Early November Highlights

We can hardly believe Thanksgiving is a few days away and that Christmas is quickly approaching! Right on cue, our first winter storm hit last night, leaving us with several inches of snow....and COLD weather! The girls had fun romping in it this morning, but I couldn't even bear to get out there to get photos. The camera and I only got as far as Isla throwing a tantrum in the kitchen because she hated being bound up in all the puffy pants, jacket, hat, boots and gloves. She laid herself down on the floor and screamed - it was hilarious.

Last weekend DJ and I had a great time on our getaway to San Francisco. We met up with friends, had leisurely days of exploring the city (I still knew all the bus lines and BART routes to take!) and nights of amazing dinners. We did miss the girls, but it was a much needed escape from reality for a few days.

This week will hopefully be nice and mellow, with many people taking vacation from work. I myself am working from home on Wednesday. Looking forward to some quality time with family, putting up some Christmas decorations and listening to holiday music galore! I really geek out at this time of year. Even Addison is excited - she can't wait to help decorate. She keeps asking if it's Thanksgiving yet - she knows something is going on when I get all the table linens out to start ironing. Miss Isla is ALL about the Christmas tunes. I'm not sure if she's heard Jingle Bells somewhere before, but she even knows when to say "HEY!" after "In a one horse open sleigh..." So funny! I think they're going to take after me in this area.

Isla and her snowsuit meltdown - the boots really put her over the edge

This is Addison and her new bed...on the floor of Isla's room. Hey, she's not scared anymore and generally stays in bed all night. Looks like these two might be sharing a room in the long run.

Last day in SF

Relaxing in the lounge before catching a town car to the airport

Union Square all decked out for Christmas

Washington Square Park in North Beach

Transamerica Tower

Coit Tower

Farmer's Market at the Embarcadero/Ferry Building

Ferry Building Clock Tower

Occupy SF....seriously

One of our faves that's still around - Wish in the SOMA district

Nat and Jeff

Downtown

The old classic cable car photo - had to do it. We even rode it! Our hotel was along the trolley line.

Random parade down Market St.

Bed!

Dancing w/Daddy

Endless Entertainment

Friday was Ba's birthday (#64!), so Saturday we had Ba and Nana over for a birthday dinner celebration. On the menu: (I'm including links to the recipes because they are all that good)

Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Soup - Delish! Broth based, but rich, creamy and perfect for Fall

Apple, Pear and Fennel Salad - YUM!!! First time trying this one, and highly recommend - makes a great palette cleanser before a main course

DJ's Perfect Bolognese - always a winner

Tender-crisp French Green Beans and Broccolini Sauteed with Shallots - no recipe

Chocolate Pot de Creme w/White Chocolate Whipped Cream - All I have to say is....sinful

Before our dinner and their down time watching a movie, the girls decided to put on a little show. These two are turning into such hams and are hilarious to watch. They made the night complete with their renditions of "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast, and "You Can Fly" and "Following the Leader" from Peter Pan. Most of the video clips were taken when Ba and Nana weren't there, which tells you that we do a lot of "performing" on a regular basis! Those particular songs are on a constant rotation in our house.

As much as we love our munchkins, DJ and I are counting down the days until our weekend getaway to San Francisco! We can't wait to catch up with friends, enjoy great food and relish in exploring one of the best cities on the planet! Oh, and getting to sleep past 5:30am will be pretty awesome too. We're also looking forward to taking a flight without kiddo's, and perhaps having a cocktail (or two). It's funny how the little THINGS take on new meaning when you have little ONES.

Eating their special Halloween cookies, or "coo-koos" as they call them

Getting revved up

Happy Halloween!

Our little pumpkins were the epitome of cute little trick-or-treaters on Monday night. Addison was Captain Hook while Isla dressed the part of Tinkerbell. They were SOOOO excited to get out and about with their pumpkin candy buckets and cruise the neighborhood for treats. we went door to door with Natalie and Gus, Ba and Nana and our neighbors Eric and Erica and their son Alex (1 day younger than Isla). Isla cruised along with her pumpkin slung onto her arm like she'd been doing it for years grabbing handfuls of candy at each stop. Addison had all her pirate phrases down and told everyone she was going to make them walk the plank. When we got home they truly wanted nothing to do with the candy, so I dumped it all into a bag and told DJ to take it to work. They haven't noticed that it's gone, but have enjoyed playing with (meaning, dumping everything onto the kitchen floor in a big pile) all the little trinkets and junk.

End of the night loot assessment

Trolling the hood

Alex

Isla and her bucket

Carly's birthday party the day before Halloween

Addison, Carly and Cassie

Halloween crafts!

Playing in the leaves

Fall party at school

My excuse for no recent blog posts...

I know, I know, it's been a REALLY long time since I last paid any attention to the blog, so to our family...I am so sorry! I do have an excuse (well, several of them) and that is that our camera broke and we haven't been able to take or upload any pictures. We're working on getting things sorted out, but in the meantime just know that we are all healthy, busy and happy.

Addison's days are full with preschool and dance class, both of which are going pretty well. Her biggest challenge is following directions and listening, but she's definitely made progress. She loves her teachers and all her friends at school, and we now have her in the habit of sharing her thoughts at the dinner table. We all take turns saying what the positives of our day were and Addison gets right into the conversation recapping her day. We're really happy we made the decision to get her into preschool and will continue with 3 days a week next school year. It's also been a nice introduction for us as far as what to expect out of the curriculum in the district. Isla is getting cuter by the minute. She's talking a lot and developing a funny sense of humor. She calls Addison "Iya" (meaning Isla) so we're working on that small detail with her. The girls are starting to play really well together and kind of become inseparable. They always want to be together, which is a good thing at this point. I doubt it will stay this way for long!

There have been some pre-Halloween festivities, including a Nature Center night-time trail walk (so fun!) and Addison's "Fall Party" at school. Addison is Captain Hook and Isla is Tinkerbell. Have I mentioned they are obsessed with Peter Pan? Not sure where they've actually seen it, but we have the soundtrack and they love the songs. Monday we'll go trick-or-treating around the neighborhood with Natalie and Gus, and Ba and Nana too. I will definitely get some pictures! In the meantime, here are a few that Judith (Nana) has taken from dance. DJ and I are going to class with them on Wednesday morning and we can't wait! The little curly blond cutie in the pictures is Claire - Addison's BEST buddy.

Apple Orchard Fun

It has been the picture perfect fall that Minnesota is known for - cool and crisp in the morning, warm and Indian summer-like in the afternoon, leaves all changing to gold, orange and red. This combination makes for a beautiful trip to our favorite apple orchard about 30 minutes away. We ended up going two weekends in a row due to a birthday party held there this past Sunday, which we forgot was happening the weekend prior when we decided to take a little day trip with the girls. There's so much to do and see at the Minnetonka Apple Orchard - farm animals, a corn maze, a little train ride, a tour through the forest on bales of hay pulled by a tractor, face painting, balloon making, pumpkin hunting and of course, apple picking. It's become a fun little tradition we've done since Addison was a little baby and it brings back fun memories each year. The girls love it and it's a perfect way to spend a perfect fall day!

Attending Addison's friend Eliana's 4th birthday there was really fun (except for the bee sting Addison incurred!), and the best part was that Addison's BEST buddy from preschool, Elizabeth, was there as well. Eliana and Elizabeth's parents are friends so I thought she might have been there. Both of their faces lit up like Christmas trees when they saw each other, and they were inseparable the entire time. Elizabeth is way more shy and reserved than Addison, so I am amazed they are as close as they are. All they both talk about is each other when they get home from school. At one point I heard Addison exclaim "E-wizabef, you're not shy today!" so Addison is surely breaking her down. :)

Isla petting the baby goats

Eliana's princess cupcake-cake

Elizabeth and Addison

Tractor ride through the forrest - so fun!

Buddies on the tractor

First day of preschool (this was from several weeks ago)

Hay jumping

Train ride - a big hit with both girls!