trains and trees

We went for the first time to a tree farm to get our tree- until now, it had been the gas station, grocery store, garden center... but I think we have found "our spot". Wait and see why that is...

 A field to pick your own tree out of...

 Finding the perfect tree!

 Cutting it down...

 Then... Playing on trains! 

 Watch out Lainey! Pete and Emi are driving!

 Hot cider in the caboose

Three things about Emi

Since just turned three, I want share three things that stand out to me about her at this point.

1. She loves to be your buddy. She wants to go anywhere that anyone is going and offers all sorts of advice and suggestions while out and about. She tells jokes and laughs at your jokes. Emelia helps in so many ways with her sister and spends lots of time laying on the floor with her. She can make her laugh better than any of the rest of us can.

 2. Reading. She would read all day on her own and with you. She will walk away from the TV or playing together to find a book to read. She loves new stacks of books from the library and will spend an hour sitting with Peter looking through them together.

 3. She is becoming brave and is still independent. This works out better than being independent and nervous. She tries new things and after she is successful is so proud of herself! Things still need to be on her terms and her own idea... no chance of planting ideas in her head yet!

 (And she still loves that cat)

Como Park Day

We love going to the zoo throughout the fall and winter. In the summer and spring, it is so crowded that it is pretty much impassable- in the winter- no one is there and you have front row seats for all of the animals. Since it is cooler, many of the animals are more active as well. After we went to the zoo, I asked both of the big kids what their favorite part of the trip was. They both said, at different times, that sitting on the metal turtle, all together, was their favorite part. I'm glad that they enjoy eachother's company... but we saw and heard a lot of animals that day!

Night Riding

With the early nights and the darkness, we have worked hard to come up with ideas to make the nights go by faster.

Fall Biking

We spent a lot of fall biking- to the fountain park, at holzingers and all over town. Emi has gotten to be so fast on her scoot bike and Peter is just a whiz on his pedal bike of course. Peter at one point this fall biked 7 miles with me while I ran around the lakes. Lainey loves riding in the backpack with us as well.

First Movie Trip

We took our first trip to the movies at the discount theater, the Rivoli, in LaCrosse. We saw Planes and the kids loved it and sat so nicely! We walked in to the previews which were a little loud and made Emi a little nervous, but she made her way in, ate her popcorn and said that she wanted to come back and sit in the "castle theater."

Happy Halloween!

 As usual, we had all sorts of Halloween Fun in Winona. Including, but not limited to:

 Halloween party with friends! Pinatas, bobbing for apple and Emi eating as many Cuties as possible were the highlights of that night.

 "Real Halloween"
This was the best I'm sure for Peter since he got to wear his train costume. He wasn't able to walk very quickly in it, so for the first time in Emi's life- she was able to outrun him. He was so sad that she was getting to all of the doorbells first... but the extra treats put into his smoke stack made up for it. I also wasn't going to dress up or dress Lainey up, but saw the Cinderella/Gus costume and I just couldn't resist!

 Emi was obviously so so so happy to be a cat. She just loved it.

 We decorated Mike and Julie's driveway with a Halloween train.

 Halloween at the library and the haunted stacks!

 Trick or treating with friends at SMU. These are the best two pictures I have of the group... Our entire group was friends of ours. This was the best thing ever! So fun for the kids to know everyone and for the parents to have friends to talk to. We love our "tribe" here in Winona.