Halloween

This year for Halloween, we decided to dress up as Ron Burgundy, Veronica Corningstone, and their little gentleman, Baxter. So I made a 4-hour exception to my "Mustache=Divorce" policy and let Alan shave the beard he's been growing for weeks. And Austin was a pretty cute little Baxter. I think the results speak for themselves.

News Team...Assemble!!!

Who wouldn't want to take him to foggy London-town??

Can you believe I let this man hold my precious baby?

You stay classy, San Diego...

Good News, Bad News

Well, the good news is that Alan and I won't be missing or craving Cafe Rio pork salads for a while. The bad news is that the reason we won't be missing them is because we both got sooooo sick Tuesday night after I made them. I don't know what part of the salad it was, but it had both of us puking our guts out all night long and pretty much all day Wednesday. It was miserable. Thankfully, Austin was just fine and happy as ever. And one of our good friends was able to come and take Austin for a few hours in the afternoon so that Alan and I could rest. And we're feeling much better today. But I'll tell you what, being THAT sick with an 8 month old and no spouse (or mommy) to take care of you...sucks. It's amazing how grateful I am today for little things like the fact that I can stand up without throwing up. Wow.

So, if you don't feel like passing out or vomiting every time you stand up today, be thankful!

And don't mention pork salads to me or Alan for a few months...

Trying to be Domestic

I try. I really do.

A part of me wants to be that super mom who cooks magnificent meals for her family without so much as glancing at a recipe. Oh, and loves every minute of it. So I try. I LOVE food, so it should be reasonable for me to like to cook food...right?

Wrong. I just don't enjoy cooking. There, I said it.

Alan and I have really been missing Cafe Rio pork salads lately. So I found a recipe online that claimed to be EASY and taste just like the restaurant version. Well, the pork and dressing did indeed taste incredible - just like the real thing. But WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE who think that was easy? They must have 3 blenders, 8 hands and 0 children. It took me ALL freakin' day to make all 20 parts to these salads. And they did taste incredible, don't get me wrong. But I think next time we'll go down to Chipotle for an average substitute. Or wait till Christmas when we can pay 8 bucks for a salad they throw together in 20 seconds.

Ah, Cafe Rio, how we miss you.

And, since it feels weird publishing a post with no pictures, here's a peek into our cafe-rio-less, but really awesome lives in Iowa.

Picking apples at Wilson's Orchard = Perfect Fall activity.

We are best buds. We hang out pretty much all day. Every day.

This is Herky, Iowa's mascot. He is EVERYWHERE in Iowa City. And yes, he is always standing in that exact pose.

I've been waiting for months to dress Austin in this vest. I wish it came in my size. Well, Alan's size.