September Recap

It's AUTUMN, people!! This is my absolute favorite month, I think, and for so many reasons:

• Because the weather is just incredible.
• Because the leaves begin changing.
  
  
  
• Because this all happens before harvest is too far under way, so we get to have Mark home still.
• Because everything is crisp and I get to wear jackets and boots.
• Because we get to do fun things like go to the apple orchard, fall festivals, and spend time snuggled up inside after crisp days playing outside :)
• Hot Vanilla Chai Lattes (I do also like a good Pumpkin Spice Latte, but not always as much as Vanilla Chai...yum!)

Okay, I could really go on and on about my love for all things this time of year, but I digress :)

I've had to come to the point this past month where I realize that I really don't think there will be a point in life anytime in the near future where we won't be busy: A time where the laundry is all caught up and the kitchen clean and the living room picked up and clean and everyone fed and clothed and happy all at the same time. So this past month I've been trying to cope with that whole realization. We're looking into hiring a cleaning person to come every other week for a couple hours to just tackle the stuff that doesn't ever get done when we have two toddlers running amok in the house: floors, bathrooms, stairs, entryway, vacuuming, dusting...you get the picture. We'll see how that goes, but especially with harvest approaching, I think we're ready to give it a whirl. It's really amazing how many people have them: Since I've mentioned it, almost every person I've encountered either has had one in the past, currently has one, or their parents have. I'm not looking for a sparkling clean house, just not a filthy one haha :)

In a nutshell...

We started the month with a fun day in Mankato together, and a couple days later Mark enjoyed a nice time with his Dad at a Twins' game. I had a nice lunch and walking date with my good friend Rach. Cashel and I took in the Reinbows Fall Festival and we all spent an afternoon/evening in Worthington for King Turkey Day with the parade with friends and then visiting/eating with Dad and Pam. We had a whirlwind trip to Humboldt to celebrate cousin Kaleigh's 4th birthday mid-month, then had fun with our church family at a bonfire on the 20th. We finished up the month by celebrating our 8 year wedding anniversary with a nice morning walk and brunch in Worthington, and had a great time with the boys at the apple orchard.

I did a lot of baking with apples (thanks to the apples from Mama's trees in Humboldt) and pears, and made a lot of progress on my digi-scrapping. Mark spent some time doing some home improvement projects, namely installing a new toilet in the downstairs bathroom and some new laundry room cabinets above the washer and drier (thanks, honey!)

We started walking immediately after work each day before picking up the boys, which has been a nice time to mentally separate work from home life for us. This winter we envision it being a short workout at the gym instead of a walk.

I've highlighted a few of these events below if you want to check them out in more depth.

Labor Day in Mankato (September 1)

We had a fun, albeit long day in Mankato with the boys. We had a picnic and played at Sibley Park, did a little shopping (and sleeping for the boys) at the mall, and ended the trip with two squirly boys at a buffet (i.e. it ended poorly, and it was a LONG drive home).

Click here for a full recap with pictures!

Twins' Game (September 3)

Mark enjoyed a trip to the cities with his Dad to take in a Twins' game. I think I need to teach Mark a little bit about taking successful selfies :)

Lunch and walk with Rach (September 6)

My good friend Rach and I enjoyed a nice lunch together followed by a nice, long walk to catch up :)

Click here for a full recap with pictures!

Reinbows Fall Festival and King Turkey Day (September 13)

We had a very full weekend, and this particular day, Cashel and I went to the Reinbows Fall Festival just down the street from us at the horse ranch, and then we all went down to Worthington to catch the King Turkey Day parade with friends. We then visited and had supper with Mark's Dad and family.

Click here for a full recap with pictures!

Humboldt and Kaleigh's Birthday (September 14)

We had a fun day down in Humboldt visiting with my side of the family for Kaleigh's 4th birthday party.

Click here for a full recap with pictures!

Church Bonfire (September 20)

We had a great time catching up with our church family at our church's bonfire on the 20th. We had a great turnout!

Click here for a full recap with pictures!

8 Year Anniversary (September 23)

Mark and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary by taking the day off work and enjoying a relaxing date day together.

Click here for a full recap with pictures!

Grandpa's Fun Farm (September 27)

The boys and I had a fun day on a long walk, then down at Grandpa's Fun Farm in Worthington while Mark helped out in the field.

Click here for a full recap with pictures!

Looking Ahead...

October is probably my favorite month of the year, although the sad part of the month is that we see Mark a lot less than we would prefer. We try to do lots of fun things together as a family when we can, but the reality is that a good chunk of the month, we don't see Daddy much.

That being said, the month will be still full of plenty of fun, I'm hoping. We're participating in a little family photo session at a winery in Currie with Red Barn Photography this Saturday. We're also hoping to make it to the pumpkin patch to get some pumpkins for decorating the house as well as some for jack-o-lanterns. We're having our big Ropte family GTG in the middle of the month down at the farm in Iowa, so that always promises to be crazy and fun and chaotic. I'm looking forward to cooler temps that aren't freezing (we hope) as well as my 33rd birthday and Halloween at the end of the month. We haven't thought about anything past October this year (if you know me, this is shocking), but we'll see what it all brings!

I'm trying to make it a point to not allow myself to let the craziness of the holidays get to me this year. I want to really enjoy them this year and not just let the events take over. I love to bake and cook, but if it's the difference between spending time with my family or having a fancy pie to serve, let's just say store bought will have to suffice this time around.

For now, I hope you're enjoying all the beautiful colors that fall brings :)

Autumn Walk and Grandpa's Fun Farm (September 27)

We had initially planned to spend the day together as a family, but Mark ended up needing to help his Dad at the farm, so after a sort of crazy morning at home (Mark finally was able to replace the toilet downstairs), he took off, and it was just the boys and I.

We decided to make the best of it and went out for a nice long walk on this beautiful morning. Kendrick fell asleep the last half of the walk and continued his nap for about 3 hours while Cashel and I settled in for lunch and snuggling up watching a movie for a bit. The fall colors were really beginning to come alive, and I was just loving it!

Once Kendrick woke up, he had lunch, and then we loaded up and went down to Worthington to check out Grandpa's Fun Farm. I was a little worried, as Cashel fell asleep on the way down (at 3pm - super late for his nap, if he took one), but he woke up as we were arriving, which worked out nicely.

The Fun Farm was alright, but man was it ever bright and hot out when we went! We started with a ride in the wagon train, then just wandered around looking at the animals for a while. We didn't end up staying too long (which was alright, since it was only $6 to get in, since both boys were free).

After the fun farm, we swung by Ocheda Orchard for a couple minutes to just pick up some apples in the store, then went out to say hi to Daddy and Grandpa at the farm before heading into town to see Grandma Pam and Jess. The boys met us for supper before too long - pizza at Kent and Pam's - and then I whisked the cranky boys away home right away.

We had a fun time together, but missed Mark :( We're looking forward to next weekend being able to spend more time together!

Autumn Favorites

I'm sad that I haven't had a full chance to just sit and glory in the wonder that is Autumn this year. Yet. I've definitely had my share of comfort food, lattes and views of the country, but it's usually right around this time of year where I take a deep breath and exhale and just relax in it all, and that just hasn't happened for me this year.

Some of my favorite things to get me in true Autumn mode include the following:

Fall candles

I tend to get all my fall candles from Bath and Body Works, and while my two favorite standbys are Leaves and Mulberry Woods, I've discovered a new favorite this year: Bergamot Woods.

There's nothing quite like sitting around on a cool, crisp fall day with these smells permeating the house. Just makes you want to sigh :)

Comfort food

This one is obvious: Warm feel-good food is just the best, isn't it? I love when it's chili season, but I'm also thrilled that this year I've discovered SO many more delicious comfort food recipes to add to the recipe box. My old standbys are chili, meatballs, meatloaf, ham balls and chicken noodle soup. This year, I'm adding to the menu rotation:

• White Chicken Chili
• Country Chicken Chowder
• Spicy Sausage Pasta
• Creamy Sausage Tomato Tortellini Soup
• Ham & Potato Soup
• Lasagna Soup

Music

Music is such a huge part of my life: It just moves me. I love a huge variety of music: Everything from Christian to classical to country to easy listening to alternative to you name it! During this time of year, however, I am so drawn to more soothing, calming stuff like Norah Jones style, Mark Masri, Josh Groban, John Mayer, Jack Johnson - music that makes me want to snuggle up with a cup of coffee and a good book and just relax. I love Carla Bruni's version of "You Belong to Me". When I listen to music like this, two visions come to my mind, and they make me smile: Mark and I walking through St. Stephen's Green in Dublin, Ireland, watching the beautiful golden leaves fall after an early morning rain. The other is curled up with a cup of hot cocoa and my laptop, blogging, and watching the leaves fall out a colonial window in Talkeetna, Alaska. My life is made up of these moments, and music takes me back there. It helps me remember and feel.

Decor

Fall is my absolute favorite season as far as decor goes. I've, sadly, had to ramp down my decorating since having kids, so probably a big part of my muted fall feelings lately have been the lack of pumpkins and leaves and what not. But when you have two toddlers under the age of 3 running around the house, you have to find decor that not only is not breakable, but is also safe, since the littlest one likes to eat EVERYTHING. So no fake leaves (he would eat those), nothing glass, nothing too hard, nothing that could fall, nothing with little pieces that could be pulled off. Pumpkins seem safe enough, except the little one loves to gnaw away at them. So...for a short season of life, I'll just have to remember what it was like when I could decorate the whole nine yards!

Vanilla Chai Lattes

I do love me a good Pumpkin Spice Latte, but for me, the Vanilla Chai Latte is where it's at! I first tried it at Ben Lee's in Worthington probably 5 years ago, and I order it almost any time I'm near a coffee shop. If you haven't tried one before, please do! If you don't love it, I'm sorry, but it's seriously my very favorite drink in autumn/winter.

Crisp Walks

Is there really much of anything that can compare with this? I mean, I love walking most any time of the year, but in the fall, everything just hits you. The leaves are just breathtaking, the air smells fresher, if you're lucky, someone is burning their wood burning stove and the whole neighborhood just smells incredible! We have definitely been getting out and walking more lately, but are looking forward to more and more of this :)

PUMPKINS!

Really, need I say more?

The Colors

Well, I've completely depleted any free time I have to finish this entry today :) I hope this has maybe put a smile on your face as it has mine :) We're off to the fun farm when Kendrick is up from his nap and had his lunch, and the sink is (once again) full of dishes.

Have a happy Autumn :) May it last a nice, long time :)

Eight Year Anniversary (September 23)

Mark and I celebrated eight years of marriage. It's crazy when I think about how different our lives are from that day in 2006 when we celebrated with our friends and family at our wedding.

The years have certainly worn on us and changed us, and aside from the exhaustion of parenting, I'd say made us better. The odd part about that is that physically, mentally and emotionally, we're weary, and to the outward onlooker who didn't know any better, they'd probably think we were at some sort of low. I mean, we've both packed on some weight, we're constantly forgetful and we look like we've taken a beating day in and day out. We don't do all the things we used to enjoy nearly as much (softball, snowmobiling, jet skiing, downhill skiing, basketball, running, etc. for Mark, and long walks, running, baking, crafting, for Amy)

Our energy levels are pretty low; We're tired a lot. Sometimes it feels like the day to day obligations with little kids at home are stifling: I swear our home will never ever ever ever be clean again.

However, our relationship has grown so much, and we've been able to see ourselves in a whole new light, and have realized just how much we have grown both as spouses and as individuals. And we've both realized that our hearts have grown so much it's not even funny :)

Yesterday, we decided to take our anniversary day off to celebrate, and we had a fabulous time together. We got up at the usual time and dropped the boys off at daycare at the usual time, and then we spent the morning in Worthington.

On the way down, I finally got the picture I'd been wanting to get for years of the incredible view you see along the highway on the way down just after the curves in Heron Lake. It's even more beautiful as the season wears on and the colors change more: On a day with bright blue skies and fluffy white clouds, the water is incredible and reflects everything so perfectly. One of these days the opportunity will be perfect and I'll have my DSLR with me again :)

We knew there would be a front moving in with rain, so we decided to walk around Lake Okabena right away. We saw little hints of Autumn that just made me smile :)

The walk seemed long, especially as about half of it was in a light rain, and our tummies were so hungry by the time we finished.

After our walk, we enjoyed a nice long brunch at Perkins together, and it was everything we had dreamed it would be in our heads while finishing the last 2 miles of our walk in the rain. I tried their (new to me) Spinach and Mushroom scrambler and it about blew my mind it was SO GOOD! Mark had the Tremendous Twelve.

We ran to ShopKo for a bit, then decided we should maybe stop at Slumberland and check out what they have to offer for a new bed. Ours is inching up on 10 years old and I bought it in the clearance section for $700 10 years ago, and it now has enormous body impressions on each side and is pretty darn uncomfortable. This one here will be arriving next Thursday and I CANNOT WAIT! Happy Anniversary to us!

You may end up seeing us with more smiles and less back pain in the near future, people!

After Slumberland, we picked up a few odds and ends at Walmart, then grabbed a movie from Redbox (Divergent - pretty good overall) and went home to watch it while the rain fell outside.

It was a very different Anniversary than we've celebrated in the past, but I think this may very well be our new "normal" for Anniversaries. It was such a nice, relaxing day together, and we SO enjoyed it!

I love you, Mark Willard Johnson, and I'm thrilled that I get to be your wife every single day. I know it won't always be easy, and I know we're likely to face many more challenges as the years go by. But knowing that I get to walk through them with you makes it seem a little easier. :) Happy Anniversary!

FBC Bonfire (September 20)

Mark and I took the boys on over to the church for a fun bonfire and fellowship with our church friends. We helped set up beforehand a bit, being on the activity committee, then had a fun time roasting hot dogs and marshmallows with friends. It was a little difficult to actually sit and visit, what with two crazy little guys to keep out of trouble, but we still enjoyed the little bit we were able to.

We always have such a fun time celebrating with our church body, and this was no exception! We're looking forward to the days when the boys can entertain themselves and we aren't worried about them getting hurt or lost. We did have a great time, though!

Humbodlt and Kaleigh Mae's Birthday Party (September 14)

Sunday was really the day when things started getting a little unbelievably nuts. If you recall, Saturday was already a pretty crazy day that started at 5:15am (thanks, little buddy!), and to be honest, I didn't really think it could get much worse than that. I must have actually said it out loud or something, because Kendrick totally called me on that and decided that 4:15 was a more appropriate time on Sunday morning. I thought a bottle and a diaper change would put him back to sleep for a couple more hours, but I was wrong: OHHHHHH was I wrong.

I spent the first two hours clinging to the hope that he would go back down to bed, but by 7am, I finally gave in and made a big pot and got all caffeinated up. And it was a really good thing, because that little monkey was up until 9:30am! And for that entire 5 hours and 15 minutes that he was awake, he was CRAZY! He was climbing on things, climbing INTO things, completely trashing the house...it was exhausting just to watch.

Since he fell asleep just about an hour before church, and we knew we'd have to drive 2 hours once he woke up from his nap, we decided to just let him sleep, so Mark stayed home with him while I took Cashel and went to church.

Afterward, we had some lunch, then loaded the boys up for the long drive down to Humboldt to arrive just in time for cousin Kaleigh's birthday party. We had to stop halfway at a park to unleash the beasts, and came across this really fun band shell. The boys just had a blast running around and listening to their voices echo.

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful, and we had a great afternoon at the party with our family. Kaleigh had a Frozen themed party, complete with piñata and lots of princess dresses. My sister put together quite the spread, including a popcorn and ice cream bar with fun toppings and a hot dog bar (how perfect for kids at this age) for supper. We had a fun time!

These boys just love playing with their cousins and running around at the farm. The apple trees were so full, so we picked a couple bags full and I'm going to try my hand at homemade applesauce in the slow cooker soon.

It was a later night getting home (about 9:30), but the boys were really good on the way home, so we were glad it went better than anticipated. I was so dog tired after having gotten up so early, but I was glad that didn't translate into Ms. Cranky Pants, and the boys did so great for having such a jam-packed weekend. We had zero melt downs, which, in my book, is a WIN!

Lately in Windom

Mark and his Dad went to a Twins' game together.

I got some ceramic pans, and I'm in LOVE with them! Obviously.

I tried my hand at canning tomatoes this year. They turned out AWESOME, but I have to hold myself back from eating them straight out of the jar. YUM!

This big boy finally got Cashel's hand-me-down convertible seat. He looks so grown up in it!

Of course, that meant that big brother had to get a new one!

Cashel scored a cool quarter from our buddy Gary at the farmers' market.

Other farmers' market finds: cut flowers and pickling cucumbers

I enjoyed a beautiful lunch and walk date with my good friend Rach :)

The boys LOVE this place. And really, how could you blame them - it is really pretty awesome! It's an all wood park, and it's full of little passageways and fun places to hide and run. I'm glad it's usually as quiet as it is, so I don't worry about Cashel running around there.

We seriously live in an incredible part of the country. This view is less than half a mile from our house, and it blows me away every time we walk past it.

Cashel's hat is apparently pretty romantic...

Caught these guys napping when Cashel and I got back from the park one afternoon. Melt my heart :)

My sister put together this super Pinteresty topping "bar" for ice cream and popcorn for my niece's 4th birthday party. I had a hard time leaving the Twix alone, and Cashel got caught probably 4 times pulling out a handful of sour gummy worms.

The apple trees were FULL at the farm, so we did some picking. Cashel LOVED it. I thought it was cool for him to see where apples come from. He thought it was cool to drive the 4-wheeler through the rotten apples that had fallen on the ground.

I couldn't believe that this kid actually DROVE this. By himself. I had to hold him on there, but wow...

Had to take his brother in for drinking and driving.

These boys love their cousins!

Happy 4th Birthday to miss Kaleigh Mae!

Exploring Kastle Kingdom

This doesn't happen very often these days, so I had to capture the moment :)

For some reason, Cashel really took to the donkey at the Reinbows harvest festival. He went nuts when the donkey started hee-hawing.

Cashel and his friend Emma on the carriage ride

Cashel enjoyed the King Turkey Day parade in Worthington with his buddy Madelyn.

Always a disaster at our house. Always. Bonus points for anyone who can tell me how any of this stuff actually fits together.

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