There are not many certainties in life but I did discover one on Friday. If your weekend begins with your husband getting home from work early and a supper of scrumptious, lip smacking, wondrous Jake's Pizza, it is certain it's going to be a great one! Another trek to good ol' Minnesota was in store and we were ready. Arriving in STJ at suppertime we had the difficult decision of Subway, McDonald's or Jakes for supper. Hmmmm....tough choice. Unbelievable how great that pizza is. Someone should open up and store and sell it~it's that good! After supper and some riveting conversation with Mom and Dad, we went to bed and promptly fell into a pizza coma, only to awaken Saturday morning and fall head first into a big pile of heavenly Schmidt's doughnuts. It occurred to me that it would be dangerous to my health if I lived in St. James. It would be a strict diet of Jakes and Schmidts and it wouldn't be good.
Anyway, after our uber-healthy breakfast, we hopped in the Expedition and were Chanhassen bound. As soon as we walked into Jeremy and Sheila's house, it was time to eat again. (Yes, eating and playing games is pretty much all we do.) Since we were so near the Mall of America,
Jason and I thought it would be fun to take the girls to the American Girl store. Lily opted out of the trip because as you may remember, "shopping makes me feel like I'm going to a funeral" and decided it would be more fun to stay back and play. Off Jason, Grace, Ella and I went and remarkably we found our destination with absolutely no problems at all. As Grace meandered around the store checking things out, Ella forlornly looked out the window silently wishing she were in Nickelodeon Universe instead. So close yet so far away!
Discovering there was an escalator in the store perked Ella up and we checked out the second level....
Ella thought this cowboy hat was pretty sweet.
And Grace located the doll that she has been coveting in the catalog.
They both posed in front of the wheelchair and crutch set they both think would be awesome to have~for their babies, not themselves.
It was time to exit American Girl with empty hands but heads full of wishes and stumbled upon Ella's favorite store in the whole world, Claire's. Grace tried on a pair of sunglasses that she thought might amp up her street cred a little while Ella checked out all the fine jewels.
We made it back to Jeremy and Sheila's as easily as we found the mall. This is quite an accomplishment for Jason and I and I think we kind of impressed everyone with our directional and navigational prowess. Hold your applause. We had a some time for a few rousing rounds of Sequence and then it was time to head to "Pump It Up" for the main reason for our trip, Emma's 6th birthday party. The kids all had an awesome time....
but I think the adults may have had even more fun....
Lily happily bounced from slide to basketball court to obstacle course...
to Uncle Joshy.
It was then time for Josh to bid us all a fond adieu.
And then after a quick glamour shot for Jason and I....
we proceeded into the party room to celebrate the birth of Princess Emma.
We enjoyed yummy pizza and cake....
With the pumpkin carver extraordinaire at the helm...
the carving commenced. As the girls dug into the gooey, slimy innards I saw the gamut of emotions flickering across their pretty little faces. There was intense determination.... 
outright glee... 
and mild disgust.
As Jason began the intricate process of carving, Grace and Ella manhandled the yuckiness.
and Lily and Ella marvelled at their dad's talented way with a knife.
Of course, Lily, our comic in training, had to goof around a little bit...
I wonder where she gets it from????
At last the work was over and the masterpieces were unveiled....
The girls were happy with the final results and are not excitedly looking forward to their Friday Fall parties at school and the main event on Saturday.
