Savoring September...

Ummm...it's been a long time since I posted anything. Sorry to those of you who actually check in on this blogsite every once in awhile. No good reason for not posting...I just didn't feel like it, and I was too tired at the end of the day to think - let alone write anything.

So, to make up for last time, I'm going to post almost three dozen pics of family fun in the month of September.

Every Labor Day Weekend we take the kids out to see Papa Ger's garden. It is located a couple of miles down the road from the house; some friends of the family owned the land and let Dad grow stuff on it - the family moved but the new folks don't seem to mind Dad's garden. Anyway, the kids love to see where real food comes from, and it's always neat to create a love for gardening in your children.


Besides growing corn - which tasted delicious that evening, accompanied by fresh tomatoes from the same garden! - Papa Ger also grows some pumpkins, so here the kiddos check it out. Soon it will be sitting on our porch with a light in it...

Tara and Levi taking a snooze together...so beautiful! Neither of them were feeling great that day, so it was good to see them relaxing on Labor Day. Unfortunately for Levi, later that afternoon he would puke all over Aunt Shirley while I was trying to remove a tiny splinter from the wiggling foot of a screaming Emma; that was fun!
Eli and Isaac were tired, but they were not about to fall asleep. So Grandma Rozer had the taxing job of cuddling with them in the late afternoon. Rough.

Well here we are getting ready to give Eli his first bowl of rice mush. He's never eaten from a spoon before, at just over five months old, we think he's ready. Emma, Levi and Isaac are excited, their hoping to maybe help.
At this point Eli is just happy to be sitting in the high chair, a new experience for him. At least he's not ripping off his bib like his sister used to do. Tara told him to stop waving at the camera, but he just doesn't listen like he should.
Here we go - he seems a bit nervous about the experience, but Isaac is right there with him, telling him he can do it.
Hmmmm...tastes a bit blah, nice and creamy though, not sure about it though... could use some sugar and butter.
Hey, he likes it!

Emma met her teachers during her pre-school open house, here she is working on a craft project. She liked meeting her teachers and checking out her new room.

One of the very few times that Eli fell asleep while playing. Oh if only that would happen more often.

On the weekend following Labor Day the Twins Club always hosts a picnic up in Huntertown. Tara is a member, and though she doesn't get to the monthly dinners as much as she'd like, we always make a point to go this fun family event. Though it rained off and on, the kids had fun, they got animal balloons, multiple tatoos and face paints, glow in the dark circle thingys. I don't think of Levi and Isaac as twins, I always think of them as brothers, but they are twins, and that is something very special. It's neat to hang out with other parents of twins and swap stories. And it's good to meet folks who have triplets and more - kind of keeps things in perspective!

Emma on her first day at pre-school, Tara took her in - Emma is all smiles wearing her new dress and starting a new year of fun.

On one of the cool, beautiful evenings we roasted marshmallows for desert. Emma wanted to do it all by herself - and she did a pretty good job. And yes, that is a pic of a s'more on her shirt...we love doing s'mores.
Isaac was glad for some help, he was fascinated by the fire, much like his father is...
Levi was all smiles while making our s'mores!
Emma guarded the big mallows, Levi kept waving his stick around, and Isaac continued to munch on appetizers - those little colored marshmallows. I think they are trying to yell "marshmallow", or something like that.

Aren't they adorable!

While hanging around outside, Tara took pictures of some of the stuff I'm growing. This is a beautiful picture of my prized Huckleberries. I am growing them so that my Mum can make me a Huckleberry pie. Have you ever had one? Probably not. We used to eat them all the time in Canada. I tried growing some two years ago, but being a true novice, I only had two plants bear any fruit, so it was a very, very small pie that my Mum made. But it was still delicious. This year I have over a dozen stalks producing these round balls of deliciousness. I might get an almost normal sized pie this year. The key to harvesting the Huckleberry is waiting till the first frost, then you pick them (not the green ones, sadly they must be thrown in the fire where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth...) and boil them and then make a pie. Mum knows the secret, one day when I have proven myself worthy, she shall impart the secret to me. It was handed down to her by my father's mother in an ancient ritual. My plan is to become a proficient Huckleberry farmer - next year I hope to double my crop. Within five years maybe I can actually have enough berries to make a bunch of pies and enough to freeze - and maybe make a pie at Christmas, man that would be awesome. If things go right, I could be an exclusive grower of Huckleberries in the midwest region...or maybe I'll just stick to growing enough for a pie or two each year. I'm really looking forward to this pie, I've been waiting for it ever since I planted the seeds in mid-May. When's the last time you waited over five months for one pie? No pressure Mum!

Just a normal day at the Hallman home, Eli and Levi just sittin' around, relaxing.
Isaac likes to build stuff, he's rather proud of his project...though I'm not really sure what it is, not that it matters!
While the boys were having their own kind of fun, the girls got a little crazy!

On the 26th of each month, Tara takes the "Bear pictures", a series of photos with Eli and his bear. At six months old (hard to believe!) he did pretty good this time.
He can do two things at once now that he's so old - he can sit up and stick his tongue out at the same time!
What a charming smile!

Isaac looks so old and big in this picture! And he knows how to scowl...

One of my favorite reasons for being a dad...

And another reason I love being a dad... you gotta love the poofy hair. I'm not sure about who put the stickers on Levi...he could have been really bored, or else Emma could have been really creative.