Christmas is Coming!

Hi Everyone! Our family got into the Christmas spirit this week with an outing to the Guthrie Theater, to see "A Christmas Carol." We had a huge spaghetti dinner before hand, and enjoyed an inch of new, falling snow to add to the evening. We hope you and yours have a blessed Christmas!

Thanksgiving Runners!

Here are the runners who braved the cold, early morning for the "Fast Before the Feast" run in White Bear Lake on Thanksgiving day! Actually, it was a beautiful, mild day - not too cold, and no rain, or snow on the ground. Important running tip: don't run in wool socks when it's not that cold out!

L-R: Kim (5K), Janet (5K), Rachel (10K), Ruth (10K), Chip (10K), Jack (10K) and Mike (10K)... We did it - congrulations, everyone!

...And here are all the cousins hanging out at Ruth & Craig's house after the race. They put on a huge brunch spread for Thanksgiving - thank you!!!

Reporting for... Halloween!

Rocket Boys!

Ethan, Grayden and Jack joined Luke for an outing to celebrate his 11th birthday. We went all the way up to North Branch, Minnesota, to see a rocket launching event! There were the normal Estes brand rockets (that we used to launch in Afghanistan, and on the farm, as kids!), larger "M" class rockets that were 12 feet tall - and even a "Spider" rocket. The kids were able to launch their own, and even had their names announced as their own space vehicles left the launch pad!

High School Stars!

Luke is Eleven!

Luke turned 11 today! He had a great day, visiting Minnehaha Falls and renting some crazy bikes to roll along the Mississippi! We got a little lost thanks to some poor navigation by Mom and Dad, but a stop at Dairy Queen made that a distant memory. He got a "Ripstik" and some other great gifts from the family!

It was a beautiful fall day - almost 80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky... truly an Indian Summer!

...and on Saturday, Luke joined us on a drive to Western Wisconsin and the Rum River Valley, to see the fall colors at their peak. We stopped at Vino in the Valley... can't say much for Wisconsin wine, but a wagon ride through the vineyard pulled by two Belgian horses, and a wine (and root beer) in the garden made for a beautiful day!

Afton Apple Orchard

A beautiful, early fall day was spent at the Afton Apple Orchard, down by the St. Croix River! The Raymond family came with us, and the kids had a great time picking apples, pumpkins and raspberries, going to the petting zoo, riding wagons behind tractors and hanging out in the warm sunshine!