Christmas Tree!

Hopefully over the next day or so I can finally catch up all of our pictures on here from December.  I'm not even going to worry about November :/ I'll just catch up this month and try to keep up from there.  We'll see.  Don't hold your breath though!! 

For the past five years, we have always bought our Christmas Tree at the same tree farm in NC.  We have always loved being able to look back at pictures of the kids in front of the same sign each year growing a little bit bigger and bigger.  The first year we took Ella, we were just carrying her around in the baby bjorn!  So needless to say, we felt a little lost trying to make new traditions for tree hunting here in Wisconsin.  Thanks to several suggestions from friends, we found the best place to go!  It was wonderful and don't tell our old place....but this one was way better and totally replaced it just fine.  They had a huge selection of beautiful trees!  In some spots you just saw trees as far as you could see! We chose the perfect one (which took forever now that the kids are old enough to insist on which ones just aren't "good" enough), cut it down, and caught a hay ride back to the front of the farm.  There we had hot chocolate while the tree was given a good shake and wrapped up to take home.  It was great and every year we just seem to have more and more fun with the kids as they get older and can participate more.  It always feels so nice once all of the Christmas stuff is out and the house feels so festive!  I just love this time of year!!

Dairy Breakfast

Over the weekend we attended our first "Dairy Breakfast!  In Wisconsin, the month of June is dairy month and every weekend there are a number of local farms that host a dairy breakfast.  It's almost like a mini festival where a local farm serves breakfast and opens the farm to the public to come look around.  The one we attended served pancakes, cheesy scrambled eggs, sausage, and a variety of Wisconsin cheese.  They also had some locally made ice cream that the kids really enjoyed.  We took a tour of the farm in a horse drawn wagon ride and walked around to explore some.  They had some face painting and a fire truck that the kids could sit in.  It was a lot of fun and really neat to learn about the way farmers in Wisconsin run their farms and take care of the cows.  Randy had a baseball game so he missed out, but I'm really glad the kids and I had a chance to go!  I'm going to post more photos on Facebook, but here are a few from the day!

Going to the "beach"

Yesterday on a whim we decided to pack up and go to the lake!  Since we grew up in Florida, the beach was a pretty big part of our childhood.  When we moved to North Carolina, we still had access to beautiful beaches and the only thing we really missed was the powder white sand we were used to.  The beaches in NC are wonderful and we learned to love them just as much as the beach in Florida.    We are "beachy" people so when it's Summer time, we go to the beach.  That's just the way it is. 

Since we don't have access to a sandy ocean shore, we had to improvise!  I think we all agreed that we are more than pleased with the results.  Yesterday, we went to a local state park (maybe 10 minutes from our house) and visited their "beach".  We had the best time!  It was definitely NOT the powder white sand of our childhood, but that didn't stop the kiddos from having a blast!  They played in the sand for hours going back and forth from the water with their buckets.  They also were really brave and  went swimming in the cold water.  We loved it!  It was pretty crowded, but we were still able to keep a close eye on them from where we sat.  Also the water was shallow for a descent amount out so it was easy for them to "swim" around by themselves.  No worries about waves or riptides.  It was perfect!  The only problem we had was keeping up with our daredevil Noah who kept trying to wander out too deep.  He was making me a nervous wreck.  He really has no fear at all.  Thankfully, the water really was shallow so if he stood up his head would be out of the water, but we still had to keep on him to stay closer to the shore.  Crazy kid!  

I can't imagine a lake replacing our love for the ocean, but I can definitely say we're a fan!  It's sand, water, and sun.  It was in the upper 80's.  The scenery was beautiful.  And it did the trick.  

Ten Thoughts on Thursday...

1) This week is almost over and I really haven't done anything except relax and spend time with my kiddos.  Amazing.

2)  Last night the hubby and I went out on a date.  I love LOVE love getting to date my husband every week now.  Having time together without the kids gives us an opportunity to connect and communicate the things we need from each other which makes for a happy wife and happy husband!

3)  My kids went straight into nursery with NO tears this week after being out of church for 3 weeks (due to sickness and traveling).  I'm so happy to see how well they have adjusted.  Such a relief.

4) It's ridiculously windy in Wisconsin.  Sometimes it sounds like the wind is going to literally blow the house down!  Crazy!

5) We finally planted our garden this year!  It's a raised bed with lettuce, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, broccoli, and green beans.  

6) Last week the kids and I spent the whole week in Tennessee with my family.  Lots of pics to come soon either on here or Facebook.

7)  I'm so happy and thankful that God has entrusted us with this crazy-adventure-life.  

8) Can't wait for the pool down the street to open in JUNE!  Sooo ready to enjoy this gorgeous weather!

9)  Last week I volunteered with the Kindergartners and 1st Graders at church!  Made me think of my old class at KABC! Can't believe I will have a Kindergartner of my own in only a few short months?!

10)  Life is good and we are blessed.  My cups runs over.  

Deuteronomy 7:9  "Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands."