Happy Halloween

Costumes on...

And pumpkins glowing...

Sophi and Signe met up with Princess Natalie and Princess Paige and they were off to trick-or-treat!

Halloween was a success - They had a lot of fun, stayed up to late, and got way to much candy!!

Halloween Lunch

The girls were invited to our neighbors house for a costume lunch today. All of their neighbor friends would be there. Sophi and Signe got all dressed up and headed down the block.

They had a great time with lunch, games, activities and friends!
(Alex's parents were very brave to have them all over!)

Pumpkin Carving

The 4 of us got up this morning and decided it was time to carve pumpkins. Neil and the girls got the supplies out - as I came around the corner, I heard Neil promising a hammerhead to Sophi, saying, "sure, your Mom can do it!" The pressure was on...

We began...

Signe had 2 pumpkins and was very specific as to what she wanted too. We got the tops off and got the seeds out.

While Sophi gutted her pumpkin - I got to work on Signe's... she wanted diamond eyes, a heart nose and a scary mouth.

Neil got clever with to camera to capture a family shot.

How did I do with Sig's pumpkin #1?

Sophi waits patiently for her pumpkin to be done - she has now added another direction - she also wants RJD carved in the back!

Signe had a lot of fun with the pumpkin pieces and guts.

Neil was in charge of Signe's second pumpkin - she wanted a star, a butterfly, her initials and a spider (on a very small pumpkin)! He did it!!

The girls were very excited with the end results and couldn't wait to light them up on Halloween night!

Fall Leaves

Signe Goes To Duluth

While Neil and Sophi were in FL, Signe and I headed up to Duluth for a visit with Grandpa Larry and his new dog Bob - which Signe named. After lunch out with Grandpa Larry and Michelle, followed by a little B'day shopping for Sig and a stop at Great Grandma's, Signe finally met Bob!

We had a fun night hanging out with Grandpa and Michelle - he made tacos, our fav! The next morning Signe and Grandpa spent some time cruising on his 4-wheeler.

...wearing matching glasses!

Then Sig and I hit Canal Park for some rock climbing, throwing and collecting. We also payed a visit to one of our favorite toy stores for a little shopping.

We made a stop at the end of the point for some fun at the park while we waited to meet Grandma and Grandpa B. for lunch before heading home.

We were hoping to see some pretty fall colors while in town, but had to settle for the berry trees - which Sig really liked.

On our way out of town, we stopped and picked up a couple of pumpkins for Signe and Sophi to carve for Halloween.

We had a great stay up North - Wish we got up there more often!

To The Beach...

Sophi, Neil, Kelli and Sawyer headed over to the beach to cap off a great trip. On the way, Sophi spotted this Tiger Shark boat and had to get a picture by it.

Sophi and Neil take in the sun one last time before heading North.
Auntie Kelli and Sawyer.

Sophi plays in the sand...

with Mr. Sawyer....



Auntie and Sophi wade into the water a bit...

...until Auntie pushed Sophi in!


Now that Sophi is all wet, she decides Dad should get wet too.

What a great adventure they had!

Cousin Breakfast

On Sophi's final morning in FL, Sophi and Sawyer (the adults too) headed to the Midway Cafe (one of Sophi's favorites) for breakfast.

Sophi and Sawyer had so much fun spending time together these last few days! We sure wished we lived closer.

RJD Research Trip

Sophi got to go out with the RJD team to do some shark research today. She was very excited to get going.

She found the perfect perch for the ride out.

Sophi peers over at one of her best friends, Captain Curt, to see what he was getting ready for the big day on the water.

Soph decides she better help navigate the boat for a while.

Dom (in the blue hat) gives out the days instructions to the visiting high school students on board.

Sophi scopes out the water for some sharks...

She has one in sight.

They bring it on the boat and quickly take samples, measure it and tag it.

Sophi gets right in there to give it a pat on the back - she is trying to see how many different species she can touch... I think she is up to seven different types so far!

She then heads up top to watch for more sharks...

Here comes another one...Captain Curt brings it in.

This one is a lot larger than the last.

They put the pump in his mouth, so that the shark can breathe will they are taking the needed samples.

Sophi takes a break to update her shark notes and statistics about the 5 sharks they caught today.

Sophi had a great time with the RJD crew - - - she can't wait to do it again!