Happy Halloween!

Halloween on Monday is a bit brutal, but we had fun nonetheless. 

This year the girls were a ragtag group of Lady Giraffe, Alvin the Chipmunk and Mad Pumpkin. 

And I always love a Halloween retrospective!

2010-2012

2013-2017

2018-2021

Happy Halloween! 

Weekend Wrap-Up

Hey all! Happy Sunday evening already. We had a lovely weekend enjoying the unseasonably (and kind of creepy) warm weather.

But first, this is what you get when you don’t keep track of your phone and your almost-teen steals it and saves weird Snapchat pictures.

Yesterday we met Boom for a picnic lunch and then a hike!

Today we had a relaxing morning. Chris painted Mayans nails, Pa came over for brunch and games, and Maya had gymnastics.

Then I went hiking again…this time with G-ma, Auntie Hanna and Auntie Cat! We also made it to our usual summer beach, which was lovely. And then Luna and Shambles had a little play date.

And then dinner by the fire!

Have a good week! 

A (very lame) Picture Update

I sucked at taking pictures this week. These are literally the only  ones I took. I don’t know how it happened! Our weeks are just so busy but not exciting enough for pictures. Ha!

Have a great weekend!

Timehop Tuesday

Here we go! From babies to big kids:

And this one looks so much older after just a year.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Hey all! If you missed my big cabin post yesterday, click here.

After getting home on Saturday afternoon, we unpacked, did laundry and relaxed. Then I started getting ready for my dinner out with Laura. The girls got into my makeup and Cal made herself quite the face. Ha!

Laura and I went to Bar LaGrassa and had a DELICIOUS meal: charred red onion with goat cheese bruschetta, cauliflower and orange gnocchi and spaghetti carbonara. YUM. 

Today Maya read up on boxer training.

And we had a fun time over at uncle Dan and Auntie Hanna’s with Mitchell, Isla and Pa! We carved pumpkins, played, and jumped in the bouncy house.

Have a great week!

A Picture Update Part 2: The MEA Break Edition!

Hi all!  So here is Part 2 of my Picture Update.  We had a CABIN ADVENTURE for a few days.

On Wednesday afternoon we packed up the car and headed out to an Airbnb cabin in Wisconsin!  To get there we drove through a LOT of farm land.  It was quite beautiful.

We arrived in time for a sunset dinner of spaghetti.  Luna settled in and we played some card games before bed.

Thursday was a BUSY day!  Luna and I did a mile walk around the area.  When the girls got up they ate a couple of the (dozen) donuts we brought up with us...thanks to a gift card from one of my students!  I enjoyed coffee with a view and we took Luna out on the dock as the sun rose.


Our cabin was so adorable. And very photogenic in the morning sunny glow.

Before leaving for our morning activity, I got pics with my girls.

We went to a nature center about 20 minutes away and decided to go bug catching to feed a couple bugs to a big fish inside the nature center.

Then the girls tried to do a paddle balancing obstacle course outside the nature center.

Next up: we headed out for a 2 mile hike!  Maya was a bit crabby at first, but eventually enjoyed herself.  Not in time for the family picture however...ha.

It was a GORGEOUS day for a hike.

When we got back to the cabin Chris went out and did some solo fishing off the dock while the girls and I made lunch. I brought up Pringles, which we usually don't have at home, so I taught them the Pringles duck mouth trick.

Then it was time for a PONTOON RIDE!  Luna seemed to love it.  She stood at the end of the boat and just sniffed the air as it blew in her face. Every once in awhile her ears went flying in the wind.

The girls and Chris did some fishing...though they didn't have any luck.

We headed back to our cabin after exploring the chain of lakes.  Then I took a brief nap on the couch with an amazing view of sun rays.

Chris and the girls went down to the dock for more fishing, and I got to enjoy the quiet cabin while also watching them from the beautiful big front window.

We made dinner and ate it at sunset down by the fire. And then, of course, we had to make s'mores.

The sunset was BEAUTIFUL. Here are four pictures from the same point on the dock (except the bottom one...it was a little further away so I could get the silhouettes of Chris and the girls ON the dock), taken from 5:43pm to 6:37pm. I couldn't get enough.

While the sun was setting, we had fun with taking a sunset panoramic photo (two Callies!), and they did more fishing!

Overall, it was an amazingly lovely evening enjoying the lake life at sunset! Ahhhhhhhhh.

Around 7:30pm we went out to look at stars and saw Jupiter and a shooting star.

After we put the girls to bed I came across this, a poem written by our pastor/high school classmate, Meta. It summed up our evening perfectly. 

On Friday morning Luna and I went on another walk that wore her out.  

We had a relaxed morning at the cabin.  I enjoyed coffee outside (while listening to the new Taylor Swift album on repeat!), Chris made eggs and bacon, and the girls played. The view from big window was lovely.

We played a little cribbage and they did a little more fishing.

Then late morning we headed to Chippewa Falls, which was about a 40 minute drive away.  We went to Irvine Park, which included a "zoo"...it was a bit depressing but had some cool animals.

Then we walked around other parts of the park, including a cave.

We got lunch at Lucy's Deli (of course!), drove to see a few more animals and headed back home.

We decided to go on a boat ride since it was just beautiful out.  Nothing beats a warm fall day out on a lake!

Then we enjoyed some quiet time in the cabin.  Callie and Luna "played" Garbage.

Then it was time for another boat ride...this time to pick up dinner!  The cabin owners recommended a place to eat that we could get to by boat...so of course we had to do it. And of course I had to order cheese curds while in Wisconsin...

And we went at sunset. I JUST LOVE IT.

When we got back, Chris and the girls went fishing off the dock again and we captured that dusk glow.

We had another campfire and Chris kept it going for awhile while the girls and I went in for more cards and pampering time...face masks!

This morning Luna and I went for a darker walk, I enjoyed coffee, and we spent time on the dock before packing up and heading home.

The girls noticed a bunch of little fish right under the surface, so they did some more fishing and caught a bunch!

I'm so grateful I had the idea to look for a cabin on a lake a month ago for this break. It was exactly what we all needed! 

Click here if you have 6 minutes and want to see little clips from our trip.