Fall Adventures

These are a few more pictures from our day at High Cliff SP with Jordan. The kids are always eager for an adventure and the day did not disappoint. 1. Hans was the seeker who found this particular geocache. Treasure! 2. Much of the trail was just above the waters of Lake Winnebago which proved to alluring for Evan. Here he's on his way back up to the top. 3. One of the places the kids explored was a cement bunker that was used as part of the process of turning lime stone into industrial lime over 50 years ago. The only way inside was through these small square holes in the sides or by climbing up a fallen tree over the top of the bunker. The kids ventured in via the holes and the adults just watched. This is Lydia on the way back out to join us. 4. We did several geocaches during our hike and one of them was a virtual cache. For this we had to find answers to several questions and provide a picture proving we were at the specific location. We found the answers on the information sign about the lime stone kiln and here is the picture I took of Nathan to prove we made it!

Uncle Jordan

Over last weekend Jordan (Nathan's youngest brother) spent some time with us. After arriving Thursday evening he spent Friday at school helping me cook hot lunch, playing with Lydia, having lunch with Evan and Hans, and generally impressing the lunch ladies with his willingness to pitch in and help. Saturday, after helping Nathan get the garage ready for the van to live inside again, we wandered around the EAA museum for the afternoon and ended the day with wine and a movie. Sunday we started our day with church and moved on to High Cliff State Park and more hiking and geocaching. With Jordan living 16 hours away it was nice to have a chunk of time to visit, catch up, and just enjoy being together. The kids certainly poured out attention on Uncle Jordan and soaked up what he gave back. Hopefully what we lack in house size we made up in heart size for our guest.

1. Taking time to climb a fallen tree along the trail.

2. Rest stop.

3. Walking on.

4. Last stop: bedtime stories the night before Jordan hit the road.

Misc. Baptism

1. While at James and Holly's after baptism Ethan had the opportunity to show off his playground to five of his big cousins. Thankfully it's big enough for all of them!

2. My sister-in-law Katy and Hannah were checking each other out and liking what they saw.

Four Generations

My Grandma, my Mom, my daughter, and myself.

Easter Pinata

While we were at my parents for Hannah's baptism the kids got to break open the a little chick pinata. (Yes, I know it wasn't Easter but we ran out of time on our Easter trip a few months back.) My Grandma had gotten a pinata a few years ago and the kids loved it so they were thrilled with the opportunity to whack one again. The kids all had several turns before the chick finally burst and the treasures inside were collected.

1. Hans taking a few swings.

2. Evan with his treasure bag ready to collect whatever the pinata my give.

3. Joey trying to find the pinata after his dad turned him around and around and around.

4. Lydia wasn't so sure about the blindfold but once she could see she eagerly helped out with the demolition.

Welcome Hannah

A month ago today my brother and his wife added another precious little one to our growing family tree. Hannah joined our family and was welcomed with great love and joy. Here you can see us as we celebrated her joining God's family on her baptism day. I'm not sure who is most happy in this picture-the proud parents of the newest addition, the giggling big brother, the enthusiastic older cousins, the doting aunts and uncles, the grandparents of 7 under 7, or the sweet great grandma. What a blessed bunch!

Field Trip

The PreK and K classes at school headed to an apple orchard/pumpkin farm for the morning one day the end of September. Lydia was pretty excited for her first bus ride and her first field trip. (Hans had his first field trip earlier that month when the K-4 classes spent the day at a nature preserve.)

1. Lydia and her buddy Nathan picking pumpkins. The rule was that the pumpkin was supposed to be about the size of your head. They look to have gotten it right.

2. Our tour guide explaining how the apples are sorted.

3. Lydia taking a leap on the giant hay bale playground.

4. Hans and Sammy atop the mound of hay.

High Cliff #2

After playing around by the water we hit the trails on the hunt for some geocaches. We found several and the kids happily traded trinkets while we entered our finds in the log books. Along the way we discovered some wild grapes which made both great trail snacks and dye for little fingers (#1). We also found a fort made out of fallen trees some earlier hikers had built along the trail (#2). The trail we hiked gave us opportunity to explore the parks namesake-high cliffs (#3).

That said, my favorite part of the day was the uninterrupted family time. Days filled with the four people I love most out on an adventure (#4). A fall day that was nearly perfect in every way.

High Cliff #1

After living here for over a year, we finally made it to High Cliff State Park on the shores of Lake Winnebago just over the northern tip of the lake. It's a great park only a half an hour away filled with eclectic opportunities for family adventures. On our maiden voyage we spent some time scrambling around the rocks near the shore, watching windsurfers and a para sailor, and climbing to the top of a look out tower to get a great view of the lake. The winds were gusting in the 45-50 mph range which makes for great hair and great fun on the lake.

Bug Boy

Evan loves bugs. He finds them everywhere. I'm pretty sure he'd find one in a sterile room given the opportunity. He found one in the van on this particular afternoon and let it ride home with us. He even gave it a great seat for the trip.

A Day on the Farm

The day after Quarry Quest we headed out on another adventure. This time it was to a St. Jude's children's hospital fundraiser on a farm south west of Oshkosh. A family (with a lot of help from volunteers) open up a farm for visitors. There are pony rides, a petting zoo, a corn box (think sandbox), corn maze, a horse show, hayrides, and more than I can remember. It was a beautiful fall day out with the family and for a great cause.

1. In the corn maze.

2. Rea, the trick pony, who even paints pictures.

3. Pony rides!

More Quarry Quest

Pictures 1 & 2: A local grocery store chain, Festival Foods, was one of the sponsors for Quarry Quest so they had a giant shopping cart that gave rides.

3. Hans before he smashed his fossil.

4. Evan after fossil demolition with his dinosaur.

Quarry Quest

*These pictures are about a month old already. What can I say? It's been busy around here.*

On a fine Saturday morning Nathan and the boys headed north to Neenah to an event known around here as Quarry Quest. A local rock quarry opens up for a kid friendly peek inside. The boys had the opportunity to operate some heavy equipment (with a little help), tour the quarry in a big dump truck, throw rocks at targets, hunt for gems, break open "fossils", and play in the rock/dirt all day long. They came home dirty and tired which (as a mom of boys I understand) means it was a great day.

1. Looking over a portion of the quarry.

2. Hans at the wheel of a crane.

3. Evan moving some dirt.

4. One of the touring dump trucks.