Dentist

Blake had his first trip to the dentist during Christmas break. I had my appointment first, and Blake watched to see what it was all about. The best I was hoping for was that he would sit in the chair and let Dr. Leslie count his teeth. He was such a brave boy! Not only did he let Dr. Leslie count his teeth, but he also had her clean them, floss, and polish them! I would say that Blake's first trip to the dentist was a positive one!

Christmas 2011

I am so far behind on updating our blog!!! Here are some pictures from Christmas. We stayed home this year. Papa Ron and Claudia joined us on Christmas Eve for dinner and to open presents. It was nice to spend Christmas around the new fireplace!

Thanksgiving 2011

This year Blake, Bennett, and I traveled to Walker, MN to meet my family for Thanksgiving. Randy stayed back to try and get that big buck! We rented a house near Leech Lake. The house was ideal, with 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms-- 1 for each family. The bonus was the indoor swimming pool, hot tub, and sauna :)

On Friday evening we took in the local Holiday Lights parade that Walker put on. All of the kiddos LOVED seeing all of the parade lights, and the candy was a hit as well!

The cousins enjoyed playing together and being silly. Bennett wasn't too sure of straying far from my side because of the unfamiliar surroundings. As soon as we returned he was back to his normal "daddy's boy" self, however.

How thankful I am that everyone made it to MN safely and home again. Thanks for the memorable weekend!

Halloween 2011

Papa Ron and Claudia stopped over about a week ago to see the boys in their costumes. They got a little practice saying "trick or treat" as Papa and Grandma also brought some goodies along :)

For the actual day of Halloween this year we ventured to Mondovi to take in some trick-or-treating with the boys. Blake aka(Spiderman) and Bennett aka (Zebra) enjoyed seeing all of the jack o'lanterns lit up and knocking on the doors to say "trick or treat!"

A few weeks ago Blake drew a self-portrait of him in his Halloween costume. You can see the drawn Spiderman and the real Spiderman below.

Halloween Trail

To get ready for Halloween, Blake, Bennett, and I met our friends Stephanie, Hadley, and Piper to break in those Halloween costumes at a local pumpkin patch. We trick or treated on the Fantasy Trail, fed the animals, and took a "train" ride. What a beautiful fall day to spend with friends!

Fall Fun 2011

Now that our remodeling project is complete we have time to spend on outdoor projects like raking leaves (round 1 complete- stay tuned for round 2) and visiting the pumpkin patch. Blake and Bennett had fun playing in the leaves in our yard last weekend. This weekend we went to a local pumpkin patch to see all of the different kinds of pumpkins. Fall is definitely in the air! We hope that you are enjoying your fall days too!

Stones

As the finishing touches get put on our remodeling project, we are getting even more excited to be able to use this new space. This past week they finished putting the stone on the fireplace, and the landscapers built our stone retaining wall. This week they should finish the landscaping by adding some shrubs, flowers and seeding the lawn.

Don't you like how the deer mounts are already in the addition before any furniture:)?! We do have our priorities, you know,--- well at least the hunter in the house does!