Party like its 10-10-10

OH THE FUN.  We are usually so boring.  I have no idea how we have had so many fun posts lately- our plans typically don't consist of such jovial activities, but we have been stretching the envelope the past couple weeks around here. 

Saturday morning started bright and early.  Too early, if you ask me, but the menfolk had an appointment at the Notre Dame game, so they were headed out of town at the crack of dawn.  Newbie and I got up to see them off then took off with Aunt Corndog for a day out shopping with my mom for our annual "Fall Makeover".  Fall Makeover is a tradition spanning generations  four years and is a day for my mom and my sister and I to hit the mall for some fun shopping and girl time followed by dinner out at Macaroni Grill.  It has to be Macaroni Grill because it is so good, and we are so worth it.  You are worth it too.  Treat yourself to Macaroni Grill.  You have never tasted bread so herby or fettuccine Alfredo so creamy.  Newbie came with us this year because his legs are too short to walk the Notre Dame campus.  Next year he might to hang with the big boys.  This year he was stuck scouring Macy's for the perfect brown chunky knit sweater.

(*It is important to note that upon pulling out of my drive way for our Fall Makeover my brand new car just DIED.  DIED!  We're talking stop in the middle of the road and not make a cotton-picking sound DIED.  We packed up the other car and moved on as if the new car the Hubs and I just bought had not just flat-out broken in the middle of the road.  We got it back in the driveway, and I haven't thought about it since.  Because it makes me crabby.  But it is worth noting because WHAT THE WHAT?!?!?)

I love this pic- my dad had just gotten to our house to head out for the game, and Aunt C-Dog was watching Newbie for me while I ran around loading up the diaper bag for our big day.  My dad stuck his UT hat on Newbie....my dad has had this hat FOREVER.  I grew up thinking he had burnt orange and white hair.  We were always told "never touch a man's hat" and had a ball poking at his hat just to get a rise outta him.  Turns out when you're the grandson, you can get away with just about anything- even when it comes to the hat rule. 

Following Fall Makeover, we crashed at G-Mama and G-Daddy's because we all made it back late and that's where Opie was stationed.  Sunday morning we had pumpkin pancakes- THE BEST EVER- and Newbie got a mohawk from G-Daddy.

Newbie wasn't feeling 100% Sunday morning, so we stayed home from church and took it easy until lunch time when we headed out to the country to visit his grandma and grandpa and celebrate his grandma's 23rd birthday. 

At Grandma and Grandpa's house, Newbie hung out on the living room floor with his toys.  Newbie loves wrestling with his daddy- it makes him laugh from his toes on up.

The birthday girl and her Christmas birthday cake.  A healthy obsession with Christmas runs in our family. =)

You can do whatever you want at Grandma's birthday party.  Even crunching through 181 pages of a catalog is acceptable.

You can also pick the ugliest "pumpkin" imaginable and carve it like it doesn't look like something that has been chilling in the garbage disposal for 30 months. I like to call the next series of three to four pictures "I am Surrounded by Weirdos."

The Hubs hasn't quite mastered pumpkin carving, as evidenced by his failure to cut a hole in the top large enough to stick a hand in to dig out the guts.  It's OK- he's learning. =)

Thumbs up for anything-goes pumpkin carving at Grandma's birthday party!

After the b-day shindig, we zipped back to G-Mama's and G-Daddy's to pick up Opie.



 We couldn't leave without riding the pony.

When we finally made it back home, we snuggled for a bit and let Opie run wild through his half of the house.  Home sweet home.  GOSH.  Just look at those eyes.  I could eat that boy up!

This morning we are hanging out with a slew of toys and pretending like there aren't 17 baskets of laundry and a suitcase to unload upstairs.  Because that isn't nearly as fun as chilling in the Bumbo with our homies.

Happy Birthday to my mom-in-law today!!! 

We love you and hope you have a happy day!  I'd let Newbie type a birthday wish, but he already banged the "u" key off my laptop, making it very hard to type....so he's grounded from the computer until I can figure out how to fix computer keys.  And don't say just stick it back on, because there is an unexpected extra two pieces that flew off from under the key.  It is no small task to fix this puppy, folks.

Wishing you all a happy Macaroni-Grill-for-dinner kind of day!

***I'd like to throw a quick shout-out to my friends whom I have successfully brain-washed and convinced to start their own blogs.  I love you ladies, and I expect a weekend update STAT.  I need to know what you ate for dinner and how far behind you are on your laundry.  So get blogging! 

...nothing like blogging guilt, eh?