The Oldbergs

2012-02-07T12:29:00.000-08:00

The kids love to push their little red chairs on the ice, and often have races from one end to the other. They both fly along (Ethan on his boots).

My parents came this past weekend and spent the night. The kids love to have Grandma read them bedtime stories. We also got out and enjoyed the ice (pics above). They joined us when touring 4K (4 year old kindergarten) sites for Sierra for the fall, and we even stopped in at a youth hockey game for a few minutes. We loved having you guys spend the day with us!

Celebrating 30

2012-02-05T16:52:00.000-08:00

Andre invited our neighbors A and J over for a fondue meal the night before my birthday that he'd prepared.

The kids "woke" me up with birthday coffee cake that Andre had made, huge smiles of excitement on their faces that it was Mom's birthday, and we get cake for breakfast! They also love to give (and wrap) gifts, another part of the birthday breakfast.

The night of my birthday (Sunday the 29th), he took me on a "date"--or so I thought! The only thing he told me was who the sitter was and how to dress, and what time we were leaving. We headed to Stillwater and ended up at Alcupulco Restaurant, where instead of getting a table for two we were taken to the group room, where my family and a couple family friends were waiting for a surprise birthday party! My parents and sister had planned the dinner, complete with tons of balloons, flowers, cake, etc, and my sister had contacted a bunch of old and current friends to write in letters of appreciation that she compiled in a folder for me (thank you--you know who you are!--many of the notes brought tears to our eyes when Andre and I read them later). Definitely a great way to celebrate turning 30!

2012-01-23T12:22:00.000-08:00

A tall box, with rope lights strung through it, piles of animals, two kids and great imaginations!...Ethan is putting the animals into the box on top of Sierra, per her request. This was about an hour of fun this morning for them!

Painting using marshmellows. She did the pattern of color without any direction.

Going "fishing" for magnetic letters on a blue rug for "water".

Dumping trash cans full of water onto the rink on Saturday morning. We were able to skate together that night, and then yesterday and today have had freezing rain and snow on it. Might be crazy, but we really love being out there shooting pucks together under the spotlights while the kids sleep.

2012-01-17T12:42:00.000-08:00

shoveling snow off the rink on Saturday.

Book lovers. Jammie lovers. Buddies.

can you guess what this is?

2012-01-17T12:35:00.000-08:00

a homemade "zamboni" for the ice rink (last week two 12 ft spotlights were added to the rink)...Andre is a man who will make vs buy things if he can, and delights in the process of creating something (provided there aren't too many hang-ups along the way) and seeing it turn out and work. Definitely an engineer, right? :) anyway, a hose is attached to the long handle. the pipe that is tied with dishtowels has tiny holes along it for water to come out. As he's pulling it along, the water comes out the holes, and the towels smooth it over, creating smooth ice. Crazy and genius. :)

2012-01-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

In this crazy winter...sometimes we play golf and ride cars, sometimes we build snowmen, and sometimes go to the park.

2012-01-12T12:35:00.000-08:00

New Year's in Nebraska

2012-01-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

We made a last minute decision to head down to Nebraska for the New Year's weekend (actually, we were there four days) and spend time with Andre's parents and grandparents. We did nothing but relax and visit and have coffee and go to parks (the weather was spring-like for a couple days), have tea parties with Andre's grandma and watch movies. It was fabulous! Andre always comes home refreshed from having been with his parents and from relaxing in his way (watching movies and soccer and playing Xbox with his dad).

They love sleeping on the bunk cot that Andre and his siblings used when they were kids.

Coloring with Farfar.

Skyping with Farmor and their cousins in Korea. We are thankful for technology that keeps us in touch -- we just wish it was more often!

Having tea parties at Grandma Laurie's (Andre's grandparents live 5 minutes from his parents), complete with Christmas cookies and fancy China cups and saucers and sugar cubes! We did this twice while there, and it was a definite highlight of Sierra's.

Christmas

2012-01-06T12:01:00.000-08:00

with his new tractor and trailer, hauling cars. If it has a hitch, surely it has a trailor to go with it is how Ethan thinks!

New jammies, for the girl who loves jammies and always has!

Andre told the Christmas story after dinner using a flannelboard set I have.

Enjoying his sparkling grape juice in a champagne glass--this was a treat--both the juice and the glass!

Christmas Eve dinner...the four of us were at home for Christmas Eve, which was really really nice. We had a turkey dinner with lots of leftovers, after an afternoon church service. Christmas Day we spent a couple hours at my parents (my sister and fiancee were in the Caymen Islands with his family), and then the rest of the day at my grandma's with extended family.

Cooking a 23 lb. turkey for Christmas

A favorite of Ethan's (I think this was before Christmas), to fill up bowls and cups in the sink after we're done baking--it'll occupy him for hours and he really doesn't make to much of a mess!

2011-12-29T12:23:00.000-08:00

Sierra got new hockey skates for Christmas and is trying them out here using a chair for balance. A week later and she doesn't use the chair any more.

2011-12-19T12:24:00.000-08:00

2011-12-15T18:58:00.000-08:00

Hockey rink update

2011-12-07T19:42:00.000-08:00

So finally tonight there was a tiny patch of ice that the kids could try skating on...the excitement level for this ice rink in our house is palable and contagious by the way! Along with the goals my dad had found a pair of adjustable skates that strap onto Ethan's boots with two blades set a couple inches apart. Sierra was FINALLY allowed to put her skates on and so out we went tonight to test out the beginnings of it. They loved it!

This was from last week...though there's now a layer of ice, nights have developed a pattern that Andre goes out to work on the rink after the kids go to bed. He works out there till the wee hours of the morning sometimes, bundled up, spotlight on the rink, soaking all the gloves he owns as eh works on it. First he's been spraying with a hose, now he's to the point of filling up empty (clean) trash cans with water then dumping it on the ice and waiting for layers to freeze. He's a dedicated patient man!

Sorry, the picture was on my phone and obviously turned out awful! But, you can see the back hockey goal that my dad made and dropped off today.

By the way, we are in need of OLD rugs to lay down on our deck so that we can walk from the door to the rink without ruining skates or deck, so if anyone is looking to get rid of some we'll take them! Or if you've outgrown or no longer use hockey sticks and would like to get rid of those, we'll put them to use. And, if you're in the area and would like to check out the crazy Oldbergs and test the rink, come on over!

2011-12-06T19:43:00.000-08:00

Sled ride--Andre hooked them up to a long rope and we went for a walk down the street before the roads were plowed.

My baking buddies.

We read the book above this week--and of course had to make the recipe it had for sugar cookies! I turned it into a two-day project--make and bake the cookies the first day, frosting them the second.

Sierra and I have been reading these stories in "The Angel and the Christmas Rabbit" before naptime every day--though instead of reading one every day, we're already on our second time through it.

Whipped cream and Christmas sprinkles made for a fun cup of hot chocolate for the kids this week!

Snowman donuts--another fun five minute winter thing this week.

2011-11-29T15:30:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving at my parents.

The first snowfall, that has since melted, and Ethan still wanted to ride his trike. I found myself shoveling a path in the driveway for him to ride.

A fort behind the blue animal print blanket--an extra shower curtain rod stuck between the crib and the wall. The kids LOVE forts--and they spend forever dragging all their "stuff" as they call it(stuffed animals) in and getting themselves all arranged on whatever they're imagining it to be--boat, train, etc.

A plank can be great fun for a boy and his cars!

Boxes, boxes, boxes...my mom gave us a pile of flattened boxes from her job, and they have been used endlessly, daily for the adventures they go on as they say--to hold animals, to get lined up in a train (below), to be boats, to be a car that Sierra is changing oil under (above photo), and probably more that I haven't followed. And they were delighted when I said they could color all over them.

My vacuum buddy! He loves the dust buster, and runs for his vacuum when I get mine out and will follow me around with it while I vacuum.

2011-11-27T12:19:00.000-08:00

Sierra got to go and sit in the deer stand with Andre yesterday for the first time--something both of them have been looking forward to for a long time! We weren't sure how she'd do with having to be quiet, etc--Andre said she entertained herself by kicking the side of the deer stand, eating her snacks, and whispering to him for and hour and a half. ;) We considered it successful because he didn't have to bring her down for any reason!

hockey rink

2011-11-16T18:48:00.000-08:00

This picture doesn't do it justice--I'll have to get more once it's fully done with lights, snow and ice of course, but Andre's building a 40' x 60' hockey rink in our backyard (almost as big as our garden). It won't have full boards, it'll only be as high as the picture shows. My dad is working on making goals for it, and Andre is putting up Christmas lights on the house as I post this, as well as getting spotlights mounted on poles or something. Call us crazy I suppose. :) For those who know Andre, when he does something, he goes all the way and continues to dream even bigger! But we love to skate together (I know, two people who grew up in Africa!), and this will enable us to be out in the evenings without finding a sitter, and be able to teach the kids, and hopefully down the road be a gathering place for the neighborhood kids (we have the youngest on the block).

2011-11-16T12:26:00.000-08:00

Yup, swimsuits still. To bake biscuits for supper last week (another favorite thing of theirs to do).

For some reason the bottom of the stairs, with the door closed, and piles and piles of stuffed animals and dolls, has been a favorite playing area for the kids in the last few weeks. It started when they had a pile of blankets there to go "swimming", and just keeps changing themes. For awhile they've been wearing swimsuits to play down there as well (Ethan especially), despite the chilliness of the house.

Working on one of her turkey projects--coloring, cutting, glueing makes this girl's heart happy!

Making a JOYFUL NOISE! :)

2011-10-31T12:01:00.000-07:00

She picked out her own outfit for Halloween--hot pink tights with a light blue tulle dress, etc. Very excited to be going to the Hallelujah party at church! I took them trick-or-treating on Halloween during the afternoon when all the businesses were open for it downtown.

Ethan wouldn't stick his hand inside at all--his words were "Mom do it."

She loved scooping out seeds and gooey stuff.

Sierra waited all week before Halloween to carve pumpkins with Andre. And go figure, that with a garden that's 45' x 70' we still had to buy pumpkins with the right carving shape!

Working very hard on their fall handprint wreath project--which involved TONS of glue and glitter!

I looked over the other morning to find my family all sitting together looking at books and magazines.

Michigan weekend

2011-10-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Andre and I traveled 9 1/2 hours one way to see one of my childhood - adulthood friends get married. I've been waiting and praying for her to find a spouse since we were in college together, so what a blessing to watch her say her vows! We grew up in Ethiopia together from age 6 on, went to boarding school in Kenya together for highschool, and then were at the same college for our first two years in Minnesota.

Andre and I stopped in Chicago our first night and spent it at the apartment of a missionary kid friend of his. We walked to an Ethiopian restaurant nearby for some fabulous food--though the picture isn't clear of the food. It's my favorite! Then we headed on to MI, and spent our second night after Debbie's wedding with Andre's cousin and her family.

a sample platter of Ethiopian food.

We loved having time in the car to talk and read/listen to books and stop when we wanted (or didn't want!) to. My parents had the kids for the weekend at their house, and the kids had a blast and didn't want us to come home. :) Thanks Mom and Dad!

buddies

2011-10-23T18:38:00.000-07:00

holding hands as they walk next door to the neighbor's house.

this and that

2011-10-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

apple pie filling--Andre loves it so much he said to can as much as possible!

Yep, harvest time continues! We pulled in all the pumpkins and squash and are now trying to find a place to put them.

fall art projects --apple trees and autumm leaves. Ethan's are the smaller ones.

We've been busy with this and that the last few weeks--harvesting and canning, visiting and traveling. The afternoon I got back from Iowa Andre's sister's in-laws and their five kids still at home (ages 6-14) came and stayed with us for the weekend, and just left here this morning (Monday). My kids loved having people to play with! Working my way through 7 loads of laundry today. Andre dislocated his shoulder at last night's soccer game, so he's in some pain and not functioning at full capacity. I'm trying to clean up the rest of the garden this week and will have him teach me to till I think! Off to Michigan this weekend for a wedding, while the kids stay at my parents. In the middle of this though, I'm enjoying cups of coffee, sunny days, kids who are one moment full of joy and laughter and the next tears and bickering (it's good for molding my soul, right?), and the smell of apples and pumpkins cooking.

Iowa trip

2011-10-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

I traveled to southern Iowa this last week with the kids to visit my college roommate and her three kids (ages 5, 3, 19 mo)--and we had a blast! The kids loved playing (and only minor scuffles)--Sierra especially loved being with girls her age, as we don't have much of that in our lives yet), and Lynette and I had hours every day to start numerous conversations and actually be able to finish them, and then evenings to talk uninterrupted while the kids slept and her husband worked. Such a gift for me to have a friend like her, and one that has lasted 11 years! She is a godly woman with lots of grace and laughter!

Cozied up in jammies and reading books together before bedtime.

Monkey girls--these ladies loved doing things together all over the playground.

Making their own mini pizzas for supper one night--two moms and five kids!

this and that

2011-09-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's shorts and a t-shirt for the park, and other times rainboots, mittens and a jacket!

Sitting as close together as possible having their snack on one of our many park trips. And so intent on being together and eating goldfish that I couldn't get them to look at me. We are going to the parks as often as possible (multiple times a week) as I know that time is short before the snow flies.

Today we headed over to visit P & K in Stillwater--another favorite place for the kids! Sierra had requested that I leave them there alone and go and do my shopping and I happily obliged after checking with them--and they were happy to have the kids. We are grateful for you guys!

Ethan is TWO!!

2011-09-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

The master cake decorator in the house. It took him five hours to decorate Ethan's Thomas the Train cake (which was then consumed in about 15 minutes!).

Here's the first stage of the cake process. Andre also had some help from his dad at the beginning.

I made monkey cupcakes for Ethan's birthday morning (Friday). We got Sierra up and then woke him up with singing and cupcakes. He was stunned and confused for awhile, though loved cupcakes for breakfast!

Now he's waking up to enjoy balloons and opening a gift!
Concentrating very hard on eating the Thomas cake.

Andre and his dad and grandpa laughing at a joke on Saturday at Ethan's party.

The birthday boy!...who is full of smiles and laughter (and being two, some whining thrown in there as well :) ), and who is a great delight to us.

We had the joy of having Andre's parents with us for a day and half for Ethan's "birthday weekend"--they drove up from Nebraska along with Andre's grandparents to celebrate. So we had a full house for his party with both sides of the family represented, as well as friends. The kids couldn't get enough of the attention (and has made today--Monday--very quiet! :) ). We also celebrated Andre's parents birthdays on Friday night--his dad's was a couple weeks ago, and his mom shares the day with Ethan.

Farfar brought a story to share with Sierra that he had grown up reading --"Raffy and the Honkebeast".

company

2011-09-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

The guys went golfing for two afternoons.

We all worked on canning applesauce over a couple of the days...Erik and the kids loved turning the apple peeler/slicer!

The birthday cake that the kids helped make and decorate for Erik's birthday that he had while with us.

Andre's brother and sister-in-law came to visit for three days from Kansas this weekend...we all loved having them!! They blessed us with a meal out, and making dinner for us at home (so two meals that I wasn't responsible for--I love to cook, but a break sure is nice sometimes), loving on the kids with lots of tickling, golf for the guys, and conversations for us girls.

2011-09-18T18:44:00.000-07:00

modeling the dress that my mom made for her.

2011-09-18T18:41:00.000-07:00

The first watermelon from the garden, taken just before the frost/freeze. It weighed in at 32.7 pounds, and we're still eating it this week!

3rd cabin trip

2011-09-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

on the swing, a favorite of Sierra's at the cabin--oh wait, she loves it all!

standing on the roof of the lean-to that Andre and Brian helped my dad build to cover stacks of wood.

Showing off the painted turtle they caught on a boat ride (they did throw it back!)

My sister and I, sporting our U of M sweatshirts all weekend.

My little helper--who's discovered the joys of baking and runs to get his stool and hollers "bake, me!!!!" every time I get the flour out or he hears me mention baking or stool. He helped with pancakes at the cabin.

Tickling and snuggling in the hammock in jammies after a cold swim.

Celebrating Brian's birthday two weeks late with ruhbarb apple crisp (my sister's finance).

Sierra listening to my ipod while Ethan slept. Above, we stopped at Wisconsin Point on Lake Superior to throw rocks and enjoy a sandy beach.

We took another trip to the cabin over Labor Day weekend (yes, I've been traveling a lot--so far 5 vacations in the last 3 months or so! And I don't know if we're done yet!)

Helping...the kids are learning how to unload the dishwasher--Sierra obviously knows more than Ethan, so for her I'm trying to make it more of a habit (she currently gets herself dressed, teeth and hair brushed and bed made every morning). There's lots of teaching that goes on in our house all the time!

Sitting on my counter along with the freshly canned tomato sauce... a jar holding lots of caterpillars and one with a chrysalis. Any science people can give hints on to keep the life cycle going! :) The kids enjoy checking on them every day.

2011-08-30T19:03:00.000-07:00

Sidewalk Chalk Paint... 2T cornstarch + 2 T. water + food coloring = fun!

playing the "pano" as Ethan calls it.

Things I'm thankful for these days...

2011-08-24T20:20:00.000-07:00

early morning runs outside before the family wakes up.

a good cup of coffee after my run.

fresh corn on the cob and cherry tomatoes from the garden.

the sounds of Sierra and Ethan laughing at their own jokes.

Crystal Light ice teas.

sunshine and warm weather.

the quietness of the night after the kids are asleep.

abundant produce from the garden.

good books to read--I seem to have an unquenchable thirst for reading lately, and just not enough hours in the day! :)

open windows to let the breeze in.

the 3 songs I have on "repeat" on my ipod (Blessings by Laura Story, Captive Us by Watermark, and There's a Place for Us by Carrie Underwood).

a hardworking husband (as I post this it's 10:30pm and he's still outside restaining the deck admist the bugs, and he still has a few evenings to go before it's done).

health of our family.

Sierra randomly saying "I love you, Mommy" during the day.

The list could go on and on. I truly am grateful for these seemingly small things in life. HIS mercies are new every morning, great is HIS faithfulness to us.

cabin trip...again :)

2011-08-23T20:14:00.000-07:00

supper at the lake

an impromptu photo of my parents and kids--and the only one that sort of turned out.

picking wild blueberries...that never made it back to the cabin...hardly made it into the bowls!

Smores time!

The kids and I spent the weekend at the cabin with my parents, leaving Andre home to work on projects and help lead worship at church. We had a great time relaxing--mainly playing and reading!

2011-08-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

Last night Andre and I put almost 20 pounds of corn into the freezer. Loving it fresh too!

lots of fun with a "new to us" Thomas the Train set from coworkers of Andre's.

Enjoying "smoothie cones" , a favorite afternoon snack the deck.

Outdoor finger (or body? :) )painting...

Homemade stickers that Sierra and I did.

2011-08-06T14:55:00.000-07:00

Enjoyed a great visit with a friend from childhood through highschool days in Ethiopia and Kenya that I haven't been in touch with in nine years! She and her family were on a road trip and stayed for a night. So grateful for friendships that can be picked right up despite the passage of time.

The kids are fascinated by bugs and insects and frogs and toads. Anything that moves. :) Here they're inspecting a caterpillar I found in the garden. A couple weeks ago Sierra and Andre caught 16 toads and frogs in our window well and released them into the garden.

Enjoyed going to the farmer's market in town this morning and getting a couple of pastries (most of the other stuff being sold we are already growing!).

summer weekend

2011-08-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

Playing in the pool Sunday afternoon. Ice cream cones on the deck for dessert.

Saturday afternoon/evening was spent with my parents. They took the kids to the swimming pool for a couple hours while Andre and I got to go shopping (each to a different place!) and get a haircut. Summer food of hot dogs, fruit and salad and popsicles futher delighted the kids, and then ending the evening with Sierra's "must read at Grandma's house" book--"The Great Fuzz Frenzy".

Way too excited to stop for a photo--this is the best I got of them in the tent, climbing all over their bunk cot!

Andre put our swing in the screen porch so we could enjoy the fire without the bugs. Had our nightly devotions and stories and guitar singing out there with the kids.

We camped out Friday night in our backyard. The kids LOVED it (and were exhausted the next day from a late night).

Ten Commandments

2011-08-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

My father-in-law always does family devotions with his grandkids whenever we're all together. This year Ethan even joined in once, happy to be old enough to sit with everyone, though I don't know how much he understood. Earlier in the summer was the story of Joseph, and the second time I was in Nebraska, my father-in-law worked his way through the Ten Commandments. The three older kids were able to learn a bunch of them in that week, and I have been trying to continue with Sierra. Below is the Ten Commandments train she colored and glued together that we hung above her bed. Each train car has a different commandment on it, with the caboose being Proverbs 22:6--"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it". I'm thankful that she's like a sponge and able to memorize the verses, and pray that they get written on her heart as well.

Tis the season...

2011-07-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

For lots of bike riding...

lots of watering...

enjoying beautiful flowers on our deck...

More watering with the hose....(this is a favorite...yet they aren't thrilled about running through a sprinkler yet)...

learning how to pedal a trike...

eating raw peas straight out of the pods from the garden...and raspberries off the bushes. This is a daily occurence.

harvesting produce until we can't see what we're picking anymore, and have to go in to take of of it. Often our counters are covered with bowls filled with produce in various stages of eating or prepping.

90 broccoli plants have produced an abundance! We're enjoying lots fresh, and freezing as much as possible for the winter as well. In a week or two this crop will be done and we'll put in our
second crop for fall harvesting.

a view of our garden...it feels as though we walk into a whole world when we enter the gate, as the corn (left) blocks our view of our house/backyard. Currently we have green beans, peas, broccoli, and raspberries producing.

2011-07-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

I made a "spur of the moment" trip last week to spend more time with Andre's sister and her kids before they left for Korea. They were staying with Andre's parents again in Nebraska, so I packed up the kids, driving 7 hours, and left Andre home alone for the week. The kids did great traveling, and we thoroughly enjoyed more time with family.

Cabin trip

2011-07-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

After Andre's sister and family left, we headed up north to the Baker family cabin for the 4th of July weekend. Had a great time reading, swimming, napping and relaxing.

This summer the kids LOVED being in the boat and going fast.

reading National Geographic together.

our last picnic supper at the lake.

playing on the shore of our little lake. Sierra loved being in the water, it took Ethan a couple days to get his courage up.

playing with all the cars and trucks up there--next to riding in the boat, this was probably a favorite.

Brushing their teeth together before bedtime. Love it how close they are in size!

more vacationing...at home

2011-07-15T08:43:00.000-07:00

After our trip to Nebraska in June, Andre's sister and family came up and stayed with us for ten days. The kids played to their hearts content, we made a lot of food, and relaxed on the deck and in the driveway watching the kids play. It felt like vacation at home, though Andre was still working.

Another attempt at a "cousins" picture--with Kajsa sleeping upright in the middle.

My sister-in-law and Will helped me pick strawberries at a berry patch the day before they left (two days before we went on vacation again!), since ours didn't produce much...and we came home with 40 pounds of strawberries! We managed to get it all canned into jam and into the freezer before we left.

Swimming in our little pool--they had great fun splashing! And the water is clean, just rusty as it's well water. :)

Celebrating 7 years!

2011-07-11T08:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (July 10) we celebrated 7 years of marriage! SO thankful to be married to my best friend, who is a wonderful encourager, leader, father of our kids, and lover of life and Jesus.

Family Reunion and Celebrating 60 Years!

2011-07-06T18:50:00.000-07:00

In June we traveled to Nebraska to spend a week with Andre's parents and siblings, and at the end of the week we celebrated his grandparents 60th wedding anniversary, where most of Andre's cousins and aunts and uncles came as well. The celebrations included a family fun run, playing in the park, lots of picnic food, and a huge family trip to the Omaha zoo. Lots of activity, lots of fun!

Nils and Laura (Andre's grandparents), and their three kids, below. Above is the spouses. And the family kept growing!

Being presented with a family scrapbook -- each person in the family contributed a page to the album and one of Andre's cousins assembled it, acccompioned by the family singing "Great is Thy Faithfulness" accapella.

Sierra and Grandma Laurie.

Zoo trip--definitely a zoo worth visiting!

My "Minnesota men" on our lunch break.

Andre's cousins kids', whatever that is! :) and his neice, nephew, and Sierra at the zoo. Ethan had fallen asleep in the stroller at this point.

There are five kids in the family now--our two and the three that his sister has. We managed to all walk to the park one day--with three strollers and baby front-pack carrier! After that, the oldest started walking by themselves--great exercise! ;)

Love that happy face of Ethan's!
An attepmt at getting them all to look the same direction! The oldest is 5 1/2, the girls are 3 1/2, Ethan almost 2, and the baby 4 months.
Meals together at the "kiddie table".

swimming and blowing bubbles.

Sierra and cousin Annie.

2011-05-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

Checking out the apple trees about to bloom a couple weeks ago (they've now bloomed, and we're hoping for apples this year! Last year we lost them to frost).

He just keeps trying to drive...

2011-05-19T08:21:00.000-07:00

She loves chalk!

Sierra doesn't always dress weather appropriately--or rather, listen when I tell her it's cool and she needs a sweatshirt, so the other day she got cold and went back in to put more layers on. This is how she came out (and again didn't want her picture taken)--striped Christmas pants, sandals, mittens, flowered dress, sun hat.

Sierra was pouting because she didn't want her picture taken, and Ethan couldn't hear me tell him to smile.

So yesterday Andre became even more creative with the kids and the mowing process--he strapped in their camping chairs to the little trailer we have, gave them each their blanket and bear, and away they went! They loved it, and he got some mowing done.

The kids love to ride with Andre on the mower, but there's not much room for them and steering. So last week he tried putting them in the backpack, which worked until he got too tired (Sierra's a little big for it!). I heard them both singing for all they were worth, different songs since they both had earpieces. Sorry for the blurry picture--should have had them stop--but he looked so determined! :)

I had to find something to keep Ethan out of the dogs' water dish, and since we don't have a kiddie pool yet for the summer, this tub has been great. I just keep it filled so that Ethan has a constant supply. :)

smores!!

2011-05-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

A little boy has taken over my baby!

Enjoying the smores and sitting with us by the fire in their little camp chairs.

We had some beautiful weather this weekend, and on Friday night we had our first campfire and smores of the season. Sierra remembered smores from last summer and was quite excited to have them again--this was Ethan's first time having them, and I think he was impressed as well. :) Except for the stickiness--he doesn't like his hands being messy or sticky, and will even hold them up now and say "mess" when he needs them cleaned.

2011-04-28T19:07:00.000-07:00

One of my dearest friends, Lynette, was in the cities this week with her kids (from Iowa) and we were able to meet up for a couple hours this morning...we were roomates for awhile in college, bridesmaids in each others weddings (two weeks apart) almost seven years ago, and now only see each other maybe every couple of years for an hour when she happens to be in the cities. SO fun to visit in person (though regular phone calls and emails are certainly good!).

Easter weekend

2011-04-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

Andre's parents drove up from Nebraska for a three day weekend over Easter--we felt like we were on vacation at home!

Ethan with Farmor's little dog Moninga. Both kids loved her, she wasn't so fond of them!

Sierra got to skype with her cousins in South Korea.

Having coffee outside on Sunday morning after church, watching the kids play in the driveway.

Buddies.

Sierra helping Farmor to make the traditional Hot Cross Buns for Easter morning. They also enjoyed a tea party together while the guys were out running errands and I was on a run.

The kids loved dancing with Farfar.

Ethan and hats...below is wearing Sierra's Easter with pride and delight!

2011-04-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we headed to our old town of Medford for an overnight. Andre had a basketball tournament there on Saturday for work, so we thought we'd spend some time with some of our closest friends while there! We see them once or twice a year but connect immediately every time. Now the kids are getting older and really enjoyed playing together too--Sierra and Ataly are the same age and had a blast! Above picture is Luke doing devotions before bedtime for the kids (Andre played guitar and the kids danced their hearts out just before this photo). Then the adults stayed up way too late talking and laughing. We are blessed and refreshed by time with Luke and Mikaela--we love you guys!

Sierra's artwork

2011-04-18T12:59:00.000-07:00

handprint tulips.

Butterflies.

2011-04-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

The "little man" according to his sister...he loves balls and trucks and playing outside!!!

My little gardening buddy. She loves to help me, digging, planting, watering...yesterday she ran and got her rubber boots on, found her gardening gloves, her shovel, and wheelbarrow, and was all set...and then proceeded to ask me why I was pulling weeds! :)

First time in the sandbox this season (a week or two ago now, so at this point the snow has all melted).

My boy who loves water...to play in, to water whatever he can. I don't think our plants will be lacking water this summer!

Sporting new sunglasses and a hat. Wearing his favorite jammies. Zooming around the kitchen on his little car. I love it.

newly painted room

2011-04-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's a LITTLE BRIGHT! Maybe it's just the shock of going from all white walls/ceiling/carpet, to lime green walls, that seem especially...vibrant, shall I say? Especially when the afternoon sun comes in. It'll be different when we eventually move the kids funiture down and get it set up. No solid plans for that yet, so for me it's the satisfaction of having crossed one more thing of my project list. Now to get used to the color....

we're still alive :)

2011-04-09T19:58:00.000-07:00

So I realized it's been awhile since I've posted, and there are lots of pictures I've taken since the last post (not all will make it on here). We've been enjoyed the spring weather and heading outside more and to the parks. I've also finally finished painting the kids' bedroom (a two-week project), that I'll post pictures of later. These are just some from the last month, more to come.

My baking buddies and "helpers"--I've discovered it's much easier to let Sierra help me with the real recipe, and to just give Ethan his own bowl, spoon, flour, etc and let him "play". He gets to help lick the spoons then that Sierra and I have used. Sierra would bake every day if I let her!

We love having homemade pizza and the occasional family movie night--and of course Sierra loves to help with the pizza!

Our indoor "greenhouse" shelf where we have trays of marigolds, broccoli, onions, tomatoes and more. It's currently more full than shown here (sorry for the poor quality photo). We have a closet in the basement that Andre's got heated for the seeds that are germinating.

My parents came out for lunch one day while in the area and brought the kids some fast growing seeds and pots that my dad helped them plant. Sierra is excited to see our indoor and outdoor plants begin to come up. Andre even tilled the garden for the first time this morning.

2011-03-17T19:17:00.000-07:00

Cuddling while reading Ethan's books for bedtime tonight.

Dinner from the Walmart Deli on the deck tonight...first of the season! :)

2011-03-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

ready for spring to come!...Often she says "In the springtime (fill in the blank...Ethan will grow up, her owie will feel better, etc)..."

Paper plate rainbows this morning. Can you guess which ones we each did?...it's the process, not the product!

Last week I painted the downstairs bathroom (orginally white). My next painting project is the kids' room downstairs, where we'll eventually move them.

2011-03-12T18:08:00.000-08:00

She and I made cookies yesterday while Ethan napped. Much easier to bake with one child than two! She loves baking, and loves having me to herself sometimes as well. Given that we were all tired from lack of sleep, we lazed around yesterday, watched Elmo together, played doctor, and read books and colored (oh, wait, don't we do that every day?!?! :) ).

Sierra loves piling her blankets and stuffed animals in the wheelbarrow she got for her birthday.

Cuddling this morning and reading books. We're all a little under the weather with bad coughs, etc, and have been for a couple weeks. Ethan is on meds for bronchitis, and is quite a cuddly little guy.

Sierra has a baby doll that Ethan seems to really enjoy. Especially trying to get the pacifier into it's mouth and then cuddling it.

2011-03-06T13:21:00.000-08:00

Ethan's first haircut! Andre shaved a ton of it off, and now he has gone from looking like a baby boy to a toddler boy! He did great, just got tired of it at the end. A piece of candy helped do the trick.

We sat on the deck for a little bit Saturday afternoon in the 25 degree weather soaking up some sun.

I walked in our room on Friday morning to find this...the bed piled with foam letters, stuffed animals, books, and the kids getting ready to play "doctor" with the animals. we're never sure what we may lay on these days, as Sierra loves to tuck her animals into it and get her doctor kit out.

Around here this weekend

2011-02-28T19:21:00.000-08:00

really, can they get any cuter?? This was on our way out the door to small group tonight, both of them pressed into the corner anxiously waiting to go.

Painting tissue paper hearts onto construction paper using vinegar...and then when the tissue paper dries, remove it and see the designs left behind! One of those simple, fun "time-filler" projects at the end of the day. And not messy! Though smelly with vinegar.

Indoor planting begins!...marigolds and tomatoes. Next we're going to need to build a greenhouse!...

Foam letters and an empty water jug...it's the simple things, right? :)

Gathering up all their "stuff" to go wake Andre up in the morning...Ethan has his special blanket and Gunder the Polar Bear, and Sierra has Bobo bear, Bobo's blanket, her blanket (which is in shreds), Farmor's blanket and Grandma's blanket (each of her grandmas crocheted or knitted her a blanket, thus the names).

Sierra's 3!!

2011-02-22T11:57:00.000-08:00

The master cake decorator...Sierra requested a candyland cake for her party (her favorite game). We found a picture of one online, and then Andre went to work creating! I think he did a fabulous job. There was almost more candy than cake!

Loving the cards/presents...thank you everyone! Sierra with my sister and holding a portion of the quilt Laura made her.

Sierra turned 3 this past Saturday (the 19th). These are the ice cream cone cupcakes I made for her birthday breakfast (we always wake the birthday person up with cake in the morning). Idea from www.bettycrocker.com. We had a birthday party for her in the afteroon with my parents, sister and aunt.

our days

2011-02-16T19:12:00.000-08:00

splashing in the puddles, soaking wet and loving it.

Coloring with chalk in 35 degree weather....and loving it.

Chocolate playdough!!

Fingerpaint! We are discovering that Ethan doesn't like to have his hands messy for very long and would rather spend his time playing in the bathtub after the art projects!

Magnetic shapes for Ethan.

Matching games that I had made when I worked at a daycare before the kids were born and saved. Sierra's way beyond them, but she loves them on "rainy" days (or frigid winter days like last week).

My stack of books I'm trying to read and have to keep requesting back from the library because I can't finish them in time and then have to wait my turn again to renew them. I'm enjoying this momentary season of reading before summer!

Winter Fun

2011-02-05T15:46:00.000-08:00

And yes, we are desperate for spring... and have brought out the trike and little car for the kids to ride (or attempt to given the ice and snow and winter clothing). We even took a walk with the stroller today...in 25 degree weather, which felt quite warm given the previous frigid temps we've had!

The snow fort. Built with snow blocks. Just missing the roof still.

So not only do we have sled "hill" or "track" running off our back deck, and a huge igloo/snow fort in the front yard right off the driveway, but Andre is now experimenting with creating his own ice rink in the back yard! I love this man! And he obviously loves winter! :) I would imagine in a few years ours is the house that the kids will all be at given the forts and hills and rinks that will be created....and expanded...and improved upon on in the years to come. :)

2011-02-02T12:21:00.000-08:00

Entertainment...putting pencils in and out of the pencil jar...over and over and over...

The kids' art projects from yesterday...teddy bears with hearts and LOTS OF GLITTER GLUE! (sierra's favorite). The hearts were "supposed" to be for the bear's paws and nose, but I decided to let the kids do what they wanted--it's fun to watch them create their own things then. Sierra's is the bottom bear, and Ethan had just a little help, but actually did quite well on his own!

Sierra was all about the cake and presents...just wait till her birthday in three weeks! :)

BIRTHDAY PARTY...a shared celebration by my sister and I this past weekend (we are three years and five days apart, so often celebrate together). This year happened to be my golden...29 on the 29th!

I've been enjoying making breads from scratch again (though I love my bread machine still!), and have been trying a couple new recipes. Sierra loves Cinnamon Swirl Loaves, and Andre loves these English Muffins.

then and now

2011-01-27T12:58:00.000-08:00

I've been organizing photos on the computer and came across this one from last June when the kids were reading on our bed, and had just taken the above one of them on our bed (reading again!). Just thought it was so cute that they're still climbing up there together...something I pray still happens as they keep getting older and enter grade school, etc, and that they'll continue to be friends. For some reason I remember my sister and I wandering into my parents' room a lot when we were younger, and that on their bed was where a lot of conversations happened for us, and I hope the same thing for our kids.

around the house this week

2011-01-27T12:26:00.000-08:00

Our last Sunday afternoon, when I was attempting to write emails while Andre watched football, and the kids just wouldn't leave me be. So I finally hauled them up and we did "activities" as Sierra says, on the computer together. (Four days later I've finally finished one of the emails).

Yep, still wearing dresses...

These two are "such great friends" as Sierra tells me--and they are! I love hearing them laugh together during our days at home. The other night Sierra told us that her "little fella" was her "best friend".

Going somewhere Sierra? ...apparently she was going to the elevator to visit Grandpa Ole and Grandma Laurie (and elevator she was terrified of when we visited them!). The socks on her hands are meant to be fancy gloves.

Playing in Ethan's crib seems to be entertaining even to an almost three-year old! Notice the plaid skirt and flowered top too...definitely a fashion statement! :)

Ethan's been eyeing Sierra's red rainboots, and today managed to clomp around in them.

2011-01-17T13:17:00.000-08:00

We had a "date" at home on Friday night and made our first batch of chocolate eclairs (that were gone by breakfast the next day!). These are Andre's favorites, and I found a great book at the library called "Artisan Patisserie for the Home Baker" by Avner Laskin that had this recipe plus a ton more we want to try! Sunday Andre made cream puffs, a very similar recipe, and is determined to get the pastries to rise and hold their shape the right way (though the taste is great!).

2011-01-17T12:43:00.000-08:00

enjoying raisin boxes together.

He loves having this little step stool out to play their piano--every time I try to put it away and he realizes it's gone, he hollers and bangs on the closet door to get it out again. So lately, it's just another piece of "funiture" in our living room.

Once again, on our bed reading.

The dogs are really quite patient with the kids "riding" on them so much. Maybe they realize it's the only human touch they might get??

Yep, he also loves the dustbuster I guess!

The typical look of the living by 8am as Andre's heading out the door. Sierra loves the empty tub (thus it's not being used yet for my original purpose of storage, though as I write it is at least downstairs closer to the storage room!). And the broom...ever present it seems thanks to Ethan, who loves brooms and vacuums.

"Loving on eachother" as Sierra says (or rather, "each udder" is the more literal pronounciation at the moment)

2011-01-12T12:17:00.000-08:00

2011-01-11T11:35:00.000-08:00

Both kids love music and books, and one of their favorite places to go is the library. We go to the 2s' and 3s' storytime there once a week, though often stop in more often to pick up/return books. Sierra will listen to a book read to her so many times that she'll have a lot of it memorized.

2011-01-11T11:28:00.000-08:00

A coworker of Andre's passed on these two riding toys to the kids last week, which have caused much fun and many arguments. Naturally both of them make noise too, so the volume level in our house can dramatically increase when these are being played with!

We were at my cousin's house for dinner this past weekend, and they passed on a toy vacuum cleaner that their son was afraid of--Ethan LOVES it (maybe I clean the floors too much?...as soon as he sees me get a broom or my vacuum, he goes straight for the same thing. Now he'll also get down on the floor in front of the vacuum because he likes the light that comes on).

2011-01-05T12:13:00.000-08:00

This year we had decided to do just stocking stuffers for Christmas with my family, but my dad broke the rule and presented my sister and I with a HUGE gift to us...he is self-employed and writes legacy journals (www.sagislegacy.com) for people. This year he wrote one of our life history, beginning with their marriage, and then going on to the years they spent in Ethiopia as missionaries, and our growing up years. It includes over 500 photos, copies of letters they wrote to us, their journal entries, newsletters of the time as missionaries, etc. A huge gift that had both my sister and I crying when we opened it.

We celebrated New Year's Eve with homemade pizza and lighting all of our Advent candles (the kids love having candles lit). We then spent the weekend with my immediate family having a belated Christmas celebration at their house. We are now settling back into our normal patterns at home after being in Nebraska and the cities and having Andre around for vacation. Grocery shopping, library trips, lots of coloring, playing outside in the "balmy" 15 degree weather (really, it is nice as long at the wind isn't blowing!), etc. Happy 2011!

Sporting his new Santa hat.

Making memories

2010-12-28T12:25:00.000-08:00

The family photo as we were heading out the door to come home yesterday.

Every night Farfar (grandpa in Swedish) told parts of the Christmas story, and at the end of the week used the Nativity scene. He's a great story-teller, and the kids paid attention (for the most part) and were able to follow along night after night as the story unfolded.

And the attempt at getting all four kids to look in the same direction, and to stay on the piano bench, for a photo. Sierra and Annie are three months apart (Annie's 3) and Will is 5. Ethan is now 15 months. They had SO MUCH fun together -- peals of laughter coming from a bedroom, or downstairs, giggling at the table as they ate meals and snacks, etc. What a treat for Sierra to have playmates for an entire week, all day long!

A budding pianist??...he loved playing the piano this week, and was often very gentle, taking notes a couple at a time instead of banging away.

Singing Christmas carols via skype to Eleanor, Andre's youngest sister, who is currently with the Peace Corps in Ethiopia and couldn't join us.

Joie and I made sugar cookies with the kids one afternoon, and then the next morning I tackled the decorating with them (along with help from my in-laws!). The kids loved this of course!

Enjoying the Korean meal that Andre's sister and brother-in-law made (they are currently serving in South Korea, and had a gift given to them of airline tickets to fly home for Christmas this year).

Sierra and her cousin Annie, probably discussing whose turn it was to hold Moninga.

Andre and his brother-in-law relaxing with games on I pads while the kids napped.

The cousins playing with playdough one morning.

Sierra and Uncle Erik taking goofy photos on his laptop.

Ethan and his cousin Will with tractors.

Sierra and her Farmor and Moninga, the dog, who graciously put up with the kids dragging her around all week long (she's a tiny poodle)

We spent nine days with Andre's family in Nebraska over Christmas...the first part of our vacation was the trip down there. Andre's brother owns a snowplow business in Kansas and bought a plow truck on Craigslist in St. Paul and asked us to drive it down to their folks. So that we could drive together instead of leaving one of us with the kids for 7+ hours in the car, Andre rented a trailer to haul our Explorer on, and we all piled into the pick-up truck (which is a "work" truck--dirty, smelly, noisy). The kids were completely happy, on an adventure. We must have looked funny driving down the highway, in the beat-up truck that had a huge plow in the back, pulling the nice vehicle that had the dogs in the back of it. But we made it in one piece with no problems. We had a fabulous week of yummy food, lots of conversation and laughter (a few tears), and relaxing.

2010-12-15T11:52:00.000-08:00

It is Ethan underneath Sierra's sunglasses!

He loves to drive this truck across the bar stool and watch it fall off.

Coloring together (or in Ethan's case, taking the markers caps on and off).

The man of many hats...Ethan loves to put things on his head!

Buddies.

Yep, he fits in a diaper box! There is something about boxes that kids love--climbing in them, put them on their heads.

Decorating cookies this weekend while we were snowed in. Naturally more were consumed than I was probably aware of, and I ended up taking over the process part way through because I couldn't do it any more with these two little tykes, but they enjoyed what they did! :)

winter weekend

2010-12-12T11:46:00.000-08:00

Celebrating my mom's new job as a nursing director and her birthday on Friday night before the storm came.

Our winter storm. The drifts are incredible. Ethan can hardly see out the sliding door the snow's so high.

Ethan loved the goggles that Andre put on before he went out to plow the driveway last night during the storm.

Having a tea party together. Ethan's attention span is quite short of course, but the table was complete with a battery-operated candle and a vase of fake flowers.

For the last week Sierra has only worn tights and fancy dresses--she calls them "bride dresses". We think it started when she watched Celtic Women Christmas last weekend and all the women are wearing fancy gowns. She even convinced me to put on my wedding dress (which still fits!) and twirl with her. I'm assuming it's phase for her, as she's never seen any princess movies, etc (and I still get odd looks from people when they ask her about Cinderella, etc and I tell them she has no idea who they are), and we'll enjoy watching her dance around in them, but also emphasize the inner beauty and how God created her.

2010-11-27T18:49:00.000-08:00

Today while Andre was hunting the kids and I went to my parents to build the annual gingerbread house and bake some cookies with them and my sister. I forgot to get a picture of the completed house!

Decorating their Christmas tree yesterday--Ethan keeps pointing at the lights saying "eh" (the only thing he says, while Sierra piled all of the ornaments on the bottom front of the tree.

The kids reading and playing together on our bed.

His new favorite--the swiffer broom

Ethan enjoys playdough these days, and most of the time keeps it out of his mouth.

THE FORT, built on Thanksgiving day by Andre for the kids--it even had three rooms in it!

2010-11-22T12:02:00.000-08:00

Hunting season...Andre shot a buck on opening day (Saturday) and will process it next week. Sunday I joined him in the stand for an hour and half -- and still don't fully understand the thrill of sitting quietly in the cold for hours on end, waiting for deer to come --but am glad to try to be a part of "his world". And we did enjoy having some time to whisper together while the kids were being watched by friends! :)

One little boy who loves his blanket! For some reason he's become more attached to it in the last week and carries it around more, whereas before it used to stay in his crib.

So sad when I put him down to try to take a picture of him in this cute hat.

The kids love the dogs (I do not--currently I try to tolerate them. It is two more beings who "need me", who shed hair on my floor and make noise barking and leave messes in the yard). They wrestle on top of them, give them their blankets, and try to put sunglasses on them.

I had the kids fingerpaint on some of my extra 12x12 white scrapbook pages that I never know what to do with...now they each have a "page" for their albums that I'll put pictures on later. I am thoroughly enjoying all the scrapbook time that I have now that the garden is done for the season. I'm way behind on both kids' albums. But I love creating, and sitting next to Andre in the office at night while he does homework as we listen to music has been so relaxing.

I made a fishing game for Sierra last Friday that she has been enjoying quite a bit! A stick, ribbon, big paper clip, and some "fish" covered in contact paper with a magnet stuck on each one. She needs some help to direct the paper clip to the magnet, but is delighted and calls herself a "fisherwoman".

"Sleepover"

2010-11-17T11:55:00.000-08:00

My friend Heidi came last night with her two kids, Joy and Isaiah, and spent the night and a couple hours with us this morning before going to see other people. They used to live 10 minutes from us, now they live over an hour away. The kids were thrilled to see each other, and even though they were in separate rooms, still didn't get enough sleep! We were all up by around 5:30am, and Sierra and Ethan are currently sleeping hard this afternoon!

2010-11-15T11:58:00.000-08:00

Both kids were thrilled with the snow, though Ethan really had no idea what it was, just that Sierra was excited, and it looked pretty out the window in the darkness of 6am with the deck light on. Andre and Sierra had lots of fun playing out there--building a snowman, and then a little "hill" off of the deck steps for the kids to slide down.

Playing with the "pocket match" game I made for Sierra last year--really all he likes to do is pull the little slips of paper out. :)

Sierra's handprint turkey with dried beans. Below, her "seasons" trees.

2010-11-11T11:32:00.000-08:00

On the go...we're enjoying some nice weather before the rain/snow comes this weekend.

Chocolate pudding finger-painting this morning...of course they ate most of it, though Sierra wanted me to draw pictures in hers first. Old coffee tin, magnetic letters, and happy boy...

Baking biscuts together last weekend...just wait until all the cookie baking at Christmas! Then I'll really have my hands full, the kitchen dirty, and my patience and creativity tested! :)

drinking milk together in the morning.

happenings

2010-11-09T19:28:00.000-08:00

Andre....is two weeks into his online course called Financial Management, as he works towards his MBA. He is also swamped at work.

Sierra...is such a kind-hearted, fun-loving little girl who tells us all the time "Mommy (Daddy), I love you", or "God made me special". She is learning a lot about obedience and having a good attitude these days. She'll color any paper you put in front of her too!

Ethan...is learning to walk! These days he is venturing further away from furniture and doing less crawling. He loves to be at the kitchen table with Sierra trying to do her projects with her. No words, other than the occassional "mama", and attempt at "woof" which sounds more like "ff". He's done nursing, and is finally starting to sleep through the night!

Me...I am enjoying the break from the garden and starting to work once again on the kids' scrapbooks in the evenings while Andre studies. I've been trying new recipes (at least every other week--I'll post the good ones!). We have been doing a parenting study with our small group called "Getting to the Heart of Parenting", and I've been doing lots of thinking and praying on that during my daily runs and trying to put what we're learning into practice.

Arts and Crafts

2010-11-09T19:03:00.000-08:00

The letter "F": frog, paper plate fish, "Ff" poster (we do a letter poster every week)

Filling in the letter "E" with squares and triangles.

Paper bag Dog and Elephant.

Sierra is enjoying doing "preschool" every day (www.abcjesuslovesme.com), and the craft projects are her favorite! We do a Bible story every week, a letter and a number, a Bible verse, etc. Sometimes the possibilities are endless! Above are samples from the last few weeks. This week we are on the number 6, the letter H, the Very Hungry Caterpillar, and the story of the Battle of Jericho. Thanksgiving crafts will be included.

2010-11-06T19:05:00.000-07:00

Emptying out 100 cookie cutters and trailing them across the floor.

2010-11-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

Carving her first jack-o-lantern. She thought this was pretty cool, especially with the candle in it (she loves candles)

Ethan seems to have just "discovered" the dogs and loves to play with them (which I think is gross because then he gets covered in dog hair, but oh well).

buddies....laying on the floor resting with their soccer balls after goofing off togther.

Ethan loves these little pompom balls (or "fuzz balls" as they're also known as in our house). The other day he kept trying to put one down the vent just as the furnace was on, so it kept blowing back up at him.

2010-10-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Farmer Ethan...he loves this riding toy!

Attempting to climb into the dryer while I was loading it. He still can't quite make it in, but certainly tries!

His new favorite activity...brushing his teeth and hollering from the bathroom for me to turn the water on. No words of course, just hollering and grunting (and this is for EVERYTHING--I'm mastering his language!).

Doing projects this morning....Ethan loves to be up there with Sierra, especially when she's coloring. This morning it was decorating the letter "Ee". He had contact paper and shapes.

Nebraska

2010-10-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

stopping for a picnic lunch at a park on the way home.

Andre and his brother and sister-in-law.

What started out as Sierra with a coloring book on the floor during the reception turned into a large crowd of kids on the floor. Thank goodness for a bag of crayons, a coloring book, and scratch paper in the diaper bag!

Sierra loving the reception--or party in her in words. She behaved beautifully in an elegant setting, and especially loved the dancing.

Andre played the violin, his brother played guitar, and their mom played piano for the prelude and recessional. Beautiful music!

dancing with her Farfar on the stage after the ceremony.

We were in Nebraska this past weekend for Andre's cousin's wedding (he played violin for it, while the kids and I dressed up and made it through watching the bride walk down the aisle, then had to head to the nursery thanks to the little man's volume...)

Sunshine and happiness

2010-10-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

We had our first "non-family" babysitter tonight (for Sierra, as Ethan was already in bed). A big thing for this overly-protective mother, but it was time, especially as my sister-in-law who normally watched the kids has moved to Ethiopia for two years. Sierra was thrilled with Miss Caitlin and we were able to enjoy lingering over pie and coffee at a local restaurant. We are, however, disappointed at the lack of options in New Richmond for things to do. We'll have to get creative I guess! We loved being out together and came home to a quiet house!

The weather has been warm enough the last couple days that I've let the kids play in the hose and fill buckets and dump rocks on containers--another favorite activity of Ethan's. They play so well together, and I've been thankful that they are buddies and hope and pray it continues throughout their lives. Sierra almost always refers to him as her "little fella" and wants him to join her in most of her play. She has no idea how fun it will be once he starts walking and running after her! :)

We went to a llama farm "open house" this morning (they are funny looking creatures!) and picked up some tiny pumpkins/squash (for decoration only, we have enough of our own big ones!) and looked at chickens and free kittens (which Andre tried to talk me into getting, but I firmly declined. :) ). Then to a garage sale and a flee market, home for lunch and naps, and outside to enjoy the beautiful afternoon!

Sandbox time requires baths...but they have so much fun! They love filling buckets and making "castles" only to immediately squash them. And Ethan loves to put handfuls of sand into the grass.

Ethan's 1st birthday party/Surprise visit

2010-10-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

Andre's parents made a surprise visit from Nebraska this past weekend for Ethan's first birthday party...a FANTASTIC surprise! I got a call from my brother-in-law in Kansas Saturday morning telling me to look out my front window, and there were my in-laws pulling into our driveway! Loved it! They were able to stay until Monday afternoon, and were a huge blessing to us and the kids with laughter, conversation, coffee times, and help with all of our carrots and apples! Thank you for spending the weekend with us!

Bedtime stories with Farfar.

Making a dandelion craft with Farmor.

Opening presents (which delighted Sierra too. :) ).

Eating birthday cake.

The birthday cake masterpiece...I made and frosted the green part of the cake, and Andre spent two hours decorating the soccer ball and grass on the "field". I think we've set the bar high for future birthday cakes! :)

2010-10-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

Ethan can now climb up on her stool, so baking with Sierra is a challenge when he wants to "help" too! :)

helping to put zucchini on the food dehydrator.

loving their bathtime.

2010-09-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

Pumpkins...39. Butternut Squash...56. Yep, that's the grand totals from our garden this year. Andre figured we'd be eating one squash a week for the next year at this rate! Now it's time to be creative with recipes!

2010-09-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

The kids have enjoyed playing on the bunk bed cot that we're borrowing from my in-laws. When Ethan has really bad nights sleeping, we bring it into our room for Sierra to sleep on. This week I haven't taken it down, they've been having so much fun crawling around on it laughing together.

Yep, he climbed up there himself, hoping to reach the water. He LOVES to play in water. Even fell into the bathtub the other day trying to get in.

weekend getaway...the cabin

2010-09-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

We stopped along Lake Superior to show the kids and throw rocks in the water.

Filling up his bucket with pebbles at the beach--he was quite happy and dirty!

On the rope swing down at the lake, waiting to roast marshmellows (another "cabin favorite" of Sierra's)

Playing in a fort of foam mattresses. This is one of their favorite things to do together!

Happy with buckets of "new" toys.

Playing Candyland (or attempting too--she's still young).

Up at the Baker cabin (just a couple photos of the inside--we were warm and cozy in the cool fall weather!)...we went up for a short weekend getaway (Friday-Sun), just the four of us. We had a great time just hanging out as a family and away from the demands and projects of house/work/garden. The kids loved being there, even though it was too cold to swim. We enjoyed reading and watching reruns of "The Office" on Andre's laptop while they were sleeping.

Happy Birthday Ethan!

2010-09-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

He enjoyed smooshing the cake between his fingers, but not as interested in eating it.

Our little man turned one today!! We can't believe how fast the last year has gone! Sierra's been telling him "happy birhtday little buddy" all week, and was so excited to brink cake into his room this morning and sing and blow out his candle. And he just grinned and laughed at us, delighted with life. He is such a joy to us, and we are so thankful to have him in our family.

in the car

2010-09-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

Not sure why she wanted to wear the winter hat...

apple orchard

2010-09-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

Ethan happy with riding toys and an apple.

Sierra colored a picture that the orchard provided in order to get a free donut...which she thoroughly enjoyed, along with a sucker.

Yesterday my mom came out to spend the night and we took the kids to an apple orchard (Sierra calls it the apple park). Then to the store and out for a quick lunch and home for naps for all four of us.

2010-09-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

Ethan has started to get excited when Daddy walks in the door from work...all smiles!

Both kids are early risers (sleeping in for the kids and I is about 6:30am). This morning I was still stumbling around in a fog waiting for coffee and they were happily playing and reading in their room. Love the "feety" jammies too--so cozy!

Despite the serious look on his face, Ethan really loves to ride on the lawn mower. Trucks, balls, baths, and climbing are his favorite things these days.

Getting outside as much as possible still while the weather is nice!

2010-09-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

We started "preschool" yesterday and so far I'm barely one step ahead of this happy girl! I'm using a curriculm called "ABC Jesus Loves Me", designed by a mom for moms, and we're going through the 3-year old one. Some of it I'm tailoring to meet her needs, but it's helping to give structure to our days. And I'm loving it too!

attempting to climb on top of the cake saver. couldn't quite do it, though not for lack of effort.

loves to have things hanging out of his mouth.

2010-09-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

She loves wearing her new helmet for bike riding and always puts it on--yeah!

Yep, climbing in the dogs' water dish...and he even has a pool right next to it! I have finally given up keeping him out of it (sorry to those of you who are grossed out by that)--I figure that the dogs drink out of his pool, he may as well play in their dish! So far he can only get part of his body in there, but he keeps trying!! :)

Andre came home for lunch yesterday (a rare treat!) and read with Sierra. They've been reading short chapter books that Andre and his siblings read as kids about a little boy named Noddy.

2010-08-30T19:03:00.000-07:00

eating apples together--though I really don't know why they're facing the wall.

2010-08-24T07:53:00.000-07:00

swimming at the river on Saturday.

Ready, Set, GO!

2010-08-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

I ran the Gopher to Badger Half-Marathon this morning, and completed the entire 13.1 miles in 2:07:47! I haven't done this distance race since right before I was pregnant with Sierra over three years ago and was a little unsure about it. My sister-in-law dropped me off at 7am and then cheered for me about every 2-3 miles (thanks Eleanor!!!), and Andre brought the kids over and met me at mile 9 and 11 and the finish. I've been SORE and TIRED all day, and am glad to be done!

How does our garden grow?

2010-08-12T19:27:00.000-07:00

very well, thank you! Here's the view of our garden I see every day...and the produce I pick every day!

We've already canned three batches of pickles, and are still eating lots fresh!

Tomatoes just starting to come in...some will be frozen, some canned for sauce, and maybe some salsa or spaghetti sauce...the possibilities are endless compared to zucchini!

2010-08-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

Sierra tried on the bridesmaid dress I wore for my best friend's wedding six years ago, (after reading about a little girl who tried on her mom's wedding dress.)...as I was taking the picture I had visions of her 25 years from now getting ready to walk down the aisle! Time needs to not march so fast!!