Have I mentioned we love fall?

We love fall. That's about all I need to say, right?


Last Friday we did a family day trip to Devil's Lake State Park. What a gorgeous day and a gorgeous location! The weather was perfect and the autumn colors were amazing.

Our original plan had been to do a short hike in the morning, have lunch, and then just hang out for a bit.

Anna decided to change those plans by declaring that she wanted to do a longer hike than what Kate was able to do in the morning. So, after lunch, Anna and I did a 2.5 mile hike up (and then back down) one of the bluffs by the lake while Matt and Kate played in the sand at the beach.


My goodness, Anna is a trooper! She was tired by the end, but walked almost the entire way by herself, and was a very pleasant companion (most of the way :) And, yes, this stuffed coyote came with us the whole way.

The Mischnick homestead fall chore that we're working on now is collecting leaves for next summer's garden. We already got a few truckloads from our yard and another few from a neighbor's yard. We'll keep collecting until our bin is full. The girls love, love, love playing in leaf piles ;)

The other fall chore this past weekend was possibly the last canning of the season. We made the last batch of applesauce and I actually had enough tomatoes to can some on Sunday, too! Something about these incredibly warm and sunny days has made the rest of the tomatoes ripen in short order. I may have enough to can again this weekend if the weather holds out.

I am also pleased to report that our never-ending home addition is *almost* done. The landscaping guys may be done tomorrow, but if not they'll finish up on Thursday morning. The interior is literally down to about 3 pieces of trim and touch-up paint in the kitchen. We've been wondering for weeks if things will ever be completely done. Sigh. At least we've finished "moving in" to the new space. Matt lovingly moved our computer paraphernalia up into the new dining room this weekend (even though he was feeling under the weather). I LOVE having the computer upstairs instead of downstairs. Now we don't feel like we're going into the basement cave to be on the computer.

Kiddo stories ... Anna went on her first field trip today to the fire department. She had a great time. She still absolutely adores preschool and looks forward to it every day she gets to go; it's been a wonderful experience for her.

Kate's still a goof. Last week she pulled two days in a row when she didn't take a nap. Really, Kate? I'm not mentally ready for this transition yet. I think we're still just trying to figure out naps on Anna's preschool days.

And finally, we've begun mattress surfing again. What else are you supposed to do when it's dark by 6:30?