Dan's 6th Birthday

Happy 6th birthday to Dan, my inquisitive son, who always keeps me on my toes with thought-provoking questions. He loves to read and he loves school! I'm thankful for him and his eager spirit!

Six Kittens for Six Kids

An early Christmas present: six kittens for six kids! Of course, God planned it perfectly. Our neighbor's cat had these kittens the week after we moved into our new house. We've made a nice home for them in the bigger building behind our house. It's even heated!

Birthday Party!

The boys had their friends over for a fun, loud, and busy birthday party!

Time for a Break

We've worked hard and have arrived at a reasonable stopping point in our school year. We're going to take some time off for a couple of birthday parties and Christmas. We're preparing for a big party tomorrow and a family party for Dan on Monday. Time to have some fun!

Sam's 8th Birthday

Happy 8th birthday to my tough 'n' tender big boy Sam! He's a natural leader with a compassionate heart. He loves to sled, and we had planned a sledding party for this upcoming Saturday. But, where's our snow?! We've all been missing our typical Minnesota weather.

Schooltime Fun

Sam and Dan are studying the "Age of Exploration", and the twins are tagging along (for now). They built a fleet of ships out of an egg carton, and Eric created a game to go with the ships. Hands-on learning is fun for everyone!

Becca's Birthday

Happy 13th birthday to my sweet, artistic, and quirky daughter! I love her great sense of humor and funny stories! She just got her ears pierced, and we're doing some clothes shopping now. We're having a family party tonight, then a slumber party with lots of friends Friday night! Busy but fun times for everyone!

Christmas Tree

We're missing a Christmas box. It must have been misplaced during the move. However, the kids still did a good job decorating the tree with what we could find. We went with a fraser fir this year, and it smells so good!

Thanksgiving Picture

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We're counting our blessings today! There are so many things to be grateful for! I thank God for the hills around our house, and sleds to keep our littles busy!

Christy's Cooking

Christy whipped up this beautiful cheesecake with mixed berries from scratch tonight! I'm so thankful for her, and her skill in the kitchen!

A Good Reminder

This is my new favorite wall decoration. It reminds me of the freedom I have in Christ. I am free to be the "me" God created me to be!

Fresh and Local

Here's Christy with a stewing hen that she helped catch and prepare at our friends' farm, just down the street! We're planning on cooking it up this weekend. We live closer to all of our farm friends now, and we've found more friends since we moved. Now we get fresh & local chicken, eggs, beef, and milk!

Lovely Weather

It's almost mid-November, and I'm sitting outside on my patio in a t-shirt, enjoying 60 degree weather and sunshine! The boys are loving it, too!

Sunset Beauty

I've been really enjoying the sunsets out here!

Lawn Tractor

Our "new" snow blower/mower/lawn tractor...

Puzzle Fun

It took them a while, but they completed the puzzle! Way to go, girls!

Anniversary Date

Off we go to celebrate 17 years! I love this guy SO MUCH!

Anniversary Flowers

My sweet hubby brought these lovely flowers home this morning, and made me a savory breakfast to celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary! He has to work tonight, but we're planning a date on Thursday night in downtown Northfield! I can't wait!

Autumn View

Even with most of the trees bare, and the fields harvested, the view out here is still breathtaking!

Cake Decorating

While grandma was here, she taught Christy how to decorate cakes! Sunflowers are my favorite flower, so it was difficult to cut and eat such a work of art. However, it tasted as good as it looked!

Grandma Layton

We've been having a great time with grandma during her visit! She has been such a blessing to us in so many ways! She has to leave tomorrow, and she will be missed

Troy Loves Autumn

Autumn Beauty

Ren Fest Kids

Sam the Knight

Fancy Hair

Princess Christy

Princess Becca

Pirate Dan

Ren Fest

What a perfect day to enjoy the Renaissance Festival! We had a lot of fun, but now I'm exhausted. I'll post more photos of our adventure tomorrow!

Lake Mille Lacs

Throwing rocks at Lake Mille Lacs...

Sewing Skills

She finished it! Christy is turning out to be quite the seamstress!

Becca's Autumn Art

Scenic Views

Just a short walk from our new place are some amazing views! I'm going to have to get a real camera, though, if I'm going to capture the true beauty of this area. It makes me look forward to some awesome evening walks!!

Chicken Coop

This little outbuilding is going to become our chicken coop in a few weeks...we just need to add the run!

Our Country Home!

Our new adventure begins! We sold our house in town, and bought this wonderful home on some acreage just outside of Northfield! We're so excited! The kids are looking forward to getting some animals to take care of on our land, and I'm looking forward to planting a huge garden! This is a dream come true, and we're so thankful to God for making it a reality! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Majestic Hills Ranch

Christy spent the day volunteering at Majestic Hills Ranch. This isn't just any ranch...it specializes in providing therapy for special needs children and veterans. She helped out around the ranch, worked hard, and made some animal friends. Here's a picture of her with "Stuart", an extremely friendly barn cat! — at Majestic Hills Ranch for Children & Military Veterans.