Happy Thanksgiving!

We just returned from a fun (and eventful) week "Up North." It started last weekend up in Door County, WI where my family has gone deer hunting every year as long as I can remember. I have been going almost every year since I was about 12 years old. We stay in an old hotel and since it is the off season, we stay cheap and pretty much take over the whole place. It is not uncommon to see us in just socks in the dining room or even see our kids in jammies in the lobby watching TV. The hotel recently changed owners and the new ones are willing to let us keep up the tradition.



That is really what this whole week is about, tradition, and it is so much fun to now share them with my own childredn. Driving up, Kade was so excited to see his cousins and explore this "Up North" place. The week starts with checking into the hotel and meeting up with everyone. The next morning, the deer hunting begins. Since we had lived out of state for the last several years, we have not bought hunting licenses as they are so pricy out of state so this is the first year we have had the chance to really hunt. Of course, with 2 babies in tow, it is not too realistic to think I would get out much.

I did have the great priveledge of going "out to sit" on Sunday morning. It might be hard to believe but there is almost nothing that compares to it; to sit, high in a tree, still dark, in 30 degree weather (or colder) and wait for the dawn in the middle of the woods. Walking out, the only sound you hear is the crunch of leaves and sharp snaps of twigs below your boots. In the dark, you can barely see the flags that lead you to your tree. Finding it, you make the akward climb up, up with your bulky snow pants, sweaters and blaze orange. You settle in and the try to load your gun as quietly as you can. In the silence, you are sure deer can hear it a mile away. As you sit there, the haze of the dawn begins to show as a slight orange glow on the horizon. Your ears and eyes, usually numb from the blare of TVs and radio, gradually become attune to your surroundings. You feel the gentle sway of the wind on your tree.

As the glow turns more yellow, you can start to make out the other trees around you, the gentle slopes and valleys of the landscape. As the sun slowly creeps upward, the silvery birch trees are the first to pick up the sheen of the sun. They begin to glow and then the papery bark burns white. They stand so tall,, bold and ghostly against the dark maples and oaks.

The sun rises farther still and now you can see the color of the remaining leaves. Lots of yellows and browns, a few leaves holding fastly to their green. The forest floor becomes a busy place below you. Busy squirrels and chipmunks dig endlessly, searching piles of leaves for one last acorn. Their activity seems impossibly loud, surely masking the deer that must be right behind me. But wait, what is that crunch, crunch, crunch! Your heart starts to beat faster, your finger becomes aware of the cold ridges of your safety button, your ears strain, the stock of your gun finds its way to your shoulder.. and you slowly turn your head to spot the big trophy buck behind you! Your eyes immediately go to where you think the big deer should be but nothing... then they search for the noise your ears here and Arrgh! Another squirrel! This happens several times during the few hours you sit there but in my case at least, it is almost always just a squirrel, or a chipmunk, or a turkey or a pheasant. Once, it was even a badger!

Now the sun is about a third way up in the sky. The wind is starting to pick up and you can literally hear it whoosh past your ears. Just as it starts to feel chilly, and your toes are no longer responding to wiggling around in your boots, you feel the warmth of the sun on your back. Ican just make out a blaze orange figure walking in the distance. I know it is time to go back to the warm hunting shack, fire blazing in the woodstove. I think I can even smell a whiff of woodsmoke in the wind. I unload and make the akward climb down. I may not have fired my gun, but I have gained some valuable time just thinking, praying, absorbing nature - time which is rare with 2 kids which made it even sweeter!

On growing up...

These days, Kade seems quite fascinated with the idea of growing up, or rather growing big. He keeps asking every day if he is big now? He says "Mom! I am getting bigger! I am almost as big as you" or sometimes even "Mom I am as big as that tree!" I usually tell him that I want him to stay little for a long time. He does not like that answer becasue he "really wants to be big"

However, we also talked about what he wanted to be when he grows up. He said he wants to be a "Daddy Policeman". He says he has a "good Dad" said, "he is nice to me" and that makes him want to be a Dad too. When we talked about him being Dad and having a new family of his own, he suddenly became very sad. He said "I dont want a new family", "I want to stay with you Mom". So I tell him, he can stay with me. When I tell him there will be one day that he wont want to give me hugs and kisses anymore, he firmly disagrees with me. Says he will "love me" his "WHOLE life." Since that discussion he still brings it up and want reassurance that he can be a daddy but not leave home!

Wow! It is amazing to watch a child develop from a truly temporal being. One who just feels the immediate and reacts to it to one with real emotions and feelings. What new parenting challenges lie ahead. I don't want to even think about all the emotions that he will experience for the first time. I know he can have so much joy and happiness ahead but then there is so many others to experience ahead. Argh, just think of middle school! I just wish I could shelter him from ever feeling pain or sadness or fear or lonlines or disappointment but I know I can't. I just have to pray that the Lord will give me the strength and wisdom to deal with it all, to help harness and divery those emotions into good. How to anchor his being in the serenity of God as the only way to have true peace.

For now, we will take advantage of all the simple pleasures that bring joy and excitement at a level that only a young child can experience - a twinkling Christmas tree, a happy, silly song, a forage through the library for books with colorful pictures, an extra high push on the park swing, collecting a bright red leaf.... And I will take every sweet hug and kiss I can get!

Go Avram! Go Avram!

I think the video speaks for itself!

Where is Mrs. Gates?

Kade is such a personable young guy. He gets really attached to people pretty fast. That's why it was kind of a shock when we got a call last weekend from the principle of his preschool. He left a message stating that Kade's beloved teacher, Mrs. Gates, was resigning after teaching at the school for 7 years. It was sad explaining it to Kade who really liked her.

We were not sure how this week would go but he did ok with his new teacher. He did say "I miss Mrs. Gates" when he got home on Tuesday. He was happy though that he got to be the "snack helper." He helped me make pumpkin muffins and proudly marched them in to school. He announced "I brought the snack" and handed the square tupperware of muffins over to the new teacher. Overall, he is doing really well in preschool. He is very good at counting to 10, and ok at counting to 20. He is starting to recognize letters and does it by linking them to people's names. He says "Theres a W for Wyatt, or an A for Avram, etc" Of course, his favorite letter to find is K for Kade!

And Avram - Whew! All of a sudden he is into everything and all over the place! The first twinges of sibling rivalry has emerged as Avram is army crawling all over. He wants everything that Kade has and wants to touch everything! Kade will take his time, perfectly lining up his little cars in a straight line. When all of a sudden, Tsunami Avram rolls into shore, destroying everything in it's path!

Kade still has sweet things to say about him like how beautiful he is.. BUT.. sometimes Avram is starting to test his patience. ..

PS - The pics are from a weekend hike through the Pheasant Branch concervancy in Middleton.

I swear..

he said Mama. Really. I am serious. This morning while getting him dressed. He probably did not mean to say it but he did, so I will take it!

Last night while Kade and Avram were in the bath (by the way, Kade proudly announced that they were, in fact, "Naked Superheros", but I digress) Kade told this funny story about Avram. He told me that he had actually picked Avram out and named him Avram. When asked where he picked him from he said very matter of a factly "the babystore... there were babies there named Henry, and Coolie and Spaghettio, but I picked Avram"

Well, at least the kid is creative if not 100% factual...

Superman! Da da daaa!

Here is our little super duo. Kade really liked the hilarious wig he found in a box of old costumes. He told everyone at each door that he was "Superman.. da da daaa!", hands firmly placed on hips, plastic pumkin candy holder at his side.

We made it up to the top of the hill and then turned around to start back home. He could have kept going for hours! He kept saying, but I NEED more candy! It was definitely enough for Avram!

Fall Fun!

Fall is in full swing! We have been trying to enjoy it while it lasts! These pictures are from a recent trip to the pumpkin farm with Kade's cousins.

Kade was amazed by the really huge pumkin that was way bigger than him!

One of their favorite parts was riding a tractor pulled wagon to the pumpkin patch. They enjoyed searching for that perfect pumpkin!

As usual, little Avram was cheerful and just along for the ride.








We really had a nice time with Ian and Marco. Kade just loved having them here. They got along great, without much trouble at all. They entertained each other and had lots of fun. It is wonderful that Kade is at an age where people make a lasting impression on him. He remembers them and talks about them by name.