Happy Halloween!

so much for my plan

If they can't make it, who can?

PanCAN, can you?

1st play date in the playroom

It's officially fall, I made my first soup: Chicken and Dumplings. Ever since I got pregnant last year, I have not had any interest in cooking so this is a big milestone. BTB, I have lost 6 pounds on Weight Watcher's in 3 weeks and it has been fairly easy - thank you nursing points! I am not a joiner and Lord knows I am not a spender, so I didn't actually register for WW rather I just found out how to do it from my coworkers and use a free online database to keep track of points. If you want to hack in too, do it here. First one to lose the muffin top wins. People without muffin tops are not eligible.

Jake & I had a real date Friday night at Barrio Saint Paul which has the best salsa verde. The new rule is that we must have one real date per month. And a real date must consist of a shower and leaving the house. Regular pajama clad couch dates still welcome.

Yesterday my dad & I spent the day at Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) Symposia downtown Minneapolis. It was such a wonderful education and networking event for patients and families. We listened to internationally renown specialists talk about chemo regimens, genetics, diagnostic screening, and new research & drugs (there is a drug in Phase I trials at the U of M that cures pancreatic cancer in rats). There were some really sad parts because we met several people who will die from the disease as anyone who can not have surgery has no chance at cure. But, we also met some amazing survivors who are living for years with or have beaten the disease. If you read much online, these types of stories are hard to come by. It reminded how fortunate my dad was to be diagnosed so early and made us think of Uncle Rick who only lived 6 miserable weeks after diagnosis.The weirdest part of the entire day was went one researcher talked about the Familial Pancreatic Cancer gene which is called PALB2. Say what now? Praying the gene is not responsible for both the beak and tumor! Thanks to Holly, Casey & Jamie for babysitting while I learned about how I might die and Jake dressed as a "cool vampire" and biked across down with beer in his backpack to the Gopher's football game. Not sure what made it cool, the black sweatpants or the skin tight metallic shirt?

Only one more day until the pumpkin sees his shadow, stay tuned for some Halloween cuteness tomorrow. Finally, in the US Weekly tradition, I present our first installment of:

Who Wore it Better?

Baby Honey 2011 (5 months)

Tootie McBootie 2008 (9 months)

Five months old!

I love you, Foosie Sue!

deep thoughts by SoS

Jake says we buy too much cheese

The moment you probably forgot existed until you accidentally checked your bookmarks is here: Sunday Blog Update Day!

idea stolen off Pinterest, inspired by real life events

It's official, I refuse to have a creative thought ever again. I will simply steal things off of Pinterest until I die. I have been thinking about getting a real hobby like sewing (too detail-oriented), photography (equipment too expensive), exercise (body too unreliable), proper spelling (nah), home improvement (too lazy), but I think I might try digital scrapbooking. It meets my criteria of being cheap and not requiring me to get off the couch, plus I can recycle blog content. If you have any tips or ideas on this topic, just pin them on Pinterest and I will steal them from there.

my scrapbook muses

We went to a beautiful wedding & reception this weekend for my friend Kristi and her new husband Kelly. It was fall-themed right down to having s'mores to roast over the fire. I was so happy to celebrate this day with her having known here for 25 years! Check out the awesome photos not taken by me because I am not a professional photographer here. Side note: I wore high heels! Thanks Auntie Elle for babysitting!

kitty cat pumpkin

My Aunt Jill & cousin Abby visited on Saturday for hair braiding fun. We otherwise had a lazy day to catch up on life. Henny is sleeping better thanks the advice of Dr. Marc Wesibluth. Naps, included! Nori is so excited for Halloween, more pumpkin carving, scary decor and of course, candy. She also wants to get a cat and suggested we order one off of Netflix. She thinks anything on the internet is Netflix. We also had a girl date which included painting our nails, shopping for "MindPetters", and hot chocolate at a chic cafe. Okay, at the Starbucks in Target Midway.

Guess who got a tooth?

my little tortuga

Nori is considering going as Steve Jobs for Halloween

our 3 children

You Are My I Love You

I am your parent; you are my child. I am your quiet place; you are my wild.

I am your calm face; you are my giggle. I am your wait; you are my wiggle.

I am your carriage ride; you are my king.

I am your push; you are my swing.

I am your audience; you are my clown. I am your London Bridge; you are my falling down.

I am your carrot sticks; you are my licorice. I am your dandelion; you are my first wish.

I am your water wings; you are my deep. I am your open arms; you are my running leap.

I am your way home; you are my new path.

I am your dry towel; you are my wet bath.

I am your dinner; you are my chocolate cake. I am your bedtime; you are my wide awake.

I am your finish line; you are my race. I am your praying hands; you are my saying grace.

I am your favorite book; you are my new lines. I am your night-light; you are my starshine.

I am your lullaby; you are my peekaboo.
I am your goodnight kiss; you are my I love you.

by Maryann Cusimano Love

Well, you know what?

That is how Nori starts all of her sentences. "Well, you know what? We should have some chocolate chips" Either that or, "I have an idea! Let's have some chocolate chips". Girls. Baby Hen is starting to nap better...once in a while...some days. She loves it when I hum a little Crash Test Dummies just like her big sister used to. Just because I am tone deaf does not mean I don't have joy in my heart.

Well, you know what? Another weekend has passed us by although there is still time left for chocolate chips (2 points on WW). We went to two bonfires, had two family walks, shopped at two grocery stores, and took care of two kids. Does that even make sense? Well, you know what? I don't care. Bloom had a chili bonfire on Thursday nigh at Central Park in Roseville and the weather was perfect! On Friday, Nori knew something was up when she awoke from her nap to see a tablecloth on the table. "What happened? Who is coming? Ahhhh!!! I am so excited!". We had Luke, Amy & Mia over and Jake cooked! Saturday night we hung with our favs, The Ho & 1/2 McIntyre Families outdoors for an almost relaxing bonfire. Jake even wore his camo pants (why does he own camo pants? funny story, you should ask him). Side note: I am firearm certified but that is completely unrelated.