November

I didn't blog at all throughout November (except for highlighting trick-or-treating), so I thought I'd list a few things from our month:

-Matt and I celebrated 7 years of marriage!

-We went to Chick-Fil-A in the twin cities...we love that they are closer to home now

-My college roommate and her son came to visit one day

-We played more inside...the weather is getting cooler

-We had our share of coughs, sniffles and sneezes

-We celebrated thanksgiving with Matt's family and then spent the rest of the weekend sigh my family

-Matt and I saw Steven Curtis Chapman in concert...he was fantastic

-I went Black Friday shopping with my mom

-I got to play my French horn in church...it's been many months since I've played

-Matt got glasses

-The girls and I baked Christmas cookies with my mom

-We had a family Lefse making day with my extended family

-Apparently we did a lot in November!

trick-or-treat

The girls all dressed up like Disney characters this year for trick-or-treating!  Miriam was Tinkerbell, Abbie was Sleeping Beauty and Ella was Lady from "Lady and the Tramp."  We started out our evening by having dinner at Culver's because they were giving away free kids' meals for kids wearing costumes.  Then for trick-or-treating, we went to the mall again this year.  It was quite crowded because of the drizzly and foggy weather.  The girls didn't get a lot of candy because of that, but they still had fun.  Plus, no one came to our house...so we have a ton of candy left over!  

outside

We spent part of this weekend doing some fall clean-up in the yard.  We didn't have too much to do, but we all enjoyed being outside and enjoying the cool, fall weather.  We started a fire, raked leaves, dug in the dirt (well, the kids did), trimmed plants and ate apples.  A fun afternoon!

fall happenings

Fall is definitely one of my favorite times of year.  I love that the weather is a bit cooler and yet we can still go outside without needing to completely bundle up.  I love apple orchards, leaves changing colors, baking pumpkin and apple desserts, eating soups and sitting outside by a fire.  We have done almost all of those things already and we're only a week into this wonderful season.  I love living where we can experience each season.

The girls have come to enjoy much of fall, too.  Last weekend, Matt and I headed out of town for a wedding and the girls got to stay back and play with grandma and grandpa.  They had a great time...and so did we!  Here are some pictures from both of our weekends.

little pioneers

Last weekend, we made a family trip to Pepin, Wisconsin to visit the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder and attend a festival they have in her honor.  Miriam and I have almost read through the entire series together, so I knew she would definitely appreciate seeing what we've read about.  There were lots of pioneer demonstrations, activities, a museum and a cabin reconstructed at the site of the Ingalls home near Pepin.  We also enjoyed seeing Lake Pepin--it was a beautiful drive along the river and to the lake.  And, on our way back, we discovered a little gem of Ella, Wisconsin.  We took a picture with Ella at the sign and would love to take her back each year to see how she's grown!  It was a great family day.  

happy girl

September happenings

Well, here we go again...it's another end of the month and I've realized I've neglected updating anything on here.  It's not intentional, I promise!  September has been full of many activities (as usual).  Mostly, we've been enjoying welcoming in fall--minus all the cloudy, rainy days.  But this is always my favorite time of year.  The weather gets cooler, the leaves changing are beautiful and it's time to start baking again (specifically with apples!).  

So, here's what we did this month....

 ...visited the orchards.  Abbie loved the goats and tried feeding them grass, hay, and basically anything she could find.

 Miriam enjoyed taking pictures by the bus and visiting the corn maze in the background.  

 She also like climbing up the stacks of hay and pretending to be the Statue of Liberty.  I love how she was dressed in sweats the same color as the Statue of Liberty that day!

 Abbie feeding again...

 Family picture!

....stayed inside and listened to music!

Matt has been leading worship from the guitar on Sunday evenings for church and has spent a good amount of time polishing up his skills.  The girls always enjoy listening to him, too.  I'm still incredibly impressed how he basically picked up the guitar one day and started playing (with no music or anything).  He's far surpassed anything I can do with guitar!

....smiled!

...and got some new shirts!  

We found these shirts on Francesca Battistelli's website and decided we should get them.  But, so that I don't stretch out too much more....I think I'll have to wait to wear it again until Baby3 is born!

...last but not least, it's a girl!!!!  

Speaking of Baby3, we have now had 2 ultrasounds to confirm we are having another girl.  We're pretty thrilled!  Miriam was really hoping for a brother, but was so excited to hear that she is officially a girl.  She carries around the ultrasound pictures and shouts, "it's a girl!"  We certainly are prepared with girl clothes, toys, furniture and pretty much everything we need!