dear october

dear october,
i love you. you are fun and spooky. you are chilly--even in california....at least at night and when it rains. your leaves are beautiful and orange is all around. you bring traditions old and new and get the holiday season rolling. you are just pretty much my favorite month. thanks to you, this is what we got to do:

nova has been really into dressing up and costumes lately so i decided to exercise my motherly powers and stated that you would not be fed this week unless you attended dinner in costume. i insisted we needed to practice dressing up. it was really fun and nova especially loved it. then on friday we had a "witches and warlock" dinner.

here are some highlights: 1st night: dan was "super-locker" (i don't know what that is, but when dan asked nova what he should be, that is what she said. nova was a super hero, and i was a cat















dan and nova "locking things" and getting the bad guys



















one night we dressed up in sleeping beauty characters. (per nova request)















don't tell sleeping beauty....but merriweather is takin your man!














1 little, 2 little witches














glow in the dark hide and go seek for FHE--with glow sticks














pumpkin carving at dan's work

































oh, and did i mention that we went swimming? (because its still totally warm here!) sorry to rub it in.....














we went with nova's new friend hazel to a mom 'n me trick or treat event on santana row in san jose



















and finally, the big day arrived:
we drew monster pictures



















made pumpkin pancakes and painted some "spooky nails"














the whole fam for the ward trunk or treat. (saturday)















in full costume:





















i think that she had a fun night....



















sigh....until next year october. don't stay away to long. we kinda like you around here.

suzanne

pumpkin patch checklist

how to pick a pumpkin:
1. get hopped up on bunny love...check. (if you get this joke, we can be better friends if not, you need to go watch pysch.)














2. hold a baby chicken. (and look really proud of yourself.) (then immediately wash your hands.) check.















2. next, get the adrenaline pumping by running through the "scary" haunted house. check.














3. take a hayride to find the optimum picking spot. check. (take a picture with mom saying something to the attractive photographer dad.) check.















4. grab a wagon. check.















5. inspect the pumpkins to make sure you find "the right one". to find true happiness you must find the right pumpkin at the right time and in the right place.....oh wait.....i think that is not how that quote goes....but regardless: check.















6. make sure you look good with the pumpkin. check.















7. sit and breath in the pumpkin air. check.














8. find an extremely heavy pumpkin and make dad eat his words. "if you can put it in the wagon, we can get it." check and check.
















yep dad, she can get it in the wagon.... (its 20 lbs!)















loved loved loved today. i have never been to a pumpkin patch before and it was so much fun! nova loved it and so did dan and i! definitely something we will do again.

it got me in the halloween and fall mood even though it was flaming hot while we were there. if it doesn't feel like fall on the outside, at least it made us feel like fall on the inside. happy october!

Dan's New Job

This is Dan, if you couldn't tell by the correct use of capitalization (oooh, burn Suzanne!). I'm writing a quick note in response to a boatload of requests to know more about what I do at my new job.

As soon as I figure it out, I'll let you know.

See ya.









Okay, I know that's not going to fly. I work as an Associate Account Executive for a design firm called Larsen (larsen.com). The company does all sorts of design for businesses in the Silicon Valley, from internal docs and presentations, to marketing and branding for major events. We cover it all, basically.

My job is to manage client relations and keep projects on budget and on time. I fill out estimates and proposals for new projects, work with the client to resolve issues and make sure the designers have what they need (time, resources, etc.) to get the job done right. They do some amazing work and the company has an impressive portfolio.

I like it. A lot. Not just because I feel like I have a job that matters, but also because the people I work with are amazing. They're smart and they take care of each other. The main office is in Minnesota, so this is just a small branch down in Palo Alto. It's only about a dozen people in our office, and it's just like a family. I'm exponentially more fulfilled and happy now, and Suzanne says it shows.

I'm also loving the ever-loving love out of California, though I never doubted I would. Also, when we told people we were moving to the Bay Area, at least 70 percent of them expressed dismay at the possibility we would either A.) die in an earthquake, or B.) turn gay. You will all be happy to know that neither has come to pass.

We are happy here and excited to see what the future holds in store. And I couldn't be happier that I'm stuck with two of the most interesting and hilarious and beautiful girls I know. I now return you to your regularly scheduled dose of CrazyZanAndNova.com*



*That sounds like a URL I should probably invest in before they turn famous.