Minnesota Zoo

Today's Adventure took us to the Minnesota Zoo. It is located in Apple Valley, about an hour's drive from our home.

It was a beautiful day. The exhibits are quite spread out but the walking trails in between were gloriously painted with the vibrant colors of Fall.
Here are the kids and I near the Tiger's domain. Jonah especially enjoyed climbing on the sculpture.
Next, it was off to the Camels. What amazing creatures. I think it was my favorite.... God must have been in a silly mood when he thought those up.

The Prairie Dogs where especially entertaining and I think they enjoyed us as much as we enjoyed them.The Meerkats had already moved to their winter home but the habitat is still there and was a great place to stop and play. There is a series of tunnels and caves to climb though that lets the kids see some of the underground habitats and pretend to be Meerkats themselves.We then went to Discovery Bay. It is an aquarium with several beautiful displays. The kids favorite tank was the interactive one. They actually got to reach in and pet Leopard Sharks and Sting Rays.The Monorail took us on a tour of the whole Zoo with a narrator to educate us on the different exhibits. It was a beautiful, relaxing and informative ride.Thank you God for a lovely day to enjoy your Creations.

Football & A Fire

Tonight we were off to my friend, Sara's house for the last night of Flag Football. It was a beautiful, crisp fall evening. The kids had a great last game and I had lots of fun taking pictures.

We got this great team picture of all the kids and the coaches.
Siri even decided to play tonight and that is Josiah going for the ball.
As the sun set, they finished up their game and then went over to the Bon Fire.

We roasted hot dogs......
And marshmallows..........
And watched to moon rise. Once it was dark, the kids played a fun game of tag in the blackness until it was time to go home. They were completely exhausted... but the good kind. The kind where you had so much fun that you can barely stand up and your head hits the pillow with a smile on your face and you are asleep in 2 minutes. A wonderful day!

David's Birthday

Today, October 23rd we celebrate the birth and therefore the life of my Dearest Love David!

We are going on a little trip down memory lane... come along. I think you will enjoy the ride.




Here he is... still a wee boy at his mother's side and already charming, with a handsome face...


Here is David at about 6 years old... now we know who Josiah looks like.
Getting bigger... and check out those teeth!

Well.... for all of you who have wanted to see what he looks like with hair....
Oh the stories we could tell......
And here he is with a few of his life's greatest achievements... Namely: Ashely, Sara, Josiah and Jonah. We are so thankful that God gave him life and then gave him to us.

A Fall Wedding

This weekend, David and I got to be a part of a Wedding Celebration of Our friends, Jeff and Arleigh.

After a week of rain, God provided them with a gorgeous Fall day.

The sun was shinning and the Fall Colors were in their full glory.

Chuck and Kathi picked us up along with our friends Paul and Deanna.It was such a sweet time of fun and fellowship with them.

The Bride was beautiful and the ceremony was a lovely celebration of God bringing them together. We were honored to be included.

Nanna Kathy

We would like to introduce you to one of the

WORLDS GREATEST BABY SITTERS Nanna Kathy, as she is affectionately called by the children is the mother of 7 grown children and lots of grandkids. She has been such a blessing to us on those occasions when we need to get a sitter. The children love her and she takes excellent care of them. She also has such a gift of encouragement and blesses me so much in my role as a mother. We are thankful God sent her our way. She is such a blessing!!!

Sherburne County Wildlife Refuge

This week, our adventures took us to the Sherburne County Wildlife Refuge in Zimmerman, Minnesota. Getting there took a little effort as we mistakenly trusted our fate to Google and they took us the opposite direction and put us way out in the middle of no where. But we did make it to our destination in time for a horse drawn hayride and a thunderstorm to go with it.

The horses were quite large and majestic and they took us riding through the prairie on a large wagon. We could almost imagine what it must have been like for settlers arriving in the area many years ago.
We had a Refuge Volunteer who shared some of the history and wildlife that could be found in the area.
The Boys were a little daunted by the rain and Jonah ended up not feeling well but other than that it was a great family outing. The clouds did blow off and the sun came out for a beautiful day.

The next stop was some of the exhibits. Our favorite was the Raptor display. A team from the Raptor Center in St. Paul brought some of their birds for us to see. The American Bald Eagle was awe inspiring. The presenter was quite informative and entertaining all at the same time.

She also brought out a Red Tailed Hawk and a Horned Owl. The kids were so excited to be there and had lots of questions about the birds.
While we were playing outside today we saw a Hawk and Josiah immediately dropped down and played dead. He said he learned that they like to catch their food live so he thought if he played dead he wouldn't get eaten. It was a really fun and educational outing for all of us.

Pumpkin Pictures

Don't you just love the color of pumpkins?
They are one of my favorite things about Fall. I love pumpkin soup and pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread. Don't be too impressed... I use the canned stuff, it is way less work.

I am sad to say that my kids don't like pumpkin at all. So I think I will gain 10 pounds this fall eating most of it myself. But hey, they sure do look adorable holding the pumpkins, don't they.

We wish you all were here.....

Especially to help mommy eat all the yummy pumpkin stuff!!

The First Rake

Today, David and the kids got outside for the first rake of the season. It was a beautiful day... crisp and sunny. Every one enjoyed the work.
Except Mommy... my job was to watch Jonah and to take pictures.
There were lots of breaks to be had. Then comes the best part......
"Leaping into leaves"!!!
...And more leaping....
With lots of laughing mixed in. There is nothing quite like it.
We love the Fall.