Halloween 2007

Here are Caleb, Noah and Lucas before the annual "Run for the Cavities." Caleb had a new mask and went as Flatenstein, the monster who kept falling on his face; Noah went as Derek Boogaard, the Minnesota Wild goon who fights better than he skates; and Lucas went as a skeleton that oozes blood. How can a skeleton ooze blood? The boys had a lot of fun.



Sarah went as a kitty-cat, complete with the outfit her cousin Peyton handed down to her. Thanks, Peyton! That's Sarah's pumpkin on the left, and Lucas' on the right. Thanks for the pumpkins, Grandma G!!!



That Sarah sat still long enough for these photos is a bit of a miracle!


Daddy has a few more whiskers than Sarah does! Rich took Sarah and the twins around the cul-de-sac so Sarah could experience trick-or-treating, then Rich and Sarah got in the minivan and followed the twins around the neighborhood. Noah went trick-or-treating with his friend Connor.

Daddy's little helper?

It was another gorgeous fall day today, sunny and temps close to 70, so Rich decided to get outside and rake some leaves with Sarah and Max while Erin caught up on her sleep. Sarah actually helped daddy put leaves into the bags and smoosh them down, but all these photos show her just goofing off! Enjoy!

Sarah's first airplane ride!

Well, daddy couldn't wait any longer. "Sarah is 19 months old now," he figured, "and it's time she had her first airplane ride!" So today was the big day! Daddy took Sarah and mommy to Crystal Airport for a 30-minute ride in Warrior 2208V, one of the planes in which daddy used to instruct. It's almost 30 years old and needs a paint job, but hey, it's airworthy!



Mommy and Sarah, ready for takeoff!



Sarah got a really good view from her car seat, which we strapped in the plane. She also had her own set of headphones for a while, until mommy took them off. Sarah got a little nervous after takeoff, but not too bad. Maybe the pressure change made her ears sore? Daddy did his best job of flying straight and level.



We flew around north of Anoka for a while, and mommy took Sarah out of her car seat to settle her down. Then she promptly fell asleep! She slept all the way back to the airport, and daddy's landing was so soft (a "greaser"), Sarah didn't even wake up! Check out Sarah's shirt: "Girls Fly." Yeah, baby!



Rich loves this picture! We had a hard time getting Sarah back in the minivan after our ride. She wanted to look at our airplane some more! But we got her in the van and went off to grab some lunch.

Sarah's baptism

We had Sarah baptized last Sunday at Jessie Lake Lutheran Church near her Grandma and Grandpa Gordon's cabin in northern Minnesota. Here, Sarah keeps herself busy with Lucas' video game before the service.



Pastor Paulson baptized Sarah, and she didn't even whimper during the baptism! Here she is with the pastor and her proud parents.



We were glad that so many of Erin's family members were able to attend. Her parents, Lloyd and Kathy, brought along Erin's grandmother Myrtle, her sister Libby and Libby's daughter Peyton! Sarah's sponsors are Libby and Rich's sister Ellaina.



Two cutie-pies!



Sarah thanks everyone for coming while her mom and dad focus on the camera.

Some cute kitties, and a trip to the Lost Forty

Sarah and her kitty-cat cousin, Peyton! Erin painted the kitty faces for them.


Lucas got a lift on Grandpa and Grandma Gordon's new pickup truck during our family trek to visit the Lost Forty, a small area in Minnesota that somehow missed being logged back in the day. Some of the trees there are HUGE, and are 300 or more years old.



Here's some of the gang doing some tree-hugging!



The peak fall colors have passed, but it's still pretty.



Roger and Gloria gettin' back to nature.

Some more of the great outdoors

Gloria, Libby, Rich and the boys stayed behind to search for two geocaches in the Lost Forty area, and had a great time! In addition to finding both caches -- including Libby's first ever -- we found some great scenery.


Noah found what looks like a beaver skull. He's going to have Grandma Gordon bleach it for him so he can take it to school and show his classmates.