Mild February

Enjoying a very warm February!

Happy 2017!

Christmas 2016

Rose sang in the middle school choir for the Christmas special. See her over there on the right? Front row.

This is the first year that Lily did not take out the tree. And this is the first Christmas in our new house!

The morning of Christmas Eve.

We went to the Conrads later in the afternoon and stayed through Christmas Day.

Then the following day we celebrated Christmas with my parents. You can tell Emily doesn't like Christmas.

My dad bought a new .22 scoped rifle, so we went outside after opening gifts and took turns shooting at a cardboard target. That is the easiest gun I've ever shot; it makes you feel like a sharpshooter because it's nearly impossible to miss your target. No recoil, just precision target practice!

One of my gifts this year was this toy airplane that belonged to my Grandpa Nodland in the 1930s. It's in surprisingly good condition for being over 80 years old. It has a really gnarly metal gear wheel underneath with super sharp teeth that a rubber band would have wrapped around to turn the thin metal propellors when the wheels turn. A safe toy for any kid!

Birthday and Thanksgiving

Birthday! At our yooshuwall place.

Thanksgiving! Dave and Daphne joined us right before they moved to Huntsville. Mom and Dad weren't able to make it since Mom was still recovering. Daphne made pumpkin flan with melted caramel on top.

Halloween

Rose and Laura were the Grady twins for Halloween and they practiced speaking together in monotones and walking in step. They wore their costumes to school and the principal guessed correctly who they were! They've never seen that movie (not quite old enough for that yet, heh), but they watched the scene from The Shining enough times to get the part right. Creepy girls...

We turned the car into a shark for trunk or treat. There was a gray fin for the roof, too. The black sheet had an opening in it and kids had to reach through to get the candy.

Emily was Minne Mouse:

Emily looks scarier than the twins:

Pumpkins!

Mr. Dreadful

i see you toiling under the pale harvest moon

sad wretches laid to rest, you know it all ended so soon
for you it's just another night and business is booming
and that guy on the left was a friend, i'm assuming

you know i shouldn't smile at atrocities of this kind
the way you tip your hat and how your grin does shine
a certain flair as you work just sets my mind at ease
while you bury every last one, an end in varying degrees

well it's not up to me to judge right or wrong
but i have to wonder where have your manners gone
because i think a modest eulogy would be nice
a flattering recount of every sin and vice

whether or not they were ready to meet their fate
or find peace with their own expiration date
you have to admit that it was all in good fun
and such tales to tell when the night is done

does one dare hope to be like you someday?
giving rest of this conscience that gets in the way
and finding solace in what makes others recoil
finding peace in the smell of freshly turned soil

well get on with your work, the sun soon will creep
into hollows and valleys its rays will soon peek
with its cruel harshness burn through the veil
over our purest intentions it soon will prevail

this moon won't sail forever, you know
and all good things must come to a close
but i hope to see you again some dark eve
and maybe you'll have some new tricks up your sleeve

10.25

My cousin Jill got married in the Twin Cities and we drove up for the wedding. The fall colors were at their peak up there and it was a scenic road trip.

It's really embarrassing when Dave tries to be as cool as me. Trying to wear the same shirt and tie...

Back in Cedar Rapids we went to Bart's Farm: