Wow- what a crazy week!  I guess it all started last Friday, when it was our turn to host “Dorktoberfest”- basically a LAN gaming party event.  We had to clean up the basement in order to create enough room for tables, etc. so that was a good thing!  We put some shelves together and got lots of boxes up off the floor and neatly organized.  Doug and about 15 guys had a good time playing computer games on Friday night and all day Saturday.

Sunday was a beautiful day, so we headed out to the local zoo for some excitement.  Lots of kids in costumes and Molly sure loved the animals! 

I’ve decided to increase my hours at work, so now I’m working every day from about 9-4.  I really like the set-up… I don’t feel rushed in the morning and Molly and I get home with the sun still up for a while.  Daylight savings time is gonna be good for the morning, but bad for the afternoon… it’s so depressing when the sun goes down around 4:30.

Halloween was fun today, and the weather was actually decent for once!  Molly had a special trick-or-treating event in the preschool parking lot this morning.  It was so cute to see all the kids dressed up!  Then tonight, Doug took her around the block to trick-or-treat at the neighbors’.  She was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz again this year, but thankfully decided to hold the Toto basket this time around.  We watched the movie over the weekend, so she was prepped to say “Lions, tigers, and bears… oh my!” and “We’re off to see the Wizard” and “There’s no place like home.”  I guess we need to start thinking about what she’ll be next year.  If I were smart, I’d head over to one of the Halloween shops tomorrow and buy next year’s outfit at a deep discount…hmmm…

Happy Halloween!  I just added some more pictures to our October album, so check ‘em out! 

~ Erin

Ok… if you got a strange call from Optimus Prime today, I might be to blame.  It all started when my sister Steph accused me of setting up a call from a Transformer (you know- the 80′s cartoon that was a live-action blockbuster movie this summer…).  I had nothing to do with Steph’s “incident” but it did pique my interest.  I went to the Transformers official website and found this: http://optimus.transformersmovie.com/

Apparently, you can have Optimus Prime call friends and leave a personalized message!  Super cool and very hilarious!  We just ordered the movie through Netflix, so we should receive it just in time for the weekend…

Doug took the day off today, so we traveled to Peoria for a quick visit to our college campus, a quick bite at Steak & Fries, and a fun time out at Apple Blossom Farm.  I think Molly had the most fun looking at the school buses in the parking lot, though! 

That’s about all for now… take it easy.

~ Erin

As I write this, it is going to be 90 degrees today… what is going on??  Molly and I are going to a “Fall Festival” today, but we’ll be wearing shorts and sunscreen.  Ugghh.  But I did cut down my annual potted flowers on the front porch and put up pumpkins and gourds in the hopes that it would usher in the cooler weather… no luck yet. 

I was watching TV last night and a commercial for Monopoly’s new “Electronic Banking” Edition caught my eye.  What is this?!  Apparently, it uses debit cards instead of the cash… so how am I supposed to cheat with that?!  My siblings will tell you I was a notorious boardgame cheater growing up.  It made the game a lot more fun for me, that’s for sure!  Monopoly was one of my favorite games to take advantage of, especially if I was the banker.  It was almost too easy, really.  Ah, the memories…

Molly was doing really well with potty training for about a week.  And now she refuses to even sit on the potty chair.  Aarrrgghh.  We were making good progress, but this is a major setback.  I guess I’ll just wait a week or two and try again.  She is saying some cute things lately- “Woops-a-daisy!” comes out of her mouth if she drops something.  She also says “Refreshing!” after taking a sip of juice.  Where do they pick these things up?

Doug continues to coach our church shool’s varsity B volleyball team.  They are at an out-of-town tournament today, so that should keep him busy.  Only a few more weeks of volleyball season, then Doug will be back home on a regular basis!

That’s about it for now… just sitting in the air conditioning waiting for Fall to arrive!

~ Erin