welcome Christmas

In addition to putting up our Christmas tree today, Luke took Kurt to his 9-month check up.  He weighs 19 pounds 5 ounces and has 6 teeth!  Ha!  He's had them all for quite a while, but it wasn't until yesterday that I snapped that photo to prove it.  I guess I just needed to whip up some scrumptious squash and yell "ouch" a dozen times to capture the boy and his toothy grin.  Who couldn't love this little honey?  :)

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!  This year we celebrated the holiday with my side on Thursday and Luke's side on Friday.  Both days were spent indulging in the traditional oven roasted turkey, stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and my favorite pumpkin pie -- we actually had several other delectables, but those were the all-stars!

Kurt got to try out a new activity table that his abuela and grandpa got him and he LOVED it.  :)  He also got to taste harina (it's like oatmeal, but it's made with cornmeal) for the first time.  His abuela makes it the best so of course he liked it!

We also got to watch three cute little cousins play together.  All in all, the holiday was great -- we have much to be thankful for.  Every day is a day of thanksgiving.  God is so good and I know the best is yet to come.  Amen.

how to relish autumn

image courtesy of anthropologie :)

The past several weeks have gone by SO quickly.  We've been "relishing" what little time we have left of this fall weather and we hope you are too!  We've also been fighting sore throats and colds -- all excuses for why the blog has been quiet lately!  Stick with me though!  I promise I'll post some new photos and snippets soon!  :)

hunting season

This year, Luke's hunting season was over the day it began.  :)  Rather than bow hunting, Luke decided to get a firearm permit.  The drawback though was that Luke's tag was for a buck only.  Nonetheless it worked out just fine!

family photos

Kate Harvey took some family photos for us last month and they turned out so good!  Check out Kate's blog for some of her favorites.

five years

This weekend Luke and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary!  We visited my mom and dad on Saturday and then today we hung out at home.  We didn't exchange gifts or even cards.  We're getting so old!  Ha!  We did celebrate with made-from-scratch white chicken chili soup (thanks Mom for the recipe and virtually ALL the ingredients) and some pumpkin coconut chocolate chip muffins.  SO yummy!  Kurt however wasn't really enjoying his Sunday too much - not interested in napping, eating, playing, etc.  I think he's getting some more teeth.  Anyway, here are some photos of us over the years...

seven months

This photo says it all.  He's growing up too fast.  He's sitting up, he's crawling, and now this!?  I don't think time could fly any faster.  I just love this little one and want to soak up every minute I get.

we love fall

BWCA // part II

Luke and Bob had a great time in the Boundary Waters.  This year, they didn't have to paddle out during a forest fire!  :)  I haven't had an opportunity to go through all their photos, but here are some cool ones I've found so far.

grape harvest

Luke's great uncle and aunt have a vineyard and today was their annual grape harvest.  We were invited to help with the harvest and the three of us had a great time!  The fresh autumn air made for a perfect day.

BWCA // part I

Luke and his friend Bob planned a four-day trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for Labor Day weekend.  As Luke was getting his bags packed, he decided to get some snapshots of the things he planned on bringing.  He didn't get a photo of everything, but for the most part this is what he packed: