Thanksgiving

A group picture from Thanksgiving at Blackwoods
Kaj, Brandi and Brandi's cousin Mason at Pine Mountain Lake. They took a five mile hike while Skinner and I finished the greenhouse.

The troops on their hike

Thanksgiving at Blackwoods

Kaj taking the traditional after Thanksgiving nap.

Kaj and Brandi at Blackwoods

Kaj excited about his pumpkin pie

goofballs

Kaj-nana-gins

So when we were putting up the greenhouse Kaj started taking out screw guns and drilling his own holes. I really didn't think that he would be able to do that but sure enough he has it all figured out. So he now has his own screw gun from his Dad and has his own wood that he can drill holes in. He also pounds nails quite a bit but he finally pounded one all the way in.

Last night he was taking a bath and he turned the water on. Not a big deal. He was messing around with knobs and buttons and turned on a very cold shower. I heard it come on said to Skinner I wonder how he is liking that. Then the cry came. I wish I would have brought my camera because he was totally freaked out by the water coming down on him. He could hardly continue crying. Then he had to keep telling me all about it. And that only Mommies and Daddies take showers and he was not going to pull that button again!

Getting as much as we can done

This was a busy weekend. Be drove to just south of Virginia Wednesday night to pick up Brandi and then spent the night in Duluth. Thursday we shopped and did eye appointments and then back home by 8 Thursday night. Work on Friday and then Saturday and Sunday between visits we tried to put up the new greenhouse. Yes we did this last fall however Skinner seemed to be under the impression that there would not be dirt and water everywhere in there in the spring. Since he put in a cement floor and it is attached to the house he just can't handle it. So after he bleached it out this summer I was in need of another space because "this is not happening again". So I got a bigger greenhouse and it is going up next to the shop. I think it will work out alright. So we started putting it up Saturday morning and that is when everyone in the world all of the sudden decided to call or stop by. A test of patience. So between Saturday and Sunday we got the walls up. Unless Skinner gets some time this week we are not going to be able to put the roof on until next weekend as it gets dark here before I am done with work. It will all get done eventually.

Trick or Treat

As Kaj and I were carving pumpkins I didn't realize that he was taking the cutouts and "feeding the mouse" When I looked up this is what I saw. What a thoughtful boy!
We carved all the pumpkins that we grew, other than the ones that went bad before Halloween got here.

Kaj cleaning out the pumpkins

My little "cowboy" as he called it. He totally got the hang of the getting candy in his bucket.

Going away and other Fall pics

Kaj's girlfriend is moving away. Friday night there was a going away party and we brought the kids and then Kaj's girlfriend spent the night. There was a band at the party and Kaj and Sienna were the only ones dancing. They danced and danced and hooted and howlered. They had a great time.
Kaj helping Dad move a pile of wood over to the stove. Every piece he would pick up and say "dis one and dis one and dis one..."

The aunts came for a visit. Kaj had to brush their hair. Doris said she and Bette would take him for an over night next year.

Oh my look at all that fun hair!

Another picture from the party. I thought it would be great to get a picture of Kaj and Sienna with a background of balloons. This was as close as I got to it.

Dance Dance Dance

Pictures on the beach

Grandma Rebecca and Kaj playing fall down.

Kaj having a picnic on the beach with Grandma and Grandpa. He doesn't look very happy to be contained in the highchair.

This is a great picture.

Throwing rocks on the beach.

Just got these

It was a pretty quiet weekend. Kaj spent the night at his girlfriends house on Saturday so Skinner and I could go to a surprise party for one of my co-workers. It was great and she had no clue.

The barn is really coming along. The roof should be finished up today and then a little bit more siding and we are set for winter. Next year we will stain it barn red. If Skinner can wait that long to get that done.

Below are pictures that Karli just sent me. They are from August and September.

Brandi and Kaj climbing on the rocks.

My Darling little boy eating chocolate at a wedding reception. It was alright though because we dropped him off at Grandma and Grandpa W. after the dinner of chocolate so they got to spend all that energy.

More climbing.

Reorganizing the rocks.

Random

Kaj's dump truck cake. It fed the daycare and the birthday party. It was 4 cake pan cakes and 16 cups of powdered sugar for the frosting.
The front

Under construction.

Tara

Lady

Kaj in the garden. He loved picking carrots and feeding them to the girls. Well really only Tara. Lady won't eat carrots or apples.

Kaj getting some toilet paper/

Talking on the phone naked. I can just picture this as a 16 year old. Except at that point he will probably at least be wearing underwear.

Kaj helping to put up the new barn.

The trusses going up on the new barn.

No pictures

One of these days I will remember to upload pictures again. Kaj had a great Birthday party on Saturday. Definately Aunties gift of the pizza(a wooden one with tools and you can stick on toppings)was a big hit. Kaj had to sleep with the pizza slicer and spatula last night. I don't think he let go of them once. Today is his two year physical so I will let you know his specs tomorrow. He sure is getting big. Soon we hope to go a longer 4 wheeler ride with him. He has been out helping Daddy with the barn a lot. He likes to reorganize the wood piles for him.

Nobody puts Baby in a corner

I am not one for swooning over an actor. But I must say when I heard Patrick Swazye died I was a little sad. It brought me right back to being at Jessica's birthday party/slumber party and rewinding that part in the movie where he comes up and says "nobody puts baby in a corner" about a hundred times. Those were the good times.

The kids are doing good. Brandi is now in International Falls with her mother. Yes she was supposed to be with us, but due to a little error on our part of not having an attorney and her mother changing her mind she is now up there. Kaj tells everyone that sissy is at her mother's. This morning he added sissy come home. So maybe we will have to pick up Sissy for his birthday.

Otherwise all is well, someday I will get some more pictures on the site.

It's been awhile

I have not taken a lot of pictures lately so I apologize. We had a busy weekend. Saturday Brandi, Kaj and I picked raspberries, went for a short ride on Lady, washed Anssi, and did stuff around the house. Brandi left to go to a wedding with her mother so it was just me and the boys Saturday night. We headed up the trail to Trail Center had a nice dinner and then stopped at a favorite blueberry picking spot to see how it was holding out. It was doing pretty good so Sunday we picked up Grandpa Jim and headed up. We got a gallon of berries. Not bad since it is hard to pick with Kaj. Grandpa picked himself is 4.3 Liter bucket full despite losing a few due to an unfortunate knee/bucket collision. A beautiful day all in all. All of us seemed to be pretty pooped out except for the Kaj guy who wanted to stay up and party!

Happy Birthday Brandi!

Brandi helped make her birthday cakes. She wanted the ponies so here they are. Above is Lady, below is Tara.

It was also our block party. It was a great potluck and about 2 degrees warmer than last year. Last year was freezing.

Our neighbors coming over on the 4-Wheeler. The one on the back is the one in the middles mother. She is from New Zealand. I tried to get a picture when they first pulled up but they were all off in about 10 seconds so I missed it, but at least we got one of them leaving.

Some of the neighbor kids and their cousins.

Brandi opening her present from my parents. All the kids thought for sure it was a gun, but it was a paddle that my Dad was refinishing and woodburned her name and birthday date into.

We got her some pretty boxes, she also got some stuff for swimming and some horse stuff.

Kaj made sure there was plenty of wood on the fire.

The neighbors brought over an old Viking game which the kids seemed to get into playing.

Brandi and Sophie enjoying the BBQ. All in all I think a pretty good night.

The Watermelon Gang hits the farm

Here are some more farm pictures. Reese was not a fan of all the piglets (that aren't so much piglets any more). They were a little too pushy and loud for her.
She got to go for a ride on our Lady. It took some convincing for her mother to let her go but Reese I think had a good time.

Then Kaj had to go for a ride.

Brandi was keeping track of the kids at the dairy farm. She couldn't get reese to not holder her hand or to slow down.

Sometimes just carrying Kaj was easier

Kaj trying to catch up to the girls

Grandma Rebecca and the kids

Reese meets the chickens

Notice the finger going in the fence. She was too quick for the chicken to get her.

Here she is meeting 100 of the 300 chickens at the farm

Sorry we already saw this picture I just don't know how to delete it.

Mr. Boar and Mrs. Pig. The picture does not do Mr. Boar justice. His ear is the size of Reese's head

Brandi feeding 6 day old Jill