Tricks and Treats

Halloween is longed for at our house.  Sam and I made lots of decorations and we decked out the house on the 1st of October.  Hans LOVES Halloween and LOVES to give people a scare.  Sam had been wearing his fireman costume around the house for over a month and couldn't wait to go out and show off his costume to the neighbors and get some treats. Sam really wanted me to go trick-or-treating with them, so the pony (Zeke) and I made it to a few houses with them before going back to the house to hand out candy to other trick-or-treaters.  

Best Buds

Sam always asks where Zeke is first thing in the morning and then he asks to see him.  He likes when Zeke is watching him and frequently asks to hold him and kiss him.  They are going to be best buds.

Zeke

Zeke is now 6 weeks and it is amazing how much he has changed already.  He is really starting to focus on people and is staying awake a little more each day.  But the most exciting part is watching that smile and grin creep across his little face more and more. 

Pickin' A Pumpkin

Sam started preschool in September and part of their curriculum is to have a field trip each month.  We all were able to go with Sam on his field trip to the pumpkin patch....even Nana.  He was way more excited to sit and drive and tractors than to go hunting for the perfect pumpkin. 

The End of The 27th Year

A lucky number for us is 27, so when Hans turned 27 last year it had been an anticipated birthday.  I asked him if "27" was all he thought it would be and he said this last year gave him a lot.  First, we moved across the country, he started a new career, and we added another one to our family....and along the way we have experienced so many new things as a family.  So he may no longer be 27, but it's still a lucky number any way.

Nana's Here!!!

We booked my mom's flight to come visit right after we shared the news of Zeke's anticipate arrival.  So we were looking forward to her visit for a long time and Sam talked about it frequently.  He was so excited the day she flew in and even wore his army helmet to the airport to meet her.  Nana was the first grandparent to meet Zeke in person, which made it an extra special visit since we live so far away.  She helped us with lots of sewing and mending, endlessly was helping us keep up the house, and got lots of snuggle and play time with the boys.  The two weeks went way too fast. Sam couldn't wait to take Nana to the children's museum and to lunch at one of our local favorites, Wagner's Bakery.  He's already talking about what he wants to do when Nana comes too visit again.

Our First Visitor Since Being a Family of 4

Abby was our first visitor after Zeke was born.  We so appreciated having our wonderful friend come and see us.  It was nice for me to have some gab time with another female :)  Sam really enjoyed having someone around to give him some extra attention.  We didn't get out much with the new baby, but it was great to have some time to catch up.

Harvest Time

The apples from our tree are finally picked and preserved.  This all started a few weeks back now, when Hans and Sam decided to shake all the apples from the tree.  They then attempted bobbing for apples, however Sam did not think the cold water was very refreshing, but got a kick out of Hans success at bobbing.  The apples sat in buckets and stared me down each time I look out our kitchen window.  Two 5 gallon pails of apples to attempt to make something of.  Hans and I were able to peel, chop, cook, and prepare 4 quarts of applesuace...however this just put a tiny dent in the apples we had.  My mom came and helped us out.  The credit is all hers as she peeled, chopped, and steamed apples all day.  I got the easy part of pureeing them and then helping her can them.  It took some time, but we now have applesauce canned for the winter.  Finished product was 8 two quart jars and 15 cups of frozen apples. 

I pulled out all the bounty from our garden as well.  Our biggest success this year was our carrots.  There was an endless supply of this crop for four months.  Enough to eat carrots whenever we wanted, make two carrot cakes, and freeze about 10 cups of chopped ones!  We'll see what are attempt at a garden brings next year.  We were quite proud of our success this year.