Educational Road Trip!

We got the opportunity to joyride around the countryside while looking for the massive windmills! They were huge! The whoosing noise they make is almost haunting. Supergus of course wanted to go over to them and get inside one! We said no. Go figure.

The leaves were just breathtaking. We enjoyed seeing rolling hills and farms hidden in them. ~little communities dotted alongside winding roads.

There's something magical about a beautiful fall day, a pick up truck, & family time!

Perfect!

Little Cupcake dressed to cutest perfection~

She has a temper under all the layers of cuteness!

Fall Begins!

Even though it gets chilly so quickly, we do enjoy fall! All the beautiful leaves, pumpkins, apple cider, and warm fires make it so wonderful! As tradition has it, every year we venture out to check out the pumpkin crop. When Supergus was Cupcake's age we went to this same pumpkin patch and we tromped through the fields to see the hundreds of pumpkins. As excited as I was, Supergus was really only interested in a friendly donkey that was in a nearby pasture. I'd say "let's go pick out a pumpkin!" he'd say "okay!" and then race past the pumpkins and go straight to the donkey! Over and over we did this.

This year~ Hello Mr. Donkey! He's STILL more interested in the donkey! Cupcake, too! We really need to skip the pumpkins!

Poor pumpkins...One lucky donkey!

Happy Birthday Dear Cupcake!

It's hard to believe our little girl is a year old today!

We had a nice family party last night complete with cupcakes! Earlier that afternoon, Cupcake put on her Monarch Butterfly wings and headed into Supergus's classroom with her cupcake-butterfly cake! Supergus got to pass out the cupcakes in honor of her birthday and their classroom lessons on the life cycle of Monarchs. The wings were so heavy she had a harder time walking and leaned a little to one side. It's surprising she didn't end up walking in circles!

That evening we had a dinner and opened presents. She was amazed at the helium balloons! She tore into the cupcake and could have finished the whole thing in 2 bites if she had let her! I think she still may have little sprinkles up her nose!

This is an amazing journey God leads us through with our children. We couldn't love them more!

Making Friends in the Park!

We spent the afternoon feeding the ducks with Granny Moo and her friends in the park. Cupcake wasn't so sure of the ducks at first because they came right over to the van and they were as big as she is. After warming up to the idea she thought the bread was a great idea and decided to feed it to herself instead of the ducks! Luckily, it was fresh bread.

She was also interested in the squirrels, feathers on the ground, the Queen Anne's Lace, the rippling river, the geese poo, and even a lonely dandelion caught her eye.

Hair-raising moment!

I've waiting over 5 long years to be able to do my own daughters hair. Yesterday was the debut of the "whale spouts"! They are absolutely adorable and despite the process to get them in there~they'll be starring in many of Cupcake's gorgeous moments!

Monday Nights...

Studying for spelling, practicing guitar, & dressed for Cub Scouts~all at the same time!

Add in Bible study & dinner at the church and we have just a typical crazy Monday night!

use your noggin!

With a spring in my step!

She's getting more confident with walking everyday!

It's pretty hard to keep up with her now!

A little fresh air...

Yeah Me!

Goal!

We're so proud! Supergus showed off his skills by scoring the first goal in his first game! He even bounced a ball into play using his head! The team ended up losing by one point, but they sure had fun! We made signs that said #1 fan and Go team on them! He had his own cheering section!

He gets to play again next Saturday!

Shopping Princess!

We've come a long way since our very first trip to Dollar General! Cupcake is learning to like shopping more and has noticed that there are lots of pretty things to look at and touch. She overachieves in the touching part! We found a children's consignment boutique and she had a great time looking at all the pretty dresses! Me too!

Chitter Chatter!

Never loses it's appeal!

Super Daddy, Supergus, Cupcake and I made our way to the Great Fair tonight! After rushing through homework, guitar practice and lightning fast sloppy joes! It's always fun to visit with everyone at the fair on FREE night! It's like the entire population of our twin cities gathers in front of the firemen's french fry stand. Maneuvering a jogging stroller through there takes some skill! But hey, it's as close to a high school reunion as we seem to get.

Cupcake thought the balloon was cool until we attached it to her ankle! She spazzed! She is quite the kickboxer! Oh my! Supergus enjoyed a slushy and his favorite pulled taffy. (Banana flavor this year!)

I bought my small bag of pink, light & fluffy, perfectly spun, sugary woven bliss (cotton candy) and savored every dissolving morsel at home! I got it stuck on my fingers and entertained my husband with a mini-finger puppet show! I did share a little with him and saved a sweet bite for Supergus! That'll be great for breakfast! Won't Mrs. #42 be thrilled with the idea of a sugar-laced breakfast to start off a day of educational sittin'-stills?

The fair was just right in a lot of ways. The peanut guy's family is still carrying on the tradition and pretty much every vendor is in exactly the same places as they were in my high school days Everything is very much the same, except for the fact that our family is now complete with having both my children watching all the flashing lights with wide eyes. We celebrated with so many people tonight that our little girl has finally come home. Too many years passed with us explaining to people that we were hopefully going to bring her home before another Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Christopher Columbus day passed us by again.

The fair was perfectly what I'd hope it'd be...a reminder that we are home...here in the United States at the best fair in the world. ~even if it's only Great for our personal reasons...

When the crown fits~

Our little Bath~time Princess!

a little learn'n outside of school...

Writing about "Why my mom deserves respect..." It was not a school assignment.

Sometimes, we just need reminded that backtalking and words can be very powerful.

A little Red, White, & Blue

Gotcha!

We attended a great celebration for "Gotcha" Day! We joined lots of families to celebrate adoption! Cupcake was the Guest of Honor this year! It was a lot of fun including deep-fried turkeys, a hayride, and volleyball! It was a great evening that ended in a diaper-explosion! This only added to the memory! We were thankful to finally be able to enjoy the celebration of an adoption, personally!

All before the bell rings!

We've been packing in the fun before school starts! This Summer rocked and we made so many great memories! But, I think we're all looking forward to a more structured schedule.

Okay, maybe not Supergus. He said today, "I don't want my Summer vacation to end..." I assured him that if he puts in a whole year of school, he'll get to do it all over again~probably minus the globe-trotting." He informed me we are going to Russia next Summer. Does he know something I don't or am I still jet-lagged and hearing things?

Supergus is playing soccer this year, too! So, add that to church events and cub scouts, we'll be far from bored. Cupcake is also keeping us on our toes and will be walking very soon! She sometimes crawls faster than we can catch her!

When the kids aren't keeping us running, the garden and canning/freezing is on our agenda. That, and fixing that blasted tractor that eats belts for breakfast and loves to scalp the yard~demands our attention! It's just jealous because the duct-taped, wheel flying-off, choking to its death push mower is nearly dead and we had to resuscitate it a few times this week. Sibling rivalry or mower envy? We're not really sure.

At least the dog is laid back.

It's been a great Summer and I think by this time next week, Super Daddy and I will crash on the couch and smile at each other saying...

"Wow, what a ride!"