Holiday Season Begins

All geared up after decorating the Christmas tree.
Trying to figure out how he's going to tip the tree over.

Ever since he watched some Micheal Jackson videos, he's been throwing his arms up in the air.

Checking out his ornament.

Enjoying what was the last warm day of the year.

Fisher loves to watch me cook. Here we are testing the temp of the Cornish Hens on Thanksgiving.

Enjoying the fruits of our labor. We had a nice quiet day, just the three of us and nothing at all to do but eat lunch.

Showing off his tattoo--a mountain goat. I guess bad boyz suck their thumbs.

Fisher has become a daddy's boy of late. Here he is snuggling D, who's working on a project. The kid says dadda all day!

Checking out the Christmas light display at the arboretum.

Enjoying the Holiday Parade.

Fisher's first hair cut! We only had his bangs trimmed as they were constantly in his eyes. The lady who cut his hair had to put down her glass of wine--a true Wisconsin moment.

He was very serious and still the whole time.

Showing off the new do.

All those snacks are catching up to him.

Goofing around with a makeshift hat.

Always checking on the food in the oven.

He's just dying to get his hands on the computer, or anything on the table for that matter. He knows a lot of words but he seems to ignore the word 'no'!

Wanting to wear glasses like me (oh, and I dyed my hair brown!)

Halloween and Harvest

Trick-or-treat night!
Check out the little bat.

He was awestruck with the puking pumpkin.

Getting ready to head out trick-or-treating.

Making sure the pumpkins were lit.

Getting ready to carve the pumpkins.

Yep, it's hollow.

I wish we could carve pumpkins everyday. He loved it! He had his hands in everything.

He didn't quite understand that the goal was to empty out the pumpkins. Here he is stuffing one with newspaper--after we had to dispose of all the seeds and guts that he kept putting back in the pumpkins.

So we went to Iowa last weekend to attend Derek's grandfather's 85th birthday "corn picking" celebration. Here's a shot of the countryside, with Iowa Public Television filming the occasion. The event included hay rack rides, antique farm equipment, and corn picking by hand. Derek's great grandfather had celebrated his 80th by picking an acre by hand, and his grandfather wanted to do the same. It'll be on IPTV "Market to Market" soon.

Enjoying the sunny day in the fields on a hay rack ride.

Checking out the horses.

His first ear!

Picking corn with daddy.

Checking out the operations--the pickers would throw the corn into the horse-drawn wagon.

Fussing because daddy stopped to get a picture. (Papa's John Deere tractor).

So my sister gave us this sled and Papa thought it'd be fun to pull him through the yard with the mower. Fisher didn't want to stop! Here he's telling Papa where to go next.

Stomping through Derek's old stomping grounds (Grammy Brenda's backyard).

Playing in the leaves with his cousin Drew.

Spaghetti face!

This kid is in to everything! He especially loves to go through one of my cabinets in the kitchen.