Is it Winter?

It feels like winter, looks like winter, smells like winter (at least Liberty smells like it)... it must be winter, right?  I ask this question about everyday but apparently it is fall and isn't winter yet.  I think we are in for a long season.....We went to Meggen, Pete, Lauren and Abby's cabin a few weekends ago.  We were excited to discover new sledding hills since this is their first "winter" at their cabin.  It only took us a few minutes to find the perfect hill!

When we took breaks from outside, we came inside.  Mom went into teacher mode and brought crafts for the kids that kept us happy and busy.  The parents all reveled in the fact that we can now entertain ourselves, giving them time to actually hold conversations and drink wine.

I am sure you are curious about the kitty cat... it made its debut as soon as we had enough snow to not damage the lawn.  I am the only "safe" driver on this thing... the speed is as fast as it goes now, which is perfect for me and a disaster for Cooper.  He has had a few close calls, so for now, he can only ride on the back.

 I can ride my kitty cat for hours.  My parents told me I might need a job just to pitch in for gas this winter.

As you can tell, we are having a lot of outdoor play.  We went to Grammy's house on the opening day of deer hunting in WI.  We made a huge snowman but none of us were able to lift it together, so it became a lounging and lazy one.

Always a problem solver, I made a snow baby that could be assembled

 Ah, we still love each other :)

Super Cooper's teacher emailed this picture of him playing outside.  Thank goodness we love the snow so much!

Daddy shot a 9-point buck on opening day of the hunt.  He was pretty excited to have shot 2 bucks between MN and WI.  We returned home from Grammy's with Dad, since the weather was warm (notice the grass again...boo!) he had to get the deer to the processor.  We will have a freezer full of venison for us boys and he is excited to add more antlers to his wall of shame (ha) in the garage.

We went to the dentist today for our 6 month cleaning.  I had a really wiggly tooth, so Dr. Erin pulled it out for me.  She is such a pro, I didn't even feel it :)  This is my 3rd tooth that I have lost (all 3 are bottom teeth, but my two front teeth are also wiggly), so the tooth fairy is coming tonight.  My tooth is safely tucked into my pirate pillow.  I also had a clean bill of dental health and received my Cavity Free medal!

Cooper on the other hand, has a cavity (GASP!)  My parents are feeling incredibly guilty since they brush and floss our teeth twice a day.  Cooper's teeth are clean and healthy, but he had a tiny spot between his molars, so they have to treat it in a few weeks.  Poor buddy has been worried all day about the pain this might inflict.  Mommy is giving him lots of cuddles and reinforcement, "Cooper, you are one of the bravest boys I know!"  His response, "Yeah, I know!"  At least he is humble :)  Have a great Thanksgiving week!  We will post pictures from the holiday next week.  Blessings to you all!

Hodge Podge

Hi! We had a fun Halloween night with friends in our neighborhood.  Cooper was certain months ago that he should be a police officer.  Mom found his costume on Zulily and shortly after Cooper's decision, I decided to be a firefighter.  My costume was also easy to buy (Ebay).  Since Mom loves to dress up alike, she agreed this would work.  So here we are, Chippewa Fall's finest community helpers.

 He already has his traffic stop signals down.  Me, I was ready to trick or treat.  Enough with these boring pictures.

Maybe since it was a Friday night, grown-ups actually had plans.  We discovered many candy bowls left on front steps. We also returned home to a huge bowl still filled with candy. We were happy, but Mom was not. We traveled by golf carts which was perfect since the weather was downright chilly.  After our 2 mile loop, we were ready for a party at our neighbor's house.

We had jack o' lantern pizza's and they created these potion drinks made with dry ice.  It was cool and delicious.

 

Leading up to Halloween, Mom made a costume for Bunco and of course, she decided on dice.  Her friend Kerri completed the "pair of dice" and they couldn't help but roll on the floor for a picture; we are sure Kerri wasn't as amused as she is 8 months pregnant.

At school, the Kindergarten team (minus Heather, who stayed home on her day off....lucky her :) decided to dress up like M&M's.  Mommy's caption on Facebook read, "Caution, may contain a few nuts!"  It was an easy and super cute costume.

On Halloween day, Cooper's 4K class went to Klinger's for a fall field trip.  Daddy chaperoned and was able to do what Mom does best... taking pictures :)  They went in a corn maze, learned about harvest corn and other produce, and they tried their best not to freeze into ice cubes.

 I hear we are going to plant the kernels from this corn in our garden next year.  It is called Raspberry corn or something interesting like that.

 Winter is coming so we all went in for our flu shots.  Cooper and Mom have to have the actual shot and I get the mist (poor Cooper).  With asthma, this is standard practice to get the injection.  He didn't cry (almost) and then he enjoyed a snack and sticker afterwards.  Knock on wood, but we do not want the flu at our house this year!

 I have been enjoying Tiger Scouts.  Mom couldn't help but take a picture of me with my completed shirt (no, Mom doesn't sew, so our neighbor helped out!)  I have earned 2 beads and my first patch for memorizing and reciting various scout motto's, values, etc... I have also been busy with selling popcorn (orders are in this week) and we had a fun outing at the local fire station for fire prevention week.

 I made it on the school's photo link with this picture of me playing "Clean up the Backyard" in gym class. I am in the blue shirt, reaching down to pick up a ball.

 Cooper's teacher continues to send daily emails with pictures (love her).  Cooper is the kid with a huge smile in the back, also wearing a camo shirt.  This was their Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (alphabet) party.

Cooper's conference was last week.  He is loving 4 year-old Kindergarten.  He has made good friends... there are 3 boys that will all go to Kdg with him next year and they are having a blast together.  Cooper writes his name really well, he can rhyme words easily, and he has good motor skills.  Cooper is kind to others and is a good listener in class (woo-hoo).  We are working with Cooper on learning his alphabet letters and sounds.  Cooper's favorite thing about 4K is riding the little yellow limo to school and he likes the Smart Board (and Mom is jealous since she doesn't have one in her classroom).

 In other random yet exciting news.... Auntie Karri and Uncle Jim found out last week that they are having a baby GIRL in March.  We are super excited as we now have another little girl cousin to spoil very soon.

I went to Action City for a birthday party with my 1st grade friends.  Trevor's Mom helped with transportation there (Daddy is hunting), so she quickly snapped a picture of Trevor and I after a fun-filled evening.  I love 1st grade and birthday parties :)

 We traveled to the cities this past weekend to spend time with our cousins while Mommy had a girl's day/night of shopping, food and wine.  It was FREEZING this weekend, so we sent Daddy this selfie and he sent us this one back.  Guess who was probably having more fun?!?!

If you asked him this morning, it was well-worth it.  Here is his buck he shot; his first buck in MN in a few years (he has been shooting does or he gets his deer in the WI hunt).  Yay, we wish he could return home, but more to come on that....

Cooper and I spent the night at Uncle Ben and Auntie Erin's house.  Uncle Ben looks thrilled to freeze his butt off while we insisted on a golf cart ride through the neighborhood.  Ha!  We had a great time, and made homemade pizza's for dinner that night!

 This is a tiny bit out of order, but we made 50 pounds of sauerkraut last weekend.  Grandma Carla usually helps with this, but she doesn't return from Africa for a few more days.  Thankfully, we "cheated" and used the Cuisinart to shred the cabbage.  We add salt and then pound the heck out of it.  In about 3 weeks, we will have fresh, mild tasting and delicious sauerkraut!

 Last night, we went to see our other cousin, Emmett, who turns TWO today!  We enjoyed cake/ice cream and we played for a few hours together.  We love his bib, we love how he tried to get his fingers right to show us how old he is, and we just love HIM.  He is so sweet and silly.

We bought Emmett a little grill so he can be just like his Daddy and grill up some tasty meals. He is excited to start cooking.

 And finally, we woke up to this.... SNOW!  We are expecting 5-16 inches (who knows as we hear different things every few minutes).  Daddy will need to hold off on his return until this storm ends.  Mommy is thankful for a warm and cozy house today as his little car (he drove the SUV to the shack) doesn't drive in this well AND it is not her day to teach... yay!  She is also thankful that Daddy hasn't "trained" her with how to use the snowblower and the shovel has a broken handle.  Oh well, it will get done, thanks to kind neighbors :)  For now, we are excited to play in the snow, catch snowflakes, shovel the walkway, and think of snowmobiles revving up very soon!

Be safe and stay warm!  Let it snow!