Squash

From cold to warm to squash.

Land

We found this heart made out of trash and snow on some land we bought on Tuesday.

Eating that snow. Refusing to eat that snow.

Galeux d' Eysines: Embroidered with Warts from Eysines

Granny and Grandpa grew these pumpkins in their garden this year. They brought two to Minnesota. We made one into delicious soup. And this one posed for a photo.

My Daughter Dwelt in a Tent

Margo

Weekend with Grands

Grandma and Grandpa came for the weekend. It was cold. 

On Remembrance Day my dad read a poem he likes to Harper and Margo: Please Wear A Poppy. I tried to recite In Flanders Fields but was not that successful.

On Monday morning before Grandma and Grandpa drove off, Grandma curled hair. 

 

After we dropped Harper off there was time for one more story.

Look who can balance a spoon on her nose.

Obama 2012

I wasn't really sure how this election was going to turn out. Marc was confident all along. But that's not my style. I made a cake and decorated it very quickly to bring to our friends' house on election night but then I left it in the car until I knew Obama had won. Would we have eaten it if he had lost? I'm glad I never have to find out. Obama 2012!

At the Table

Sandy's Donut Run: Long John

Marc and I ran in our first race together. We thought this sounded like a good one when free donuts were offered during and after the race. Sadly we opted out of the mid-run donut so we could finish sooner and without throwing up. As I write this I am also sad I didn't eat more after the run. I have never met a donut I didn't like. I know that's disgusting. I love the manufactured processed trash and the fancy gourmet ones. Enough about donuts, more about running. It was early and it was cold but it was fun to run with Marc. A few days before the run Marc suggested that maybe we should just run together instead of trying to beat each other. This was an excellent decision. I think I could have beat him but probably I am making that up. Which is how most competitions and games go with me: I let myself hope I might beat him and then I always lose and then I always get mad. I'm glad I didn't have to get mad this time. 

Helping Dad Tie His Shoes in the Morning

When I Shook Bill Clinton's Hand

 Kind of on the spur of the moment I ended up at a Clinton rally in Fargo with my friend Sarah. We didn't get there in time to be seated in the 21 000 seat auditorium so got shoved into a room with a microphone and a podium and no way of hearing what was going on in the other room. Local politicians filtered in and used that microphone and podium to say a few words about their races and why they were running as they tried to tide us over until Heidi Heitkamp had a minute to speak to us and until we forgot that Bill Clinton was in the next room. We waited a long time and ended up hearing some really good things. I've never been moved from listening to local politicians but Rick Olek had me at "I used to be a mailman." For the first time I felt like I need to be doing something in and for my community. Someone else came to the podium and told us we would be wise to stay in our seats (wink, wink) and then people were making a barricade out of folding chairs and then men in suits with ear pieces were walking in and then Bill Clinton walked in and we rushed to the makeshift barricade and waited our turn to shake his hand.

Cookies

Harper and Margo wanted to make cookies on Halloween. I had visions of round sugar cookies with white or orange icing and sprinkles. Boring. White and orange icing were vetoed and pink and blue were ordered. And Halloween cookies never looked better.

 

Happy Halloween

Post Party

I pulled out what I will now call my standby Halloween costume and went as Anne of Green Gables again. This year I had a way better shirt. Harper kept asking what Dad was going to be. I told her Dad was a scrooge and she kept saying that Dad was going to be a screw.

That witch's pose is too good to leave this one out.

Party!

At the family dance at the ward Halloween party.

Harper the Witch with Fedora the Witch.

This year Harper thought she needed to have a scary costume because Halloween is supposed to be scary. (I admit I was pretty glad she decided not to be a princess again. No offense to princesses.) At the end of the night Marc told me that Harper was genuinely confused and disappointed that no one was scared when they saw her with a green face. 

My baby wanted to be a baby dinosaur. She always wants to be a baby. I kind of don't want her to stop being a baby. I made her a tail and painted her face green. I had big plans for a bonnet and a giant pacifier as well but that couldn't happen because I started this project on Halloween.

Cats for Dinner

Happy Halloween dinner request.

Dodgeball

Marc invited us to the student-staff dodgeball game at his school. We had figured out Harper's Halloween costume earlier that day so she decided to wear it to the big game. I'm all for getting more mileage out of Halloween costumes. Margo donned a pink cape with her already-outlandish outfit and called herself Super Why. 

What form!

A little Gangnam Style never did anyone any harm. Margo calls it "gumgum sty."

After the games and during the games Harper wanted to get out on the floor and throw some dodgeballs. Before the championship rounds I let them both loose. I love this picture of Harper in mid-air and Margo all smiles.

Margo rarely lets anyone choose her clothes anymore. And most of the time I love that.

Unnatural and Worth It

Costco and its unnaturally giant fruit are here!

Mpls

We met up with my old college roommate Ann and her family in Minneapolis and took turns in the temple. We wandered through the sculpture garden when we were finished. 

All of the children got on famously. 

This is my favorite sculpture in the sculpture garden. It might be my favorite anywhere.

Harper just wants to make ugly faces for photos.

Margo hasn't graduated to that phase yet. 

It was kind of cold. For a long time Margo wouldn't wear a coat. Once the cold reached her bones it was too late for a coat. We found some hot chocolate, warmed her bones up, and bid our friends farewell.