Thanks to everyone who read our last post and supported our big move out to Seattle. We are humbled by and grateful for your encouragement. Your words mean a lot to us - thank you!
Backing up here about ummm… three months or so… amidst all the planning and physical work that went into the move, we did manage to squeeze in a bunch of fun too. In fact, we may have had more fun this past fall than ever before because we knew our days in Minnesota were numbered. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking in this post so get ready to feast your eyes on a variety of photos.
This was a day at the park, but oh, how we just adore these big brown eyes!
Our dear friends, the Zitzlspergers, also made a big move this year. They now live in Denver.
Over Labor Day weekend, we went to Illinois to visit Jason, Cassie, Emerson, and Miles. Our great friends, the Kensingers made the trip from Iowa. It was such a fun weekend with boat rides, swimming, fashion shows, glow-in-the-dark golfing, pony rides, and quite simply awesome memories!
Kendall, Kate, and Peyton (and Uncle Jason) enjoying the scenery from the pontoon boat.
Peyton, Katelyn, and Em
Kendall with "Uncle Jesse" - how's that for a tan and pale contrast?! :)
We had a great time at the pool too. And not just the kids, as you can see…
Michael brushing the rust off his diving skills.
Katelyn's turn for the plunge - brave girl!
Wooo-hoo!
We also went to the cutest little place for pony rides. We fed the ponies carrots, too. A definite hit with the kids!
Kendall, Peyton, Katelyn, Calvin, and Emerson
Our city-cowgirl :)
Dear Santa,
This.
Love, Kendall
These sweeties had so much fun together!
As always, it was a fabulous weekend with friends and family!
At the beautiful Minnihaha Falls in Minneapolis.
Katelyn started Pre-K in early September (!!!). To me that meant "Pre(tend to)K(eep little forever). Not Pre-kindergarten. Nope. No way.
Heading off to "meet the teacher day" at PreK.
This picture was taken on September 11. It made me stop and reflect on how thankful I am for these two precious beings entrusted to us.
"Accessorize, you guys!!"
This was taken before we went to an ISU/Iowa game watch for the big football game. The poor, confused product of a house divided...
Wait. What? Who am I supposed to cheer for?
One day at the YMCA, the girls spotted this "rainbow tree" - red, orange, yellow, and teeny bit of green!
In September, Michael's dad Gary and Sara came to visit for a couple days. The weather was great and we had fun showing them around the area and visiting a local park to play.
Three generations of Mlakars.
Sara and Kate climbing the big spider web.
It was nice to see Gary and Sara!
We went back to Iowa for a weekend before Michael left. It was great!
Checking out all the Cy's around town. And also, check out the sister squints. HA!
And then there's this heart-swelling bunch.
We milked the nice fall weather for all it was worth. It was the best!
Chalk art in the driveway...
This park was one of our favorites. I rode my bike with the girls in the Burly behind me to this little gem a couple times a week. We miss it now.
Ever tried sitting on top of a piece of waxed paper on the way down a metal slide? Do it. You'll never go without again! Katelyn, as you can see, could not get enough!
When Michael was home for two weeks before departing for Seattle, we were blessed to get the opportunity to do some fun family things. One of which was visiting a local apple orchard.
Family selfie...
And our true colors emerge!
The "sassters" were out in full force at the apple orchard!
After Michael left for Seattle, our realtor suggested an open house the following Sunday. In addition, we had a showing scheduled for that weekend. I found out very quickly that the house stayed a lot cleaner when we weren't in it! So, we left town for the weekend and went to Ames. And get this: the house was tidy for three straight days! Achievement.
We went to an ISU basketball kickoff event at Hilton. Go Cyclones!
Introducing the next generation to Hilton Magic! The girls had a lot of fun looking for Cy, watching the cheerleaders, and Katelyn and Uncle Ryan walked all the way around the perimeter of the balcony :)
Found another Cy - this one was the favorite. You know how these girls like sparkly things!
Silly selfies with mama...
Katelyn's dance class celebrated Halloween by dressing up.
Her whole class dressed up (5 Elsas in the bunch!)
Kate next to her friend Maddie - the cheerleader and cowgirl.
But the sweetest treat of all on Halloween was that Michael came home for the weekend after being gone for two weeks. Katelyn said, "I just can't stop hugging you, Dad!" Melt. My. Heart.
The special bond between these two is pretty incredible.
Our cheerleader and owl getting ready to trick-or-treat in our neighborhood.
The girls were SO excited! Honestly though, seeing Dad again and wearing their costumes was what really amped them up. Somewhat surprisingly, the candy was kind of an afterthought for them (but Michael and I sure indulged!)
Being reunited made for the happiest Halloween on record for our family!
What's a Minnesota autumn without snow?! That's just how it goes! The week of our move, we got about a foot of the white stuff. A pretty thrilling send-off for our girls! They had fun playing in it with one of our favorite babysitters, Marisa. (She braved the roads to spend the afternoon with the girls so I could get us packed for Disney World. What a lifesaver!)
That's a wrap of the highlights of our fall! Thanks for reading. Next up is a recap of our Disney World trip, so stay tuned.
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