Fall Camping

This post is about a week late. We went to Galena, IL for Brian's birthday and to appreciate the fall colors. We did get to see some colors, but we seemed to have missed the peak or it is yet to come. Mostly this trip seemed to be accident prone. The accident started with Heather smashing her thumb in the door. (No it wasn't broken, but it felt like it.) Brian bumped his head twice - once on the roof of a playhouse and once on the electrical box. Then Neil bumped his head on two different tables. Brian and Neil then had matching goose eggs. The only one to not hurt himself was Ben, but he was suffering with a molar that's been trying to come in. On a positive note we did have a fun dinner at Dirty Gurt's. They have a very cute waiting area that consists of a row of toilets. The burgers and jambalaya were good. Sadly we forgot to take pictures this trip.

Pumpkin Patch

We took an opportunity to visit one of the local farms' fall festivals. We had a really nice time petting the animals, climbing on a tractor, and jumping in a bounce house, but missed out on the donuts. We (by we I mean mostly Heather) made up for it by eating a whole apple pie this weekend. Don't worry we used plenty of Purell after visiting all the nice animals.

Walkin' & Talkin'

We've been battling cold (from MOPS) and having some much appreciated company keeping us busy the past couple weeks. So this past week has been all about saying 'Hi' and waving for Neil. As of Friday, he wasn't really showing any interest in practicing walking. This is what he's picked up just over the weekend.

Return to MOPS

Today Heather & the boys got to start the fall semester of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). The theme for this year is Adventures in Mothering. It's a welcome distraction to the regular routine and a great way for Mom to recharge her batteries. Ben and Neil will be able to meet new friends independently since they are in separate age groups this year.

Wisconsin camping

Heather & Ben enjoying the campfire.

The boys playing in the swimmin' hole.

Following our trip to Minnesota we stayed in Merrymac, WI. Pretty fun campground we had all to ourselves since it was after Labor Day. The boys got to see their first toad sorry no photo. And Ben got up close and personal with his first cricket. Mom is always worried he'll try to put them in his mouth.

Ben and the cricket

MN nice - really

Heather & the boys with our wonderful hosts the Kuebelbecks.

Ben showing of his bounce house skills for our dear friend Laura.

Mike & Abby trying to get Ben to show a sense of urgency when running the bases.

So we headed back to our old neighborhood Golden Valley for Labor Day. The Kuebelbecks were kind enough to allow us to park our RV in their driveway (were waiting to hear how the electric bill fares). They were hosting the third annual wiffleball tournament. It was great to spend time with our former neighbors and our friend Laura. The neighborhood is looking really spiffy thanks to all the new roofs and siding following the hail storm they had this year. Ben got to see his first dear in the nature center down the block. We spotted five in all. The boys had a lot of fun and so did mom & dad. Were already checking our calendar to see what next year looks like.

More birthday fun

Ben riding the motorcycle his godfather Nate sent him.