Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween Everyone! We had our trick-or-treating last night. For some reason State Center always has it the night before Halloween and never actually on Halloween. So, this year Jenna was a train conductor and Brody a pumpkin (by default since we had the costume from Jenna!).

For those of you that don't know, State Center is the train capital of the world!! :) Well, not exactly, but we do have a train track that runs along Main Street and trains go through town every 10-15 minutes. Not slow trains either, LOUD and FAST ones. It's sort of annoying, but you get used to it. Anyway, because of this Jenna loves trains! Her favorite book is "Everyday Train" and she can pretty much recite the entire thing. So, the obvious choice for a costume this year seemed like a train conductor. People around town thought she was pretty cute!

Jenna did well trick-or-treating. She didn't always get the "trick-or-treat" thing, but she always made sure to say "thank you." We drove to a few places of friends and then home where we got the stroller and walked. Jenna kept saying, "I don't want to go home yet!" When the pumpkin was full of candy we decided we should probably head home. By the way, Brode Man was a trooper, he was asleep by about 7:15 in the stroller! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Brooke - the Halloween Baby! I remember a lot growing up when we used to go trick-or-treating and then have to head over to your birthday party in costume. Good times! I hope you have a great day!

Pumpkin Painting

Last night while I was making supper Aaron and Jenna got creative and painted our little pumpkins. Since Jenna is not old enough yet to be trusted with sharp objects, we figured paint would be a safer option. Here are some pictures of the two in action!

Minnesota Weekend

Brody, Jenna, and Great-Grandma June


Brody and Great-Grandpa Don

As I said last week, we headed out on the road, yet again, to visit our relatives. Thursday night we drove up to Mankato to Justin and Mandy's. We got up Friday morning and headed to Hastings to visit my grandparents, which was about an hour and a half drive from Kato. It was nice to catch up with Grandma and Grandpa and I know they loved seeing the kids!
Saturday was a busy day! We got up and started our day by playing some Wii. I am by no means a video game person, but I did manage to play a couple games of tennis. Mandy and I struggled, but everybody had some good laughs. The Huneckes (Justin and I) were way too dramatic when we played! We just kind of relaxed throughout the morning and Mandy made chili for lunch and we watched some football. After a little shopping we all walked over to a nearby park and let the dogs run and Jenna play on the playground. Mandy and Justin live in a really nice neighborhood so we got some good pictures at the park. After that we raked leaves and mowed the lawn. Aunt Mandy promised Jenna that she could help her carve pumpkins, so Jenna helped pull all the seeds out, but her attention span was a little short! They turned out very cool though.
Saturday evening our friend Scott and his wife came over. It was so great to see him! He's still the same old Scott and it's nice to know that some things don't change. We were pretty tired early, so we hit the hay about 10 that night. I think Justin and Mandy stayed up to play some more Wii....
Sunday was freezing!! It was so windy and snowing, yep snowing! With the wind it looked like a blizzard outside. Luckily, the roads weren't effected as we headed home.
Anyway, it was such a fun weekend and we were glad we made the trip up north. We don't get to see my brother and wife as much as we would like and we really miss them. Thanks guys for lots of fun!
We took a TON of pictures this weekend, but Aaron and I forgot the camera in Hastings, so we had to use Mandy's. So, as soon as Mandy sends me some of those I'll post them. Above are a couple pics from our Hastings visit.
Looks like a busy week for us! We'll keep you posted...

On the move

It's has finally happened! Our big man is on the move! At six and a half months he is full out crawling. He had been doing the awkward crawling, face planting, lunging forward thing. Now there's no question about, he's crawling! Brody has also already knocked over the dog's water bowl, so lots of fun for us to look forward to!

Everyday battle

There's a battle that goes on every morning at the Burdorf house. Mom vs. Jenna. The great clothing showdown! You wouldn't THINK that it would be that difficult to dress a 2 year old, but in our house, it is. Jenna fights and battles me on everything. She wants to wear flip-flops, sun dresses, and tank tops. I have tried until I'm blue in the face to explain to her that it's getting cold out, but to no avail. I lay out 3 outfits for her to choose from thinking that way if she has a choice, it will make it easier. It's not. My friend Shannon informed me today that her daughter is 6 and she still goes through the clothing battle. Four more years!? I don't know if this mom can handle it! :)

On the road again...

World's Largest Popcorn Ball - 3,100 Pounds!


Brody, Jenna, and Cousin Addy

We spent the weekend away from home again. If it seems like we're traveling a lot, we are! We are making the rounds before Aaron starts basketball because we pretty much never have a chance to get away during basketball season except for Christmas.
Saturday morning we headed to Sioux City to see Aaron's parents and also Adam, Jill, and Addy. We just kind of hung out on Saturday and all went to Red Robin for supper (so good!). Sunday Jenna and I went to Grandview Park and had a lot of fun playing and walking up the hills. Jenna's favorite part was the bandshell where she made me sit in "audience" and she sang me the ABC's and danced on stage! It was so cute.
In Sac City on the way home we stopped at Casey's for a potty break, which happened to be across the street from the world's largest popcorn ball! We always tease our friend Jay about all NW Iowa has to offer so Jay, that picture is for you! :)
Next weekend we are heading on the road again to Mankato to see my brother and Mandy. We can't wait!

Yum-O!

A friend of mine brought me a bunch of apples and I was thinking that I should do something with them besides just eat them as snacks. The thought hit me that I should make applesauce and so I called another friend who I know makes homemade applesauce and asked how to do it. Wow! It was way easier than I thought it was going to be. It tasted so yummy! My taste tester - Jenna - had three helpings, so it must of been good. I'm sure it will be gone quickly...

Caroll's Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere Weekend!

We had SO MUCH FUN this weekend! On Saturday we headed to a pumpkin patch that a bunch of people told us we just had to check out on a farm just outside of Grinnell. So, Saturday afternoon we packed up and made the 45 minute drive. When we pulled up it was bigger than Aaron and I thought it would be as they had guys directing traffic.
Anyway, the place has some old fashioned fun and a lot for the kids to do. They had goats, kittens, tractors, tire swings, slides, a barn filled with corn (kind of like a sandbox) a “cow train” (Jenna’s favorite), tricyles to ride, hay bales to climb, a corn maze, and of course, a tractor that took you out to pick your own pumpkin.
Aaron and I were very surprised at Jenna. She had a blast there! Although she can be a girly-girl, she climbed the hay bale, went through the corn maze, and picked up the kittens like she had done it a million times. I think she could be a farm girl!
The day was one big photo opportunity and Aaron took A LOT of pictures. I will post some of them and if you have time click on the slide show that Aaron made to see more. It was such a great fall day and we all had so much fun and we hope to now make it a tradition. By the way, Jenna and Brody fell asleep on the way home at 6:45 PM and went straight to bed when we got home!

Pumpkin Patch

If you have time, check out this 1:40 highlight of pics we took on our weekend extravaganza to Carroll's Pumpkin Patch just outside of Grinnell.

Nothing Better...

I don't think there's anything better than putting the kids in the stroller, the dog on a leash, and going for a post-supper walk at sunset on a beautiful fall evening. That's what we did last night and it was so relaxing just to talk about our day and enjoy each other's company. It's the simple things...

Extended NW Iowa Weekend

We had a nice 3-day getaway this past weekend. We packed up the car and headed home to northwest Iowa. I know we didn't grow up in the Cherokee/Sioux City area, but it just feels like home. I love the time I get to spend there, especially in the fall!

Saturday morning we packed and headed to Cherokee. Lunch was with Grandpa Larry and then to the playground to burn off some of Jenna's energy. In the afternoon we headed to Grandma Jo's where we had supper and hung out. We are such party animals that we were all in bed by 9 PM! We are definitely getting old. :)

On Sunday we went to the "nut hut" (MHI) and walked the trails and fed the goldfish. Jenna loved that! Sunday afternoon we headed to Sioux City and spent time with Aaron's parents. It was such a nice night out and it was nice to hang out in the backyard. After a little 'Desperate Housewives' we called it a night.

Monday we drove home and stopped in Fort Dodge to see Jess and Mitch. The ride from Sioux City to State Center is so BORING, so it was nice to have an hour break.

Big Brode Man

I'm a little behind here, but Brody had his 6 month check-up on Thursday. If you take out the shots (which I can't watch because it makes ME want to cry), I don't mind the doctor just because I like to see the growth progress. Here's an update on our big man (and I mean that literally). He is 20 lbs. 8 oz. (90th %) and 28 inches (85th %). By comparison, he weighs more now than Jenna did at 9 months! :) We love our big man and hope this size equals one good athlete!

Happy Birthday!

Happy 21st Birthday Mitchell Knippel!!!!

The debate

Aaron and I are kind of political junkies. We love election time, so of course watching debates is high on our list. That being said, here are some of my thoughts...
First of all, although I do think it's about dang time a woman made a ticket, Sarah Palin is not my first pick. She sort of makes me crazy. I could stand her up until her sarcastic, snide attitude she presented at the Republican National Convention. My respect for her ended there.
I didn't think there was one clear cut winner last nite, but I enjoyed listening to Biden more. I felt that he was actually talking to me and wasn't reciting answers that some campaign aides wrote out for him. I just felt that Palin was too well rehearsed, does that make sense? If she would have winked, said something about Alaska and energy and talked about John McCain the maverick one more time, I was going to throw something at the t.v!!! I also don't appreciate her "I'm like every other mom and we're a middle class family bit." I was so happy when Biden talked about being a single dad and not knowing if your son was going to live. I thought, 'you go Joe!'
I don't understand how someone who's been in Washington for over 20 years is the "change guy." Am I missing something? I realize that Biden has been there a long time too, but he's not at the top of the ticket.
Anyway, we missed the last presidential debate, so we're looking forward to the next one.
My sister always says I'm a psycho when it comes to voting, but it IS really important!!