It's Fall!

We had PURRRRFECT weather yesterday! I mean seriously....cool, sunny....ahhh can you smell it? Fall!

Last year lil miss PC was only about a month old when we went pumpkin picking. It also happened to be the hottest day in October. We were literally sweating through our fun. PC slept through the whole thing, didn't even make a peep. This year she was awake for the whole thing, but she still doesn't understand the concept of pumpkin and apple picking, but at least she had fun! Maybe next year she will be able to pick her own pumpkin out.  

And.... For the last three years we have gone with these wonderful friends. Hopefully sooner than later they will have a little friend for PC to hang with! ;-)  Let me just say, hoisting a pumpkin up in front of your face is no easy task....I'm still waiting for my "mommy muscles" to come in! 

I think we picked the cutest pumpkin, but maybe I'm just biased. 

And of course... Apple picking. Hoping to make apple crisp and applesauce maybe even apple butter! Too bad there were so many ground apples. But at least we found a few! 

We love visitors!

Who doesn't love when friends come over?!

Who doesn't love when people love your little one?!

Well, Auntie Meg came to visit(this post is a little late, but better late than never!).  Meg and I have known each other since 3rd grade! That's a long time ago! So we've probably known each other for 21 years! We went to elementary, middle, high school and college together! Oddly enough though we didn't become besties until college! 

Anyway, she came the weekend of the Race for Hope, yes I know weeks ago! If you know her, you know she loves brunch! And of course.....DC has no tons of wonderful brunch places! I mean how do you choose? Do we pick the unlimited mimosas/bloody mary place? The all you can eat? Fancy? It can get totally overwhelming!  We ended up going to Clyde's for brunch. It's a family favorite.  

Besties! 

PC pretending to be a big girl!

Auntie Meggie- the lion seems so tame! ;-)

Whatcha looking at Auntie Meg? My cuteness?!

Race for Hope 5K

This past weekend, Sunday to be exact, I ran a 5K. This "Race" is one that is especially close to my heart. It was The Race for Hope, proceeds going towards The National Brain Tumor Society and to Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure.

In October of 1997, my father, my daddy, passed away from a brain tumor.  He had been diagnosed a year before, but it was inoperable and treatments at that time did not work.  He was strong until the end!

I run in memory of him, in honor of the man that he was! PC will never know him and neither will my husband, but I hope that parts of him(the best parts), will shine out in me so that they can know a little bit of him!

One of my best friends came into town for the race. We've run it together for the past three years and I love traditions and hope that we will continue to carry it on, as long as we can! <3 I was so proud of her! She didn't run prior to and yet she ran the whole thing with us! I mean there were times I thought she was gonna pass me and keep going(we did run together).  We even stayed with the hubs for most of the beginning, as there were SO many walkers we had to dodge and dive(not really). What made it even more fun is that PC was on her first run in her fabulous BOB stroller.  Love how that thing maneuvers and how smoothly it goes up and down the curbs.

We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather!

Before the Start

I mean, you of course have to stop in front of the Capitol for a photo op.  It wasn't like we were gonna win the race. My hubs doesn't like to call it a race, at least not for us, more like a jog. LOL!

Loved all the dogs running! Maybe we'll bring Pepe next time, although I should probably train him before hand! Go, Dog, Go!

It's always a little emotional to see the survivors run/walk, especially the children. They wear the yellow race bibs and carry the yellow balloons.  It's also WONDERFUL to see those yellow balloons and race bibs! I pray that someday we will be able to find a cure for Brain Cancer, as well as the other numerous cancers! 

PC and Daddy- so many walkers!

 Action shot of bestie, hubs and PC.  I had to "sprint" ahead to take the pics- whew!

 After the race we enjoyed the freebies, water, bagels, bananas, popsicles, pita chips...gotta love the freebies!

 Since it was such a beautiful day(and also because we were a block away)we also decided to visit the said known house in the background.  You may have seen it in movie before! ;-)  As you can tell, PC is less than impressed. Paper is more exciting to her!

I LOVE and MISS you!!

Adventures in Pittsburgh

This past weekend we were finally able to get up to Pittsburgh to see my best friend and her beautiful addition to her family, her daughter, Piper(Sweet P), as well as their new house!

 My title says "Adventures" I use that term loosely, since we didn't really go anywhere, I guess the adventures were traveling with a 5 month old to visit a 3 week old and figuring out feeding and sleeping away from home.  PC is a trooper!

We actually go hit with a Snow Storm Wednesday night, which meant no school Thursday. We already didn't have school Friday and Monday was a holiday, so enter 5 day weekend! Wahoo!! (Of course it only makes going back to work that much harder.)

Not as excited as her mother

She was distracted by her father's shoveling

However, before we left DC I had to(of course) take some pictures of my lil PC in the snow.  It was actually too hard for her to sink in so I had to punch in a "nook" for her to sit in, otherwise she just slid all over the place.


On our way there, we saw......a car completely plowed in...I would NOT have been pleased! I also captured the snow that had been "blasted" on the wall by the giant snow blower.

This is a definitely a new chapter in our lives.  Teresa and I have known each other since freshman year of college(13 years of friendship I believe), we've known each other since we were single, we were in each others weddings and now, we both have beautiful daughters. Her Sweet P and my Panda Cub! Looking forward to our next set of adventures as parents. Laughter, tears, fears.....

 Life, as we know it, will never be the same again! 

Pittsburgh still has lots of snow. Actually it snowed again while we were there Saturday. And...for those of you who know me, know that I love snow!!!! **** I had planned to place PC in the middle of their beautifully untouched snow. They have no dogs to trample it all down and pee/poo in it, but I never got around to it.  I got distracted with making snow cream. What's that you say? Some of you may know because you've made it before, but I had never heard of it until I saw a friend mention it on FB, sooooo of course I had to try it too.  The first attempt, according to T's husband, tasted "dirty." That's because we used granulated white sugar, the second time we used confectioners sugar. We added creamer, because we didn't have milk and vanilla....what are the measurements? Ehhhh I just added until it tasted good. haha....

We had meant to make jello-snow, which T made when she was little. You add jello packets to the snow so it's like a snow cone. Next time, or rather, next snow!

Here are some adorable pictures of Piper and Charlotte(Sweet P and Panda Cub). They are 5 months apart. Charlotte looks like she could eat tiny Piper....

Charlotte apparently decided she would take down the play mat. Rahhhh

Comforting her sad friend