Rebuilding the Osprey Nest

The osprey nest at my parents' house had been hanging by a thread for a while.  So while we were there over the winter, they decided to take it down and rebuild it. 

The big kids got to help build the new one.

We went back for spring break and they got to finish it up and then put it back up.

 By the next morning there was a bidding/squawking war over the new residence.

2nd grade performance + end of Nov

These kids are growing like weeds!

Lily had her 2nd grade performance in November.  It's always sweet- it was patriotic bc it fell with Veteran's Day.  We were happy to have Pop, our family veteran, with us. :)

 A random {delicious} lunch downtown with Daddy.

 a weekend outing to a creek nearby

 On Nov 30, my wonderful, amazing Uncle Richard went to be with Jesus. 

Oh, he was such a good uncle.  I am so so thankful for the amazing family I got to grow up with.

Uncle Richard was always strong and so loving.  I alway knew I could walk up to him for the same good hug I'd get from my dad. And I am a hugger so its the way to my heart. So thankful for him and all the love and support he poured into my life by being there for vacations and summer gatherings, and graduation, and weddings, and so much more.  So thankful he is in Glory and not tied to a suffering, failing body.  My cousin, his daughter, Tayloe, did an amazing job of speaking about him.  I won't post a pic of that bc it pulls at my heart strings too much. 

I went alone with my Dad, my mom was already there.  It was a sweet weekend- and a great Mom break.

 Mike and the kids had a fantastic weekend bc they weren't tied down to Mom telling them to clean the house. :)

 Loved seeing my cousins.

Thanksgiving + Family Pictures

We spent part of Thanksgiving break at my parents house.  I always love the chance to be outside there.  Its not too cold yet and just feels like a last outside hurrah before winter.

We always have to walk to ride their land- so here is Ben looking cute in the brush.

Mike took the tent and camped with the kids one night.

My brothers and their families were there so they set up a super fun zipline with Paw's truck.

         

This one is a perfect angel at school but she is wild and free and rambunctious when she has the chance.  

 Cute Sarah Kate

 My mom's birthday fell on Thanksgiving so we had to celebrate her too! :)

I think it was her favorite gift to have us all there.

My mom's brothers, my dear wonderful uncles, have both been ill lately so we relished the chance to have extra time with my Uncle Henry.

 Then our usual tradition of family pictures for our Christmas cards. 

The girls had fun being together and doing shows for us. 

Looks like Peter had fun too! 

So nice to have time with my sisters in love- and be gifted with some wild LuLaRoe leggings.  Ooo, comfy!

 We made it back home in time to get some time with the MN cousins.  :)

Pumpkin Patch & Halloween 2016

The kids were off on Columbus Day so we took them & two friends to the pumpkin patch. 

Halloween fell on a Monday. We carved our pumpkins the Sunday before.  Ben had picked a little pumpkin that was too small to carve, so we let him paint his.  Isn't it cute? Isn't he cute? :)

 It must have been Lily who took this pic, but I liked that it documents me carving the kids' pumpkins. Peter drew me a picture that he wanted it to look like. Mattie, our neighbor, came out and carved Lily's pumpkin. Woohoo.  I didn't actually get pictures of our finished products.  But read previous years here:  2014, 2013, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010

Ben was Benjamin Bunny.  It was a day of decision.  We'd talked about him being a puppy but when I bought home the puppy ears, he got cold feet and Lily decided she liked them.  So I spend one afternoon sewing spots on a sweatshirt outfit for Lily.  I ran out on Halloween to just buy a costume for B, but I was just too cheap.  So sewed these rabbit ears for him about an hour before the kids got home.  He also had a little yarn pom pom cotton tail.  I attempted to dye a sweater brown with Rit Dye but it came out silver.  So as he woke up from his nap, I opened his closet brainstorming brown sweater options, and found this one that one of my mom's friends knitted for Lily! I finished up the "headband" minutes before we walked out the door.  Mike was cutting carrotts for the neighborhood gathering so we handed him one. :)  Whew.  A close one.

 Our neighborhood has pizza beforehand. :)

 Our only pic of the crew.  

We went super simple this year after a family star wars theme last year.

A ninja- bought a black shirt and red duct tape. :)

A CUTE puppy- did her own face paint

Benjamin Bunny

SC in Oct

In October, we went to SC for my cousin's wedding.  

She got married in the cute coastal town of Bluffton, SC.  

We took the kids out of school for the day, so we can still feel like we have control of their schedules. ;)  We had a day at the beach.  I always love feeling like I can extend summertime.

The wedding was at a very picturesque church surrounded by palm trees.

Her dad, my Uncle Richard, had been fighting brain cancer so we knew it was a chance to see him.  He bravely took her down the isle, not in his usual army-strong state.  

 We also got to see John and Jessica.

 A picture of the brides parents on their wedding day. Love.

 On the way back, we stopped at South of the Border so that our Pedro could see that Pedro.  It was like walking back into 1988.

We've been enjoying our more frequent road trips and loved the chance to get away together and see family.