Happy Halloween!

Audrey's 1st Halloween!

..so we're a little late on the pumpkin carving..

thanks grandma b for taking the picture!

clark, leo & joey

We had pizza with spider man the other night. He also joined us for some other meals as well!

Audrey Ann was 7 months old last Saturday. She is a busy little girl. She can sit up on her own, she can get to sitting from the floor, she can rock on all 4's and army crawls all around the living room. She has found her voice, and knows how to use it. I told Derek, welcome to the life of a girl..she can turn it on and off like a switch! When I walk in the door from work, she starts to cry, I try to hurry up and wash my hands. I pick her up, and she looks at Derek and laughs! She also thinks it is pretty funny when Joey cries..lately i've been hearing this a lot.."it's not funny Audrey!!" (from brother joey).

She's lovin her veggies and fruit, and eats like a trooper. She's pretty independent, and can play on the floor with her toys for awhile. Hope everyone has a happy halloween!

Crazy cousins!

We jetted down to Esko for Emma's 1st birthday party. The ball pit was a hit!

I feel like we've been so lucky this spring/summer/and fall to have gotten to see so much of our extended family. I love that our kids have been able to play so much with their cousins.

Happy 1st birthday Emma! your mommy puts on a good party!!

And of course we had to go to the football game on Friday night. Joey and his cousin Ethan are hitting the sign!!

We have a football fan on our hands! Here are Joey's "cattoos". He woke me up at 5:30 this morning and asked if he could put some more on...

We take the kids to the home games to cheer on Coach Ed. Joey's favorite part is when the players run off and onto the field to the locker room and they are all pumped up and they jump up and hit the VHS Blue Devil sign. He was sad on Friday because the green team did not hit the sign. When we got home from the game, he kept running into the bathroom and slapping the door, we asked what he was doing, and he said "hitting the sign."

So Saturday we went to Target and bought some heavy duty cardboard poster paper. We made him his own Blue Devil sign. Now, Derek needs to announce him "Here comes the Virginia Blue Devils!!!" and he runs out of the bathroom, to the front door...and slaps his sign. Derek called Coach Ed to tell him the story. Just one example how older kids, and all of us, can influence these little kiddos.

Audrey Ann is now getting up on all 4's. She can rock forward a little bit, but when she tries to shift her weight, she usually ends up falling over.

Wood Weekend

This weekend we went to Clearbrook, MN to Derek's Uncle Kenny and Janine's house. Every October they get together for Wood Weekend. The boys help Kenny cut wood for the winter, and they kids get to play on the farm.

Joey fell in love with "tom" cat, and now wants 2 kitties instead of 2 dogs..

Much of the weekend was spent riding on the 4 wheeler and gator. here is joey with uncle darren, hailey and cousin sam (who is 4).

hailey was a very good driver!

Derek's cousin Judd found a dead cow when he went out hunting one morning. of course everyone had go on the gator and see it. they said she was an old cow, and died of old age.

Kenny and Janine bought an old farmhouse and totally renovated and fixed it up. It is absolutely beautiful!! The kitchen floor is from an old barn.

Riding on the 4 wheeler with Auntie Steph.

Those are cows. He has about 16. I must say i was nervous on the gator, because the cows start coming towards you because they think you have feed.

Such a gorgeous weekend.

The whole point of the weekend...cutting firewood.

The afternoon Saturday job was vaccinating the cows. Thankfully I didn't have to help with that. I was getting kids lunch and down for naps. I'm pretty sure Derek wants to be a farmer now.

Joey's kitty.

Uncle Kenny hooked up the trailer to his Farm haul tractor and we all got to go for a hay ride, except that Joey and I got to take a ride before everyone else!

running on the hay bales. joey was having a blast!

everyone in front of the ol barn, which will eventually be taken down, because the floor is rotting. so sad, because it is so beatiful.

And of course a quick stop on the way home to see paul and the blue ox