November in a Nutshell

November came and went quicker than a flash around here. I wanted to share a little update before it gets too far into the holiday season.

November 1 came with a tired but happy little bat who did not want to take his Halloween costume off. Finn had such a fun time passing out candy to all the kiddos who came to our door. He would happily greet them with “Happy Halloween” and give them candy and comment on their costume. He said to a few, “I really like your costume.” Then he would say, “Thanks for coming.” It was just the sweetest thing ever. He has looked forward to Halloween since last year when he realized kids come to the door for candy, and I think it lived up to all his hopes.

Penelope turned 7 months old at the beginning of November. She has been rolling and scooting all around and was in the height of the stuck against/under something stage. She has gotten much more mobile at the end of the month here and can push herself up onto all fours and is a bit smoother at pulling herself around.

At the beginning of the month we got Finn’s school pictures, and Dylan and I got a good laugh about them. They could not reflect his personality any less. It’s almost strange to see him so straight-faced. He is usually so silly and smiley. (I won’t post them here to save him later embarrassment.)

We had a really yummy meat and cheese platter one night for dinner. We had to hunt down the french bread at 3 stores, and you better believe we enjoyed it. Ha! I’ve also decided that Chipotle Mayo is my favorite condiment (behind Ketchup, obviously).

Finn wanted me to take his picture. 🙂 He recently got a haircut so it’s funny to see his hair so long in this photo.

Speaking of hair, Penelope has started eating solids. She has liked most everything, but she does not care for cottage cheese. She makes a terrible face. Sometimes I think she gets more in her hair than in her mouth.

Our fall was pretty cold and rainy around here, so when we had a sunny day in the 40s, we decided to take advantage of it with a quick trip to the park down the street. Finn obviously needed the fresh air and exercise because he pretended to be a police car and ran around the perimeter of the park 3 times when we got there. He and Penelope then spent some time swinging. She enjoyed the swings, but mostly enjoyed watching Finn, which is definitely her favorite pastime.

We had our annual Friendsgiving gathering the Saturday before Thanksgiving. When our friends began to arrive, Finn said, “Mama, I will help set up for the party.” And then he grabbed plates and bowls from his drawer of plastic plates and bowls. He diligently set one at each place setting and then called me in, “Look, mama, it’s all ready!” I wish I had taken a photo because he was so proud, and it was so precious.

In terms of food, this year we made the turkey, mashed potatoes, and cheesecake and asked our friends to each bring something. It made the day much easier, and it was fun to have different sides than what I usually make.

To round out the month, we got to visit the new exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art—Egypt’s Sunken Cities. The basis of the exhibit are artifacts that have been excavated from two cities that fell into the Mediterranean Sea more than 1200 years ago. It also includes a lot of information about their life and religious practices. I didn’t realize how much influence the Greeks had on the area. It was a really well done exhibit, and both Dylan and I commented on how the lighting and the way they had painted the walls in moody blues really accented it all and reminded you that these items had been under the sea for so long. It was amazing how well preserved some of the items were. If you get a chance to go, I would recommend it. It runs until April 2019.

I hope your November was fully of lovely moments and time spent with loved ones, and of course good food. Here’s to December and the holly jolly of Christmastime!