Christmas

James loves his new pirate sword and hat!

Oooh, a pirate princess!

Everyone had fun opening presents.

Battle!

James's First Dentist Appointment

Say Ahhhh!  James did a great job!  He sat very still in the dentist chair and didn't complain a bit .

Elephant Rocks

We explored Elephant Rocks State Park today.  The kids managed to climb around without falling or injuring themselves.

Wow, look at little man climb!

Time to take a rest.

Peek-a-boo!

Look at these boys, sunning themselves on the rocks.

Trick or Treat

Brea, Blake and Brook ready to go to some haunted houses!

St. Louis Symphony was playing as Psycho was showing on the big screen.  

Our little princess has a meltdown while trick or treating at the zoo.

Ben looks a little different tonight.....maybe it's the suspenders?

Baby bumblebee is ready to get some good treats!  Every Halloween, several blocks of old homes are decorated and thousands of trick or treaters arrive for treats on Trick or Treat Street.

Princess Risa is about to get a big kiss from James!

Halloween

Time to carve our pumpkin....first we take out the guts.

We chose a cool spider web design and Ben carved it into the pumpkin.

Our jack o lantern!

Our baby bumble bee!

James wanted to be an astronaut this year.

Apple Picking and Apple Butter

Off to pick apples!  We loved the tractor ride to the orchards.

The kids loved playing in the straw in the tractor.

Fresh picked apples....delicious!

Ended the day by making fresh apple butter.

Forest Park Balloon Glow

Every fall we go to the balloon glow in Forest Park.  It's great to feel the heat and watch the glow of the hot air balloons at night.

Buttcrack!!

James and Keira enjoying a tall glass of lemonade.

Time to Make Dinner

The kids love to help make dinner.  Tonight we are making dal with coconut and butternut squash.

Start with some lentils, add brown sugar and coconut milk.

Stir, and simmer until soft.

Don't forget clean up!

Mmmmm, butternut squash.

Just boil the squash, gut it and enjoy.

First Day of Preschool at Forest Park Montessori

First day of preschool.

Keira immediately sat down and started doodling.

Forest Park Montessori (FPM) has a large backyard with beautiful gardens which the kids tend to.

Trish and Keira learning about insects.

This is the same pink tower I had when I was in preschool!

James did a great job matching numbers with objects!

Michigan Trip

Keira loved running after and running from the seagulls on the shores of 
Lake Michigan!

Pirate James dug for treasure and built sand castles with help from Ben.

We had so much fun flying kites!

Keira enjoying her lollipop....wonder what she's thinking.

Wooohooo, hold on tight!!

We went for a wild ride in the sand dunes!!!

We strolled through the farmers market in Ann Arbor.

Fairies and superheros hike through the woods.

Keira loves flowers.

Show off!

We all got in this canoe and paddled around the lake.

Apparently, the children got a little bored in the hotel room and stuffed their apples into the air conditioner!

Ben split his pants, haha!