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Summer Sisters

8/6/2012

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Please..........won't you smile?
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There you go!
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_Now I'm going to try something new....a quick jumble of news from the north, then back to the pictures! We've had a busy month of July, but it has gone pretty well overall. Lots going on! Here is one humorous story.

Just when you think everything is going along smoothly (mind you with a ton of hard work to keep it that way), you feel so delighted to see an email in your business inbox indicating your business has been recognized and awarded as the best of its kind in your community. Wow! That was exciting. I called Steve. We read the email together. Press release, and everything. Then you clicked a link to claim your award---for a $79 price. Of course, the crystal was up another $50 and you could go with fancier plaques, crystals, etc. The web site changed its name slightly to match each client. When we clicked on the site, of course, it strategically put the town of "Mountain" in several places. We quickly realized we'd been had.

Later that evening Steve was called out to take care of yet another maintenance issue at a cabin. Back down to earth!

In other news, Ellie has finally found her tongue and can say something that sounds like "no". I say sounds like, but it is closer to "naaa", as she shakes her head to confirm it. It is not the forceful "NOOO". It is the "No thank you, Mama, I'd really like to do things a different way," or "not now, not really, hope you don't mind." It is very cute! You can tell after spending time with Ellie that she knows and understands  A LOT, just can't say the words yet, which is perfectly normal, as most say 3-5 words at her age. She and Charity are both so loving towards us and to each other these days. Lots of hugs, lots of kisses. Much ado about when Daddy walks through the door....it is of course an event drawing incredulity and delight!

Okay....back to the pictures.

This is one of Charity's favorite things to do.
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Ellie likes it down here, too!
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There is much to explore.
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In other news.....we've had a super fun time with visiting cousins from Green Bay and Atlanta.
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We had fun taking the kiddos to Slippery Rock, a small waterfall that people can use as a slide.
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Isn't he a cutie? He and Jed would have been happy to stay there all day!
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Back to the home sweet home...I'm enjoying the conversion of our dining room into playroom.
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Steve built  me a small fold-into-the-wall table that fits our kitchen just right. Now we can keep the "mess" in one room and it is so nice to be able to have the girls close by while I get their meals together.
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We had family stay at the resort this month also! Wonderful time with Aunt Heidemarie and Anna and her family! Here we are going on a hayride after enjoying wonderful stories together up at the house over a pizza dinner.
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Back to resort news and latest project: renovation of the stone decorative pillars. Way to go Steve!
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Old...
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New.
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In addition to working on a host of maintenance issues around the resort, Steve also installed a new pump and platform at the camp site well. We are excited to have running water down there now, and plan to use it to water our cows mid winter if the stream freezes over.
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We've had some wonderful summer hayrides and dessert fellowships this summer. Just three more Tuesday nights to enjoy these summer stays and then fall season comes in with our weekend families and couples.
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I've enjoyed doing some painting again.
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...with Steve's help, we recreated our front steps into a pleasant entryway. I don't have pics, but Steve also helped me get pressure washing done on stone steps, sidewalks, and cement cistern at our house. With fresh painting, sanding, and staining, things look pretty nice!
It looks as if I've used up space for more pics on this post! I will have to put the last few into the next one. :)
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Summer Sisters, continued

8/6/2012

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New office signs
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Back to family life...Charity and Ellie are growing and changing a little bit each day. Love this picture of Charity in the Rec Field, running, with the play parachute spread out behind her!

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And Ellie?...well, she is just too cute for words.
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Okay, okay, hugs are great; now, where are those peanuts?
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And one last one for the day.....in case you are wondering: no, Mommy did not ask her to set the table!
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Taking Romance Where You Can Find It :)

6/11/2012

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It's not that Steve and I don't want to have quiet moments to ourselves. It's just that those moments are as nearly as I can tell, destined to be shared with a larger and larger number of little people! Steve is getting nervous that I am writing about him, so I will stop. Suffice it to say, I thought these photos by Kayla a few weeks ago were priceless. :)
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Kayla took these, too. I'm in LOVE with them, and of course, with these little people and my wonderful husband.
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Back to the cows again. I thought they deserved some attention. Plus they looked so cute dozing in the sunshine last week.
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These days have been filled with spring projects. One is a new concrete patio at Rock Rest---See "From The Forest" Page. Other projects have included fencing, pillar repair, drain installations, water heater install, and most recently, repairing hundreds of yards of fencing in the back field so that the cows will soon have more room to graze.
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This is the back field. I don't go back here very often. About once a summer. I'm always amazed by its serene beauty. It is one loooooooong rolling hill. This spring, I loved watching Charity take it all in.
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We've had a hard time getting the color we want on the staining of the fences up near the resort. It's fun to see a new color around though.
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It is so fun to live with a cheerful little muffin. Yes, I still call her my Angel Fluff, my Little Fluffernutter, my Little Ellie Pumpkin, or my Elliana Joy. Mostly she goes by Ellie, though. Yes, I do just love to pick her up and have cuddle time. I love hearing her laughter when we play "Monster."
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These are my flower / herb pots I keep out my front door. I've gotten sooooooooo much joy taking in the bright colors coming and going.
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Camp Lake boat ride......I also swam to the raft and lay in the sun for  a bit. Very wonderful.
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Steve and John have really been sweatin' this week and last. Steve comes home TIRED but I can see it in his eyes....he's lovin' it.
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.....so is she. :)
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Thank you Kayla and Brett for visiting our little neck of the woods and for the beautiful pics that uplifted our spirits! This is another one of Kayla's. How she managed to get us all holding still and sort of smiling is a wonder!
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Sweet Babies

5/30/2012

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The girls have been having a good Spring season. Here you will see that Charity has fallen asleep on her own. This doesn't happen too often!
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I've been marveling at the transformation to curls lately. So cute! Must be the humidity.
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Ellie got sick this week. So glad she is feeling better!
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Ellie: "Grandpa understands these things." LOL.
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Another sweet baby  moment this week.
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....And a video from back in February that is pretty fun. :)
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Deep Sleepin' and Whirlwind Days

5/12/2012

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So I went to the park a few weeks ago and Steve took some photos for a change. :)
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And I took a few of course.
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So I saw this guy at the park.....couldn't take my eyes off him...!
(Can you believe I met him for the first time just about five years ago, already?)
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A lot has happened in five years.
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A lot of good things.
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Sometimes the time seems like it is going way too fast. Charity breezes through 25-piece puzzles on her own and is so very much fun to watch.
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Ellie joined us a whole year ago and then some. She is walking now!
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In the midst of these busy resort-readying days, we made a trip to Grandpa and Grandma Walker's in Chicago to pick up a furnace for the Green Cottage. Grandpa built these TP's for Elijah and Sam. So cool!
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As with all their Larson grandparents' house, they had a ball.
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This is a totally random photo inserted here to show a wall mural idea to my twin sister Gayle, for her new baby coming in August. You can have so much fun these days with this stuff!
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Back to the mayhem and fun times at the Grandparents Walker.
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This is another random photo...I'll get back to our story in a moment! I think this one looks SOOOOO much like Steve.
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On the way home from Chicago, I saw this sign in a parking lot. AMEN. Let's spread this around the country!
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Also on the way home.....typical.....very typical.
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Not so typical, but oh so precious. Thank you, Lord.
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Goodnight, moon. :)
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Ellie Plumpkin Turns One

4/1/2012

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Ellie Plumpkin Turns One
Here's the day it all started . . .
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_It was a day filled with wonder.
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_What a cutie........oh....oops....this is Charity!
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_Ellie was all her own little personality, just like Charity was.
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_Soft and sweet, content, and in awe of the beautiful world.
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_Time flew and before we knew it she was such a part of our lives.
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_...and exploring a whole new world. Now....if your world was all under two feet in  height . . .there would be all kinds of things to get into!
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_Little cubby-holes and such.
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_"Oh yeah....that was fun! But kinda dark in there. Let's get back out to the light again!"
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_But of course...Charity is having the real adventures, out in the big world!
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_What can be more fun than running on a dock in a Spring mist?
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_"What can be down there?"
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_Okay, okay, back to the big birthday!
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_Charity played all day with her cousins! Ellie was so lucky her cousins could come for her big day.
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_SO much to take in and all so exciting.
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Mmmmm. Carrot Cake!
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Happy Birthday Ellie! I just can't believe you are one already.
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Birthday party video below:  
(and below this video is another very short video of Ellie the day she was born!)
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New Spring Discoveries!

3/20/2012

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Intoxicating. That is the best way I can describe this past week. Filled with beautiful babies, spring breezes, melting ice, nesting cranes, increasing bird and frog sounds hitting us from all sides as their happy noises echo off the lakes. I can tell Ellie and Charity are lovin' it.
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I get Charity to smile for the camera! Wow! Spring must indeed be here!
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First bikeride. So funny. Ellie holds onto Charity's helmet and giggles for the first fifteen minutes of the trip....until she discovers she herself is wearing something even funnier looking! :)
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Charity discovers sawdust. Daddy says, "It's like hair!" Charity immediately starts calling it "hair!"
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Charity's excitement is mounting at the new discovery!
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The wonder of it must be passed on.
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Ellie tries to figure it all out.
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Perhaps the newest highlight of the spring was the discovery of puddles.
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And if you were two....wouldn't you want to be doing this too? :)
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First Post!

2/27/2012

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It is a beautiful blue-sky day here in the Northwoods. I've had a busy morning with the girls but they are happy at the moment and almost ready for afternoon naps. Steve is watching them briefly before he heads out to work on the Green Cabin bath. We're looking forward to blowing up a pic of T-Bone, six feet by nine feet, to use as a tapstry / wall paper in the Green Cabin bath. Should be fun!
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    Welcome!

    Thank you for joining our family for a minute as we share with you glimpses of our life in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Steve and I run a small resort and have four children, Charity, Ellie, Anders and Benjamin. I enjoy writing, cooking, homeschooling, and watching old movies with Steve. :)

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