Ellie was over on Saturday and we spent a lot of time racing around in the cars out back. This included plowing over other cars and random debris in the way. With the dips in the yard we were able to hit some big jumps too. No injuries or driver ejections. Just a lot of laughs..However my camera's battery level was dwindling that day so it would turn on for 5 seconds and then shut off :) Did manage to get a few shots though.

Oh, before all the driving I went downstairs to see what grandma and Ellie were doing..

These were from today. Bren still likes the Halloween Jack-o-lantern and will point and whine until I take it down from it's perch in the garage. Then we'll wander out back and do rock presses (see below). Also, the lake looks pretty warm..hopefully it freezes soon, looking forward to skating on it.

Now, this video is great stuff. But the best part is at the very end - if you listen carefully you can hear geese flying above and making noise - Bren thinks they are ducks and says "Gocks". Definitely one of his favorite words.

Bren has this weird phenomenon with piles of leaves. For some reason he feels compelled to fall forward and pretend he's sleeping in them. He's kind of doing it here but this doesn't do it justice..

Loves riding through the leaves though.

+ pumpkins

Mommy wanted to bring Bren to the farm to see all the haunted stuff, and of course the animals as well. It was the day before Halloween but no one else was there, mostly because it was cold and muddy. As we show up they ask us if we want to buy some pumpkins. Nah man, we're just here to look at your animals and walk around, heh...

As always, right click + view image to see the pics in a higher-res

:)

Molars coming in.

You know I gotta include a video, so enjoy the sound interference from the wind :) At least it gives an idea of the amount of leaves falling off the trees...

Tried to minimize the flash effects by having the lake where the flash is.

Lake shot from above

Stairway to heaven aka the dock that predates the 19th century...

Ghost Lake...

Of course there are other docks and boats in the lake..

Ok this video is extremely cheesy...

One more video on the lake with me snickering once the camera shifts to the mutilated dock section...

Certainly has been a rainy week until recently, though that didn't deter Brendan's will to get outside. Probably an accurate precursor for Winter too. But that's why we have frog boots. He can submerge his feet in the puddles. Usually has one or two sticks he carries around to splash the puddles. I think he likes to test the depth.

Here's a quick video of him hitting the puddle. Unfortunately I couldn't zoom in or get a better angle, but anyway, I find it funny watching him walk in those boots ...

Later on Mom comes home and tells Bren to be nice to the Gingerbread Man, because he was throwing him around. Lighting is a little strange in this picture.

Saved the best for last. 1:30 of Brendan walking around and jabbering. This is right after lunch, before his nap..

Gus is one of the coolest guys I know. Just likes to play ball and have fun, and sets a good example for his younger siblings and cousins. Got some good pictures of the event, here are just a few.

Ellie watching Johan send a box along the lift 'n load. :)

Anja way up high

Bren gets a squeeze and a kiss

Brendan smiling while tipping his head to see Anja, usually a maneuver used on the cats.

Just a short video for your viewing pleasure. Bren does some crazy steppin to avoid the acorns.

Dog days have hit the lake; it's all green, and making matters worse the geese have taken over the back yard for the past few weeks. Thus we decided it might be a good idea to hit up the Underwater Aquarium at the Mall of America.

Okay, a little blurry at the Rainforest Cafe. Brendan had some fun eating fruit shakes, chicken and pizza...and also enjoyed the water geysers and thunderstorms going off throughout. It made for a refreshing experience.

We ended up getting to the Underwater World a bit late, but this combined with it being a week night resulted in us basically being alone through the whole thing. We could hear little else besides the water running through the falls. Pictures are strange sizes because I cropped out the flashes from taking a picture through the glass. Not sure why we didn't bust out the cameras earlier as we passed the sharks, sea turtles, etc, but I suppose we'll be back not before long. Anyway, here's an Eel I think...

A bunch of sea horses. They were dragging each other around by the neck at times.

I thought the colors were neat, plus these turned out well for whatever reason..

Oh, and a jelly fish.

Also, mommy took some nice pictures of Bren that are worth sharing. My favorite might be the stern look by the recycling bin, though the maniacal laughing picture is hard to beat.

The ducks have sure been a lot of fun this year. Most of them have already left, and the ones who are left aren't the ones below (the ones still around are a bit more shy and probably heading south soon too). This group was anything but shy, surrounding me at any point and grabbing bread from my hand.

So high-res you can see the bread crumbs on the duck's beak. This was one of the lighter-colored ducks that would eat right out of my hand.

One of the ugly parts of feeding the ducks. Inevitably seeing them bicker even when feed / bread is essentially endless. But their beaks are so dull, I can't imagine it matters much except maybe for a few hurt feelings :)

Momma duck...

Of course Brendan is out when we're feeding the ducks too.

More from this session later. But I just like how they're all peering towards the camera..

Hay guys wait for me...

Johan and Gus had a misunderstanding, J was sad, but he feels better now...

Bren playing with the ball in the other yard, with that sly grin I use from time to time

And then we have the two new 1's.

Okay, now the scene shifts to Como Zoo, end of August 2009. Here's a pretty butterfly. As always, right-click and "view image" to see the closer view.

Ellie seems to be devising a plan, while the boys and the gorilla listen.

Hey, let's put Brendan by the gorilla. Alas, it was not his day...Had a fun time and all, but he lacked sleep, and he didn't want any part of the jungle-lord. Maybe next time. Ellie's look is key - staying cool but still kind of like "wow this kid is going nuts".

But Bren enjoyed the ride on the Old Timer with mommy.

Well, it's been some time. I have not been neglecting taking pictures of course, just the process of cropping, re-sizing, and uploading them here. But the stars are aligned tonight for whatever reason...

I'm trying to think if there is something that Brendan is more ecstatic about than lake excursions, but I'm drawing a blank. Maybe his mint-oreo blanket.

Click the pictures for the higher res versions. I wish I would have got a video of how the Heron goes under the dock. The head goes down like a slinky, it's hilarious...