly off. My head is really sore (they basically just pounded on my head and pulled out my hair) and I have some bruising on my body. I am pretty emotionally shook up about it all and I just keep replaying the scene in my mind over and over.

I guess more than anything, I just want to tell all my women friends out there that you can NEVER be too careful. I've never felt like too much of a target because I'm almost 6' tall and not of slight build. But if they were willing to attack someone like me (who was bigger & taller than all of them), they'll do it to anyone. So please, be aware of your surroundings. Make sure the door to your building LOCKS behind you. And if ever in doubt, duck into a store for awhile, or take another walk around the block. It could have been so much worse. I feel very lucky.

My Etsy Shop

So, I've made several swaddling blankets for my friends who have had babies. I am really into swaddling thanks to Dr. Karp and his Happiest Baby on the Block theories.

Anyway, I've decided to try to make a little extra $$ and have started an online shop at etsy.com which is a website for all things handmade with love. The link is below. I'll be posting more items as I get them finished. Please spread the word!

My Etsy Shop

Ella's Squeals

Ella has been playing around with her voice lately. She seems to prefer to squeal and when I laugh, she does it some more. It's hilarious!

Alexis Rides Again!

Fiddling with the Camera

Matt's parents recently gave him a 35mm camera that they had to encourage his interest in photography. We got back his first role of film (mostly just him fiddling around with the camera and trying out different things). This photo was on it (I think the actual print looks better than this digital one). I love it. It's so rare to get a honest smile out of Lexi. She usually looks so goofy. This was taken on a street close to us... it's lined with old wooden row houses that were built 100+ years ago.

Remembering...

The Land of the Free

Even though we moved to the city after we were married, I have always wanted to sneak into some of the singles activities (with Matt, of course) because they sound FUN. Seems like the family wards don't organize activities where you get to GO and DO something in the city. So, I've been jealous of the fun activities the singles get to do. But, NOW, Matt is serving in the bishopric of one of the Singles Wards here, so we get to go to the activities if we want to! Yea! (Plus, we get the bonus of help in corralling the kiddies. Thanks, friends!) Yesterday was one of those days.

First we took the ferry out to Liberty Island to walk around and admire the Statue of Liberty.



Then we went over to Ellis Island to enjoy the great museum exhibits they have there. Really poignant and interesting. I feel so many emotions for those immigrants who came to America with so few items and so much hope. I want to know each person's story- where did they come from, why did they come here, and how did life turn out for them? Was it all they had hoped for? More? Less? I'd have to double check with my grandmother, but I don't believe my maternal family actually came through Ellis Island. I'm pretty sure they came to New York before Ellis Island's *hey day*. But they were among the Irish and German immigrants that built this city. And I'm proud to say that.



But I'm pretty sure the funnest part of the day for Lexi was terrorizing the seagulls and pigeons on the lawn at Ellis Island. That's Manhattan in the background, sadly, without the World Trade Center. We were painfully aware of how the area remains a target as we had to essentially go through the equivalent of airport security BEFORE boarding the ferry.

Continuing Lexi-isms

Can you fix these panties? They're inside outside.

Are the fire fighters eating those fire crackers?
(after we told her the noises she was hearing outside our building were fire crackers)

Dad heated up some leftovers of a new pasta dish I made that neither Lexi nor I really cared for. After he sat down at the table with his lunch, Lexi said, "Eww. I don't want to smell that!"

Vacation Part 2: DISNEYLAND

So, if you know me, you know I love love love DisneyLand. So much. I mean, I cry the minute we pull into the parking lot because I am so happy to be there. Yes, literally. I shed tears of joy. It's really kind of pathetic. But Disney is one of those things on my list of what makes life worth living. (Too bad it's so darn expensive!) So, since Matt's family is so conveniently located a short half hour (if the traffic's good) from DisneyLand, we are usually able to spend a day there each year. This year's trip was, obviously, a good time. How could it be good when you have a nursing baby to attend to, you ask? In true Disney fashion, they provide a Baby Care center with areas to change your baby on posh changing tables, and a private nursing area, as well as a feeding area for babies in high chairs etc. Fabulous! I took a break with Ella every few hours to go relax in the air conditioning and stress-lessly feed her. After being happily swaddled and settled down for a nap in her stroller, we would go back and meet up with the group. We went with our friends, the Smiths. Matt & Jason Smith have been friends for ages, so it just came naturally that Tiffany & I became friends, and our kids have hit it off as well! And since they are Disney Annual Pass Holders, they usually join us on our Disney Adventure. We also had the fun companionship of a New York friend, Sheridan, who just happened to be vacationing in Southern California the weekend we decided to go to Disney. In addition to being good company, she was a great photographer and documented many things that I wasn't able to catch.

This year there was a lot of Princess anticipation. Lexi has been obsessed (and I don't use that term lightly) with her little collection of Princess figurines- Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Belle (from Beauty and the Beast). So we actually got to meet 2 of those 3, and also Snow White. Thrilling! We met Cinderella twice, and the first time was another one of those events that sends me to tears! She was SO KIND to Lexi! She listened intently while Lexi went on and on about her Cinderella doll and movie and dancing with the prince etc. etc. She held Lexi's hands and gave her 2 hugs. It was so sweet. We then waltzed over to see Woody (from Toy Story) and were honored to be pulled out of line by Cinderella herself, who recognized Lexi from a few minutes before, and took her up to introduce her to Woody!

Lexi will tell you that she didn't want to ride the Pirates ride or Splash Mountain because they were too scary and she didn't want to get wet. We tried and tried to convince her, but in the end didn't want to push her too much. Disney is supposed to be the happiest place on earth, and I certainly did not want any sorts of BAD tears that day!! The Smiths left a little sooner than we did- we didn't make it home until almost midnight! But we sure had a great time!

Vacation Part 1

Sorry for the serious lack of posts lately. We took our annual trip to Southern California and are still trying to re-coop a bit from that. We had a great time with Grandma & Grandpa Cope and were able to see lots of family and friends while there. Alexis and Ella were superstar travelers. Ella did not even cry on the plane!

This group of photos includes our trips to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, the California ScienCenter in Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and the Los Angeles Zoo. Alexis was chosen to participate in the bird show at the Zoo, and she did a great job! Also a few photos with some family. Our biggest adventure was a trip to DisneyLand. But that will be a separate post.

It's Your Day

I'm posting this quite late in the day, so you may not see this until tomorrow, but we want to say to Great-Grandma:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

 

This photo is a tiny bit blurry, but it took us quite a while to get one where both the girls look at least somewhat happy... and since I am not a professional photographer (or even familiar with any photography principles, really), I'm satisfied to just have this one of the two of them together.

Family Fun at Pepsi

This year, Pepsi held a Family Inclusion Festival. We headed up to Pepsi Headquarters and had a grand old time eating tons of yummy food, watching many different performances, bouncing in a bouncy house (well, only Lexi did that), eating food, getting faces painted, petting animals, eating more food, watching clowns twist balloon animals (Lexi said to the clown, "Sometimes I like 2 animals." Very subtle, that girl), eating even more food.... A very fun afternoon! We're hoping the new CEO will continue having these fun days every year.

8 Weeks Old

 

Ella's Blessing

Today we blessed our little Ella Ruth in the Inwood 1st Ward. We were so blessed to have some family there and Great Grandpa Elliott and Great Uncle Doug were able to participate in the blessing. I wish we had gotten of photo of Ella with all the priesthood bearers, but alas, we can't catch all the good moments, can we? It was a beautiful blessing and Matt spoke slowly enough for me to be able to jot down most of what he said (not verbatim, but I'm still happy with what I got). Ella wore a dress that has been worn by generations of women in my family. My mother, her sister, me and all my sisters, my cousin and now both of my daughters. There is a photo of all the women (including Great Grandma Elliott who began the tradition by dressing her daughters in the dress) and only my sister, Laura, is missing. We don't have photos of Ella by herself in the dress yet- those should be coming shortly!