Day Six: Thankful for a Successful Hunt

Fall is a rough time of year to be married to a Yooper. Between bird season, trapping, bow hunting and gun hunting, there are plenty of activities for Luke to partake in. I enjoy bird season because we can go walking as a family, and trapping season means lots of time for Luke and the boys to be together. But bow and gun hunting are more individual sports (at least until the boys are older). So last year when Luke suggested we purchase some additional land behind our house, I was all for it. It would protect our view of the woods, ensure our privacy, give the boys tons of room to explore and provide a place for Luke to hunt close to home! That has been one of the best decisions we have made. And from a hunting stand point, it paid off Sunday morning when Luke got a nice 7 point buck. He was SO excited and even though he has gotten over 20 deer in his life, this was only the third deer taken with the bow. He came into the house to tell us the news and I quickly got the boys bundled up so they could go look at the deer. I'm not sure who was more excited, Blake or Luke. Blake kept asking me if he "yooked yike a hunter man". I was a little nervous about how they would react to seeing the deer, but Luke has done a great job on educating them about hunting, gun safety, etc. Plus, I'm not sure that Blake can even connect everything yet. When Luke told us about the deer, Blake said that he "yuves deer meat" :) So today, I am thankful for a successful hunt, for deer meat in the freezer and for the happiness in my husband's (and boys') eyes! A couple pics of the hunt:

Day One: Thankful for Great Neighbors

Each day in November, several of my friends are posting on Facebook about things they are thankful for. I think this is a great idea and a good way to think about all the blessings we have. Instead of writing on Facebook, I thought it might be a good encouragement to blog more, if I wrote on here. So first up - I am thankful for our Neighbors. I am thankful for how they take care of us and spoil our kids. I am thankful to be surrounded by such loving, Christian families. This was especially evident on Halloween - between the neighbors who had special care packages for our kids, to those who asked us to stop back at their house twice since our kids were the only trick-or-treaters, to those who invited us over for a "spooky" supper and gifts for the kids. After searching for a house for over two years, it's a wonderful feeling to have found this awesome spot! (I'll post more Halloween pictures later on, but here are a few to get started):

Blake dressed as Woody from Toy Story for his preschool party

Blake "changed his mind" and had to dress as Buzz Lightyear for the evening trick-or-treating. Drew went as Mr. Bear in the evening since the costume was warmer.

Spooky dinner set up!

Miss Kathy's edible finger pretzels :)

Raggedy Andy ready for his school party!

Boys of Fall

I have to admit that I really like that country song "Boys of Fall" even though they play it all the time. Listening to it definitely brings you back to those high school football days; but it also makes my think of my boys and how much they enjoy this time of year. Luke is a traditional Yooper - he loves to hunt and fish! His favorite time of year is from the middle of September through December since that's when he can be found bird hunting, trapping and deer hunting. I'm sure there are more posts to come on these topics as there are currently 3 fox and one raccoon out in the garage courtesy of trapping season (just haven't taken any pictures yet!). Anyhow, I was looking through the pictures we have taken recently and they all seemed to showcase my "Boys of Fall".....

The trailer is great for hauling leaves and keeping Blake contained! Ha!

A little too young to help rake, but he definitely enjoyed being outside on such a nice fall day!



Blake is such a big "help" with the leaves ;)

Just LOVE Drew's orange union suit! Thanks so much Nikki and Scott!

This was supposed to be our Christmas Card picture. Until I realized that in order to see all of the pretty fall color I couldn't crop out my "3 month post baby thighs". Needless to say, we'll be taking a different picture!

Fall Is In The Air!!

Last weekend we traveled to Getzloff's Corn Maze for an afternoon of fun! I had heard about the corn maze from a few friends but wasn't sure what to expect. We ended up having a great time! The weather was perfect and there were a ton of 'little kid' activities to keep Blake occupied for a few hours. He LOVED the sandbox filled with corn and the giant slide, but wasn't too sure about the petting farm. We also went on a hay wagon/tractor ride and climbed up a huge pile of haybales that were in the shape of a tractor. The last thing we did was the actual corn maze. We let Blake go first and just followed him and he choose which way to go. After about 30 minutes we weren't making much progress and had to bust out the side of the maze! Drew was a trooper and stayed in the Baby Bjorn for the entire time we were there. Can't wait to go back next year when both boys will be running all around!

Drew wasn't totally thrilled to be in a pumpkin!

On the wagon ride

Blake running through the haybale maze

Would have been a nice family pic if Drew's head was up!

Time for the Corn Maze!

On top of the haybale tractor!

Blake going head first down the slide!

Blake would have played in the corn for hours!