Christmas Tree Hunting . . . Minnesota Style.

1 Tractor

(Grandpa Deters with Marcus and Ben)

2 Layers of Clothes

(Jonah and Jane)


3 Boys

(Jonah, Marcus, and Ben)

. . . and one really, really big tree.


When I was somewhere around the age of small (maybe 5 or 6), my sisters and I helped our grandparents plant these trees. I was disappointed at the time because my grandfather told us that they wouldn't be big enough for Christmas trees until we went to college.

Apparently my father missed this lecture as I've been out of college for a decade.

. . . and good job, Mom, on hiding the gaping hole with a nativity scene.

Reflection

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Grandpa Deters turned 65 yesterday. Grandma Deters was up visiting for the week so we celebrated Grandpa's birthday with ice cream and presents. Marcus volunteered to stand in for the party boy. Don't worry, Dad. I don't think you would have had much use for the blocks anyway.

Which came first?

We think the chicken . . .

Happy Halloween!

Thank you Janin for the fabulous hat!

Marcus and the Tiger

A friend of our, Lauren, moved into our downstairs room and is helping to watch Marcus when Jim and I have overlapping work schedules. Marcus thinks Lauren is pretty amazing, especially when she brought home his pet Tiger.

Hanging out with the Luckassons

Marcus got to play for 2 days this past week with his old neighborhood buddies. We really miss seeing them on a daily basis so it was great to spend some time together.

Marcus, Hattie, Brock, and Bren


Hattie, Bren, and Marcus


Note how Hattie very neatly placed the dominoes in the box while Marcus very neatly kept the dominoes in a 3 mile radius.

More Mexico pictures

What you can't see in this picture is that we are waiting outside the breakfast buffet of which (after a 4:00 am wakeup) we beat all the senior citizens and half of the wait staff to.

Mexico!

Marcus got his first stamp in his passport when we went went on a quick trip down to San Jose, Mexico.

Marcus and the water feature.

Digging Potatoes

Our friend, Gary, stayed with us for a few days in September. Marcus and Gary hit it off as they both like to read, hang out, and eat Pringles.

The B Book

Since his visit to Minnesota in August, Marcus' #1 book has been 'The Berenstains B Book'. We read it at least 3 times a day and his favorite page is still . . . BAM!

Running Faster, Climbing Higher, and Gaining Confidence

. . . and unfortunately, with that comes bumps, bruises, and a fat lip or two. The best cure is to soothe with ice (preferably the flavored kind).

As hard as he tries to stay mad, we can usually coax a smile out of him!

Fastest Whimmydiddler in the North

The whimmydiddle is a toy in which you rub a stick over notches in another stick to make a propeller spin. The toy provides hours of entertainment and the only adverse effect is that the vibration tends to make his nose itch.

Benjamin & Marcus

More Minnesota pictures

Marcus, Ben, Aunt Rachel, and Jonah (and Grandpa)

Jim and Jonah

Cousin Ben doesn't go anywhere without his "pack pack" and apparently there aren't any places his pack pack can't go!

Back to the Deters' Ponderosa

While Mom and Dad were on a sheep hunt, Marcus went to Minnesota to learn how to farm. (Does it really take more then a week?) Marcus warmed up to Grandma right away. With Grandpa it took a couple of tractor rides before he was convinced.

Yep . . . gonna be a good year for corn.

Hugs from Aunt Emily

Ah . . . what just happened?!


Wait 'til I tell Grandpa Jack how hot it was . . .

Brooks Range

It was a rainy summer in Anchorage and I had to travel north of the Arctic Circle to get my sunburn this year. In August, Jim, Jeff (Jim's cousin), and I went on a week long sheep hunt in the Brooks Range. In the past, when I got to the item on my checklist listed 'sunscreen', I would laugh and say "I wish . . . ". The weather is usually cool and rainy if you're lucky and cold and snowy if your not. This year I wished I had packed my sunscreen. We had 6 days of clear blue skies and not a drop of precipitation. It was beautiful.