Cabin Visit

Before Halloween we spent a couple days at Mimi's cabin with Mimi, Grandma Jan and Grandpa Zan, playing and doing some fall clean-up. The kids got to bring their costumes and go to a little town Halloween festival. We also went to a small haunted house (no pics, too bad) which was an interesting experience for Elin. All in all, we had a lot of fun together, which we always do at the cabin.

Mimi and the kiddos

The bonfire at the Halloween festival... it was HOT and felt GOOD!

We took a carriage ride around town (which I usually protest, but the kids really wanted to go). As we were unloading, one of the horses decided to create a large and odorous yellow river in the parking lot... hilarious!

There was lots of fall chores to do... garage cleaning, roof and gutter cleaning, and most of all leaves, leaves, and more leaves- LOTS of leaves. We had 3 blowers going, and it still took all afternoon. The kids pitched in with picking up fallen twigs and branches, which was a huge help.

This is the leaf blower of all leaf blowers... it could blow a small person over! Zan had a huge job pushing this all over the drive, he was beat afterwards.

Grandma Jan and Elin

This is what can happen when a huge wind storm comes through and knocks trees down... time for a new pier!

Halloween Time!

We had a fun-filled Halloween weekend! The kids both loved doing pumpkins, which is actually a first for Nate (too gooey for him before, but he couldn't get enough this year). And we all went out trick-or-treating together, although it was a bit chilly, so we got to add in some hot chocolate with our candy afterward.

I'm still in charge of carving- I think Nate may be minus a few fingers if I let him at it.

And the final products...

Nate loved his NASA space suit, and I have to admit he looked pretty cool in it.

And Elin lover her Little Red Ridinghood costume. It was torture for the kids to wait until Halloween to wear these as they were sitting in a closet for few weeks. But now they can wear them whenever they want!

What a pair... Astronaut meets Little Red

When Nate got tired of wearing his space helmet, I had a go.

And door to door to door... to door... to door... etc. etc. etc...

It was fun to hear all the people say how cute the kids looked, although I'm sure they didn't care as long as they got some loot.

Everyone had to try on the cool space helmet, although Elin had a hard time keeping this big thing on her head. Fun times!

Pretty Pics in Pink

Here are some new pics of Miss Elin. I think she liked getting her picture taken. They turned out better than I thought. The first outfit got peanut butter on it . . . .

Picture #1

Picture #2

Picture #3

Picture #4

Picture #5

Picture #6

Picture #7

Picture #8

Picture #9

Picture #10

Picture #11

Picture #12

Picture #13

Breakfast in Bed

Nathaniel and Elin surprised us a few days ago with breakfast in bed. They get up early every morning, so I suppose they must find something to do with all their time. This isn't the first time we've been surprised with interesting concoctions in the morning.

It was a delicious slice of toast with just the right amount of peanut butter and honey spread "evenly" over the slice, and dotted with tasty salted almonds sprouting, points down, out of the middle. A slice of heaven! I did have a little difficulty prying my mouth open after a few bites and had to request something to drink, but that's a just a small matter. Thanks kiddos!

Fall Festival

Nate's school threw a Fall Festival for all the kids... everything from face painting to games, from auctions to lots of good food. Elin and Nate spent a lot of time just playing on the playground with some friends.

Napping in the sand?

We got to eat dinner in Nate's cafeteria. I found out that Nate and his class actually eat lunch in their classroom, except for "hot lunch" day. The cafeteria felt so small to me , but I'm sure it feels just as big to those kids as mine did when I was in 1st grade.

Nate and Elin, and friends Anna and Sophia. Elin was SOOOO excited to see Sophia from her own school, she couldn't stop smiling.

No festival would be complete without face painting, right? The painters were the "older" kids volunteering, and our kids were happy to be guinea pigs. Here's Nate with his basketball that got partially wiped.

And Elin with her flower...

...and hearts.

The Moon Is Stuck!

I was driving away from dropping Nate off the other day when from the back I heard the following:

Elin - "Oh, no! Mommy, oh no!"

Me - "What's wrong Elin?" (I am thinking Nate left his bag or coat.)

Elin - "The moon, mommy, the moon is in the sky, (struggling to find the words) Mommy the moon is STUCK! We have to help the moon!"

Me - "Oh no, what should we do?"

Elin talking to herself - "I go home get butterfly wings on and help the moon unstuck. No butterfly wings don't go high enough - they pretend. Oh yes, I have Nate build a rocket ship and fix the moon unstuck. Hmm . . ."

She thinks about it for a minute - and then says to me. "Mommy, I going to school. You and Daddy are going to have to fix the moon unstuck."

It was a miracle - but when she came out of school at 11:30 am - the moon was no longer stuck in the sky. Who knew I could "unstuck the moon" in a few short hours.

Sub-5 Century

Last weekend my Dad and a few of his friends put together a century bike ride (100 miles), with the goal of finishing under 5 hours. They put a lot of time into preparation (as did my Mom and other family members), and it turned out to be a huge success. There were 40 participants, and in all they raised over $12,000 for the Paul Ruby Foundation for Parkinson's disease. Also, many of the riders finished the century under the 5-hour goal. Way to go riders! Here are a few of the pics from the ride...

Here are a group of riders at their first rest stop, looking good.

Me and another rider from my group taking a break.

My Dad (blue jersey) coming in for a rest stop.

The kiddos came along for the fun. Here are the two inseparable ones... Sadie and Elin.

"What are those riders thinking? Let's just stay here and eat some goodies."

The Gang.

There was, of course, a huge food tent for the rest stops and lunch after the ride.

We had many helpers with the food prep and tent... thanks to all of you!

My Mom and Aunt Nancy.

My little sis Shawnta was a huge help as well...

...as was Mike my brother-in-law. We tried to pull him out on the bike, maybe next year.

Our helpers taking a break. My Aunt Nancy and Annette brought a whole crew of helpers to the event... thanks a ton!

It looks like Lexi really needed a break. This was a nice treat after 100 miles of riding.

Me riding into the finish line... too tired to smile.

My Dad, Grandpa, and the girls after the finish. Way to go, Dad!

My Dad seems to be a little-person magnet- here they are helping him bring in the machine.

My Dad and I at the finish. Can't wait for the next one, Dad!

And last but not least, I couldn't have done this without my lovely bride April. I don't have any pics because April was the one taking them. Two months of training with long hours on the bike doesn't come for free. She also helped out a ton the day of the ride, and that while our kids were running rampant. Thanks babe, I owe you!