Happy Birthday Missy!

Gate-our-aid

A $20 gate has improved my quality of life, ensuring a little girl stays in her bedrooms until a reasonable hour. I have heard her plotting her escape, saying to herself "I'm just going to hop over that gate", but so far it's all talk.

I made the soup Kelly recommended and it is so good! The first night we ate it I could not taste due to my cold, but I had some for lunch today and I must say, I really outdid myself! For once. So for those keeping track so far it is: chicken noodle, spicy black bean, and squash and white beans.

Palbicki HQ

While Jake was at Obama's house, Nori & I shopped, walked the dog, and visited Papa & Nana on Friday night. On Saturday we played with New Haircut Aunt Jill, cooked, and generally enjoyed being our homebody-selves. Why leave the house when your pajamas, pillow, and dessert are right here? It's not just me, whenever I ask Nor, "what do you want to do today?", she always says, "just stay home!". Yesterday, as we were eating blueberry granola in front of the (fake) fire, she looked up at me to say, "I'm having great day at home with Mommy". Awe!

Today we forced ourselves out into the world for another Target run (I am up to three trips a week), Bloom'ed, Body Pumped at the YMCA, and then went to a wonderful backyard baby shower/tea party for Joel & Rachael who are expecting a baby girl in December. It has taken them 8 years for their dream of being parents to come true, so we are thrilled that the day is almost here!

cinema

rain, man.

What's new with you? Oh really, that's just peachy! Mark this day on your calendar, some exciting things are going on...like the fact that Jake is in D.C. to meet with Obama! Okay, he is in D.C., but just for a nerdy guy finance conference complete with a cruise on the Potomoc. Juice box, anyone? That's means my girl and I are staying out all night whooping it up. And by out all I night I mean up at 4:30 a.m. just about everyday this MONTH! Oh, you're tired? I have no idea how to get her back to sleep in the a.m., but I am considering a gate/cell on her room to keep her sassy self in there until the rooster crows at a reasonable time. I am sure you are about to die with anticipation about which soup I am going to make this weekend? Well, the answer is "I don't know yet", so stay tuned. No wonder I get so many hits on my blog. Actually, I don't know how many hits I get, but I figure my mom is good for like 20 a day. If you need me I will be knee-deep in mismatched socks (not mismatched knee-socks) and sippy cups. Happy Thursday!

Happy Birthday Abby!!

18 years harmonic!

power of the rally beard?

I can't believe it really worked! I wonder what I could do if I stopped shaving!

Dunzo!

Norelle requested I take this photo of her and her bears

7 days of straight blogging are over. To recap, you learned the Gophers lost, we bought a car, Nori does not sleep in, I dated a lady and still wear the same bra from 1997. Was it all your dreamed of? I thought not.

rainbow order

Second batch of fall soup, Spicy Black Bean, along with Seeduction bread was yumtastic! And last but certainly not least, I cleaned and converted my closet from summer to fall. Much more work than you know.

lady date

Jana is here and the good times have begun! We shopped at Baby Grand and I matched her cheesecake for cheesecake at Cafe Latte. No big deal since she ran 10 miles this morning and I napped this afternoon. Looking forward to a workout tomorrow, cooking and relaxing at home.

hot mama in Hot Mama

funny, sad or just plain weird?

15 weeks vs. 15 donuts

you asked for it

EVERDAY, ALL WEEK, 24/7, SoS IN YOUR FACE!

I feel like a bear. The minute the temperature outside drop and it starts getting dark, all I want to do is sleep. Do you have this urge, too? My biology is telling me to eat and hibernate in a cave for many months. It's brutal! Pretty soon, when my house freezes over, it will be all I can do come out from under a down blanket to pee. However, the new Pilot has heated seats so maybe I can sit in there to warm up? And pee.

Jana is coming this weekend! You know what that means...I need to have lots of food on hand. I have never fed a pregnant Jana before, so this will be a new challenge! Given her triathlete metabolism, I suspect she will now take in somewhere between 4,000-9,000 calories a meal. Friday night we are going out alone on a romantic lady date to catch up and talk about our love. After that, my plan is to wear her our (she has more energy than anyone I have ever met). On Saturday morning I am hoping to take her two classes, BodyPump & BodyFlow (if I can find a babysitter). Then she will be hungry, so I need to make a couple batches of my homemade blueberry muffins. If that doesn't do her in, she can take Nori for a run in the BOB while I prepare first and second lunch. Maybe I can convince her to practice being a mom and let her get up at 5:30 a.m. to make Play-Doh creations. Jake is going to Decorah with his old doubles partner, J.D., for Luther's Tennis Team Alumni weekend.

My prediction of lots of fall pregnancies is coming true! I can think of four pregnant friends right now, but sadly no one has announced on my blog? Okay, make it up to me: let me delivery the baby!! I love babies so this is exciting news! But, it reminds about the trials of infertility. Really, the hardest thing about infertility is just the lack of control in planning, the unknowns, and what-if's. It's easy to get anxious thinking: "maybe we should start another adoption right this second, just in case it takes 9 years!!!" or "what if the tax credit expires?" or "maybe we should see if modern medicine can help?" or "if we wait long enough, maybe we will defy the statistics and it will happen the old-fashioned way (in the back of a station wagon)?". I try to let those thoughts go and trust in God's plan for my family. He has not failed me yet! How can I be negative about it, we are blessed beyond compare with sweet, perfect Norelle Renee!

On that religious note, our Bloom small group is coming over tonight. Awesome Pastor Danny & his hot wife Stephanie have decided to become missionaries in Peru for the next one to five years, so it will be a chance to hear how they came to this radical decision and see what lies ahead for them. I'll be honest, we are majorly bummed they are leaving. They are so vibrant, passionate, and positive, it will feel empty without them. Maybe we can go back to Peru for mas choclo con queso y recoto rellenos?

Bless you, child. Or as Nori says,

"Dear Lord,

Help me get potty trained. Bless Pito Harley, he's so cute.

Praymen"

the fabulous life

A day in the life...

1:30 a.m. Nori wakes up crying inconsolably, cuddle and calm her. No, she may not have ice or a carrot.

2:00 a.m. Back to bed.

5:00 a.m. Thunderstorm. Nori crawls into our bed kicking. Jake gets up with her.

6:45 a.m. Phone rings, Jake's sign I need to get up & shower?

8:00 a.m. Drive screaming, overtired child to Tammy's in new pimped out Pilot.

8:25 a.m. Park. Open office. Go get coffee at Gopher Spot. Out of cream. Walk to other coffee shop for half and half.

9:30 a.m. Chair meeting on CCE Showcase. Make my team chant "SHOWCASE"!! Draw not-to-scale floor plan layout.

10:30 a.m. Answer emails. Return phone calls. Help students.

11:00 a.m. Meeting on Transfer Student Experience. Complain about articulation of international student transcripts.

12:00 p.m. Super tired, might die. Eat spinach salad, yogurt & fruit. Still hungry.

12:30 p.m. Emails to see if there is a shelter to volunteer at on Thanksgiving?

2:00 p.m. Devour a Jimmy John's Turkey Tom sub.

4:00 p.m. Return pink toddler shoes to Zappo's via UPS. Pick up Nor.

4:30 p.m. Kenna comes over to play while Lo is at ballet (rhymes).

6:30 p.m. Attend Boot Camp at the suggestion of Roger, the instructor, who thinks I "need"it after glancing at my thighs.
7:40 p.m. Read story Berenstain Bear's "Trouble At School". Tuck Nori in.

8:00 p.m. Collapse on couch. Watch DVR'd Parenthood with Jake.

9:30 p.m. BED!!

We did it

ready to haggle

waiting and waiting

Master negotiator

satisfied customer

moon roof and GPS!!!!!!!!!

2007 Pilot EXL

We bought from Kline Nissan and they were great, very eager to make a sale and open to negotiations. Not that we need it, but we even have a trailer hitch so if your boat needs to go anywhere, we can take it. Very grateful we can purchase a safe, new-ish vehicle for our family!

p.s. and you thought I didn't post today...the wonders of Blogger.

autopilot

I like how I wrote weekned! Let's just say typing and proof-reading are not my strong suit.

So it's only Day 1 of blogging everyday and I already have nothing profound to say! I can tell you that on Friday, Nori & I attempted to go to her dentist appointment, but as usual I got lost and as usual, I did not have my phone so we ended up parking and I ran around downtown Saint Paul (carrying her) looking for the right office. We never did find it. However, I did manage to bash in the front end of my new Accord (it was new when we bought in 2000) into a pillar so now not only are the little teeth are not fluoridated, but my car is in the shop. With my parking permit for work. Sigh.

We have been planning for a new, larger car for awhile. I think it was somewhere between loading up my sedan with two parents, a kid in a bulky car seat, a gramsie, and two dogs, plus luggage & groceries with a bag of smelly garbage on my lap while coming home from the cabin to Friday's event that made me ready to buy. Pay off my students loans out of savings and buy a new-to-us car. The American dream!

2007 Honda Pilot

Above is the car I like. I vote for it because it is pretty green and has a sunroof. Jake likes it for other reasons, probably something to do with the spark plugs. He is negotiating with the guy right now, but let's just say that negotiations are not his strong suit. Calling Andy Ho!

whirlwind weekned

Lordy, Lordy looks who's 30!

Angie turned 30 on Saturday! To celebrate I had hoped we were going to go in for Botox and lipo, but instead she invited us the Gopher's football game which sadly caused Pat to go to the bad place emotionally. I may write my doctoral thesis on sports-related depression. It was our first ever game in the new stadium and quite festive! Nori & Liam stayed home with babysitters chasing Seamus the cat while their parents enjoyed relaxing in one sunny spot for the first time 2 years. After the game Andy showed up a motorcycle??!! Without a helmet!!! Is there a word for someone who loves to borrow other people's vehicles? If so, it applies to him.

Also, Happy Birthday wishes to my pal Jill who turned 33!! Hope Nova & Shawn treated you well!

we're just here for the mini-donuts

some people don't understand the appeal of spats and plumes

these tw0 actually paid attention

We returned home with just enough time for Jake to take on the Rug Doctor and scrub all our carpets and couches. It was a huge project, but his huge muscles and amazing attention to detail made it a job well done. Nori & I got some groceries and headed outside to a very fun block party! Everyone was there and we had at least 25 kids of all ages spinning in the streets. Our house was a hot spots due to the inclined driveway (city kids don't have hills). We had a BBQ potluck, caught up with neighbors, shared stories, and felt very lucky to live in such a cool community.

the boy race...

the little kids pose...

and a dance party breaks out after dark at the exclusive Club 1773!

I am official exhausted and sun burnt with another busy week ahead of me. For these keeping track, I made first batch of soup, Grandma's Chicken Noodle (not my grandma's). Jealous? In response to a request from a loyal reader, for this week ONLY, I will be posting every single day culminating in big surprise at the end of the week. Granted, I have no idea what the surprise will be yet, but I trust over the course of the week something cool will materialize? If not, I will make something up!

Tales from behind the tail...

I am only telling this you because you are my friend/mom/aunt, but I am about this close to driving Dorothy into the deep woods and leaving her there forever. For three long days she has been letting of the most horrific, putrid stink bombs I have ever had the unfortunate displeasure to smell. She sleeps behind our bed in a cubby/corner and all night my nostrils are burning! It can not be good for our health to breathe in the toxic fumes! It was so bad we had to turn the fan on her to blow the mushroom cloud away from ourselves. It is constant. I know she ate a stick of butter, but I am not sure what else. Why didn't I take her to the vet you ask? Good question I just thought of it myself. We'll see...

stolen

Dance like the photo is not being tagged,
Love like you've never been unfriended,
Blog like nobody's reading.

books & beards

Students are back in full force which I LOVE because they keep me busy and remind me how rewarding it is helping others achieve their goals (since I don't have any goals of my own other than to be in PJ's by 5:00 p.m.). Plus, I totally work on a college campus, how cool is that. My workplace has it's own sports teams, theaters, cafes, and even maroon & gold sweatshirts which I can wear in lieu of a business suit, which is great as sweatshirts go better with orthopedic footwear than pencil skirts and lace blouses.

McBootie is hitting the books too, this month they are studying a unit called Family Tree, Pets & Me including the letters A, T & M. Really? I am so not telling her my PIN!! Word is she acts as the Vice Principal at Tammy's daycare, reiterating any corrections handed down by Tammy to the other, less verbal kids. If Tammy says " No, no Lana, no pushing" Nori will chime in with "No Lana! We don't push! That's too naughty!!" Oh boy. This morning I found her playing with my camera so I looked at the photos to find some portraits of her best friend. I asked, "Did you take a picture of Blankie?" and she replied, "Yep, he's really cute!!". Potty training is going awesome, in part due to my new celebratory song every time she pees. To the tune of She Bangs by Ricky Martin, I sing, "She tinked! She tinked! Oh baby, yeah, she tinked! She tinked!, I go crazy..." all while doing a patty-cake style hand clap to show my enthusiasm while Nori echos "I tinked, I tinked, oh baby....". I have not bought real diapers in months, only nighttime diapers. Go Team Tink!

Breaking news: Jake's facial hair can control the stock market and possibly the universe. Last winter he grew a beard and his "growth model" (you know, those stocks he follows or whatever the heck it is he does) did great! But the instant he shaved his beard, they tanked. All of this coworkers convinced him it was HIS BEARD that influenced this shift, thus prompting him to re-grow a "rally beard" which has immediately caused a resurgence in the model and overall world economy. Personally, I am not a fan said rally beard, however he claims he needs to keep it to basically save the country from another Great Depression. Does anyone else find this alarming?

Proposal

Check out the amazing way my brother's BFF Chad proposed to his girlfriend Vy!

Happy Birthday Andy!

33 years virtuoso ( he's "Oh so special"!)

chaos!

Can you believe Mr. Andy Ho is 33 today? Happy birthday to a very wonderful guy and a loyal friend! Last night we celebrated Andy's birthday and had a pre-birthday celebration for Angie who turns 3-0 on September 11th. The kids were WILD, especially when a puppy stopped by right as we sat down to eat. I think it would be fair to say that we lost all control!

the weary parents try to relax

a rare moment of calm

Kenna is moving in on Nori's man

must have been fun, look at the aftermath

cabin fever

A cozy fall-like weekend at the cabin! Sweatshirts, books, Dumbo, chocolate molten lava cakes, Play-Doh (always Play-Doh), beer can chicken and pork chops on the grill, coffee shop, pontoon rides, dogs, sticks, rocks, hiking, napping, blueberry muffins, wind, storms, sun, chopping down 50 foot tree, napkins between every plate and plastic bags on everything...ahh, wonderful time!

Captain of the S.S. Jalopy

storms a brewin'

family nap?

she insisted on the "pretty donut"

better weather, still cool

Gramsie & Nori gots lot of quality time , starting at 5:00 a.m.

Nori & Pito Harley, BFFL

buds

shrimp sauce

If Taco John's was my Winona food home, then Samurai (now Benihana's) was my Twin Cities food home. Back in action with Casey & Dad! Yes, Casey got two orders of fried rice!