nook.

there are no obvious smiles, but can you tell these two are having a good time? they had shared a favorite reading nook... oh, how i look forward to the day when their attention spans have increased & this scene will extend through more than a book or two! ;)

tourist.

this summer we had the fun privilege of hosting family who were actually here to enjoy the northland as part of their vacation. we were part-guide, part-tourist and part-ecstatic to have someone else get to experience this land & water that we love. we showed off our favorite locales & drank in the best summer weather we could have asked for. we ate fresh-caught walleye for lunch one day, rode the train to lester park, and dined outside every opportunity we could. my aunt taught kj how to lick the beater, nj talked big-fish stories with my uncle, and my aunt & i relished the opportunity to do a little shopping together. thanks for the great, touristy, family-fun visit, a&d!

shucking.

kj's first time shucking corn. daddy's favorite food in the whole world! and i do believe he might be passing on the love...

clutch.

truth be told, i rather enjoyed driving an automatic car for such a long road trip. we couldn't have done it without our amazing gramma, though! she was clutch. and how wonderful it was to have her in our home again. look how delighted kj is to have a coloring partner! thanks a million, gramma. we love you.

eh-wee.

one of our favorite hours of the roadtrip... meeting baby eh-wee!! ;) and witnessing in person how amazing her parents are! that is one blessed little family. ;)

farm.

we felt so welcomed to the wagner's farm! what a beautiful home & land. kj had an especially wonderful time meeting many of her great-aunts&uncles and ALL of mommy's girl cousins. this was the first time in a looooong time we girl cousins had been together, and perhaps the first time ever that we outnumbered the boys! we had to document the occasion. ;)

 

roadtrip.

kj, mommy & gramma enjoyed an epic roadtrip from ny to mn this month. special stops included the rowley's home in pittsburgh, pa; the wagner's farm in navarre, oh; AND a panera bread meet-up with the maupins near indianapolis, in! mommy had her first experience with a puking kid in the car, while gramma just thought it came with the territory. other than that hiccup, though, all three girls counted it a blessing to have such a fun, safe trip together!

cousin.

kj loves loves loves her cousin owen! who wouldn't fall for such a friendly fella??

40th.

this summer we celebrated gramma & grampa's 40th wedding anniversary! 40 years, now that's a lot of love! the weekend included sweet time with family & friends, a sailboat ride, a trip to the famous CMOG, and lots & lots of eating together. forty cheers to gramma & grampa!