When the temperatures drop and the daylight fades, the board games come out. I mean, we’ve been playing board games all summer, but this is really their season to shine. No more warm summer/early fall evening walks. Now it’s board game time after dinner.
Our oldest, in particular has been waiting for this moment for months.
This was last night. We all thought it was hysterical.
Our first ever puzzle competition! We did the family category so the boys were all involved, too! Karen, Robbe, and I even took first place. We’re kind of a big deal.
Halloween 2024 is in the books. And it was a good one! The weather was cold (and rainy/misty), but that couldn’t keep us down! Even our feline friends got in on it. We’ve got a classic banana, Marethyu (from the series The Legends of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel), and two Ty Beanie Babies. Robbe and his friend were out for a full two hours (and they had the candy to show for it). Chase and his friend (with a food costume theme, clearly) did their own thing and had a great time. Our kids are getting SO old. I love these ages so much.
Enjoy a quick history of all of the boys’ costumes over the years. I love looking back at all these photos, so I thought you might as well.
2023 - Dr. Strange and Nitten
2022 - Clone Trooper and Marethyu
2021 - Poseidon and Ares
2020 - Legends of Zelda Family Costume
2019 - Ninjas
2018 - King and Knight
2017 - Scientist and Spider
2016 - Frozone and Tool Guy
2015 - Firefighter and Dalmation
2014 - Hedgehogs
2013 + 2012 - Goldfish and Owl (just Chase)
Doing our part over here. Come on, Wisconsin. We can do this!
I guess it’s National Cat Day. Hooray! I found this gem that I hadn’t shared yet. Cats are the best.
These two love comics. And I love them. Perfect.
Look at this beauty! Every time it catches my eye, I’m in awe.
We dominated another escape room tonight. Ok, I guess getting out with 7 minutes to spare isn’t anything to brag about, but we made it and we had a lot of fun.
This is the scene on our couch most nights. The three best friends on one end and me on the other. I’m glad they have each other but it does get a bit lonely sometimes. Especially since I’m the one who loves the kittens SO MUCH. Chris says that’s part of the problem.
The boys were off school on Monday and the temperature was in the 80s. We needed an outdoor activity and Ferguson’s Apple Orchard was just the ticket. To be fair, it’s not about the apples, and we didn’t pick any. Instead, we enjoyed all of the other attractions and had a blast together.
The book festival continued with the Young Writers Showcase today and both boys were in it again this year. I really enjoy hearing the progression of writing as the kids get older. The change from 3rd grade (the youngest authors) to 8th grade (the oldest) is just fascinating. Both boys did great—Robbe had a fantasy fiction piece that he worked hard on and really impressed us with. Chase challenged himself to a poem about the lake house written in haiku stanzas. It was a lovely event.
Is there anything better after a crazy week (book festival prep, parent/teacher conferences, book festival events, and all the normal life stuff) than kitten snuggles on a Friday night? For me, that’s the dream.
Just a girl and her wagon-full of book festival marketing materials walking to the first event of the 2024 festival. And it was a great kick-off. Visit cvbookfest.com/events for the full lineup. There are virtual attendance options!
It was a beautiful afternoon here so Chase and I popped out for an after-school stroll. With the sunshine and the near-peak colors, it was a pretty dreamy way to spend a bit of our day.
Catching up on events from the weekend: we joined some of my family for a *virtual* Teddy Bear Run on Saturday. Chase and I ran/walked about 2.25 miles and had a great time. We even enjoyed a picnic lunch with everyone after. Chris and Robbe had a soccer game to attend so they ran on Sunday instead…but it still counted!
The October 4-H meeting means pumpkin carving time! It’s a beautiful way for the boys to handle their designs with friends for support and to not have to deal with the mess. Win-win! They came through with some great ones this year!
We’ve been busy volunteering for our 4-H club’s haunted barn fundraiser and last night was our scare night (our other shifts have been set up and the family fun day). The scaring is the real deal, though, and we thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to make people scream. This year we were stationed in the corn field. We did some jump scares, some corn rustling, and some surprise running. I don’t know why anyone would want to be scared like that, but I appreciate that they pay our club money to participate.
I’m so proud of this sweet girl. She gave her everything today at the sectional tennis tournament and—lucky me—it was held in Eau Claire so I got to watch! I wish we lived in the same town as this one. Shes just so lovely. And she even let me borrow her shirt so I could represent!!
Tonight’s highlight was the boys’ first fundraiser dinner. I can’t believe they haven’t been to one before. We supported the county 4-H program AND I didn’t have to cook PLUS there were cookies, cupcakes, and ice cream. I think it’ll take less convincing to attend the next one.
small city | BIG DAYS
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