Fall Leaves

I love it that we don't have a lot of trees in our yard (try, 1 tiny one-ha!) but there is something great about playing and jumping in a big pile of leaves. Thankfully the camp has that in abundance and it's just across the street!

I love raking up a big pile for the kids and letting them run around. Graham was very happy to do just that.

He was not thrilled about stopping to pose for a picture but I love it when I can catch Grace with a smile. Happy Fall!

The Lake

We went to the lake a few weekends ago and spent time with Grandpa and Grandma Diane. We had a fantastic time! Gracie enjoyed the homemade ice cream (twice!) Ok, we all did!

Grandma pulled out her tent and the kids had fun playing and going in and out of it.

Graham explored the deck while we got ready for dinner.

There was lots of good food and then more good food!

Gracie loves the swing and she talked Grandpa into taking her down.

We had a campfire and Grandpa LOVED it! (smile) Grace liked the marshmallows but she prefers them uncooked.

We went to LaGrange to their little festival and of course we had to stop at the carousel!

It was a great weekend. We go to the cottage often but we don't usually spend the night. I'm so glad we did!

One

I knew I wanted to get Graham's one year pictures taken but I wanted to wait until the leaves were changing. I'm so glad I did! My talented friend Marah took his pictures. He was pretty stoic and not super smiley but they turned out fantastic! Here is a link to Marah's blog post with more pictures. If you need pictures taken and you live near us, call Marah!

Ft. Wayne Children's Zoo

Shane's been getting some good vacation time in (remember that he was gone for like 2 months in the spring? Praise the Lord for vacation!) We were gifted some zoo tickets and decided to make a fun family day out of it. We didn't tell Grace where we were going. We brought a picnic and ate it outside the zoo. She didn't guess until we were right at the gate!

It was a perfect day, warm and not crowded.

Gracie got to feed the giraffe! They were pretty far away but one came up and ate a piece of lettuce right from her hands. It was very cool!

This peacock wanted to snack on Graham's forgotten crackers.

I love that the crowds weren't big so Graham could walk on his own. He is everywhere!

We took a train ride which was very fun for all of us.

Grace and I fed the geese (mean, greedy creatures. ha!) She loved it but didn't like it at the same time. Then we went to feed the goats. There was only one in the yard so I wasn't too worried.... Well... more came when they smelled the food. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

It was a great day!

Flashback Friday

While Shane was on vacation, we were able to take the kids to the zoo! It was a perfect day and the crowds were minimum.

Graham loved seeing the animals up close. He would make all kinds of oohing and squealing noises. It reminded me of when we took Grace to the zoo at 12 months. :)

She couldn't get enough!

What fun memories! (and they DO look alike eh?!)

Fashion Diva

We have a fashion diva on our hands.. See this ensemble? That would be skinny blue jeans, leg warmers, one purple sock, and one white one.

She paired it with a blue velour church dress, a fall coat, and winter hat. All necessary to go and work in the garden of course.

Or to do her favorite thing. Trap daddy in the shed and laugh and laugh and laugh. (she just shuts the door, but we better be careful!)

In the above two pictures Grace is modeling how to wear a shirt as a skirt. Who needs to sew? Need fashion advice? Just ask Grace!

September 9

Here are more pictures from our trip to Traverse City. We had a pizza picnic by the lake!

Then we waked down to explore. Grace didn't really like the ocean but she didn't mind this water at all.

Graham just hung out with mom. :)

While Grace chased waves.

It was a perfect evening to have a picnic by the water . Loved it.

Weather Watcher!

Grace has been singing this song almost every day since she started preschool. We thought we'd share it with you! I love the sweet little hand motions she does with the song. She also adds a bit of fashion advice and some dance instruction in there after the song!

North Carolina

I loaded these in a funky order but whatever, here are pics from my trip to NC!

Chimney Rock! Nicole "chose"not to tell us that the elevator was broken till we got there. ha! We hiked it up and then down to a beautiful waterfall.

The view from the top.

a little silliness. :)

and for real.. what you see here is brown sugar maple BACON ice cream! Do not knock it till you try it. It was SO good!

but this liquid truffle was even better. Pure "joy" on my face. If only I could bake like this!

Jo, we taught her how to plank then had a great time making her do it everywhere!

We went to Tupelo Honey Cafe in Asheville for breakfast but had to wait an hour.. so of course we went to a coffee shop around the corner and got PRE breakfast!

Headed into Asheville we stopped in Black Mountain and ate at a fantastic restaurant called Fresh and then found this chocolate shop. (see a theme??)

In Asheville we pricelined our hotel.. and got 1 king! So Jo's airmattress and a little creativity with the chair and tables and we had our beds!

In Charlotte, we had a great time at WOF and walking around.

It rained in Charlotte but the sun came out enough for us to hang out by the pool for a bit.

What a fantastic time. Thanks Ladies! You are the best!