On a whim, we bought goldfish. Enough of a whim that the conversation went pretty much like this: “MOMMY AND DADDY CAN WE HAVE GOLDFISH” “Um, sure.” Sierra named hers Goldie, Isaac named his Copper. Adorable, sure, but also the best way to tell them apart. Then, they colored pictures.

Just a bunch of pictures of Captain America and a fairy princess. You know. The usual.

This was the first year that the kids took full control of their pumpkin design – sketching out a face and handing it over for production (me) to cut and deliver. That crooked smile and those weird eyes are all Sierra and Issac.

Sierra and Isaac packed these little guys to keep me company on my trip to South Africa. They had quite the adventure, as you can see.

It was my birthday. The conference attendees were squirreled away at workshops, and I had a day to hang out. So we grabbed a bunch of hotel bikes and rode a mile down the road to the Van Ryn’s brandy distillery, a beautiful small distillery filled with old barrels, an active cooper, 19th century distillers and delicious brandy.

I was pretty lucky to be invited to speak at CS Forum 2012, which included not only the opportunity to speak in front of and with a bunch of super smart people, but also the chance to travel to South Africa, a place I’d never ever thought I’d ever go in my entire life. The conference was held at Spier Winery in Stellenbosch, a few miles outside of Cape Town, and it was as beautiful as you can expect.

So, we bought an expensive fancy coffee jar, and that means, naturally, that I should probably try to take arty pictures of it because apparently I forgot that it’s just an expensive fancy coffee jar.

We went fishing with Grandpa on Wall Lake. It was fun.

This year’s Autumn Brew Review – like every Autumn Brew Review – was fun. But it was TOO much fun: I never bothered to get my camera out. Instead, we took, like, a thousand different iPhone pictures – like the one above, of Jimmy’s Bar later that evening. To save you the horror of seeing all of those grainy, sloppy pictures, I’ll just direct you to the full set.

You’re welcome.

Like salsa dancing, but with actual food. View the entire set.

Usually, we spend each Independence Day at my grandmother’s cabin on Oakwood Lake. This year, however, we shifted our lake vacation a month later, spending Labor Day learning to fish, swimming, and eating paella. View the entire set.

Just an Instagram of the Sioux Falls at 7:30 am in the morning.

We headed out to Sanderson Gardens to pick raspberries, as we are wont to do around raspberry picking season each year. Go ahead – view the full set.

Sierra’s first day of Kindergarten. Isaac’s first day of Preschool. Our kids are getting too old.

Each year, we skip the local Sioux Empire Fair, preferring the smaller, more simple and way more genuine Turner County Fair in Parker, SD. There’s something wonderful about filling a child full of cotton candy and … wait … there’s nothing wonderful about that. See the entire set.

Sierra turned five with a small family party and a big friend zoo trip. Princesses ruled the day, naturally.

I’m always surprised at how well some of these Instagram photos turn out.

These kids. Adorable.

For years and years, Kerrie and I were avid campers – five or six times a summer at least. Now, with kids, that becomes harder, but we still make sure to go out once a summer. These are only a fraction of the way too many pictures we got.