Trying to keep up

Our family has been adjusting to kindergarten relatively well,

considering a completely different routine. 

One of the only "complaints" about school is

that my oldest would be missing out one things at home.

So I've made it a point to make sure to do one 'fun' activity or craft on the weekends.

This last weekend we decided to paint.

My youngest was doing a very detailed job for age 2.

My little princess just wanted to change the color of the water,

although she did start painting about 20 minutes into it.

Here is the start of my youngest painting of her pumpkin,

which was the most comical to watch the progression.

We started to learn we could mix the colors and then came the smiles.

 She was so cute to watch.

Well, the fall leaves are pretty creative this year.

Here is my happy little man. 

Taking care to color every detail exactly how he sees it.

And last, but not least,

not missing out on anything.

The Last Day of Summer

The day before school started,

we met up with some friends to go for a walk through the tunnel.

There was too much excitement,

we had to run.

Once we arrived,

everyone couldn't wait to go in,

until they saw how dark it was.

Armed with flashlights and a little bit of courage we entered the very long tunnel.

Because of the fog, we couldn't see the light on the other end.

I'm not sure of how long the tunnel actually is,

but it is long and wet.

We all made it to the end,

which everyone was happy about,

we didn't remind them that we had to walk back through to get back to our vehicles.

Here is a picture of my dear friend ready to go into labor any minute,

luckily the baby dediced to wait so we could get one last adventure in before she/he comes.

This little shack held more information about the tunnel

and how the train operations were run more than 100 years ago.

I got a work out from the water pump getting all the kids a drink.

My little princess tried to be just like mama.  

The had more signs to the stone flume that they built

in case of drainage issues for the tunnel.

We met a older gentleman on the way back

who came to see the tunnel

because his grandfather had been one to dig and haul rocks to create the tunnel in the 1800s.

We all had a wonderful adventure and can't wait to go again. 



Last Week at the Children's Museum

We've had a crazy couple of weeks,

which has unfortunately affected my posting. 

Last week Friday, we went to the Children's museum in LaCrosse.

It is three levels with multiple activities to experiment with on each level.

The kids loved the water tables and sending their ships down the rivers.

Who wouldn't love demolition?

My little crane engineers.

While the older two played with the crane,

my little girl drove the ferry.

We climbed a couple trees,

Dressed up like dinosaurs and chased each other through the maze,

Got scared a couple of times,

Tried feeding the dinosaurs,

Posed for a few photos,

Checked out a tree house,

Put the new gas prices on the board

(Have I been shopping at the Amish farm stand too much?

She spelled that all on her own:)

Got to shoot balls and scarfs through air ducts,

Had a chance to run around a bunch,

We even drove a fire truck,

and all in all, had an exciting day.



Two Firsts in One Day

Well, the day has come.  My first born started kindergarten today.

He looks like such a little man in this picture...next to his goofball sister.

He had a great day. 

His favorite part was getting to see the American flag be put up.

That and getting two chocolate milks(one at snack and one at lunch)

He did wonderful and I have to say, I did great considering he's my first.

What I was so thankful for today,

was not only having a son who I am so proud of and is maturing into a wonderful little man,

but being blessed with such treasured friends and family for support.

One of my dear friends invited me over today to have something to do,

 which is exactly what I needed today.

I had a couple misty moments after dropping my oldest off,

but it's not until now that the flood gates are really opened

 by reflecting on how truly blessed I am.

Thank you.

We not only had a first at school,

but we had a first only an hour after getting home.

 These may look like mug shots, but I had to try to capture the extent of the damage.

Warning:

This is what a four year old is capable of when armed with a scissors in reach.

The part I liked best was the fact she was so concerned about me telling her father...

I promised her I wouldn't tell:)



Keep Digging

Well, here is our potato patch.

Don't mind the weeds, I don't after the plants die.

I'm so happy to be blessed with a big strong man to help dig.

I dug for about 15 minutes and it was painful to watch...the ground was HARD!

There was so much excitement.

We classify digging potatoes up there with presents on Christmas morning,

you never know what you're going to get

and there is always so much excitement.

We dug up our Purple Viking potatoes first.

The Purple Viking yielded fewer, but larger potatoes than that of the yellow finn.

Here's my oldest with two Purple Vikings...

he informed me I had to be quick with the picture

so his sisters didn't take all the rest of his potatoes:)

Here's my little princess with her potatoes,

always happy to stop for a picture.

And last, but not least, my big girl.

At two, still not quite grasping the 'hold still' command to snap a quick picture. 

As you can see, we've moved on to the the next row...yellow finns.

I picked these two varieties from Seed Savers this year because of the storing qualities.

I couldn't help but put this one in,

every look of  my big girl digging potatoes was a mix of

wonder, confusion, and excitement.

She also thought it would be a splendid idea to give the potatoes a little try.

Then handed it over to mom to cook:) 

Here's our 2011 potato loot. 

We couldn't be happier. 

The potatoes that did get sliced or nicked with the potato fork,

 were cooked up the next day and tasted as good as they look.



Thank you God for a wonderful harvest!