Snow Day!

Since we received a couple of inches of snow on Thanksgiving Day, the boys took the time to enjoy it today. Colton, however, decided to stay in and bond with Dante.
Caleb was the greatest helper all morning knowing that Dad would be able to hit the ice once he finished his work inside. I'm not sure who was more excited! They were outside by noon and came in for good at 6 pm! Talk about some fresh air!

It took Chris 3 hours to plow his Olympic sized skating rink! Then he put his skates on and they skated all the way across the lake and back. The lake is already frozen about 5 inches thick!

Logan eventually got his skates on too! Although, he is quite content to play by himself in the snow. He was also the gopher coming up to the house every now and then for hot chocolate refills and snacks. The boat house/warming shack was pretty cozy with the little heater we have in there. Perfect for taking snack and cocoa breaks.

Peyton made his way outside too after a nap, but is still getting used to walking in the snow.

Logan was showing Peyton how to pick up the chunks of snow and throw them (and eat them)!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Although is was a mild blizzard outside and the roads were less than perfect, we couldn't go home without stopping at Grandma Jeanie's for more food! Is it possible to eat too much on Thanksgiving?

Who know what kind of trouble these three musketeers (Logan, Caleb and Addison) were getting into down the basement.

Forget the pumpkin pie! My favorite pie is Peytie Pie!

Colton found the toy box and is having a blast!

Big Jer goofing around again!

Chris, quit trying to steal Uncle Joe's beer! Get your own!







Uncle Brad, quit hiding behind Grandma and get in the kitchen and help Jillian. Wait! Maybe she'd prefer you stay hidden.

Special thanks to Jillian for carving the turkey, bringing an awesome tomato appetizer and delicious fudge! (If you think she looks like a pro--you're right! She really is!)

Grandma Eleanor and Grandpa Tom got to relax a little. (Well, as much as you can relax with 10 adults and 5 boys in your house! Wow! I think Chris and Big Jer were the loudest!)

Aunties Cheri and Reinette were on hand to cook up the meal this year! It was a full house too! Talk about a lot of food!

We are ready to head out for our Turkey dinner!

Bath Time Fun!

Peyton's favorite activity as of late is to take a bath! He'll stay in as long as we let him and never likes to get out no matter how cold the water gets! At least he gets clean--even if it doesn't last long!

I am 10 months old!! And one of the fastest crawlers mom has ever seen! Why take off and walk when I can crawl there in double time!

Peyton doesn't know that I peed in the tub just before Mom took me out! Hee! Hee!

I may only have two teeth but I'm sick of that baby cereal! Give me the real thing, Mom!

Happy Halloween!

For those of you worried that we may not have gotten enough treats for Halloween--next year, don't waste your money!! If you think my boys are going to see even a fourth of this candy, you are crazy!

Time to Trick or Treat!!! Logan, Colton, Caleb, Peyton and Charlie were all set to fill their pumpkin buckets!

Coltie-Bear as Pooh in a Pumpkin! What a sport!

Peyton the Killer Cowboy!

Logan as Jengo Fett--who knew he was a bad guy? Not me. I guess I've got to brush up on my Star Wars characters.

Don't forget Bubba Fett (sp?)!

All Saints Day Party!

Caleb celebrated All Saints Day at school by dressing up as the pope! Thank you to cousin Daniel for handing down this great costume! The only thing we were missing was the ring!! His class went on a scavenger hunt, shared plenty of treats and played hang-man!
Logan wanted to be a fisherman so he kept changing his mind about whether to be St. Andrew or St. Peter. I think each time I ask him, it changes, even after the fact! His kindergarten class got to have a parade, play the fishing game, decorate cookies (and eat them)! They both had their first sugar high of many that day at school.

Carving Pumpkins

Just in time for Halloween! We decided to carve pumpkins Thursday night with Uncle Ty and Lisa. Lisa came up with this jack-o design. Ty did the carving. I rather like it!
Poor Uncle Ty's design proved a little difficult and sort of turned into a gaping hole--Chris saved the day by fashioning some letters to fill it in! Logan wanted so badly to carve--he did a great job on the middle one we deemed as baby Colton. And Logan, Chris and I all teamed up to create "Snicker" on the right.

These two were impressive! Lisa carved the witch on the left while Caleb did almost all of the work on his wolf pumpkin!

Uncle Ty, Caleb and Lisa

Logan, Chris and Peyton

Busy Boys!

Caleb and Logan both chose to really "dress up" for picture day this year. Caleb said he wanted to look like a businessman like Dad. Logan just did it because Caleb did I'm pretty sure. They both looked very handsome nevertheless!

Peyton had been waiting and waiting the jump in the leaves once he saw pictures of the boys doing it last year. We finally were able to get out there and rake up some piles that weren't soaking wet! He had a blast while Caleb and Logan threw them all up in the air to rain down on him!

Even Colton got to join in the fun. Although he looks pretty content in this picture, he wasn't a fan of sitting in the pile for too long.

Logan was buried under the leaves so we could only see his face. Peyton thought it was funny, but was not interested in being buried himself.

Caleb also hid in the leaves.

I'm loving this!!

Hockey in October!!! Logan is following in his brother's footsteps and has started hockey this year! Here he is before his first practice. He really likes it despite never really being on skates before! He is doing great and comes home exhausted from working so hard!

Here comes trouble!! Don't let their costumes fool you! When these two get together, it's a lethal combination! Charlie (our nephew) loves Power Rangers and fighting the "bad guys" just as much as his cousins do! They played all night switching costumes and tearing the house apart. It's messy work fighting those bad guys!

Another tricky pic! Caleb's cool Uncle Tyler invited him to see where he works as a Physician's Assistant in orthopedics and let him choose what color cast he wanted to try on for size. Logan was there too but wasn't interested in getting a cast. Caleb wore it for an hour and they both got to then see how the saw worked at cutting the cast off without hurting Caleb's arm. Fascinating!

Hello everybody! I am 9 months old now! I have two teeth on the bottom and I love clapping and crawling, pulling up on furniture and playing catch. I still don't like sleeping, but I love my mom and just can't wait until morning to see her!

10 Years Already!

Chris and I celebrated 10 years of wedded bliss and spent this past weekend up the North Shore in Tofte. Beautiful time of year even with a few drizzles and gray skies. We saw a beautiful sunrise over Lake Superior and walked a few trails and a little of the beach.
Temperance River

The lower falls of Temperance River
Scenic overlook on Omberg Mtn.

This was on the beach outside of our townhouse. We got to listen to the waves crashing all weekend long. I'm ready to head back this coming weekend!

I love October!

While MN fall is often known for its cold, blustery days, we were blessed with an amazing weekend of sunshine and cool, crispy weather perfect for playing soccer, football, taking in the dock, and maybe one last chance at dipping our toes in the soon to be frozen lake. Well, maybe not too soon, but soon enough. The leaves are beautiful and starting to sprinkle the ground with color.

Here's Logan at his soccer game taking a break on the sideline for the moment! He did great!

Peyton could sit on that four-wheeler all day and pretend to drive even when it's sitting in the garage. That does not bode well for the future!

Even old man Dante was outside all weekend still trying to get those darn two chipmunks that just like to taunt him. I swear they purposely throw pinecones down at him--I've seen it!

Peyton just had to take his shoes and socks off to dip in the lake. Brrrr!

Caleb and Logan in their "hut hut" position in a little game of one-man football. What is it about that sport?!?

Welcome to our Blog!

Well, I am new to this blogging thing but figured it could be a good way to communicate and show what our busy boys are doing. There's always something going on here--good or bad! The school year has been off to a pretty good start with everyone adjusting well and welcoming a routine finally! August flew by in a blur of chaos and "boredom" if you can believe it! (You can safely assume that I was not the one complaining of being bored.) Logan began Kindergarten every day and has really done awesome! I expected a little more dragging of the feet, but he's jumped feet first into the roll of a full time student. He's also started soccer and is liking that as well. Caleb is in second grade (with his very own Grandma Susie as his teacher) and relishes the roll of big brother showing Logan the ropes and giving me daily reports. Well, for the first week anyway. As you know, Caleb is a mini Chris and so when his "teacher" says he needs to remain "focused" when doing his work, I have to wonder, "Is it even possible?" Instead of soccer, Caleb has already started hockey (yes, in September) twice a week and piano lessons. (Each activity on its own never seems like such a big deal, but combine them all in one family--Wow! The calendar fills up fast!) Peyton has really adjusted pretty well to having the big bros gone although, he still asks a couple of times a day, "Where'd the boys go?" He will get to "go to school" once a week starting next week in Early Childhood. I look forward to seeing him in action! I should clarify--in action in a school setting. I see plenty of action all day long with him at home. I am afraid I have yet another Energizer Bunny the Third (behind Chris and Caleb needless to say). Then we have the caboose. Little Colty Bear. Just as I see a lot of Caleb in Peyton, I do see a lot of Logan in Colton. Funny how that works. The jury is still out of course since he is only 8 months old. Colton has finally gotten the hang of this sleeping thing (well, except the last week and a half anyway.) I think I spent most of August training him. Now, of course, his first couple of teeth are entering the picture and the back-to-school crud the boys bring home is messing with my masterpiece. A full night's sleep is overrated anyway, right? I can't believe it's October already!