A weekend of Fall Fun!

October 15 was the perfect day for a few "firsts" in the Kapellas family, one more major than the other. One of us "flew" in an airplane to get a haircut, one little pumpkin went to a farm (E-I-E-I-O!) and the next day, all of us got to eat a dinosaur cake, meet a new cousin and have lots of fun family time!

Darlin' don't you go and cut your hair...

It was finally time for Isla's curly locks to get a much needed trim. The tangles had become too hard to manage and a little girl shouldn't resemble Sideshow Bob. So, we headed out to Pigtails and Crewcuts in Glenview for what we hoped would be a pleasant first experience.

"This is your captain speaking. We'll be cruising at an altitude of 4 feet and expect to be in the air for as little time as possible."

"Keep your head in an upright position and your cape fastened until mommy says you're done."

Objects in mirror are much longer than they appear.

The very first cut!

Lookin' good!

All done! And done with posing for pictures. For the final result, see the picture in the next post. Isla did a great job and her curls are even more beautiful and curly, of course!

Return to Goebbert's

After the morning haircut, it was time for Gannon to experience his first pumpkin farm. Afterall, he needs to learn how to pick the best pumpkins for the upcoming Kapellas Karve-off.

Just my size!

Finding his pumpkin was just exhausting!

Isla caught up with a few of her "friends" from last year. This is one reason why Goebbert's is the best...lots of painted larger-than-life characters to keep Isla very occupied. Or is it distracted from our pumpkin finding mission?

This is the one!

No, maybe this one. The "sit-test" is still part of the routine.

Daddy thinks he found the winner.

"Mommy, let's take this giant one home!"

Here's that picture I mentioned earlier regarding the haircut. So cute!

These are by far the best little pumpkins in the patch.

What a day! Little pumpkins, big pumpkins, gourds, kettle corn and great memories. See you next year, Goebbert's!

George's 3rd birthday

The next day, we headed down to Big Yia Yia's house for a great family dinner to celebrate George's special day.

Hurry up and make a wish so we can eat this dinosaur! The picture doesn't do it justice, but George's Uncle Adam made this amazing cake. So life-like and so delicious!

We also got to meet the other new baby boy in the family. Baby Declan was born 12 days after Gannon. And he arrived in a hurry too! Here are the two boys together, with Paul and his cousin Meghan. For now, Gannon has Declan beat in the chubs department. And the "which baby can cry the loudest." But Declan wins when it comes to hair - long blonde locks! Such handsome boys!

Paul has logged a (Schweddy) run entry

Number 12 is in the books with a finish time of 3:29:58! Paul was finally able to take in the "fun" on this run and it was just as good as any marathon for these spectators too!

The support crew is ready: Tiffany, Gannon, Gammo, Grampy, Aunt Christine, Uncle Paul and Super Cheerleader Isla.

The Kenyans with Ryan Hall bringing up the rear of the pack. Fast running=blurry picture.

Mile 3.5: Already Schweddy! But lookin' good!

Wtf?

Time for Gannon to refuel.

You'd think after 7 Chicago marathons, Paul would know the routine of where to find his supporters. But, this is the picture you take when he is suddenly in your face after passing you by at mile 11.5. And look at those adoring fans on the left!

Still Schweddy in Chinatown! And he nearly passed us by AGAIN after a small miscalculation in time. Like I said, you'd think after 7 Chicago marathons...

"I don't see what's so hard about 26.2 miles. My legs feel great."

Mr. Marathon!

Yay, Daddy! We're all so proud of you. It never gets old watching your amazing ability.

Next up: Vegas, baby!

Schweddy is ready!

Or is it ready to be Schweddy?

8 is great!

On Sunday, Mr. Marathon, a.k.a. Paul, is running his 12th marathon. It will also be his 8th consecutive Chicago marathon. It's ok to think he's crazy. I do, but I also think he's incredibly inspiring and amazing (and not just because I'm his lucky wife.)

Most people just aim to run "a" marathon. Paul doesn't stop until he's reached his goal. The thing is, his goal grows and grows and seems to be never-ending. Nevertheless, keep him in your thoughts and wish him a great race. Tomorrow's goal is to have fun and count this as a long training run for his next goal...a sub-3 in Vegas in December?!

Go, pk, GO!!

The infamous wall of names at the Nike booth at the Marathon Expo. I think his name should be in bold or something!