Apple picking in Wisconsin

Computer nerds in training

James in his two second time-out

Isn't reading the best?

Caitlyn and Lauren's first day of school

After seeing Caitlyn and Lauren off on the first day of school, Emma sat on the front porch and with big tears said she wanted her sisters. I said, "But Emma, you have your brother to play with. Isn't he fun?" At that moment James hit her on the head with a stick. The look on Emma's miserable little face was priceless.

James loves his dog

Caitlyn's eighth birthday- she's sooo into High School Musical!

James at the children's museum

My little Picassos

James and his cousin Ellie

Emma and the bear

After church one day I was grilling hamburgers outside with Emma when she said, "Look Mommy!" I was busily flipping and ignoring her many attempts to get me to look, look, look. Finally I looked and to my astonishment I saw a black bear standing six feet tall in the backyard! No joke! It then turned around and walked off into the woods. I was so shocked I called the sherriff's department and asked if a bear might have escaped from the zoo or if someone needed to come out and capture it. The receptionist must have thought I was an idiot but calmly told me that bear sightings were common that time of year and unless it attacked me, animal control wasn't necessary. Sarah and Whitney actually raced into the woods to see if they could also see it. Fortunately, that was the last sighting but my girls had bad dreams for weeks to come.

Yummy!!

Carlsruh family reunion

This summer we had all eight kids and their families under one roof. On Fourth of July we split into three teams and made homemade rafts in twenty minutes and then raced to the other side of the lake. This is the winning team.

Lauren loses her first tooth!

Strawberry-picking

We had so much fun in Wisconsin this summer. The weather was beautiful and we spent our days fishing, swimming in the lake, strawberry picking, and making smores in the fire pit. The kids had a constant stream of cousins coming to visit and doting grandparents. What a life!

Caitlyn and Lauren with Grandpa Carlsruh

Caitlyn and Lauren have become quite the experts at fishing. They can hook their own worms and reel in the big ones. They are the proud owners of these two fish which Grandma helped cook for dinner. Even Emma, the finickiest of eaters, loved it!