Oh deer!

A week ago we travelled to my parents' house in Brainerd in hopes of a successful deer hunt.  For Mike that is.  The kids were more interested in:

Picking eggs

Hanging out with the cats

And brushing their teeth in the shower?

Mike had a pretty good time too!

 8 points, his biggest yet. 

He actually got this buck over on my brother's property near Ironton, so thanks, Eric and Bridget.  A venison package is set aside for you.

So this past weekend we processed the deer.  Yep, we did it ourselves.  We spent our weekend cutting, grinding, seasoning, smoking and packaging venison. 

The final stats:

20 lbs of steaks and roasts

13 lbs of pepper sticks

10 lbs of jerkey

15 lbs of summer sausage

Here is a sampler platter:

(Those are pumpkin seeds on the right.)

The verdict?  Delicious!





Fall is in the air

A fall update on the kiddos:
 
Sam is getting very busy and continues to try "new things":
     *how various items look in the toilet
     *how many "no-no"s it takes before the parents make me stop
     *new laughs and silly faces
     *all kinds of kisses (puckered, sloppy, and blowing kisses).

Showing off his new molars!

Cute little puddle jumpers

Lily is still singing her way through life.  She loves to pretend with her Polly Pockets, watch "Chopped" with Mom and Dad, and work on most anything that involves art or cooking.  She would always choose to do something with one of us, so we are working on alone time.  (For her benefit and mine!)  She adores her brother, and he is in no need of someone to "guide" him.  The most exciting development is that she is starting to read a bit on her own.  She can sound out some words and figure others out from context.  Hip, hip, hooray!

 Making hoe cakes on the fire with Dad

Carmel apples

We are enjoying the season, hoping it will hang as long as possible. 

Even Ollie seems pleased with fall!