Halloween

Yesterday, we met up with some friends and went trick-or-treating at the Gurnee Mills mall. Originally, we thought it was just at Bass Pro Shop. The boys love going there and seeing the fish so we thought it would be fun to go. It ended up being a bunch of store in the mall so we walked around for a bit. There were a lot of people there but the kids had fun seeing everyone dressed up. Tonight we went around our neighborhood...boy was it cold! Glad we picked some warm costumes this year. It was fun seeing all of our neighbors. There was one scary house that reminded me of the parts of Halloween that I don't like. Overall, Halloween is a fun time for the kids to dress up and of course get lots of goodies!

Apple Picking

We have been wanting to go apple picking all fall. The weather finally cooperated with our schedule this week so we took the boys to Royal Oaks Apple Orchard. The boys had fun checking out the animals and eating apple cider donuts. Dan had to do a lot of climbing to get the apples from the top limbs but we got a half-bushel so we are set for a while!! Isaac and Levi both had fun trying the different apples. I can't believe how many apples they were both able to eat. We ended the day checking out the pumpkins. It was a wonderful fall outing.

Lake Geneva

Dan had the fall retreat last weekend up at Lake Geneva Youth Camp. I decided to go along with the boys. The weather turned out to be pretty nice (no rain) and the boys had fun hanging out with all the students and leaders. The boys especially enjoyed the swings and the slide. In the morning, Isaac would ask where all the people were. I told him they were still sleeping! Other than the fact that the boys didn't sleep the greatest, it was a fun weekend.

Joe and Levi

Isaac and Daddy

Isaac and Daddy on the slide

Isaac having a blast!

Dan and me

Levi checking things out

Isaac having fun on Jeff's shoulders!

Jason Castro concert

Jason Castro, from American Idol, was at Gurnee Mills last week. We took the boys to see him. They had fun running around and looking at all the people. The music was good too.

Pumpkin Farm

We were hoping to go apple picking this weekend but it was toooooooooooooooooo cold!! We decided to go to a local pumpkin farm instead. The boys lasted for about an hour and then they were frozen. We had enough time to check out the horses, chickens, cows, and sheep. We tried to get a picture of them with the pumpkins they picked out, but they were both ready to go :) Maybe next time. Now if we can get a nice fall day, we will attempt apple picking!

Levi turned 1 and is walking

Levi had his first birthday last weekend. It seems hard to believe it's been a year since he was delivered in the garage last fall! He is our little snuggler who loves to be held. He likes being around people and all the action...he doesn't want to miss out on anything ;) I think he has the best hearing in the world because he will wake up to the slightest noise. He has discovered a new freedom in walking and is all over the place. Isaac enjoys chasing him around the house. It is so much fun to see the two of them playing together.

Cousins birthdays

We went down to Paul and Amy's yesterday to celebrate Caleb's 10th birthday and Nathan's 1st birthday. It's hard to believe Caleb has hit the double digits and that Nathan is already a year old. Time sure flies. Isaac and Levi had a lot of fun hanging out with their cousins. I love the picture of Isaac trying to blow out Nathan's candle. He is fascinated with candles. It will be interesting to see how he does when it's Levi's turn :) Levi is getting so close to walking. He can stand on his own and is walking everywhere if he holds on to something. Before long, he'll be taking off! We stayed the night at my parents' house. The boys always love hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa.

Family visit

Dan parents and his sister Cindy, brother-in-law Darrell, and nephew Nathan came to visit a week ago. Nathan plays the drums in a band, Arise the Dawn. They came to play at one of our youth group events. It was fun getting to see everyone for the weekend. The boys always love when they get to see family. We did a little pre-celebrating of Levi's first birthday along with Cindy's 50th! Hard to believe my little guy will be a year old in less than a month!

Reflections

We went out to dinner with my parents at Reflections on Deep Lake. It is a local Polish restaurant and the food was delicious. It's always fun to go to non-chain restaurants and try something different. The evening was absolutely gorgeous and we were able to sit outside, overlooking the lake. It was perfect until the very end when the mosquitoes came out...then it was time to go home :)

Chad James and Mercy Me concert

We went up to the Wisconsin State Fair yesterday. Two of the people in our small group are in the Chad James band (Amanda - keyboardist and Jon - drummer). Their band opened for Mercy Me so they were able to get us tickets. We rode up with our friends Marc and Kristin. We had lots of fun at the fair, eating all the yummy fair food. The cream puffs were quite a treat, although they probably would have been better if they were topped with chocolate! We had backstage passes to meet Mercy Me. We thought we might miss the Chad James band so Kristin and I went while Marc and Dan stayed in the stands. As it turned out, we were able to still see the Chad James band. It was fun meeting Mercy Me and having them sign autographs. They are a really humble group of guys. It was sad to hear that they had been in an accident last weekend traveling from IN to St Louis. They are praying that God will use this tragedy to draw people to him. We were glad they were able to perform last night. They were wonderful performers and gave all the glory to God!

Staycation

We have had a very busy summer so we decided to do a staycation this year instead of traveling. It was nice being home and able to relax. We went to Keylime Cove waterpark one day. Our neighbor Nancy works there and was able to get us day passes. The boys had a lot of fun. We also went to the Milwaukee Zoo. Isaac enjoyed running from one exhibit to another saying "I want to see more animals!" We also spent some time just hanging out in our backyard and doing lots of grilling. It was a wonderful week.

Pool fun

My parents came to visit last week and help out with the boys while Dan was up in the Boundary Waters. The boys had a lot of fun playing in the pool and being outside. Isaac loves when "people" come to visit. He always says "I want to see more people!" Grandma was helping Levi learn how to crawl up the stairs...I'm in trouble now!!

Ozarks

Dan went on a mission trip trip to Matamoros, Mexico in July. I took the boys down to my parents' lakehouse in the Ozarks while he was gone. Caleb and Noah went down early with my dad and had fun being there with Grandpa by themselves. We joined them after a few days. Isaac had a lot of fun hanging out with the big boys. He would run around the house saying "Get me Noah!" Amy brought the rest of the kiddos midweek so we had a lot of activity around there. Isaac and Levi enjoyed being with their cousins and with Grandma and Grandpa. Levi really enjoyed being in the water and splashing around. Isaac was more interested in throwing rocks in the water than swimming. He did a little "fishing" too...Grandpa would throw out the line and he would reel it in :)

Father's Day

We had a nice day celebrating Dan today. He is such a great father to Isaac and Levi. The boys both adore him and love being around their daddy. Levi gave Dan a great gift today...he took a nap for over 2 hours!! We hung out in the backyard this afternoon, playing in the pool and sandbox. Levi had fun hanging out in the "pirate ship". We ended the afternoon by grilling steaks for dinner...yum!