I had a great time visiting the Luehmanns and then the rest of the Rughs! There's nothing like a visit in person to really learn what everyone is up to. I had been intending to visit Katie ever since she and Paul moved to his family farm and it took me several years to finally get there. They live in southeastern Minnesota and I live in northeastern, and it took seven hours to drive to their place. Luckily, the weather was fairly good and it didn't start snowing until after I arrived on Wednesday evening, the day before Thanksgiving.
It was so great to see Katie finally. It was equally great to get to know Paul better and to meet all of the kids, who were totally charming. I was made to feel right at home and the boys gave me their room to sleep in which was very comfortable.
They live in a farm house which is not the house that Paul grew up in (where his parents still live), but is on an adjacent farm that Paul's family bought (I think in the 70's) that expanded their ownership to over 600 acres. 
The rest of these photos (except one) were taken at Katie and Paul's house. This is Jackson and Peyton peeling potatoes for the Thanksgiving meal. Although the boys are not identical twins (a fact I learned while visiting) it can be hard at first to tell them apart. Jackson is usually wearing red, as in this photo. They like peeling potatoes and are very good at it.
Laurel, Paul, and Abby. In the background are some Thanksgiving projects the kids made.
Peyton and Abby.
The four oldest kids have daily chores posted on charts on the refrigerator. This is Peyton unloading the dishwasher. I was very interested in seeing how a household with lots of young kids is run. I was impressed and not surprised to see that Katie (and Paul) have a well-organized household. I also learned that the kids are homeschooled!
Olivia (Livvy) outside a cheese store on our way to Elgin.
Left: Jackson and their dog Lucy outside the house. Right: Laurel
My, my... what a handsome family you are part of! SO glad to get to see you again.
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