Rain

We had a rainy weekend. The girls wanted to go get out in it... especially the littlest gal.

notice the tippy toes? :)

So when it abated, we headed to Antrim Lake. Everything was still damp, but the gray skies made the colors really beautiful, I think.

Gwen was obsessed with sitting on every single bench (all 10 or so of them) along the 1.something mile loop.

and the cheesy grin

Caroline loved riding on daddy's shoulders

Gwen was more interested in running! Which she did a lot of... Here she has made a dandelion her special friend and was trying to keep him safe in her coat while she ran.

feeding the ducks and fish rotten bread

and some pretty landscapes, just for your viewing pleasure

Caroline 11 months 2 weeks

Love this one because of the weathered wood, her upwards glance, and the uneven button job from a hasty mom...:)

you can see her newest tooth in this one. 3 on the bottom now.

my man. such a good daddy.

Gwen had a FABULOUS time and didn't want to come home.

obsessing about her dandelion. I actually really like the color pop that her obsession provides in these overcast photos.

My beautiful family.

I guess we don't mind a little dampness so much, eh? :)

Borrowed photos from Allan visit

My MIL is an amazing photographer with a fancy camera to go with her quick reflexes and great eye. She managed to capture some great pictures of Gwen (despite her unpredictable toddler movements) and some of the fam during their weekend visit with us last week during Eric's siblings' spring break. We sure loved having them here, Gwen sure misses all the eager attention, and hopefully you enjoy these glimpses as much as we enjoyed making the memories!

above: night one arrival and Gwen is already excited for guests

went to Graeters, enjoyed the icecream, loved the slide...about a hundred times, in fact

hanging out at home since the weather was yucky. notice the ever-present balls

Grandma and Gwen enjoying If You Give a Mouse a Cookie before bed

also went to the zoo, ate dinner out twice, and let Gwen play with this cute basset hound at the petstore. See how she holds out her arms with her elbows nearly together and her hands splayed out? that means she wants to hold him. So cute. (we won't talk about how he got a lil excited and nipped her arm. Gwen was NOT interested in giving loves to anything but the turtle after that)

Does it Seem Weird to Anyone Else that Christmas is Only a Week Away?

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Okay, Gwen was jealous of my typing and had to put in her 2 cents.
While this just might be a better post if I leave it at that, I originally wanted to say that I truly cannot believe Christmas is only a week away! Cold, yes, but no snow, hardly any Christmas lights, and only heavier traffic to indicate people are shopping. Even here at home-- it has really snuck up on me.
I keep day dreaming about large white flurries, hot cocoa, light Christmas music in the background, curling up with a book... but I probably ought to be grateful for no snow since we are driving to my parents'. Oh, Gwen wants to type again. I better go.

Pumkin (aka Gwen) and Pumpkins!

What a wonderfully brief reprieve we've had from the encroaching cold. Gwen and I have used it well to be outside and spend some time with pumpkins.

We went with my neighbor Mi Young to Jacquemin's Farm to pick our own. While I was busy searching for the perfect short, round pumpkin to compliment the already selected tall, skinny pumpkin in the cart, Gwen happily found the nearest orange "ball" and laughed while she slapped it silly. :) We ended up getting our "family" of pumpkins for only 13 dollars! (And as soon as Halloween is over, Gwen can become a pie!)
our pumpkin family! :)

Then we went down with some other neighbors--Reena, Anita, and Charlotte-- to the Circleville Pumpkin Festival. It is really only about 30-40 minutes away, but my pride in thinking I knew the way and didn't need to print out a Google map made the drive down there more than an hour. Guess who won't do that again. :) Once we arrived, however, the girls did marvelously well. We were worried it might rain because of all the warnings we had heard, but the weather was PERFECT for our outdoor adventure! We enjoyed pumpkin colored trees, giant pumpkins, pretty pumpkins, pumpkin towers, pumpkin food , arts and crafts vendors, and the world's largest pumpkin pie. Gwen and Charlotte both stuffed their faces with pumpkin donuts and Eric loved the 1/2 dozen we brought home for him. The babies lasted til nearly 3:30 and didn't even fall asleep on the car ride home! (Though all of us wished they had, with all that whining! :) It was a great day!! I don't know this girl, but the pile of veggies was so pretty... and the food smelled so good...
Reena's pumpkin icecream
Gwen being less than happy (getting close to nap time), but isn't it cute how we sort of match?
Gwen was more than appeased by pumpkin donuts

But I think Charlotte liked them even more!
World's largest pumpkin pie... cool, but didn't look appetizing at all. Kinda crispy and burned on top.
Gwen thought the camels were funny. This face says it all.
Charlotte just loved these lil puppets. Gwen liked them too, but I wouldn't let her out of her stroller.
My lil Pumkin!
Mommy and Gwen in front of the pumpkin tower!

We're Back! and your first installment of pics

Gwen and I have returned from a great trip to Idaho! Grandma and Grandpa Allan were not the only ones to crave seeing the little gal; she had aunts and uncles to spare competing for her attention and laughter! She doled it out pretty freely too. (Above pic of Gwen and Uncle Collin)

Unfortunately, my camera ran out of batteries only 2 days into our 9 day vacation. So, since I'm waiting for copies from other people's cameras, you'll have to be satisfied with the pictures being out of chronological order. Most of these were "borrowed" from Mama Allan's blog. Isn't she an excellent photographer?



The cabin. Gorgeous. Nestled amongst willows and pines, cradled between mountains, flanked by a bubbling stream, visited by deer and hummingbirds....*sigh*. Places like this are great evidence to me of God's Grandeur and love for mankind.It was quite rainy during our stay. It might be sunny in the morning, but we could count on getting a few showers to a huge downpour at some point during the day. And the morning fog was serene.

Elise doesn't generally enjoy outdoor chores. I can understand her sentiment, in all honesty. But I love this picture because it captures how beautiful she is, how playful she can be, and the fact that she was right out there with the boys building a horse corral.
The menfolk, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoy a good sweat in the woods. Here we have everybody, including Grandpa Collin (who joined us for a couple days), hefting a mighty log. Lumberjacks.

The womenfolk were content to sit the logging chore out. Mama Allan and Grandma Ian (who was with us til Thursday) worked on curtains and other sewing projects while Jan tended Edward and edited her novel, I tended Gwen and read Book Thief, and Elise complained that her assigned book for school (Life of Pi) was boring and didn't make any sense. I finally capitulated and read aloud to her. She liked it better that way and I enjoy reading aloud, so we were all happy.

Stay tuned for more to come!

Lucky St. Patty's Day!

Lucky me, Gwen went down EASILY for 2 of her 3 naps, giving me time to experiment (please ignore the painfully ugly rainbow-- I improvised!) with some different icing tips (namely the grass one) and make this:

Lucky Eric, he got to eat butter chocolate cake with a layer of mint cream in the middle that looked like this:

Lucky you, I'm including recipes for our DELICIOUS Ireland-inspired (sort of) dinner: semi-spicy BBQ Roast and Sweet Seasoned Cabbage in my next blog entry!

Lucky Gwen, she got to take a fun bath which is her favorite part of her pre-bedtime ritual:

Lucky Grandparents, get to see another cute pic of Gwen:

Lucky all of us, it is finally warming up and we are taking advantage by spending time outside!


Feeling Lucky lately? :)