Fall Fun continues...

Fall is by far the best season of the year!  Driving down to Iowa City this morning, I told Jon that I could never live in a place that didn't have fall...the glorious weather, the beautiful leaves, the cider, the apples, the pumpkin...LOVE IT ALL!  And, being that I love it so much, I try each year to squeeze every little fall drop out of the season.  So, the fall fun continues...

Several weekends ago, we traveled to Minnesota for the weekend to enjoy time with family, and introduce Vinnie to the wonderful world of High School football.  Upon picking Vinnie up from daycare Thursday afternoon, I was told that he had just spiked a small fever...we thought very little of it, as he had been teething so much lately.  However, we would later find out that Vinnie would be fighting a double ear infection all weekend.  Between doses of medicine, he was a happy camper and managed to take in a delicious lunch at Lola's lake house, one whole half of a football game, a dance party with his cousins, Nickel Dickel day, cuddles and fun with his Great Uncle Tom and Great Aunt Joanie, and of course lots of hugs and kisses from his Grandma and Papa!  It was a great weekend and we were so happy to be able to take the time to enjoy family!

Our little football, ready for the game!

...and he's out! Asleep by the 2nd Quarter.

The following weekend we were blessed with visitors in Iowa.  Grandma and Grandpa Keimig came to spend time with Vinnie (and Jon and I too)!  While they were here we shared our Husker hot spot at Beef O'Brady's with them and watched Nebraska dominate and win the game.  We also enjoyed a trip to the Wilson's Apple Orchard/Pumpkin patch.  It was a beautiful fall day, and despite not being able to pick our own apples (thanks to a late spring frost), we enjoyed Apple Cider donuts and took in all the gorgeous fall scenery.

Go Huskers!

At the Orchard with G'ma and G'pa.

Where is our pumpkin?

This weekend, we enjoyed a beautiful fall walk for a great cause.  We participated in the Making Strides for Breast Cancer Walk in Iowa City.  The walk took place all through the University of Iowa's campus, right off the river...breath taking!  Jon, Vinnie and I were happy to spend our time raising money and walking for such a great cause!

Today I am working on my 3rd batch of Crock Pot Applesauce thanks to a delightful find on Pinterest.  It has become a fast favorite around our house.  I enjoy it warm at any time of day, Jon enjoys it with a little ice cream on top for dessert, and Vinnie devours every last bit of it and cries when it is gone!  YUM-O! :)

Have a great week!

School Days

School is back in full swing, which means time at home becomes minimal, but very important.  It may take a few weeks to get accustomed to the added responsibilities, lack of time, and overall exhaustion that comes with being back at work.  Vinnie, on the other hand, has had no problem adjusting to the change.  Our social kiddo is both excited to arrive at daycare each morning, and excited to leave each evening when we pick him up...now if that isn't the best of both worlds, I don't know what is!  He enjoys his days socializing with his friends, but is eager to go home with Mom and Dad each afternoon!


Vinnie must be not only playing with his friends at school, but socializing and conversing each day as well.  Shocker, I know, but we have quite the talker on his hands!  I cannot imagine who he could have possibly intherited this trait, but this kid loves to talk!  Most of it is just jumbled babbles, but recently, we have been able to make out some very distinct words.  First came "more," said on repeat at every meal.  Then there was "da" hollered across the room at "Darby" who was usually up to something naughty.  This one made us realize that we probably yell at her a bit more than anything else...poor pup!  Most recently, to accompany his love and obsession for his favorite toy, Vinnie is uttering "ball."  He identifies balls, which isn't too hard as balls outnumber any other toy he has 10 to 1, while playing, requests balls, tosses balls, chases after balls, and searches balls, all while saying, "ball."  This leaves us to feel that he is not only the cutest child to ever grace this earth, but now the smartest as well!

With the return of school also comes Mom's favorite time of year...FALL!  I love everything about fall, and am trying to pass this love onto Vinnie.  This of course includes football...we have enjoyed watching one of Papa Purples football games on the computer, a Nebraska game at Beef O'Brady's and today cheered on Peyton Manning as he played for Denver for the first time (we may have a new favorite team in this house).  This weekend also provided the opportunity to enjoy some outside activities in much cooler weather.  Yesterday morning we bundled up and spent some time swinging outside while dad worked on makings some improvements to the deck.  To wrap up the weekend, we enjoyed homemade applesauce from the crockpot for dessert after dinner.  This was a HUGE hit with all members of the family and left Vinnie crying (literally) for more! :)

We are already looking forward to our journey north next weekend to enjoy some much needed family time and take in Vinnie's first Waconia Wildcat football game.

Enjoy your week!

All our love from Iowa!