Carving Pumpkins

Mana and the boys carved pumpkins - and I just took pictures. Too gross and slimy for me!

CKC - St. Paul

CKC - St. Paul (Creating Keepsakes Convention) was last weekend. It was very poorly attended. I guess it was nice that it wasn't so crowded, but there also were not as many vendors. Mom and I took two classes - one from the fabulous Cathy Zielske. It was more of a lecture than a class and it was AWESOME!!! She is hilarious. After class, I felt very stalker-ish and asked to do a photo with her, but who cares.

Not such a baby face

I will always call Mason my "baby"...but this face doesn't quite look so babyish anymore. I wish I could freeze him right now. He's so darn cute!

There once was a time...

There once was a time when Zander was enamored with Mason. Not so much anymore. They still like to play with each other. But it usually turns into fighting.... "Mom, Masey took away the toy I was playing with and he didn't ask first!" This is usually followed by some screams and many times crying. Mason knows EXACTLY how to push Zander's buttons. He's such a little stinker... yet, at times, he's a charmer acting all cute and saying things like "Thank you mama" all on his own. These pictures remind me of when my boys used to get along. Note that Mason was less than a month old.

October card club

Tonight was card club. And tomorrow mom and I are heading to CKC - Creating Keepsakes Convention. We're taking two classes - one taught by the fabulous Cathy Zielske! Another highlight of the day will be lunch at Cosetta! Love that place.

Zaylee's 2nd Bithday Party

Zaylee turned two on Oct 15th and her birthday party was on Saturday, Oct 18th. I can't believe my little niece is two already! That means that Mason is not far behind. Aaaah!
One of Zaylee's presents (from us) was a small plastic wagon and Zander and Ayden decided to wheel each other around all night. I wish I would have gotten a picture of it. Hey whatever keeps them busy and happy. I was just crossing my fingers that they didn't break it.
After the official party activities, there was a bonfire. The kids thought that was cool, but only for a little bit. Then they went inside to play with Auntie Roo.

Pumpkin Patch: Sunday, Oct 12th

Last Sunday, we went to Eveland Farm. It's a pumpkin patch with some farm animals and it's only a few miles from our house. The kids had fun and it was a perfect day outside. Still next to impossible to get a decent picture of the 2 boys together.










This is what happens when we give Zander the camera. He REALLY wanted to take a picture of Mana and I. It was so funny watching him try to hold up the big camera and push the button at the same time. We got about 5 of these photos. Mana's trying to train him in early - but maybe we should wait until he can lift the heavy camera!

new car

My Grand Am bit the dust a few weeks ago. Or maybe I should say that I wasn't willing to spend the $2000+ to fix it - after about $1500 already in the last 9 months. The Grand Am died on Friday Oct 3rd and we bought a new car on Saturday Oct 4th. I was not even looking for a new car so I felt so unprepared. Usually I like to research stuff like this, but I didn't even have a chance. Anyhow, we ended up buying a brand new (yes, brand new) 2009 Hyundai Sonata. I have NEVER owned a NEW car before. I've always bought used. I'm not letting the kids eat or drink in there....at least for a few months! I did get the interior protection thing (like ScotchGard, but not poisonous).

Happy Anniversary to my blog :)

One year ago today, I did my first blog post. I can't believe that I've kept up the fairly regular blog entries for a whole year. Now if only I could stick to exercise and/or healthy eating, I'd be golden.

Another cute Mason video

Mason is so darn cute right now - with all the stuff he says and the faces he makes. I love how how he's practically talking in sentennces. Lately, we'll hear lines such as "Mama, no brush teeth" or "Zander go outside" or "Masey wash hands" or "daddy, M n M please... thank you"

North Shore Excursion

{The People}

We did it, we actually did it! We got away for 2 nights without the kids - the first time in 5 years. It was very overdue! It was so fun to just get up when we wanted to get up and go where we wanted to go. No diapers to change, sippy cups to pack or naps to fit into the schedule. Okay, maybe we did take a nap one day - but it was our choice!


{The Accommodations}

We stayed at Lamb's Resort in Schroeder, MN - near Tofte and Lutsen. Here are a few pictures of the exterior and interior. We had a cabin right on Cross River which had a pretty tall waterfall. It was pretty loud. From inside the cabin (with the windows closed up), it sounded like there was a fan or air conditioner running. It didn't bother us at all - kind of soothing. I can't imagine sleeping with the windows open in the summer though.






{The Scenery}

The colors were gorgeous! The best hikes were to Oberg Mountain and Britton Peak. We took plenty of pictures - 1,167 to be exact! It was mostly Mana playing around. While on the trip, we realized that this is the first time we've done the North Shore trip with digital cameras. Ah, technology!






We were also fortunate to have clear skies one night so Mana dragged me out to the shore in pitch black to do some star pictures. I've never seen so many stars....ever! Click on the thumbnail to get the full effect of the stars. The vertical line you see in the sky is the Milky Way galaxy - so cool!








{The Food}

This blog post would not be complete if I didn't mention where we ate. Mana kept teasing me because I didn't want to eat anywhere we had been already in previous trips. I always like trying something new. So, here's where we went - in no particular order...

Hell's Kitchen in Duluth
Poplar River Pub in Lutsen
Schroeder Baking Company in Schroeder
Mountain View Grill in Lutsen Mountains
Sven & Ole's Pizza in Grand Marais... best pizza ever! We actually have already been here - after we got engaged on Eagle Mountain 10 years ago!
Vanilla Bean Cafe in Two Harbors

"Did You Know?" presentation

This video is so cool. It was played at my work's national sales meeting this summer. I forgot all about it until I heard the background song again. It really gets you thinking.