Deer hunting finale party!

NOTE!: If you can't handle the gore that comes with butchering deer, than these pictures aren't for you!

Every fall for as long as I can remember, our family has gone hunting for deer. The excitement of the season approaching was contagious, even as a little girl. The guys would dust off all their hunting gear and hang them in the frosty outdoors to get rid of any human smell. Then they would carefully inspect and clean the rifles and sight them in. Safety was always a HUGE thing, which I really appreciate now that I'm a "big girl" but at the time I didn't really get why they would nearly flip out if we even thought about touching the rifles! Eventually, I was allowed to hold my dad's rifle, with supervision, and feel the cold, heavy metal of the barrel and the intricate carving of the stock (that my Grandpa Berge had done...beautiful!). And now I have my very own rifle and 6 deer 'under my belt'. So to be missing out on this yearly ritual the past 3 years has been a bit sad.

BUT....this year was different. Our surprise visit just happened to catch the very last weekend of deer hunting and we were able to get in on the butchering party. As horrible as that sounds, I was happy about it! I just love the atmosphere of the gathering together to harvest the meat into the freezers and the feeling of provision that is brings for the winter.

Mariah LOVED the poor little deer heads...I was a bit freaked out when I found her hugging one.

The babies got to hang out up at the house while everyone was cutting up down in the shop. Micah loves his great-grandma!

Then there was a welcomed midway pizza break. (I have to confess, that I was strictly on baby duty and never once soiled my fingers. Felt a bit guilty but then again, I don't get to eat any of that lovely meat so I don't feel too bad). I did eat pizza though!

Back to work! Many hands make light work!

And Dad, getting down to business.
In the end I believe they butchered 8 deer and split it up between 6 or 7 families. So there should be some happy freezers and yummy, healthy suppers in the very near future. Good stuff and happy times!

And the eating begins!

While in Minnesota, Micah had his first try at food!

My Surprise Visit!

On November 17th, the kids and I boarded an airplane and headed across the ocean toward the USA! My hubby wasn't able to make this trip with us but he sent us off with his blessing and good wishes (and lots of prayers that I would survive travelling for 14+ hours on an airplane with two babies!). I was so excited to see my family. It had been a year and a half since I had been home. The fun part...nobody knew we were coming except my brother and his wife! It was so fun and the suspense was almost too much!

Flying over Greenland

We made it and the kids did so well on the flight. They even slept for the last 3 hours as we flew from Newark to Minneapolis...bliss! I was, however, VERY happy to hear the captain say that we would be landing in good ol' Minnesota in 20 minutes. I was tired and SO ready to see my family.


Matt and Beth took us out to eat and we went to Cabella's. Mariah loved it.



I loved it too...the taxidermy is quite stunning and realistic. Though I have never actually seen a pair of lions attacking a water buffalo in real life before, I felt as if I had after this...Once we arrived at my parent's house, Matt and Beth went in and said that they had gotten something heavy and needed help bringing it in (uh...thanks matt). So out comes my dad who opens the back door only to find us in the back seat. He was totally stunned. Then we went in and stunned my mom too. It was great! Later that day my sister, Mindy, came by as well and the stunning continued (it was her birthday so that made it even more fun)! Mariah was trilled to see her cousins again and it was Micah's first time meeting most of them.

(Mariah looks a bit jet-lagged in this one)

The timing was such that I was able to join in on a concert that they had commited to playing for the bank Christmas party. It felt sooooo good to be singing with them again. Ahhhh...heaven!

(practice session)

We did a LOT of hanging out with the cousins. It is great to watch them get aquainted with one another. I think they will all grow up to be great friends.

I feel so blessed to be able to actually sit in my beautiful sister's house instead of just seeing it all through Skype. It feels like a dream! God is so good.

...to be continued.

Photo shoot with a 2 year old

"Somethin' in my toe"...

Disappearing act...

I can still see you...

And she's back!...

Tripod ownership disagreement...

Toes again...

who knows...

Kisses!!!...

YooHoo, over here...

Ahhhhh, that's better...

Mariah turns TWO!

2 years old!
on September 9th, 2011

My little baby girl is not so little any more!

We had a little Teapot themed birthday party for her since her very favorite song was "I'm a Little Teapot" and would make us sing it for her every single night before bed. :)

We played, Pin the Top on the Teapot...

Pass the Parcel...

Opened presents...

Served cake...

Listened (intently) to everyone singing Happy Birthday...

And blew out the candles...!
We thank the Lord for blessing our lives with this sweet little girl. She is so precious to us and brings our home so much joy!

We love you Mariah Grace!

Family Get-Away: Part II

The Beach!

The ocean is one of those things that I never experienced much of in my childhood except in books and movies. We had plenty of lakes and streams near us, but no salt water. So being near the ocean is a thrill for me. I LOVE going to the beach and feeling the rush of the waves sweeping the sand out from beneath my feet. The taste of salt spray on my lips, the smell of seaweed (even though is stinks sometimes), and discovering treasures that the tide has uncovered. Such a lovely and wonderful place!

Even though it wasn't exactly warm, we had lots of fun anyway.




Mariah really loved it and was so brave. She scared me sometimes with her fearlessness! It was good that "daddy" was there to save her from the big waves!

"Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.
Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure."
Proverbs 4:25-26

Family Get-Away

For our "holiday" this summer, instead of taking a big trip someplace or heading out of the country, we decided to just take advantage of some good rates at a hotel not too far away that had a swimming pool (for the kids and I) and a golf course (for David). It was great and so relaxing. I think we all really enjoyed it.

David and his wee shadow getting limbered up to play some golf.

First time swimming in a pool! So excited.

Totally lovin' it!

Mariah's first ice-cream cone was a big hit!

All pooped out...

In the garden

We've been enjoying the gardens and greenhouse that are on this new property. We planted some tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, leeks, onions, garlic, courgette, lettuce, cabbage, beans, radishes, and egg plant.

Loving all the fresh salads for dinner! Yum Yum!

Sadly, we were struck with blight!

I'm sure you've heard of the Great Irish Potato Famine, where around 1 million people died--a terrible time in Irish history. Well, we had the "privilege" of experiencing potato blight first hand this summer on a far smaller scale, of course. Nobody died. Just my dreams of a freezer full of leek and potato soup.

Poor puny little things!

They had to be dug up and discarded so that it wouldn't affect the rest of the garden. Such a bummer.

The tomatoes got enormous, but they also developed a case of something (do tomatoes get blight? Hmm...). Anyway, they sort of didn't do as well as their gigantic stalks were promising. So, my tomato saga continues. Someday, I'll get a beautiful ripe red tomato off the vine...someday.

We are now in the season of pears and apples from the orchard. I'll see if I can get some pictures of that one of these days. Here is Mariah in our sunken garden, where she LOVES to play. Enchanting, isn't it?