Happy Friday, friends! We’ve got a few weeks to catch up on, so let’s jump in!

1. Joseph got glasses! Gah, I can’t believe how grown up he looks in them. He was so, so excited to match Dominic with black glasses 🥰

(The shirt he’s wearing was for the 100th day of school… he made a shirt with all 50 states and their capitals – 100 things! I love his love of geography.)

2. This girl has been LOVING writing and is so proud that she can spell her brothers’ names 😊 I can’t believe she’s going to be in kindergarten next year… where on Earth does the time go?!

3. Dominic update… he completed his second round of the new immunotherapy and low-dose chemo combo in New York two weeks ago, then had a new scan last week. The scan showed improvement, about a 30% decrease in skeletal disease, so headed in the right direction. He also had a PET scan here at home earlier this week, as his doctors wanted to have another data point for some clarity about what might be dead disease still showing up on the other scan. We haven’t heard about those results yet.

He is finally enjoying a ravenous appetite again and has gotten his legs back under him this week, went back to school on Wednesday. We got the good news that he will be able to do his next round of treatment here in Pittsburgh, which he is thrilled about since my husband, Joseph, and Isabelle will be able to come and visit.

4. I haven’t been to Trader Joe’s in ages and don’t regularly shop there… which products are worth the trip??! >> Trader Joe’s 14th Annual Customer Choice Award Winners

5. My overthinking, overanalyzing brain needs this sometimes >> The Art of Effortless Decision Making

6. Books! I finished Code Name Helene while in New York; I found it slow initially, but the book’s last half went very quickly. I loved that it was fiction but based on an actual woman’s work during World War II. I’m reading Every Summer After now and am flying through it, I’m nearly halfway through and love it so far!

7. YES, all of this, especially “…the world was still simple and slow and pure and authentic…” >> Why I Loved Being a Teen in the 90s

8. Super Bowl! Are you watching? What are you eating? Who are you rooting for? I don’t really have a Super Bowl menu planned because we’ll be celebrating my husband’s birthday with family that day, too, and will probably just eat leftovers from our noon meal (his picks: focaccia bread, eggplant parmesan, pasta salad, and cannoli for dessert). However, we do have queso and chips in the pantry! I don’t have a rooting interest in the game, but if forced to choose, I’ll cheer for the Chiefs.

9. Let’s talk TV… we’re all caught up on Mayor of Kingstown and love seeing some Pittsburgh-area sites since that is where they filmed the current season! We also watched season one of Billy the Kid on MGM+, it was fantastic!

10. TGIF! It was National Golden Retriever Day last Friday, but really every day is golden retriever day at our house 🤩