Julieta Book Party

 "Julieta and the Diamond Enigma" was such a fun book.  We loved the mystery, as well as the tour of Paris and all the amazing landmarks in the story.  We had our book party at church so we could do all the amazing activities with plenty of extra room. We made stained glass rose windows inspired by Notre Dame Cathedral.  Each kid did their own set of fingerprints.  We shared travel stories and located different places we've been on the map with different colored push pins.  We painted watercolor bridges inspired by Claude Monet.  We celebrated Julieta's Mexican heritage with delicious tacos for lunch, and we celebrated Nolan turning 10 with his buddies with some yummy chocolate cake and presents.  It was a super fun day with our pals celebrating another wonderful book!

Double Digits

10 years old. A whole decade.

When I met this beautiful babe 10 years ago, I couldn't even begin to imagine the deep love and beauty ahead by getting to watch this sweet soul learn and grow. He is kind and curious and so loving. He forgives easily and doesn't hold grudges. He is fun and the most loyal friend. I admire him so much.

Nolan, you are one of life's greatest blessings. Happy 10th Birthday! You are so loved.

 

Fall Leaves and Pumpkins

 Despite having very early snow, we ended up with a really warm late October.  We spent a lot of time outside in those couple of weeks, cleaning up the leaves, playing in the yard, and just enjoying the sunshine before the bleak winter months set in.  The kids were really helpful with the leaves this year and we discovered that carrying them to the woods in the kiddy pools worked great!  We also carved our pumpkins that were grown in Grandma and Grandpa's garden and it was so warm we were able to do it all outside!

Fall Cabin Weekend

 The cabin is so beautiful in the fall, so we planned to stay out there for one last weekend before the last of the golden leaves fell.  We got a little surprise when it snowed a couple of inches, enough to make everything covered in a layer of layer of white.  It was actually really beautiful and despite the cold and wetness, we had fun seeing the beautiful golden colors in a new way.  We took a hike to engagement bridge, and thoroughly enjoyed the time spent together with our family. 

Mother Daughter Weekend

 Mom and I decided that for our birthdays this year, we would spend some time together on a Mother-Daughter getaway.  We headed toward Stillwater, MN, stopping at many secondhand/antique shops along the way.  We spent the night in Hudson and headed to Stillwater's antique malls the next day.  We perused the antiques and had a delicious upscale Mexican lunch, then headed back home with our trunk full of treasures.  I'm so thankful for my Mom and the opportunities we have to make these memories together!