happy birthday, katie

Happy Birthday, my dear.

I hope it has been a wonderful week in the sun.

Thank you for all the loveliness you bring to our family, your patience, kindness, your sense of humor.

So much love for the year ahead

Love, Val and Jay and Everybody

pumpkin patch

While the guys were taking out docks and pontoon boats and winterizing a couple cabins, we took the kids to the Burch Barn and had a good time.

It was warm in the sun and cold in the shade, a nearly perfect day for this.

They wanted to do this, but they're too little to reach the faces.  That's ok.

This corn pit was a huge hit with the littlest one.  She was in here a long time, tossing corn around, joining in with all the kids.

This thing is a slide on the back side, and one kid was a tiny bit too small to climb up there, so I sat on the bottom bale and boosted her up the levels.  She ran around and around so many times.

The trees and the sky, just gorgeous that day.

Here's the giant slide:

We didn't lose anyone in the corn maze, so that's good, and wandering in corn chatting with children is always entertaining, wacky, confusing conversations, but I loved it.

Love you all, Grandma
 

happy birthday, kirsten

Dan heard Kirsten wanted a field bonfire for her birthday, so he made it happen.  The first bonfire in the field was due to storm damage and fallen trees.  The second was because the fire didn't actually burn up everything by the end of the night, so a second fire was had during last year's snow storm. That did finish off the pile, but there's plenty of old wood in the woods for another.

Kids hauled wood too.   They dragged some out with the van.

And then in the middle of the evening when it was getting cold, we headed back for cake and children's bedtime.

 Pandemic style! Blew out candles with her hands.

It was a lovely evening, lots of Chinese food from in town, the fire, the cake, laughter and fun.

We appreciate your sense of humor and spirit of adventure and are so lucky you're ours.

I hope this is a great year ahead.

Happy Birthday!

Love, Mom and Dad and Everybody

who is in my backyard?

Can't wait to see you guys!

Love, Grandma
 

fall

 

Love, Val

adorable

So nice.

Love, Mom and Dad
 

sunday night

Gravel road these days, apparently we're getting new asphalt. Who knew?

And back home again at the end of the night, where I texted Alicia about her upcoming JURY DUTY.  Oh, for heaven's sakes, what's next?  They had a good weekend in Duluth with friends and a herd of kids, hiking, enjoying this gorgeous fall weekend.

We stopped at Heidi and Joe's to drop off the boat to be stored in their extra garage for the winter.  The dining room was all golden in the evening sun, golden table, beautiful meal, loud kids all happy to see us.  Kirsten's dogs are there being babysat and they were excited too.

And now it is the end of the evening, and this person is starting daycare tomorrow.  It's exciting, and will be so much fun to play with friends and do new things. 

I'm happy, but also nervous about it, have had more than one dream where I can't find her, have, "lost the baby," my subconscious working overtime.

Transitions.

Onward.  

Fingers crossed for tomorrow, and wishing you a wonderful day.

Love, Grandma

 

moving day

Took only a few pictures because we were busy, helping Maria and Dalton move into their new house.

 Of all their confused, disoriented pets, this was the only one I took a picture of, and he's actually quite content.

Lots of work, but also lots of fun.

This is a new house blessing for many years:

"May your home be made beautiful by the faces of family and friends who visit there, and may you find many reasons to be happy while you live beneath its roof."

Onward.

Love, Mom and Dad

friday night football

 James and Aaron made it to the game, and it has been fun how much enjoyment they've all had this season.    Last night at the cabin though, too tired to stay up or eat cheese curds.  Football is wearing him out.

Love, Grandma

open to interpretation

 Dressing up can mean more than one thing, true.

You go, Girl

Love, Grandma

a football game

Made it to this guy's game last weekend--beautiful morning, and fun to see you play, Buddy!

Love, Grandma and Grandpa
 

a weekend

We took Elin on a walk in the woods.

It's so pretty in the field.

The fall colors this year are all goofed up by heat and drought.  Some have lost all their leaves while others are still green.   It's still pretty, but just not like last year when all the planets and stars aligned.

These days of early darkness create some gorgeous cloud situations.

Our little ghosties:  

This stairway landing was a lot of measuring and weird cuts, but it looks great. The goal is for imperfections to be not distracting--not that they don't exist, but that they don't distract.

Under the fridge (which was pronounced dead today by an appliance repairman) and under the stove, which slipped back into place so easily with those special slides put under the corners and a new, longer cord.

Good night, such a lovely weekend. 

Love, Val