Eplegaarden visit

Velkommen til Eplegaarden - da apple orchard vit da Norvegian exposure! That's what they say at Eplegaarden. While daddy was busy at work, we spent our morning picking apples in the uncharacteristically warm October day. We must have eaten almost 10 apples while picking different types of apples. Then, we got ready for Halloween by picking out some pumpkins. Noah tends to pick the odd ones, odd shape, odd colors, odd wary bumps. Joel likes to pick the one with the long stem. We visited the kiddy haunted house and did not get our money worth, since both Noah and Joel ended up in tears. Thank goodness, Daddy finished work by then to rescue Mommy. The corn maze was a hit, though. We'll see next year.

Sunny day at Epelgaarden

A nice autumn day...

We were surprised by a warm front this past weekend. The plan was already to spend outside as the boys joined mommy and her friends to do some fundraising in Step Out 2011, the walk to raise fund for diabetes research. The boys sort of understand that having diabetes is no fun. Noah said, "that's when people may have to take shots when they eat candies." After the walk, we spent the afternoon at the zoo and Vilas park. The autumn colors are getting to be beautiful. What a nice present for us all to enjoy!

A nice autumn day in the park

Joel's first field trip!

Joel's first field trip Sept 2011

Just like Noah a few years ago, Joel now gets to go on his very own field trip.
He went before in Baby Bjorn when Mommy chaperoned Noah's trip to Eplegaarden, but this time he gets to run free at Appleberry farm. He got to enjoyed fresh apples, tractor hayride and a tour of the facility-showing how apple ciders are made. We even bought some apples and cider to share with the family, too.

A visit from Ikey and Ellie

Visit from Ikey and Ellie

Ikey and Ellie fell in love with Bo when we went to Castle Rock earlier in the summer, that they have to visit again. While Daddy and Uncle Peter played golf in very cool weather, we got to enjoy a nice brisk fall day at the farmer's market. We brought some fresh local produce home to prepare our dinner, too.

Taste of Madison 2011

Taste of Madison 2011

It's one of our favorite event at the Capitol square. However, it signals the end of the summer when it's time for Taste of madison, which takes place close to labor day holidays. We tried a little of everything, but the boys sure love their ice-cream. Daddy skipped the stop at World's greatest brats this year, though. We enjoyed different types of music, but Noah seems to favor country!

Dog Park!

Prairie Morraine Dog Park

Since we now have a new family member, who also loves the outdoor, we end up going to the local dog park quite often. This way, Bo gets to enjoy, too. Happy dog, happy boys, happy family! A great way to enjoy the time outdoor, I must say.

Summer birthday parties

Summer birthday parties

Joel is a little social butterfly. He has so many birthday parties this summer. It did help that most were at the same location. He is now a pros at singing birthday songs.

Summertime in Madison 2011

Summertime in Madison 2001

It seems like we traveled a lot this summer. Truly we spent a lot of time in town, too. Of course, we took the advantage of the mild summer we have here in Wisconsin. Noah and Joel are busy with karate and swimming. Joel was accepted to the class as the youngest member because the instructor told everyone that Joel is the most focused 3-yo he has ever met!

Madison Children's museum August 2011

Madison's Children museum with the cousins

What better place to take your cousins when they visit Madison? The museum is on the top of the list, of course. Parker gets to enjoy it more now that she is SO mobile. We made it to the roof top this time, too. Kun Yai especially loves the rooftop sun oven and sampling squash roasted in there. Joel's favorite-what else, puzzles!

Happy Birthday, Joel.

Joel's 3rd Birthday, 2011

What is more special than celebrating birthday with people who love you?
Joel got a visit from his cousins, Nah Kao, Nah Nit and his grandparents.
He chose spiderman again. He sure knows what he likes. This year, Joel did enjoy the cake more and loves the frosting. In fact, this year, we essentially had a cupcake for him to practice blowing candles for the entire week. He is a pro now.
My little baby is THREE!

Castle Rock Lake 2011

Castle Rock Lake 2011

The theme for this summer seems to be water. We tried out the whole "up north" thing that all the people from Wisconsin seem to do in the summer. Our up north was Adams county-about 2 hours from Madison. Bo the dog got to tag along on this vacation. We also got a visit from the Kim family. We spents a lot of time on the lake on our rental pontoon fishing. However, the catch for the weekend, 2! And we think it's the same poor fish that we tossed back. The first catch was Joel's and the second was Daddy, when he just left his pole alone.
Another favorite discovery for the boys was campfire scary story. Uncle Trip and Daddy were all tired from story time at the end of the trip. Thank goodness to wound-up kids from too much S'Mores. We'll definitely do the "up-north" again next year.

Epworth-Luddington, MI

Epworth-Luddington, MI 2011

Uncle Trip and his family want to share this special place with all of us, so we got to visit Epworth. It was such a fun adventure for the boys (all 3). We started the trip with taking the ferry SS Badger across lake Michigan. The week on Epworth was filled with beach time, boat time...Noah went on jet ski for the first time. Daddy also tried sail boat, which was harder than it looks. It was definitely a story book place. Epworth is also known for its beautiful sunset. We got to enjoy that daily. Best of all was that all the familiy were in one place.

A trip to St. Louis July 2011

St. Louis visit, Parker turned ONE!

We took a short trip to St. Louis to help celebrate Parker turning ONE.
Yai-Yai was a little sick, so Joel gets to go cheer her up. He also got to enjoy full attention from both grandparents for the day without sharing with any cousins.
The rest of the weekend was all play time with the family. Fun for all!