gjesfjeld

Arizona

2010-02-14T20:16:00.000-08:00

In early January we were able to escape the cold and visit Grammy and Joe in Pheonix. The weather was picture perfect and we spent every moment we could outside.

4 years-old

2010-02-14T20:12:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Soren's 4th birthday in Pheonix, Az with Grammy and Joe. Soren had a "racecar" birthday party - this entailed watching the movie Cars, eating a "Cars" cake, getting a "Cars" book and a HannyManny racecar for his gifts. I think Soren's face in these pictures says it all. He was delighted. I love the picture of him with his hands on his face- this was taken when we sang happy birthday to him, I think he felt like he was going to burst.

more winter fun...

2010-02-14T20:02:00.000-08:00

Oh my dear Ingrid. I think she must have been some sort of jungle cat in her former life because she is simply wild and independent. She loves her red, patent leather boots - she screams for them and puts them on by herself. She insists upon wearing a dress, with a sweater and coat with pockets (all at the same time!) She loves being "cozy" (her word) in a big chair, with a big book (usually upside down). She is crazy about Soren, who she calls "Soonie." She'll say "come eeer Soonie!!" But while she is wild (and sometimes fierce) she is so cuddly with me and still such a baby. I love it.

Winter images

2010-02-14T19:48:00.000-08:00

The snow around our house is approximately 4 feet tall, the drifts on the curbs are taller than our car. Soren and I were playing a word game the other night...we made up things we "wished" the snow would turn into - such as a white fluffy cloud we could run through, a soft white pillow we could rest on, a big warm blanket, ice cream we could eat. Although we have been forced inside most of the time, we've stayed pretty busy and I am too pooped out at night to update my blog. These pictures show some of our winter activities: drinking warm beverages, bundling up in layers of clothing, looking out the window at Daddy shoveling snow off our roof, reading, reading, and more reading. Dressing up in funny costumes, putting on puppet shows, dancing wildly around the living room and running laps around the house are other things we do... the weather does amazing things for our creativity.

Christmas 2009

2010-02-14T19:45:00.000-08:00

Soren discusses his options with Santa...

18 months old

2009-12-12T20:23:00.000-08:00

Ingrid turned 18 months old December 4th. Half way to 2 years-old, I cannot believe it. She understands so much and can say so many words, I am astounded by her on a hourly basis.

Christmas is coming!

2009-12-12T20:19:00.000-08:00

Ingrid has learned how to say "cheese" when you take her picture...which is what she is clearly saying in this photo.

dress-up days

2009-12-12T20:08:00.000-08:00

The post-halloween costumes I bought from a thrift store seem to be paying off... Ingrid and Soren are pretending to be dogs in a pet store in these pictures.

Clown A an Clown B

2009-12-12T19:52:00.000-08:00

I realized, after looking over the pictures I'm posting today, that these show how Soren and Ingrid are engaging with each other. They are playing with each other more and have little conversations now that Ingrid is talking.

Trip home from Lake Itaska

2009-11-02T19:20:00.001-08:00

We took a weekend trip to Lake Itaska State Park and stayed in the hostel there. It was a chili weekend, but the fall colors were amazing and we made our fun by taking a snow hike, climbing on top of bunk beds and running down the hostel hallway. This is a picture of Soren and Ingrid enjoying their books on the short trip home.

playtime

2009-11-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

Besides pretending to be superman, Soren has also turned our living room into a hockey rick, including zamboni and penalty box. This is a picture of him in his jersey and helmet.

Ingrid impresses me with her ability to get comfortable, she loves to wrap a blanket around her (she does this by herself) and sit with a book.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T09:46:00.000-08:00

Soren checks out his goodies...

Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-01T09:43:00.001-08:00

A beautiful day at the pumpkin patch!

Superman

2009-11-01T09:40:00.001-08:00

Halloween starts early for us! Soren's been wearing his costume since the beginning of October. I love the way Ingrid is looking at him in this picture.

October

2009-11-01T09:34:00.001-08:00

October started off with a visit from Grammy. These are pictures of Grammy and Ingrid enjoying some quality snuggle time. Grammy brought this adorable piggy-bank for Soren (including a red-scarf which he requested).

Making Happy Little Trees

2009-09-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

Soren is interested in music, language, books, pretending, building with legos, climbing and anything with wheels. But holding a crayon, no way, he would rather not and usually ends up pretending that the crayons are little people talking to each other. I've witnessed him tossing the crayons I've offered him up into the air yelling, "see the people falling!!!" So, I've had to get a little creative with finding mediums that will hold Soren's interest...finger painting seemed to do the trick on one beautiful afternoon. After swirling the paint all over the paper, we took some little trucks and made tracks through the paint, he sat and did this for an HOUR! Afterwards I got out the sidewalk chalk and we drew a road with houses along the sides for his trucks to cruise on.

Early September

2009-09-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

We've had a beautiful September here -it still feels like summertime, although the school buses we spot, chilly mornings and night coming earlier each night tells us different. We've started back at our Fall routine, each day we have an activity with other Moms/Kids, whether it be storytime, playgroups or ECFE. Both Ingrid and Soren are taking swimming lessons at the YMCA. Chris and I make an effort to get out for runs, we're both aware that the opportunity to take a run outside will come to an end way before we're ready.

Miss SugarSnap

2009-09-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

I took these pictures of Ingrid after church last Sunday. She looked absolutely precious in this dress with the little cardigan, white tights and black mary-jane shoes. Her hair has changed so much in the last month, every time I look at her it's a bit different, looking more reddish and lighter. After I took these pictures we went inside, put on our comfy clothes and took a nap.

Sharing the Cozy Coop

2009-08-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

I took these pictures today in our backyard. As I was taking them, I thought about siblings and the process of learning how to share. It wasn't so long ago that these pictures would not have been possible because Soren did not want to share his car (or anything else) with Ingrid. He did fine sharing with friends, but when it came to his sister, he would not have it. He would cry so hard, saying "it's mine, but it's miiiieeennee!!" Often time I have the "thing" they both want, Soren trying to wiggle on one knee and Ingrid on the other...Soren would say to Ingrid, "there is room for everybody!"close to crying, but not wanting to. After a lot of reassuring, explaining, comforting (and I'm afraid yelling), Soren seems to have come around to the idea that he can share something with Ingrid and this sharing can be enjoyable.

Last day...

2009-08-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

Pontoon boat and Paul Bunyan

2009-08-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

Soren told me that his favorite part of his vacation was driving the pontoon boat. He was also quite taken with Paul Bunyan and has now started eating his vegetables in hopes of growing just as tall.

Itaska State Park

2009-08-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

One of my new favorite places is Itaska State Park...the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Amazingly enough it starts out as a cute little creek. This picture shows Grandma Kathy making the obligatory walk across the rock bridge. I am thrilled that this park is only a few hours away from where we live ~ we plan to go back next month for our anniversary.

Northwoods Vacation

2009-08-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

Good times...

Northwoods Vacation

2009-08-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

One of the many joys of our trip was the chance for Soren and Ingrid to play with their cousins, getting dirty in the sand and take in the fresh air...

Northwoods Vacation

2009-08-23T19:11:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love the picture of Soren and Justin. Soren's face simply says it all about our recent family vacation to the Chippewa National Forest - just outside of Bemidgi. A few highlights of our trip included loads of bonding playtime for the cousins, a 19 mile bike ride around a gorgeous lake, a choo-choo-train ride and a chance to meet Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox, kayaking, canoeing, pontooning, taking a dip in the lake (not me, but I heard it was fun), time to sit, laugh, play, relax, look out at the lake and watch the sun set.

Firefighter Small returns

2009-08-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

Ingrid takes a turn in Soren's firefighter gear. She actually picked it up and brought it over for me to put it on her.

Humpty-Dumpty and all the Kings Men

2009-08-08T10:53:00.000-07:00

shhhh...Soren is taking the very rare nap...

Both Ingrid and Soren have changed so much over the last couple of months. I haven't had a chance to update things on my blog... it seems that things get busier with every step Ingrid learns to take. Also, we are outside every chance we get... riding bikes, walks in the neighborhood, playground playdates, and explorations into the backyard have become our summer routine. Ingrid obviously has changed a good deal because she has learned to walk! It's dangerous, because she has no idea where she is headed and still falls a lot, but she is very determined. Soren has learned to use the potty, dress himself, take swimming lessons without Dad's help and ride his "balance" bike. In these pictures he is playing out his favorite nursery rhyme with these little figures... humpty dumpty is the egg and all the kings men can't put him back together.

2009-08-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

A visit with John Deer

2009-08-08T10:45:00.000-07:00

While in Illinois, we visited Great-Grandpa Boyd and paid a visit to his friend Glen's farm. Soren was in heaven, he sat on every tractor, touched every steering wheel, fiddled with every nob and ran, ran, ran. He finished everything off with a pony ride...Great-Grandpa Boyd also took a turn!

Busy, busy summertime...

2009-08-08T10:04:00.000-07:00

We had a fun visit with Grammy and Joe in Illinois. Soren and Ingrid LOVED playing with their adorable cousins, Jackson, Madelyn and Maclean.

Ingrid's birthday party

2009-08-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

Summertime, for me, will always start with Ingrid's birthday. We celebrated with a fun visit with Grammy and Joe and also had a party with Ingrid's fellow one year-old friends, William and Malina. The best part for Soren were the smiley face cupcakes, I lost count over how many he ate.

Oh my, how time flies...

2009-06-04T20:44:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Ingrid when she was a tiny baby...today she turned one!! Her "baby" year went by unbelievably fast, she's turning into a little girl right in front of us. Grammy and Joe are visiting for her birthday "week" and we've had so much fun with them. It's the perfect time of year , all the trees are in their flowery glory. When we go on walks Ingrid loves to reach out and try to touch the apple blossoms and lilac flowers. She also loves to crawl in the grass and explore little sticks, dandelions and ladybugs she happens upon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY INGRID!!

2009-06-04T20:40:00.000-07:00

Are we having fun yet?

2009-05-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

There were days, probably in April, when I started wondering if leaves would ever appear back on the trees. I reminded myself that when we moved here in July, yes, the trees were green, there was no snow, it melts, warmer weather will come. Well, it finally has. It is a beautiful time of year here. No bugs, little wind, no snow, 72 degrees, blue sky. Flowers do grow here. We have spent the last few weeks getting to know our backyard all over again. The clothesline has been hung, we planted sunflower seeds and started our vegetable garden. Our bikes have been dusted off and visits to the local playground an every day event. One thing I'll say for the winters here, it helps so you never take a beautiful day for granted again.

Soren in a tux

2009-05-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated Uncle Erik and Aunt Cortney's wedding!! Soren was the ring bearer and did a great job! He loved wearing the tuxedo. We offered to have him change clothes, but he insisted that he should keep it on, saying that he like his "shiny black shoes." Soren and Ingrid loved seeing Grandma and Grandpa Gjesfjeld - and Soren especially enjoyed catching up with his wonderful cousins, Amelia and Justin.

Big Baby

2009-05-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

As Ingrid's birthday approaches I've been thinking a lot about where we were a year ago. Our time in Pittsburgh was ending, while at the same time this new life was about to begin. A baby girl's life, I could not have imagined her in a million years. Each day waiting for Ingrid's "due date" was so long and I was impatient for her birth. Finally, when she decided it was time, she came like a sudden summer storm, like a force of nature and then she landed softly in my arms. Everything with Ingrid has been like this, assertive, spunky, determined...while at the same time warm, tender and sweet.

"Hiiii" and "Bye Bye"

2009-05-10T11:33:00.000-07:00

These are just some random pictures of us over the last few weeks. Ingrid turned 11th months old on May 4th...this is her in her "big girl" car seat. She LOVES sitting next to Soren and holding his hand. Ingrid has started saying a few words, much to my amazement, Soren said nothing until around 18months! She says "hi," "bye-bye", kitty cat (sounds like "kitkit") and "yes" "don't" and "dada" for Daddy. So smart!!
We took a trip to Turtle River State Park, it's only twenty minutes away and lovely. We made some family memories when Mommy got her feet soaked in a deep mud puddle and Soren picked up deer poop - he laughed so hard there was no sound coming out of his mouth for two whole minutes, I swear! There is also a picture of Soren at the Schriner's circus...pretty mesmerizing.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T07:02:00.001-07:00

Finally! The bikes, stroller and wagon can come out from hibernation for our enjoyment. Since the warmer weather has melted away the snow we have been outside every day. These are a couple pictures of Soren and his friend (and neighbor) Cody. I also took a couple pictures of Ingrid and Soren sharing a wagon ride. We are so lucky to have two playgrounds in walking distance from our house.
Besides playing outside and soaking up much needed Vitamin D from the sunshine - Soren's most recent adventures include his facination with nursery rhymes. He has memorized probably over 20 rhymes - his favorite is definately Humpty Dumpty. He'll pretend he is Humpty and falling off his "wall" over and over again. He also loves Jack and Jill and will pretend to be Jack falling down our "hill" outside (I am often Jill, tumbling after him!) One day he was acting out Little Boy Blue, and he said to me, "I'll be Little Boy Blue, you be The Cows in the Corn." On our most recent visit to the library, I hit the jackpot by finding all the mother goose books and brought home over a dozen nursery rhyme books. I love listening to Soren recite the little rhymes and songs during his rest time - he doesn't know I can hear him and his voice is so sweet, I wish I could bottle it up and save it forever.

Happy Spring!

2009-04-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

UGH! Once again, I've been neglecting my blog. This lack of attention has been in direct correlation to Ingrid's increase in mobility. It has gotten more difficult to get anything done, let alone this blog since Ingrid has learned to crawl. She is on the move. Sometimes when she is crawling away from me, I'll say "Ingrid come back...." she'll turn around and look at me, start laughing and speed up her crawling. Her likes include food (any food), stroller rides, attention from Soren, being upside down, holding something in both hands, bathtime and cats. Her dislikes include having her diaper changed, afternoon naps, strangers, having toys taken away from her and loud noises.

These pictures of us and Ingrid were taken in Minneapolis over Easter. We had a wonderful visit with Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Don. I only wish I would have taken more pictures! As you can see Soren got in the spirit of Easter by taking on the role as Easter Bunny.

Officer Arthur

2009-03-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

Soren's new job is police officer! This adorable costume is from Grammy. THANK YOU! it comes with walkie-talkie, tickets, whistle, and badge. It's perfect and has provided lots of pretending fun. Soren says, "it's not a costume, it's a uniform!" Besides pretending he is a enforcer of laws...His latest obsession is with Arthur (the ardvark). Last week at the grocery store the clerk asked Soren what his name is and he said, "Arthur." The clerk just looked at me, like...why would you name your kid that? I tried to correct him, but it was in vain. I was out with Arthur.

The Big Thaw

2009-03-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hello! Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I don't know where the time has gone. Over the last month we enjoyed visits from Grandma and Grandpa Gjesfjeld AND Grammy and Grandpa Joe. It was wonderful for all of us - I must have been too busy enjoying myself because I have so few pictures from our time together. Thankfully their visits took place before our (hopefully last) big blizzard. We are ready for SPRING!!
Some updates on Soren and Ingrid.... Ingrid has changed so quickly during this 9th month, I can hardly keep up with her. She has two big top teeth pushing their way thru, it's rough, but she's handling it really well. She is a very busy and determined little person. Most recently she has started pulling herself up to standing and is very proud of this acheivement. I simply cannot get enough of Ingrid. She has started playing baby games like peek-a-boo, so-big and has started making the sign for "more"....which usually refers to more food. She loves her food. At her last doctor's appointment she was the picture of health and weighed in at 19lbs.
Soren is making great progress on the potty!! I found out that he is motivated by jellybeans. We recently read a book about kids who go on a jellybean hunt - so when he goes on the potty and he picks out a jellybean, he throws it on the floor and yells, "jellybean hunt!!" then he "finds" it and eats it. Whatever works! I'm thrilled that we're making some progress, as I was having serious doubts.

Family picture

2009-02-22T19:35:00.001-08:00

Chris and I were dressed up to go out so we thought we should take a picture!

Miss Valentine and Mr Dish

2009-02-22T19:08:00.000-08:00

These are some pictures of Ingrid after her first haircut. I personally trimmed her bangs and think she looks so pretty. Now you can see her face!

The picture of Soren is one I took of him when he was pretending to be the "dish" that ran away with the spoon. His new thing is nursery rhymes, he has at least 12 songs memorized. I love listening to his sweet voice sing the songs. Unfortunately, this is very hard to get on video because he will not perform if he thinks someone WANTS him to sing. His favorite nursery rhymes are "Hey Diddle Diddle" and "Little Boy Blue." The last two days he has requested to wear the same blue sweater so that he can pretend to be "little boy blue." He has decided that the closet is his "haystack" and he uses a toy saxaphone as his "horn." He has spent much time lying down, pretending to sleep, inside the closet!

Good times with Miss Sugarsnap and Mr Worker

2009-02-22T18:59:00.000-08:00

Most recently Ingrid has been having a grand time playing in her "garden." A plus for me is that it keeps her occupied, as she is on the move now. She has started a sort of military crawl, combined with rolling on the floor, which gets her wherever she wants to go. Just yesterday she went from lying on the ground to sitting up on her own. I went into her room in the morning to get her out of bed and there she was, sitting straight up in bed. I think she was as surprised as I was! Soren continues to enjoy pretending to be various professions...in this picture he is a "worker."

Sunday morning fun

2009-02-08T14:41:00.000-08:00

These are just some random pictures from this morning. Ingrid has fully recovered from her first bad cold. Over the weekend, Chris took Soren out to the Greenway Days at Lincoln Park, Soren tried on his first pair of x-country skiies, and loved it. Our next task is to get him going on some ice skates. I also tried my first go at x-country skiing. Chris and I went out in the evening, they had set up candles to mark the trail, it was beautiful. I hope to do it again soon!

Grandpa Don's visit

2009-02-08T14:34:00.000-08:00

We had a great visit with Grandpa Don! He came just in time because Ingrid had her first bad cold. This meant that he could get outside with Soren, while I cared for her at home. (The weather has warmed up a bit, so we would have been stuck inside, if not for his visit). Grandpa Don took Soren to storytime, open gym, the sledding hill, the ice rink and the playground at Lincoln Park. Soren played so hard each night at dinner he could barely keep his eyes open! All that great fresh air was so good for him, especially after being cooped up inside for the past month. Ingrid also had fun playing with Grandpa Don (when she wasn't getting her nose wiped : (

Miss Punky-Pie

2009-02-08T14:28:00.000-08:00

I cannot resist sculpting Ingrid's hair in the tub, too much fun! Here's some pics of Ingrid cuddling with Chris...smooch, smooch.

Firefighter Small

2009-02-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

Ingrid thought she'd join in the firefighting fun around our house and tried on Soren's hat. I thought she looked so cute all decked out in red. Her cheeks are especially delicious in these pictures. I love how happy she is to hold a book.

Traveling to Mars

2009-02-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

Long winter days certainly bring out our creative side! I had a big box, so I cut out a door and a window and turned into a spaceship. I found a papersack and fashioned it into a sort of space suit (note the American flag on the front). Finally, the hat (or space helmet) is made from newspaper. This lasted us an entire day of entertainment. Soren would open and close the door, stand inside and say, "I'm off to Mars!"

Our couch is a fire truck

2009-01-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, so we're back to firefighters...Soren's been a mailman, a hockey player, a teacher a doctor and now Big Frank has returned to the house. He's turned our couch into a fire truck. Notice the "wheels" (my pot lids) at the bottom of the couch/truck. The small lid under the couch/truck is the "engine" and he's using a small lid as his steering wheel. He is using the bottom of my blender as the ignitition for his key. My moby wrap (the long white thing) is the fire hose, the laundry baskets are the steps into the truck... Corderoy Bear is also a fire fighter and has his own fire house, the belt of my bathrobe. Ingrid's bumbo chair is his driver's seat. He plays on this every spare moment...I will over hear him saying "step on the gas," "fire fighter to the rescue" and then of course, loud siren noises..."WhoooWhooo!!!" Soren found all these things around the house on his own, except for the moby and bathrobe belt (those were my ideas).

Miss Pigeon Puff

2009-01-23T17:52:00.000-08:00

These pictures of Ingrid in her purple P.J.'s were taken the other night when were waiting for her tire out and go to sleep! But, as you can see, she's awake as ever. She loves to roll around on the floor. She is quite acrobatic and can roll very fast, so I cannot leave her for a second. The expression on her face is "so Ingrid," she is just a confident, fun, good-time girl!

Birthday Party

2009-01-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

These are some pictures of the little party we had after all the fun at the firehouse. I made Soren a chocolate cake - topped, of course, with a tiny fire truck. I love Ingrid in a party hat...and her girlfriend Malina too! Soren and Marek have really become good little buddies, they play so well together.

Big Frank's Birthday Cont.

2009-01-23T17:41:00.000-08:00

The fire fighter showed Soren and Marek how he puts on his gear from head to toe. Soren "helped" out by handing him his gloves and helmet. He then told the fire fighter to get in the truck and as you can see, he did!

Big Franks Birthday Cont.

2009-01-23T17:35:00.000-08:00

More pictures of Soren taking in the firehouse. The little cutie-pie with him is his good buddy, Marek. I love the picture of Soren talking to the fire fighter (he's the battalion chief), Soren kept asking him "where's the fire chief?" and he would answer him, "well, I'm the battalion chief, is that good enough for ya?" I'm sure it was. We'd read so many books about fire stations and fire fighters, Soren felt right at home.

Big Franks Birthday

2009-01-23T17:27:00.000-08:00

Big Frank is 3!! We celebrated Soren's birthday by visiting our local fire station. The fire fighters were so very generous in showing us around the station and giving Soren the time of his life! He touched every part of the truck, watched the fire fighters put on their gear and we got to see the truck turn on it's siren/lights and pull out of the garage. Soren asked so many questions - like "where's the fire bell?" "where's the chief?" "do you have a fire dog?" and "can I go down your fire pole." (They didn't have a pole, but he didn't seem too disappointed). Our friends, the Knight family, joined for the field trip and then we all returned to our house for dinner and cake.

Dr. Gjesfjeld

2009-01-23T14:42:00.000-08:00

Grammy's present came just in time! On a cold day here, after we'd already been indoors way too long - Grammy's gift arrived at the door. It included surgeon scrubs, hat and all the necessary medical equipment. We set up a "hospital" using pillow cases as beds and various "sick" stuffed animals as patients.

back at the blog...

2009-01-23T11:19:00.000-08:00

Well, after much searching, I found my "doo-dadd" that allows me to upload pictures to my blog. I found it in the pocket of my warmest sweater, I should have known! Anyway, tons has happened since my last update - Christmastime seems like ages ago. Soren's had his birthday and is now our big 3 year-old, Ingrid grew two teeth and we've experienced (and survived) our first blizzards and sub-zero temps. These are some pics I took of Ingrid and Soren after dinnertime one night. Ingrid is sitting in our old high chair and has started eating some solid food, she loves her cereal, but isn't too crazy about much else at this point.

Christmas morning

2008-12-25T10:39:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-25T10:26:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Santa came to our house for a visit, VERY exciting. He feels at home here in Grand Forks, due to the frigid temps and tons of snow --- it's virtually the North Pole, lucky us!! Soren was in complete shock that Santa was inside our house, but as you can see Ingrid was a little less impressed.

We are feeling very blessed this Christmas to be in our cozy home with our healthy, beautiful children. Much LOVE to our wonderful families and friends- God Bless Everyone!

Mailman

2008-12-18T20:20:00.000-08:00

Soren has many jobs...firefighter, hockey player - and now, mailman. We have had to get pretty creative around here over the last week because, well, it's cold...not just a little, but very cold - basically hovering around negative 10 degrees over the last three days. So, we've been stuck indoors. We also experienced our first blizzard, which was kind of exciting actually and gave us the opportunity to finish up those christmas cards. These pictures show Soren pretending to be a mailman. In the picture where he's sitting down, he is sitting in his "mailtruck" and driving with his steering wheel (a.k.a. my pot lid). He is cleaning his mail truck in his other picture. I set up a bunch of boxes (or mailboxes) with various shapes on them and then he would "deliver" my letters and packages. He loves going back and forth and putting things in their "proper" locations. Anyway, I have felt myself going stir crazy once in awhile with this weather, especially when I consider the long winter ahead of us. My strategy is to stay in the moment with Soren and really engage in his play - when I do this time flies.

my little beauty

2008-12-18T20:03:00.000-08:00

Isn't Ingrid beautiful! I just can't take my eyes off of her. These pictures don't show it so well, but her hair is just crazy, it sticks straight up into a large poof. People comment on it ALL the time. The thing that I find so endearing is that she has no idea that her hair is such a riot, it's just her! She is such an easygoing and sweet little person- and so funny, I don't remember Soren laughing like Ingrid can laugh. She can really crack up. I like to blow zerberts on her belly and she just hoots and hollars, she's a real good-time girl. That's not to say that she doesn't cry or get angry - oh my, she can get very upset if I leave the room, especially if she is in need of something. It always amazes me that someone so small, with no words, can really get her point across. This last month Ingrid has grown her two bottom teeth - so we had a could rough days when they were cutting thru the gums, but overall she did well with this. I also included a picture of Ingrid's Christmas present, we bought her a "tree" - it's actually a sticker mural for her wall. It really brightens her room up. You can see her sleeping in the corner of the picture, so cute.

Baking cookies with a curious monkey

2008-12-09T19:40:00.000-08:00

I made an attempt to make cookies with Soren... this was not as easy as I had hoped, he was more interested in throwing the dough, rather than making fine round balls for the cookie sheet. We had fun though, especially since it was a snowy day and we were cozy inside.
Last weekend Chris took Soren to meet Curious George at Barnes and Noble - Soren LOVED it!

rest time

2008-12-09T19:35:00.000-08:00

Practicing hockey

2008-12-09T19:27:00.000-08:00

Soren has moved on, for the moment, from being Fireman Frank, to Hockey player Hank. He went to a hockey game with Chris and learned all the lingo that goes along with it. He wears his "sweater," plays with his "stick" (or baseball bat), wears his "skates" (rainboots), and hits his "puck" (ball)... he is using his toy cars as his "zambonies" and calls the floor his "ice." My laundry basket his his "goal." He can be at this for a very long time!

Ta Da!

2008-11-29T18:58:00.000-08:00

Ingrid is like our own little Christmas ornament! She enjoyed watching us run around, putting up lights and hanging the decorations. Soren is at the best age for enjoying this time of year. This morning I found him sitting at the tree gently touching and turning the ornaments he likes the best. It hasn't snowed yet here, but I was thinking to myself that now that our tree is up, it can get cold and snow - we're cozy inside and can sit around our tree and enjoy the sparkle.

Oh Christmas Tree!

2008-11-29T18:51:00.000-08:00

We got our Christmas tree! It was quite an ordeal getting it inside (as you can see). We had numerous pine needles to clean up, but it's totally worth it - I love how it smells and makes the house so cozy. Soren and Ingrid are waiting patiently here for the tree to get inside, Soren is ready to help us decorate!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T08:32:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! We're missing our families today and wishing we could be with you. We're THANKFUL for you : )

Grandpa Don and Grandma Kathy visit

2008-11-25T16:58:00.000-08:00

We had a great visit with Grandpa Don and Grandma Kathy! Grandpa Don helped Soren build a football goal post at a Lowe's clinic for little kids - Soren enjoyed holding onto a hammer and wearing all the "worker" gear.

Bumble-bee Coat

2008-11-25T16:21:00.000-08:00

I'm putting this picture up of Soren, a.k.a Fireman Frank, wearing his firefighter costume (yet again!) as evidence that he is STILL wearing his Halloween costume every day, pumpkin bucket included.

Cold weather has officially arrived (at least to me!). So I put Ingrid in this marvelous car coat... designed by my friend Erin McSparron. I think Ingrid looks quite comfy and I am at ease knowing she is snug as a bug.

Baby books

2008-11-25T15:55:00.000-08:00

I found these baby books for Ingrid, but Soren has enjoyed looking at them too. He likes to "read" them to Ingrid, and she seems to enjoy his attention. Observing their relationship develop has been a huge joy to me. I did not expect this. Ingrid lights up when Soren enters the room, she literally bends over backwards to watch his antics. And Soren is so protective of Ingrid, when she's taking a long nap, he'll perk up and say, "where's Ingrid, should we check on her?" (He's parroting me here, I am often "checking" on Ingrid.) It may sound corny, but sometimes I feel like they knew each other in a previous life, they are so familiar with each other. Of course, I know they will have their challenges ahead (what siblings don't!), but for now, they love each other unconditionally, innocently, as only little children can.

Miss Giggles

2008-11-16T20:22:00.000-08:00

Ingrid was laughing so hard at me, I quickly took this video to capture it. I think she wore herself out with this laughter, because she fell asleep soon after. Enjoy!

videos of Ingrid

2008-11-16T19:21:00.000-08:00

Ingrid has officially moved off of her play mat, she simply rolls all around the living room floor. She sticks her legs straight up into the air and then flips over onto her tummy. She doesn't mind landing on her stomach, she seems to like the change in scenery.

waking up

2008-11-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

These are pictures I took Ingrid greeting me after a nice long nap. She was smiling so big, I thought her cheeks were going to burst.

a bookworm is born

2008-11-13T19:27:00.000-08:00

Ingrid has recently taken an interest in her books! It's so fun to see her look so studious, she really examines the pictures.

fire fighters and bean plants

2008-11-13T18:56:00.000-08:00

Every day I notice that Soren is less of a "toddler" and more like a preschooler. We have fun conversations which usually start out with some kind of question he has about something. He'll ask me something like, "where is the moon and stars?" And we'll talk about day, night, the earth turning and so on... He's been asking me some pretty neat questions lately, you can see the wheels turning in his head. He seems particularly curious about weather (maybe because it's quickly turning colder!!). The funny thing is he thinks I'm in charge of the weather, he's been asking me to make it snow - when I tell him I can't do that, he does not seem convinced. Another "theme" lately has been fire fighters. This costume is the first thing he puts on and the last thing he takes off every day. He knows everything about fire fighters (via the dozens of books we've picked up at the library). He says "I need to put on my study boots," he calls his costume his "gear," and now refers to his bed as his "bunk." Sometimes he runs around saying "car on fire!!" and pretends to spray water out of a hose.

Soren's also been asking me a lot recently about our "old house." He'll say "where's our old house? Who's there?" I'm not sure what answer he is seeking, but I'll ask him, "where did we move from?" and he'll say "Pennsylvania!, but who's in our old house?" I'm not sure if he so much misses our old house, but is more curious about how someone else can be living there now.

I found a neat book at the library about garden projects for little kids - one of the projects is growing various beans. Kind of as a "science project," Soren and I planted beans and as you can see they took off. A little bit of green in the winter!

Halloween Hoops

2008-10-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight we visited the UND basketball arena for a halloween party... we went with our friends, Jessica and Andrew - this is a pic of their little boy, Marek.

There was some basketball to watch, a costume contest, autographs signed, and of course candy. It's been fun to watch how seriously Soren is taking Halloween... he has been wearing his fire fighter costume on a daily basis and insists at times that we call him "fireman." He seemed to really enjoy getting the basketball player's autographs and was very selective in picking out the candy he put in his pumpkin bucket. Ingrid made the perfect baby elephant.

new toy

2008-10-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

This is Ingrid's new favorite spot. I think she looks quite pleased with herself!

Wintertime?

2008-10-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Although today it was 67 degrees, it snowed last weekend. Soren asked us if he could go out in the snow, he was excited to put on his new boots, hat and mittens... he did not want to come back inside.

Ingrid pics

2008-10-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

Ingrid will be 5 months old next week! She weighs in at 17lbs... she is the cutest and possibly the easiest baby ever : ) she is super laidback and is (thankfully) a very good sleeper. She takes a super long nap in the afternoon and sleeps thru the night as well, she likes to fall asleep lying on her tummy, while sucking her thumb. She is excellent at grabbing, babbling and rolling over.

Ingrid and Daddy

2008-10-30T19:58:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since my last post...sorry Grandparents! These are a couple of pics of Ingrid and Chris having fun. Ingrid is so easy to make laugh, she gets an especial kick out of watching Soren play and likes to see us dance around the living room.

Ingrid's baptism

2008-10-13T20:04:00.001-07:00

Ingrid was baptized on Sunday! Chris' parents and sister, Kim, her husband Tom and their kids, Amelia and Justin drove up for the celebration. Kim and Tom were kind enough to agree to be Ingrid's sponsors. Kim brought Ingrid THE most beautiful dress, she was simply angelic on her special day. The ceremony was lovely and we all had tears in our eyes. Soren loved seeing his cousins and playing with them. Grammy made us all a marvelous brunch. I loved having everyone in our home, it was so much fun! THANK YOU to our amazing, wonderful family for coming so far and celebrating with us on Ingrid's special day.
More pictures of Ingrid's baptism will be posted later - unfortunately my camera ran out of batteries right after I took this picture of Ingrid with her Grandma Kathy.

Storytime

2008-10-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

Grammy went along with us to all the fun places we've discovered so far in Grand Forks - these are a couple pictures from storytime at the library.

Sleepy pumpkin

2008-10-13T19:47:00.000-07:00

My little pumpkin fell asleep at the patch - she had a good nap in the cool Fall air.

Hay maze

2008-10-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

Fun in the hay maze!

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-13T19:33:00.000-07:00

Grammy, Soren, Ingrid and I walked to a local pumpkin patch and I let Soren pick out a pumpkin for himself and Ingrid. There was a hay-maze that Soren enjoyed running around and climbing on...

Soren and Grammy

2008-10-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

Grammy taught Soren a matching game and probably read over 100 books to Soren (giving me a wonderful break!!).

Joe and Soren

2008-10-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

I love these pictures of Soren and my Dad...Soren was so delighted to have Joe and Grammy come visit, we were fortunate to have some beautiful Fall days during my parent's visit.

Grammy and Joe's Visit

2008-10-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

YEAH! Grammy and Joe arrived for a visit on October 1st. These are pictures of Joe giving Soren some golfing tips, take notice of the adorable putter, just Soren's size. During their visit, Joe worked hard on sprucing up the outside of our house (it looks great!) and Grammy helped organize Ingrid's ever changing closet of clothes. We miss them already!!

Bathtime

2008-09-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

Bathtime

2008-09-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

A picture and video of Ingrid enjoying her bath!

Miss Blue Bell

2008-09-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

Ingrid found her thumb! She is in all her glory when she's sucking her thumb, she makes this funny noise as she munches away at her little thumb, it sounds like "hummhummhumm," sometimes becoming rather high pitched, it must taste pretty good. Ingrid also made a friend! Her name is Malina and they are only a week apart.

Is it Halloween yet?

2008-09-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

Soren is already excited about Halloween - he found his costume from last year and had fun running around has Tigger... we even took it outside and he made a couple trips down his slide in this get-up. He says that this year he'd like to be The Cat in the Hat for Halloween - or a cowboy, or a fire man, or a mailman, or a chef...

Little Swimmer

2008-09-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this is kind of a strange picture, but I had to put it up for all the grandparents...(I took the picture through glass). This is Chris and Soren at their swim lesson. Soren gets braver every time and has a smile on his face throughout the lesson.

Miss Pink Pants

2008-09-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

Ingrid showing us how good she is at rolling over!

Happy Anniversary!

2008-09-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

Love is in the air...
Today (Sept. 14th) is our 6th Anniversary! To celebrate we indulged ourselves with a delicious chocolate cake from our favorite bakery.

Autumn's arrival

2008-09-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

Soren had fun "helping" Chris in the yard on Sunday.

Mr. Energy

2008-09-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

Soren and Ingrid

2008-09-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

So it seems that we have settled into somewhat of a routine around here. The fall semester at UND is in full-swing now and Chris is very busy preparing for his classes, joining committees and establishing his research. He has started taking Soren to swimming lessons in the evening at the YMCA. Soren is not so sure he wants to get his head wet and says the water is "too cold." But, each time he goes he's a bit more confident. It's a nice time for them. I'm enjoying my days tremendously with Ingrid and Soren. They are simply a delight. We have found a good rhythm to our days, and I get such pleasure out organizing our weeks and finding fun things to do. In these pictures Soren is hugging Ingrid so tight, I was a little worried, but she really didn't seem to mind.

rolling around

2008-09-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

Ingrid is 3 months old now. She rolled over for the first time on September 10th! When she rolls onto her tummy, she does a sort of yoga "boat" pose with her head and feet extended. A natural yogi!

stroller duo

2008-09-03T18:44:00.001-07:00

It was a beautiful day here in Grand Forks, not a cloud in the sky and 68 degrees... my kind of weather! We just bought this stroller, and it's the best. The designers must have talked to a million moms with toddlers, who all said, "my kid needs choices!!" It's so fun to ask Soren, "would you like to sit or stand in ther stroller??" He always votes for stand, and of course pretends he is driving. He also loves that he gets to look at Ingrid and she smiles at him our entire route. Today we walked to our new church to drop off some paperwork and then to a nearby playground.