Family Pics 2013

Our family pictures were extra special this year because they were taken at Sharon Mills, the same park Kyle and I got married at a little over 7 years ago on a beautiful sunny day in July. In my eyes, this nature wonderland equals perfection.  From the trees, water falls, flowers, and river, every thing is so tranquil and peaceful. We've been back many times since we got married, and each time brings back some of the best memories of my life....and creating new ones just adds to the happiness this beautiful place brings us :-)

The weather was cooler than expected, so Brett had to wear his sweatshirt throughout the entire photo shoot. Oh well, he still looks pretty darn cute, don't ya think?

Clearly hamming it up for the camera, can you tell?

Three Cedars Farm!

Last Tuesday, Rachel and I decided to take Molly and Brett to Three Cedars Farm to pick out pumpkins and enjoy the fall afternoon together. The weather was perfect - not too warm and not too cold - with just enough crispness in the air to feel like a true fall day. I love this time of year!!

As soon as we got there, we climbed on the wagon for a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch!

I have to admit, I was a little disappointed in the pumpkin selection. About 90% of them were either rotten, squished, or bruised (yuck!). But, there was no turning back now! Brett was on a mission to find his perfect pumpkin and we weren't leaving until he did! :-)

Look how cute these two are! I love that Rachel and I basically grew up together (we met in 7th grade) and now our kids get to grow up together too :-)

When we got back from the pumpkin patch, we explored the farm a bit (and bought some bigger pumpkins at their outdoor store), ate delicious doughnuts, and explored the kids area. And just my luck, right after taking the train pictures below, my camera battery died. I was so bummed because the kids area was the best part! There were farm animals, play structures, slides, tractors, and the coolest part....a huge sandbox full of corn! We will definitely be going back next year with a charged camera ready to capture ALL of the wonderful moments :-)

"Choo! Choo!"

Randoms :-)

I'm still trying to catch up on posts from this summer....so here are some pictures that I meant to post a long time ago! :-)

One weekend this summer Kyle decided to set up the tent in the backyard and take Brett 'camping'. Kind of like a trial run before the real thing :-) Brett was beyond excited and couldn't wait for their adventure to begin! I was excited to have the house to myself, but my gut told me it wouldn't last all night....

Brett was one happy camper!

Camping isn't what is used to be...now you can bring your DVD player and watch movies! Brett loved every moment of his camping adventure....until about 10pm when he was ready for his bed :-) Yep, I was right. Maybe he will be ready next year for the sleeping part!

I picked Carolyn and Norah up from daycare one afternoon after it had rained...and there was a huge puddle in our driveway. Brett started riding his bike and quickly realized that it would get stuck in the puddle, and if you kept peddling, water would spray up behind it. The kids had a blast taking turns spraying each other, to the point that I eventually had to refill the puddle with water from our sink!

Another warm day when the girls came over I set up the sprinkler....kids and water always seem to equal a great time!

I babysat Hazel one afternoon, so here the kids are waiting to make banana bread :-) They were very excited, until I took too long and they were off to find something more fun to do....

...like hiding in Brett's bed together!

In September we spent the night at Uncle Matt's in Chicago one night. And being the wonderful uncle that my brother is, he surprised Brett with some legos! 

My brother loves video games so much, he made his own arcade machine! Here he is showing Brett how to play Super Mario Brothers. And yes, I became addicted that night! One of my favorites from when I was little!

That's it for now, but hopefully I will be posting again soon!