Nikki and Abhay's Wedding

We had such a wonderful time in Philly for Nikki and Abhay's wedding. On Wednesday we flew out and went to Abhay's parents house in NJ for the Mehendi (henna) ceremony. It took about 6 hours for all of Nikki's henna to be drawn on. Each of the bridesmaids also got henna tattoos, but only on our palms.

On Thursday we were free for sightseeing. Tim and I grabbed a late breakfast and just walked around the empty streets. We thought the Liberty Bell would be closed, but surprisingly it was open and we got to see that as well as Independence Hall. That evening the "American" guests had dinner at Maggiano's.

9:30 Friday morning was the ceremony. The girls had to be ready at 7:30 to have time to have help putting our saris on. That took some time to get us all dressed.

The ceremony was about 2 hours and in sanskrit. Thank goodness there was an interpreter so we had some idea of what was going on!

After the ceremony, we had lunch and then a bit of downtime. Tim, Brian and Corey made their way to Gino's, the best place in Philly to get a cheesesteak sandwich. They waited in line for 30min. I laid on the bed, not moving in fear of messing up my sari, and dozed off while watching bits of a James Bond marathon.

The reception was at the National Constitution Center and was so much fun! The DJ was awesome, playing a mix of Indian and "American" music. There was a photo booth, too!

Overall, it was a wedding not to be missed!

Brandi, Nik (in her reception outfit) and me. The reception was held at the National Constitution Center. Everything was beautiful! The DJ was awesome, too. We had such a great time.
Nik after getting into her dress for the reception. Her skirt was so heavy from all that beadwork!
The ceremony stage (mandap)

Nikki's dad, Tom, escorting her to her place on the mundap.

This was just an entrance arch into the ceremony room (a ballroom).

Me, Brandi and Michelle (another friend from grade school)
One of the aunties helping me into my sari.
Me and Brandi at Maggiano's for Thanksgiving dinner.

Nikki's Wedding

Tim and I had lunch here because he wanted to try a beer that was made with George Washington's recipe. It was pretty good...as dark at Guiness but not as thick.

"The Signer"
The Liberty Bell
Nikki's henna only partially done. She also had the tops of her forearms and her feet and ankles. It took about 6 hours total to complete....probably why they dedicate a whole ceremony for it!
Nima (Abhay's mom) looking at the work so far.

Trick or Treat!

We had a change of costume plans due to the cold weather. Instead of princesses, Emma and I, while at Walmart, decided that they should be kitties. Emma found kitty ears and a tail so I helped her find warm sweatpants and lot of layers! I made her wear a black snow hat so she actually looked more like a burglar than a cat, especially before her face was painted. We started to call her "Cat Burglar."

Soph could barely fit into an old fleece lion costume we had. So we just needed to paint her face and she was good.
We trick or treated with cousins, Olivia and Abby, and friends, Phoenix and Reagan.
Ariel made the trip trick or treating with us.

Halloween

That is A LOT of sugar for 10:30am!!
Playing games at the party.
The whole class.
Singing and dancing time with Mrs. Moon.
Soph got to go too and we painted her face like a kitty, but it got smudged so it looked more like soot by the end of the party.

Halloween

Emma and Addie at the preschool Halloween Party.
Emma wanted a butterfly painted on her face for her party.

Xavier, Emma and Soph at the Zoo Boo.
Daddy with the cutest IU cheerleader ever!
I think Sleeping Beauty needed some sunglasses.

Monday

What a busy Monday!  I felt like I have been running all day. I was playing catch up with house stuff all day since I was gone this weekend in Chicago at the Paramore concert with Joni and Angie. The concert was so great. The lead singer, who is only 20 or 21 never missed a lyric or faltered on a key and was so energizing to watch. Joni and wished we could have harnessed some of that for the two of us.  We were crammed into the House of Blues like sardines. The only reason I was comfortable staying was that we were only 5ft away from an emergency exit. Otherwise, I would have felt very claustrophobic.  The food and shopping were great too. We loved Chicago!

Later today, Soph and I were sitting in the recliner and Emma was on the couch snuggled down in a blanket and we were all watching Cinderella II, when Emma started crying. I turned around and she was holding her arm in that way that I knew she had dislocated her elbow again...for the 9th time!! She had just shifted her weight on that arm just the wrong way. So we called Scott's office and said we were on our way and Joni was nice enough to take Soph over to her house. Scott took one try (like always) and popped in back into place and she was fine. A little sore, but using it.  That has to be one of the quickest recovery times for an ailment! So thank you, thank you to Uncle Scott! 

Unfortunately, Emma missed her last horse riding lesson tonight. Her instructors, Heather and Suzanne, we so nice to stop by our house and give her a surprise that she would have gotten in class. They gave her a cup with a horse on it and some really cute photos of her and Stella. I'll try to scan those and post soon. 

Nikki's Bachelorette Party-Chicago

We all designed our own bags at Lill Studio in Lincoln Park. Oh so fun! This was my favorite as many of you could guess.
Brandi, Nik and I shopped and had lunch on Sunday. Just like old times. 
Strawberry shots in the room before dinner. This is a hulled out strawberry, with Godiva liqueur in it with whipped cream on top. 
Another pic at Lill Studio.

Emma's dance class

Emma started a dance class this week called Jumping Jacks. She thinks it's ballet class because she wears ballerina leotards and shoes. They do a lot of balance work and rhythm. She goes with her best friend, Addie, which she thinks is just great! 

Emma's 1st day back to Preschool

Emma had a good first day back to school. She now goes 3 days a week for a few hours.  A lot of her friends from last year are in the same class this year, which makes it more fun for her and she also has one of the same teachers. After a few weeks, she let me drop her off at the door instead of walking her in.  She just needed a few weeks to prepare herself for that. She likes things done on her time schedule. She needs time to mentally prepare, I guess.