Fall hike #2

Hiking on a beautiful fall day!  We wanted a family outing.  The kids have no interest.  We say, "invite friends."  They say, "We can't wait to go!  We don't want to miss this!"

It was a great day to hike along the bluffs of the river.  The kids each had a friend to keep them company.  There were lots of smiles and laughter and not once did someone say "can we go home now."  I call that a win!

My Dad

One year ago the kids and I went up to MN for fall break.  I have not always taken the kids up, but decided to go for it last year.  We had lots of fun at the apple orchard, and at a cousin's Halloween party, and jumping in the leaves.  My favorite memory, however, is giving my dad a hug before we left.  It would be my last hug I ever got from him.  I mean a true hug when we were at home and he had his arms wrapped around me holding me tightly.  It was the last time I got to be daddy's little girl held in my father's embrace.

Two days later we learned about his cancer.  A month later when I saw him again, he was in the hospital.  I could hold his hand and sort of get a hug as he lay there, but it was not the same hug that I had gotten from him all these years.

I wish I had a picture of our last hug.  But I do remember the feeling of being so tightly held and loved.  These pictures remind of hugs and love I grew up with.  I miss my dad so much, but I am grateful for his love and hugs!

Fall hike!

It is easy to see from the pictures that the temperatures recently dipped a bit low.  It was a chilly Saturday, but we drove up to Pikes Peak State Park for a little family outing.  We went for a brief hike and enjoyed seeing the river and the start of the fall colors.

 We were pretty bundled up, but once we got into the woods a little we were sheltered from the wind and it wasn't too cold.  It was fun just to have time together even if a few members of the family were not super excited about the hike!

 After the hike we went to a favorite little cafe in Prairie du Chien for lunch.  Yummy sandwiches and a delicious cookie to share.  Life is good together with those you love!

Before heading home, we toured Cabela's for old times sake.  We used to go there a lot in Grand Forks just to look around at all the animals.  It was a great day!

Fall MN visit

The kids and I made a quick weekend trip to MN to visit family.  The had one day off from school so we made the most of our three day weekend.  It was a weekend filled with cousins and fun!

 We got to get Cal early from school to spend time at Grandma's house.  One of the things we did was to decorate spider cupcakes.  They were a bit abstract, but fun to make together.

 Later in the afternoon the rest of the cousins came over and that makes for a busy house, but also lots of smiles and laughter.  Teresa and Fiona put on several editions of "The Witch Sisters."  The made up little skits that were quite funny and for some reason included a lot of vomiting.  They are already planning more skits for Thanksgiving!

 We also had a Halloween mystery dinner with all the cousins.  They got to order food with Halloween names and then did not know what they would be getting.  It was very entertaining!

 Timothy decided to try out an experiment with an egg.  He wanted to make the egg bouncy.  The first attempt failed, but the second try resulted in a bouncy egg.

It was fun to be at Grandma's house and the time went way too fast.  We look forward to our visit again next month!

Happy Birthday!

It was a day to celebrate this weekend.  Troy turned 43 and had a baseball themed party.  We actually took the theme into movie night on Friday and watched The Rookie, about a kid who joins the Cubs.  It was a cute movie.  Troy fixed dinner on Friday with his favorites of fish and cheese.  Walleye this year with thoughts of his dad.  It was his first birthday after losing his mom, but it did not dampen the day.  He reflected on the changes, but found joy in the moment.

 We did most of our celebrating after church on Sunday.  The kids were excited to give their gifts...a massage roller and a baseball.  Many of his gifts reflected his favorites of Cubs and coffee this year!

The afternoon was low key as we prepped to host a dinner gathering with neighbors--5 other couples and a total of 15 kids!  It was a full house, but with lots of smiles and laughter and good conversation.  The kids had fun and a few got pretty muddy after some falls in the backyard.  That turned into purposefully rolling in the mud.  I believe a few kids had to be hosed off before they could go inside to shower!  

Troy chose a simple design for the big cookie this year.  It was a baseball.  I made chocolate cupcakes too, but the cookie was the overall favorite!  I think it was a good day for a great guy!