Six Swedes and a Mom

All Smiles

2012-01-01T22:04:00.000-06:00

We had a very casual Bjorndahl Family Christmas the night before welcoming all the extended family. Here's a favorite picture taken just before we opened presents. (Lukey wouldn't slow down enough to be photographed!)

School Christmas Program

2012-01-01T18:19:00.000-06:00

The boys had a sweet Christmas program at school this year. It is extra special for us right now because the Kindergarten and First Grade classes do their programs, field trips and special projects together, so we always get a "two for one" experience! Their classes sang a wonderful variety of songs worshipping the King!!

Noah has 22 kids in his Kindergarten class.

Erik only has 11 kids in his class!

Here's the whole group - are those choir robes adorable or what! On the last day of school before vacation their classes were supposed to go to a local nursing home to carol and perform for the residents. Unfortunately, we had a bad ice storm and school was cancelled. I hope they can reschedule in January - the program was such a blessing and I would just love for them to share it again!

Halloween

2011-12-31T07:54:00.000-06:00

It was such a beautiful Fall! Henrik and the kids were able to carve pumpkins on the deck without coats!

Carving was interrupted by a quick trip to the clinic for some "glue" to patch up Noah's wrist. Guess we'll be a little more careful next year!

A Vikings football player, a dalmation puppy, Princess Ariel and Mario. Quite an eclectic crew!

School Days

2011-11-22T14:35:00.000-06:00

Let the effort begin! I miss blogging! And I miss terribly, the record keeping that it provides for our children. I'm not a scrapbooker, so blogging is it, and I'm determined not to let any more sweet memories slip away! It may not be ultra creative, or even consistent for that matter, but I'm going to get started and see if I can savor these sweet days a bit more!

To get started, we'll jump back a couple of months and share a few pictures from the beginning of the school year.

Noah is now in Kindergarten, and was all smiles and confidence on his first day of school. He has 22 kids in his class and a wonderful teacher and teaching assistant. Friends are very important to Noah, so recess is an obvious highlight for him everyday. He was very proud of his recent participation in the Thanksgiving Program at school, and loves to sing all the Kindergarten songs.

Erik is now in 1st Grade and is learning to read! It is amazing to see his understanding expand everyday. He seems to be enjoying every subject, but it's becoming evident, that his brain is wired for math. He just thinks about the world in a mathematical sort of way. Right now at school, running laps is his main focus. Every recess is spent running, earning his way to a t-shirt after he accomplishes 500 laps!

Noah's Kindergarten School Picture

Erik's First Grade School Picture

And the Answer is . . .

2010-08-24T21:23:00.003-05:00

Baby A is Annika

Baby B is Erik

Baby C is Luke

Baby D is Noah

Seven of you guessed correctly!!!

Mike & Lynae

Joel & Holly

Sam & Lindsay

Richard & Denise

Grandpa & Grandma

Chris & Jennifer

Ben & Jodie

So we threw all the correct answers in a hat and the winner is . . .

Richard & Denise!!!!!

Ironically enough, they were the winners of our last "Who's Who" contest when Annika was born! Congratulations to all of you who guessed correctly, and most of all, thank you for sharing in our joy as we celebrate these precious gifts from the Lord!!!

Who's Who Take Two

2010-08-16T16:18:00.005-05:00

It's time once again for the Who's Who picture comparison!! We've taken a picture of each of our babies at 10 days old. See if you can guess who's who!!!

Who knows? Maybe if we get our act together, we'll even send out a prize to the winning guess! No worries if you struggle. Even Henrik has a hard time figuring out who is who!!! Good luck!

Conflicted!

2010-08-07T08:39:00.005-05:00

Oh we have had some good laughs watching this video of little Miss A over and over! Hope you get a kick out of it as well!

Loving on Lukey

2010-08-06T22:30:00.005-05:00

Bright and early Sunday morning, three exuberant siblings came bustling down the hospital hallway accompanied by their wonderfully helpful Grandpa and Grandma!

Miss A just kept saying "Hi Baby! Hi Baby!" I think she was expecting him to say something back to her!

This big brother has been amazing with Baby Luke. He loves to to hold, snuggle, kiss, and sing to his precious little brother. If you look at N's hand you'll see that he brought Larry Boy along to the hospital so Lukey could meet him right away!

Now big brother to three younger siblings, this 5 1/2 year old is carrying quite a bit of responsibility, and he's doing a wonderful job! We are so thankful for E's helpful attitude and the love he shows to everyone.

And here's my wonderful dad meeting Luke for the first time. We chose Luke's middle name, Paul, in honor of this special Grandpa.

Grandma's first snuggles! What would we do without you Grandma? Thank you for all of your help - cooking, cleaning, playing, and so much more!!!

Luke's Arrival

2010-08-04T14:55:00.006-05:00

The day finally arrived! We had been hoping to meet our little guy all week (weeks, actually!), but every time contractions would get rolling, they'd find a way to settle back down again. Spicy burritos, peanut buster parfaits, licorice, and loads of pineapple all failed to do the trick, so we opted to be induced one day before our official due date! Here we are for a final picture of the Bjorndahl Five!

We headed off to the hospital, and a few hours later we welcomed . . .

Luke Paul Bjorndahl

7 lbs 12 oz 20 3/4 inches long

Born on July 24, 2010 at 10:16 pm

Luke was so alert and content right after being born, and Henrik had some special moments with his newest little boy.

I love this picture! He's already talking with his daddy!

Beautiful, content, sweet, tiny . . . perfect little Lukey.

Hearts filled and overflowing with joy.

Ponies and Piggys!

2010-07-23T13:49:00.003-05:00

We are FINALLY able to have some fun with Miss A's hair! She's quite a "girly-girl" and loves bows, headbands, necklaces and twirly skirts, but her hair has taken its own sweet time in growing. Here are a couple of favorite new looks!

Safety First!

2010-07-21T22:43:00.004-05:00

What do you do when there is a tornado warning and all weather signs point to finding shelter ASAP?

Head to the basement and watch movies in the bathtub of course!

Psyche!

2010-07-21T22:14:00.002-05:00

Well, these photos were taken about a month ago, at 4:50 am just before Henrik and I headed into the hospital to have our little boy. However, it didn't turn out that way! After 15 hours of consistent contractions, things quieted down and we were home by 8:30 am. Psyche!!

So the waiting began . . . and continues!!!

Day Two

2010-06-10T19:00:00.003-05:00

A few friends and family requested "day two" pictures.

She doesn't seem bothered by it too much.

Irony and a Big Bump

2010-06-09T21:55:00.009-05:00

First, the irony . . .

On the eve of the World Cup Soccer Tournament, E came up from rest time dressed in full soccer gear. N of course quickly followed "suit" and their soccer match began. It seems so ironic to me because it has literally been months since either has dressed in these uniforms, and as far as I know, they have no knowledge of the World Cup beginning tomorrow. Maybe it's just something they sensed in their bones!

And now, the big bump . . .

No, this isn't a picture of my big baby bump . . . it's a picture of my baby's big bump. A tumble off of our front step onto the sidewalk below left Miss A with quite a bump, bruise, and abrasion.

Thankfully, after much observation by her freaked out mother, and calm, collected father, we came to the conclusion that she didn't seem to have a concussion and was going to be ok.

She's definitely going to be sporting a bruise for a while, but overall, I think she'll bounce back in no time . . . what do you think?

Our blogging hiatus has been partially due to the fact that we've been having some picture loading issues with our camera and computer. Hopefully, I will be able to figure out what I need to do differently so that I can overcome this glitch and get back to blogging.

Blessings to you all, family and friends!

Some Others Loved the Water!

2010-04-06T22:28:00.004-05:00

This little button LOVED the water and her A-sized waterslide!

Gotta love that belly!

Cousin Z loved the fountains and . . .

Big T showed off his cool moves for the camera!

Of course, the Easter Bunny showing up with candy was pretty cool, too!

The (Early) 4th Birthday Celebration!

2010-04-05T14:38:00.005-05:00

This weekend we combined our family's Easter celebration with an early celebration of our "soon-to-be" four year old. It was an all out Larry Boy Extravaganza!

Of course we had to have cake!

And presents!

And cousins!

And presents for the cousins!

We celebrated at a hotel in Lakeville that had a little waterpark.

The boys were soooooo excited about the waterslide!

Smiling Officers

2010-04-03T07:47:00.004-05:00

I love when I can catch these two police officers smiling at the same time!

Sweet Second Born Son

2010-03-14T20:31:00.006-05:00

N's still awake tonight, 1 hour and 15 minutes after I put him to bed. He's been having a hard time falling asleep lately - probably time to drop napping.

What surprises me, is that I never get upset when N sneaks out of his room. He's just so sweet about it - never naughty or defiant - just a quiet little creep up the stairway and a whisper, "Mom, I need you, . . . my music stopped." or "Mom, I can't find my Larry Boy."

I just tucked him in, one more time, and started his CD, again, and when I came back upstairs I decided I would finally follow through on recording something I've been meaning to get written down for a long time. It's just too sweet to forget.

N has been praying the same prayer for just over 6 months now. It has become so familiar that the words have become kind of mumbled together, and it almost has a tune the way he says it exactly the same way everytime. I've tried to encourage him to make some changes, but even after a day or two of something different, he always comes back to the same sweet prayer . . .

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for giving me strength.

Please help Cole to get better.

Thank you for saying it's a good time for Sylvia to come out of Jennifer's tummy.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Amen.

The Puppies

2010-01-22T14:15:00.003-06:00

These two little puppies - Charmin and Laptop, have been E's special friends for years now. They snuggle with E when he sleeps, and play all kinds of different roles for him in his imaginary worlds.

As you can see, they've recently graduated to "Police Dog"!

A Glorious Day

2010-01-17T21:35:00.007-06:00

It was a glorious day for SKATING!!

Henrik has been looking forward to teaching the boys how to skate, and yesterday was just PERFECT for their first experience. It was absolutely beautiful - sunny, warm, and still. A perfect Minnesota winter day (and we don't have many of those!!)

Both of the boys enjoyed themselves, though N decided he was too young for skating after getting hungry for a snack and deciding it was definitely time for hot chocolate.

True to his nature, E would simply NOT give up. No matter how many times he fell, or how hard he fell, he continued to get up over and over again. Not only did he think he would master skating yesterday, he also expected to be playing hockey by the end of the experience.

On our way home he said, "Mom, I think I have 1000 bruises."

One of E's best surprises of the day was seeing his teacher skating with her kids.

Again, true to nature, after falling a few times, N just decided to crawl around and be silly!

The park bench came in handy for resting, and balance!

Henrik gave some super fast rides on the bench.

Miss A was all smiles about being out in the winter weather.

Mom gave her rides on the sled . . .

and Dad skated her around the rink.

On her own, she explored the ice on hands and knees!

Finally, we want to wish this amazing dad and husband a very Happy Birthday today! You bring each one of us so much joy and we are so very thankful for you!

Time Flies

2010-01-15T11:03:00.003-06:00

Friday morning, one year ago.
Where has the time gone?

The Bigs

2009-12-24T11:25:00.000-06:00

Big Brother Erik . . .

Big Brother Noah . . .

and now, introducing for the first time, Big Sister Annika!!!!!

New Bjorndahl set to arrive in July!

Out of this World!

2009-11-24T14:32:00.008-06:00

Saturday we blasted off into party land as we celebrated E's 5th and A's 1st birthday. It was kind of tricky to come up with a theme that worked well for a five-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl, but we decided that we'd go with an outer space theme. E played the role of moon-roving astronaut and A was our shining star! Here are some pictures from the day . . .

After a rousing game of "protect the earth from asteroids", the kids posed by the rocket and mission control.

"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!"

Here E's "very easy to make" moon cake! I just love cute ideas that are easy to pull off!

A's was another story . . . my goal was to create a regular old star, frost it in pink frosting, and cover it with a ton of sparkling sprinkles (to cover up any frosting flaws!!!) Somehow, I ended up creating a 6 point star . . . and had already frosted it before realizing that what I was creating looked a whole lot more like the "star of David" than the sparkling star that I had envisioned! Oh well, I think it still tasted pretty good!

After we finished eating supper, E announced to all of his friends that it was now time to do a craft project and create their very own space suits. You can imagine my surprise as I looked at the other moms and explained that this was the first I had heard about this - I didn't have any plans, or supplies for that matter, to create space suits. But, as usual, E already had a plan of his own. He promptly walked over to the hall closet and started assembling his space suit.

Then there was some card reading . . .

and some gift opening.

Of course they blew out their candles and . . .

ate their cake.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make this day so very special for our astronaut and shining star!

A Wrestling Party??

2009-11-20T20:30:00.007-06:00

Well the real party for this little one-year old is tomorrow, but tonight as a family, Miss A opened a few presents and then wrestled with her dad and brothers to ring in the new year!

Can you tell how much she's enjoying this?

Going head to head with N.

A gentle take-down by big brother E.

You may have noticed that Miss A rarely makes an appearance in public without a headband & bow on her head. Yes, we do like to "frill-up" our little girl, but the real reason is to distract from this . . .

Miss A's hair just has a mind of it's own and it keeps growing and growing straight up!!! Seriously, the picture doesn't even do it justice! So if you come across any cute hair accessories, hats or something stronger than hairspray, smoothing cream, and baby oil - send the information my way!!!

Little Miss A, you have filled our hearts to overflowing. We just can't get enough of you. God has given you a magnetic and charismatic personality that just draws people in. We can't wait to see how He will use your joyful heart and sparkling spirit to reach the world for Him!

Five

2009-11-17T19:34:00.009-06:00

Happy Birthday to our wonderful 5-year-old!!!

Here's a picture of the big guy at his school celebration a few days ago.

And here he is this morning - officially 5 years old!

E is really into building and creating these days, so we decided to get him a set of Zoobs for his birthday. So far, they've been a hit!

This was the ladder that E & N built together. The goal was to build it higher than N was tall!

After some great Zoob building, it was back to the waterpark. We're spending this week at a resort in the Wisconsin Dells and have been having a blast!

Since he is 5 now, E thought he should conquer the cargo net, wobbly walk.
He did, and was SOOOO proud of his accomplishment!

Oh, E. We love you so much, and you bring us more enjoyment, surprises, interesting converstions, and entertainment than we could have ever imagined! You are wonderful!
Happy 5th birthday, EKB.

Halloween at the Bjorndahl House

2009-10-31T22:51:00.007-05:00

Introducing the Bjorndahl Trick or Treaters!!

Big E as Adrian Peterson. All ready to beat the Packers tomorrow!

N was sportin' some pretty impressive muscles as Spider-Man!

Baby girl made a pretty sweet little honey bee.

I just had to include this picture. It perfectly captures the
way Baby Girl looks at Henrik. She is truly a "Daddy's Girl"!

For supper we met up with a group of friends for our Second Annual Halloween Celebration at Pizza Ranch! It was a good thing that we had one of the meeting rooms because the kids were WILD!! Check out this picture that I snapped while trying to take a picture of all the kiddos!

Can anyone say "Sugar High"?

Here are the sweet girls - Strawberry Shortcake, Minny Mouse, and Baby Bumble Bee. Miss A was having a wonderful time and was full of smiles, but I didn't catch hers at the same time as the other girls! The boys never slowed down enough for a group picture - lets just say the energy and volume were both running HIGH!

Home again and ready for trick or treating.

Henrik and the boys headed out to our street while Baby Girl and I stayed home to hand out candy.

"Mom, any chance this one is for me?"

"Hmmmm . . . how can I get this open?"

"No problem! I'll just try it this way!"

Workin' on Walkin'

2009-10-26T21:16:00.004-05:00

This little sweetheart is growing up faster than we can believe! She just crossed over the 11 month mark, and is getting close to walking. Along with doing whatever it takes to be wherever her brothers are, she's enjoying the typical 11 month old behaviors: emptying cupboards and drawers, pulling books off shelves, and seeking and finding any and every little crumb on the kitchen floor! Miss A is a joy. She literally sparkles and has filled our hearts to the brim with love!

Loving this Walk

2009-09-27T21:59:00.002-05:00

Six years together. What a wonderful journey.

TWO Cool for School!!

2009-09-11T11:05:00.005-05:00

It's off to Calvary Lutheran Preschool for our boys this year. Big E is attending Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, and N heads over on Friday mornings. Both are enjoying themselves and learning the ins and outs of school!

Henrik and I are amazed and a bit overwhelmed at how fast the time is flying. These boys are growing up!!

Meeting our New Cousin!

2009-09-04T10:03:00.001-05:00

Hi everybody, E, N & A here to introduce our new little cousin! Little Miss S joined our family last Friday, and mom and dad brought us up to the hospital in Fargo so we could meet her right away!! We LOVE babies!!! (Oh, we also wanted to see Uncle Brent & Auntie Jennifer, her proud parents!)

First Daddy got to hold Baby S - isn't she beautiful?!

Then we each got to pose with her! Mom thinks my eyes shine the brightest when I'm holding a baby!

"Mom, she's so tiny!!"

We let Mommy hold her, too. She seems pretty excited that her baby sister has a baby!!

"Oh, don't you just want to SQUEEZE her!!!"
Congratulations Rogness Family!! We love you!

Wrestle Fan

2009-08-31T07:15:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite recent quotes from Little N. . .

"Grandpa's not a wrestle fan, Mom, but he still wrestles me."

2009-08-25T20:45:00.003-05:00

Late one night, long after the boys should have been in bed, one of Henrik's childhood friends, Petter, stopped by for a visit. Henrik has always described Petter as "the best soccer player he has ever known", so of course, the boys insisted on playing a little soccer with him before they could be carted off to bed!

After learning a few new soccer moves, and suffering a number of new mosquito bites, the boys finally made it to bed! (You can tell it's late in these pictures because it's actually dark! More to come in another post showing how late the sun set!!)

Hanging Around

2009-08-23T23:34:00.003-05:00

Getting a workout on Uncle Rasmus' pull-up bar!
(With a little help from Dad!)

Strawberry Picking

2009-08-22T21:11:00.005-05:00

One of the highlights of the trip for the boys was just hanging around the farm. Though the rain did its best to put a damper on their fun, nothing could stop these guys, or Farmor, from harvesting the delicious vegetables and juicy strawberries from the gardens.

Picking strawberries.
(Well, maybe more eating than picking!)

It's hard to tell just how hard it was raining, but it was really quite unbelievable. For three days it rained and rained and rained! Curt said he couldn't remember a time in his life that it had rained so much. One day, a fire truck actually had to come out and pump water off the road just up from the farm because it was flooding - talk about a highlight for E & N!

Here are the spoils!

"These are pretty good!"

"Want a bite?"

Wonderous Waterfall

2009-08-21T11:10:00.000-05:00

On the way home from Åre, E & N rode with Farmor, Curt and Amelia. That gave Henrik, Baby Girl and I a chance for a little side trip to a gorgeous waterfall area.

A Bilingual Boy

2009-08-20T15:12:00.001-05:00

While Henrik, Amelia and Big E hiked to the summit, Farmor, Curt and I entertained the younger two kids in the restaurant. I had a bag of "tricks & treats" along, but those things were beginning to lose their appeal for N, so . . . we made up a game with Baby Girl's Cheerios.

The premise of the game was to guess how many Cheerios were hiding under my hand, and then N would count them to find out if he was right. (Funny how the simplest little things are entertaining to a three year old!)

Anyway, the first time I lifted my hand, N saw the Cheerios and loudly and proudly started counting in . . . Spanish! Farmor looked at me laughing and said "He can count in Spanish, but not in Swedish????" Oh boy, how do I explain that Dora and Diego have had a bigger language influence on her grandsons that their Dad??? We are going to get better - I promise!!!

A Day in Åre

2009-08-18T15:15:00.011-05:00

One of the highlights of our trip was the day we spent in Åre, a touristy ski town about an hour away from Henrik's home. It would be similar to Breckenridge or Vail, (I think, anyway! I haven't actually been to either of those places!!!!) with tons of condos, hotels and high-end shopping. Even though it was summer, the city was still hopping. Hikers & bikers navigated their way up and down the mountain, and less "sporty" tourists like us took the gondola up and down!

Here's the gondola that we rode up the mountain.

Here's how E felt about going up! (Just kidding . . . this was actually just E's favorite new face to make for the camera. He couldn't wait to get on the gondola!)

Baby girl passed out smile after smile to everyone waiting for our ride.

Up, up and away - the boys LOVED it!!

Amelia should have been recording Henrik's face on the way up . . . he was kind of green, and very white knuckled!

Baby Girl loved being crammed into that very small box with about 50 other people, dangling in the air, high over the mountain, while being blown and tossed by the wind, until we reached the top!

When we got outside, it was COLD and WINDY!! Little N was thrilled to find snow!

We all took a short hike. Even Baby Girl got in on the action . . . sheltered by the hood on her backpack.

I just love this family picture! When we reached this point, N and I headed back down to the restaurant, and Henrik, E and Amelia decided to hike the rest of the way up to the summit of the mountain.

After hiking a bit, a tiny little waffle house came into view.

Henrik was so proud of E's perseverance. It was about a half mile, pretty arduous hike from where we were dropped off by the gondola to the summit

It was a team effort, but E worked really hard, and Henrik didn't have to carry him at all.

Almost there!!

Hooray!!!!

This is one proud little boy!

What a view!

And the waffles were good, too!! (Oh, and here's that face again!)

Baby Food Swedish Style

2009-08-18T14:43:00.003-05:00

Instead of lugging packs and jars of baby food across the Atlantic, I decided to pick up some baby basics at the grocery store in Hallen. (The quaint little village about 5 minutes from Henrik's home.) The baby food jars were the same, and most of the choices were your basics like pears, carrots, and meat & potato combinations, but I got a kick out of a few of the selections. Anybody picked up a jar of Fish & Potatoes for your little one lately? Or how about parsnip?? Both were real hits with Baby Girl.

Ok Mom, I'll try it . . .

More please!!!

Notice the delicious looking pictures of vegetables, potatoes and a slab of fish.

Good to the last drop!

Big Night!

2009-08-14T20:39:00.005-05:00

Tonight's a big night for me. Henrik, Big E and Amelia are off at the Rodeo in Fergus. Grandma and N are having a special date night, and Baby Girl is sleeping soundly in her crib. Meanwhile, four of my girlfriends and I are hunkered down over our computers and/or scrapbooking supplies in our living room catching up on projects!!! The counter is overflowing with snacks, and between all the stories and laughter, we are getting a few things done! My goal is to catch up on blogging - specifically, to blog our entire trip to Sweden!

Before I dive into the more than 400 pictures that we took, I thought I'd prime the pump with this funny little video. Movie night at the Bjorndahl house last week - "Animated E and Laid Back N". We've always marveled at how very different these two brothers are from one another!

Cousin Time!

2009-07-05T22:30:00.008-05:00

Last Thursday, we excitedly headed down to Maple Lake to visit our cousins!!! T & Z were staying a cabin and invited us to spend some time soaking up the summer with them! Of course, T had his American flag waving proudly in honor of the upcoming holiday weekend.

Well, not just the American flag! His whole collection was on display at the beach!

Here's me, soaking up some rays in my cute little swimming suit!

And here I am enjoying a fresh air nap.

E worked hard on building sandcastles and trying to catch minnows in buckets.

Zoe and I had fun with "parallel play"!

The guys did some paddleboating, but . . .

N did NOT want to go along.

He was more interested in swimming and then wrapping up in his cozy towel.

No more tears!

Great to see all the Gaalswyks, too! Thanks for a wonderful day!

Celebrating Seven Months!

2009-06-27T21:15:00.008-05:00

Our sweet Baby Girl is already seven months old! Here are seven sweet snapshots to celebrate!

There is something about this expression that I just love . . .
I wonder what she's trying to say!

Here's a glimpse of two of A's four teeth!

And oh how she loves her toes!

When A smiles her eyes just *S*P*A*R*K*L*E*!!!

Love this far-away look in her eyes!

"Ok, Mom, I'm done. No more pictures, please!"

Family Pictures

2009-06-19T21:44:00.006-05:00

We had our first "family of five" photo shoot a couple of weeks ago. Our friend Alissa did a wonderful job - especially showing a ton of patience toward our rambunctious boys!

Congratulations Baby Girl!

2009-06-17T14:31:00.007-05:00

Wow, a lot has happened since we last posted! Here's a favorite picture from Baby Girl's high school graduation! What a beautiful young woman she has become!

Ok, ok . . . it hasn't been quite THAT long since we last posted, but time has been flying by, and the posts have been getting fewer and farther between! To all of you faithful followers, thanks for your understanding. I'm going to try to get back into the rountine of blogging more often. We use this as our family scrapbook, so we definitely don't want to let too many more "events" slip by unrecorded.

It seems like the falling behind began back at Thanksgiving (aka Baby Girl's arrival), so my goal is to catch up from that point on, but keep up on the new things that are happening as well. We'll see how it goes! Feel free to keep me accountable, or better yet, encouraged!

Swimming Lessons

2009-05-17T14:30:00.006-05:00

Henrik and I find this picture hilarious. It is a perfect representation of our two very different boys, and their very different feelings about swimming lessons. E's, "Ok, I'll give it a try, but I don't really want to do this, and I already know I'm not going to like it . . ." expression, pretty much sums up his swimming lessons experience.

N, on the other hand, was absolutely head over heels (literally) over his chance to learn how to swim. He's our fish! The teachers commented that he never stopped smiling - even when he accidentally dove in head first! During the life jacket/deep end lesson, N was supposed to jump to his teacher, but somehow ended up diving head first. He just came up smiling, albeit a bit surprised. What is it with N and water???

Hey Mom . . .

2009-05-01T21:56:00.004-05:00

Look what I can do!!!

Snack Time

2009-04-29T12:27:00.002-05:00

"Anybody hungry for a snack??"

"Meet me under the kitchen table."
- Little N

Question of the Day

2009-04-27T09:25:00.003-05:00

Upon opening our blinds and seeing that it was snowing this morning, E asked this question. . .

"Mom, do you think God is playing a trick on us?"

The Bjorndahl Brothers

Eagerly awaiting Spring

Five Smiles to Celebrate Five Months!

2009-04-21T21:56:00.007-05:00

"Troop"

2009-04-14T21:46:00.003-05:00

Our little N turned 3 on Friday! What a fun kid and what a fun age! I get such a kick out of the creativity that kids display - coming up with something out of nothing. Here's N peaking out the top of his latest "fort". Open a cupboard door, pull out a few drawers, and voila - a fort!

Along with this beautiful smile, N is also sporting a new nickname. For some reason, he's the nickname kid in our family. Right off the bat he was known as Webster, which was quickly shortened to Webbie. Some time after that, it drifted into Scooby and/or Scoob. Most recently, however, N's become known around our house as "Troop". Or, as his brother likes to call him, Troop Dawg!

Troop Dawg, your smile lights up our world! You also make us giggle! Like when you make up your own knock knock jokes, change the words to familiar songs just to make them silly, or like yesterday, when you asked, "Mom, did Jesus dive into water?" When I asked you what you meant you said, "You know, when Jesus dived, was it into water?" Guess we need to revisit the Easter story and make a few clarifications!

Sending Springtime Smiles Your Way!

2009-04-08T22:37:00.002-05:00

This little blessing fills our days with joyful smiles!

"Mom, shouldn't you be folding that basket of laundry behind me instead of spending all your time taking pictures???"

Rest Time

2009-03-24T21:10:00.004-05:00

E has officially graduated to rest time! I've always been a big fan of nap time, both for E's sake and mine, but the time has come to say goodbye to the everyday nap routine.

Replacing E's nap with "rest time" has been going quite well. Legos, audio books, and dressing up in "sports clothes" keep him busy for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours each afternoon. I get such a kick of his dressing up because, for some reason, E is thoroughly entertained by putting on layers of clothing! Here's a picture of E when he came up from rest time the other day. He looked so "bulked up", I just had to make him peel off the layers so I could take a picture of everything he was wearing! Five shirts, two pair of shorts and footed pajamas!

You crack us up E!

Easy Breezy Number Threesy

2009-03-20T21:18:00.006-05:00

Our little Miss A is four months old today! She is such a joy and we are filled with thankfulness over this precious little girl! One thing is unmistakably true, Baby A is an incredible baby. She eats well, naps perfectly, sleeps 12 hours a night, and basically coos and smiles the rest of her day away. Yesterday she really solidified her good baby reputation. "Baby girl" was holding my finger and when she started trying to bite on it, I was shocked at the sharp tooth that pricked me! That's right, some time during the past few days, she cut her first tooth - and we didn't even know she was teething! Yep, we are pretty thankful for our Easy Breezy Number Threesy. We love you Baby Girl! (Oh, we'd love you to pieces even if you weren't so easy - but it sure is fun that you are!)

Happy Green Day

2009-03-18T23:36:00.003-05:00

Little Miss A was all dressed in green today - March 18th - a day late for celebrating St. Patrick's day, but I thought we'd stretch the holiday out for one more day and snap some pictures.

We can hardly believe it, but "Baby Girl" will be 4 months on Friday!

Can you see a little mischief in these eyes??

"Seriously" Sweet

Common Threads

2009-03-08T22:37:00.005-05:00

One of the best parts of moving to Alexandria has been developing a wonderful friendship with the O family. You know that feeling you get when you meet someone for the first time, but it seems like you've known them forever? That's how it feels with the O's.

One of the best parts is that our kids just love being together! Here they are having their own little Superbowl party. They chose to watch a movie instead of the game! (*Our little A and their little J were already sleeping!)

Last Thursday, Henrik and I went on a double date with "Mom & Pop O". During our delicious and relaxed, kid-free meal, we ended up on the subject of our honeymoons and realized we had both gone to Banff, Canada. We just about fell off our chairs when we realized we had both stayed at Johnston Canyon and hiked up to the same waterfall. Here's a picture of "P" and I next to the same tree along the hiking trail just 4 years apart!!

The Newlyweds 1999

The Newlyweds 2003

Hey, O's. We can't thank the Lord enough for your family and the special connection we feel with you. Who knows, maybe it has something to do with honeymooning up North?!!

Knock Knock

2009-02-25T17:01:00.002-06:00

I Got My Muscles

2009-02-24T17:22:00.002-06:00

Baby A

2009-02-18T23:01:00.004-06:00

Hi everybody! Here's a couple of pics to share a few of A's smiles and a cute new dress.

We can't believe that our little girl will be 3 months old on Friday!

"Hmmm, what should I wear tomorrow?"

Sunflowers

2009-02-16T21:42:00.009-06:00

The boys received a very creative gift for Christmas - a kit for growing sunflowers! A few weeks ago, during the VERY COLD weather we experienced day after day after day after day, we cracked open the kit and decided to create a bit of Spring in our kitchen.

Here's the kit, complete with dirt, seeds, a pot and a little rake.

The boys each took a turn tilling the soil.

And then they planted the seeds.

While they were planting, I was wondering what we were going to do if those sunflowers really took off!

In the next few days, the seeds sprouted and begin to grow. They were so green and cute and really did bring a feeling of Spring and life to the dreary winter days we were experiencing. Those little sunflowers just kept growing and reached about 5 inches tall! (Unfortunately, I kept forgetting to take pictures as I had intended!)

Then we left for the weekend and came back to this.

Good bye sweet sunflowers. Your lush green leaves brought joy to our hearts and made those cold days just a little more bearable! Thank you!

School Daze

2009-02-12T14:05:00.003-06:00

When we first moved to Alexandria, we hoped that E would be able to enroll in a preschool in the Fall. However, we quickly found that the demand for preschool spots greatly out weighs the supply in this community. After putting his name on four waiting lists, and finding out that there was pretty much no chance of getting in, we decided to order a curriculum that we could do at home. Our schedule is flexible, and we spend about 2 1/2 or 3 months covering 1 month's worth of curriculum, but we are enjoying ourselves and having fun.

Since our folders were overflowing, we decided to take pictures of all our work, and then choose only 3 or 4 favorites to save. Here's a look at our first semester collection of projects and lessons.

This post has been brought to you by the letters G, H and I, rectangles, and the color brown.

Daddy's Hands

2009-02-10T21:30:00.002-06:00

So blessed to be safe and secure in Daddy's hands.

Watercolors

2009-02-06T10:03:00.000-06:00

Yesterday while painting, N made a precious statement. I just had to see if he'd say it again while I had the camera rolling . . .

Pretty In Pink

2009-02-05T15:18:00.004-06:00

"Hello everyone! Mom keeps falling behind on blogging so I thought I'd jump on the computer and post a few pictures of myself. They're already a little dated . . . they were taken way back when I was 7 weeks old. It was my first "smiley" photo shoot. Grandma tickled my nose with a soft toy bunny and mom snapped away. Hope you enjoy these pictures of me when I was a little girl! Maybe my mom can get a few recent pictures posted now that I'm a whole 11 weeks!!"

"Have a great day!!"

Story Time

2009-02-02T22:27:00.002-06:00

Two big brothers sweetly reading to their little sis.

"I just love my brothers!"

Swimmers Take Your Mark!

2009-01-16T13:28:00.005-06:00

We've got big news around here!!! A new sport has been adopted by our two little sports fanatics, and may I say, that it's nice to have something new in the mix!!! The Bjorndahl brothers have taken on swimming!!!

Let me begin by explaining how this new interest came about in the middle of the most fridged winter we've had in years . . .

Our dear friends, the Andersons, have a daughter who swims on the Otter Swim Team in Fergus Falls. When her team came to swim against the Alexandria Cardinals, our family was there to cheer Elise on. It was E & N's first exposure competitive swimming and Elise became a superstar! (Right up there with Joe Mauer and Nick Risbrudt.)

Since then, along with baseball, soccer and football, swimming has taken it's place in the daily sports routine. (Yes we do usually do participate in all of these athletic activities each day - and for E that means a wardrobe change for each sport - his room looks like a ladies dressing room during a 75% off sale!) Ironically, the only piece of equipment E needs for swimming is a pair of goggles that he found in a FREE box at a garage sale last summer!

Yesterday the swim meet began even before we had gotten out of our jammies. (It seems that this attire was quite appropriate since pajamas probably most resemble those high tech, full body swimming suits the Olympians wear!) Here they are, impersonating their favorite swimmers - Elise and Kara (swimmer to be???).

Smiling for the fans.

Swimmers Take Your Marks

False start!
(Is that what you say in swimming???)

Here's N sportin' the goggles. If you click on the picture you might just be able to see the peanut butter on the corners of his mouth - remnants of his breakfast!

Scooby Scissorhands

2009-01-15T22:50:00.004-06:00

It's been too cold to play outside, and actually, too cold to even run errands around town. With Kindermusik and playgroup canceled this week, we've been filling our days with play doh and art projects. N has been painting and learning to use a scissor on his own. Here's a look at his masterpiece in progress . . .

N loves to paint. Here's a little watercolor project.

When it comes to cutting, Scooby has a unique approach to using a scissor. He opens the scissor, places the paper between the blades, holds the top of the scissor with his right hand, and then . . .

pinches the blades closed with his left! It produces a lovely fringe effect!

Why the Swede didn't know...

2009-01-13T18:51:00.002-06:00

So the other night around midnight or so, when both of us should have been sleeping, Carrie wakes me from a deep sleep asking me to take a look at some pictures. She has lined up pictures of the kids and asked me to identify them. I rub the sleep out of my eyes, and without my glasses on, I incorrectly identified my own children. Within moments, my head hits the pillow and I start dreaming about the Twins signing a good third baseman.

A few days later, a blog posting correctly states that I went 0/3 in naming who's who. Of course that wasn't the whole story.

So, there's my defense in not recognizing my own children. By the way, nice work all of you who did get it right. Who knows if I would've even with my glasses on in the middle of the day? At least this way, I have an excuse.

Henrik

And the Answer Is . . .

2009-01-13T08:42:00.007-06:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in our little contest! Here is the answer with a current picture of each of the kids . . .

A. Little A

B. Big E

C. N (otherwise known as Scooby)

Congratulations to the following friends and family members who guessed correctly:
Darcy
Michael & Stacy
Candis
Jen & Brent
Risbrudts
Lynae
Chris & Jen
Meghan
Doug & Jane

As I've seen a few other bloggers do with contests, I put the winning names in a drawing and the winner is . . .The Risbrudt Family!!! Congratulations. You will be receiving a small gift in the mail in a few days. Thanks for playing everyone!

Who's Who?

2009-01-09T22:27:00.006-06:00

Three Bjorndahl babies in random order. Each picture taken at 10 days old. Can you guess who is who? Post your guesses in the comment section and we'll let you know the answer in a day or two! Guess away! (By the way, Henrik was "0 for 3" on his first attempt!!)

A

B

C

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

2008-12-28T15:44:00.002-06:00

"Hello everybody! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Mom says we are a little behind on blogging the fun events of our life. She's still planning to post fun pictures from Thanksgiving!"

"Little A is doing great. We love being her big brothers! Here she is in her Christmas dress. Oh, and one more thing, she's getting really big! Mom says she's over twelve pounds now. Hopefully we'll have some more pictures and stories for you soon. Signing off - E & N."

Sweet Sleep

2008-12-21T22:13:00.003-06:00

Here's our little A sound asleep next to Daddy. She must have been enjoying a sweet little dream! Happy One Month Birthday, Miss A. You are bringing us so much JOY!!!

E's Christmas Program

2008-12-20T18:57:00.008-06:00

All of the traditional favorites were in place for E's Sunday School Christmas program. Darling little ones dressed as shepherds, wisemen, and Mary and Joseph; paper bags with Christmas goodies like nuts, hard candies and oranges; and parents with cameras in one hand and video cameras in the other!

E and his very good friend E were excited and ready to perform.

N was determined to weasel his way into the show. He wasn't too pleased when we told him he had to wait one more year for his turn.

E gave me the thumbs up when he headed over to the backstage area.

I just love the expression on his face in this picture.

The program went very well. We were excited to see that E knew the words and sang! He's also taken a liking to being in the spotlight. Check out the video below to see our little performer elbow his way to the front row! (Thanks to the O family for this video clip!)

Merry Christmas!!!

She's Four Weeks Old!

2008-12-18T22:40:00.005-06:00

Hey everybody! My little sister is already 4 weeks old. Mom snapped some pictures of us this morning when we were all still in our jammies.

None of us are very photogenic before sunrise!

We just can't get enough of this sweet little face.

E's MN Twins Party

2008-12-15T20:34:00.004-06:00

As promised, I am finally getting around to posting some pictures from E's 4th birthday party. We celebrated his birthday over Thanksgiving because our family was gathered together at my mom and dad's. This year's party theme request - The Mighty Minnesota Twins!

E dressed up as Joe Mauer for the party - the same costume he wore for Halloween. I forgot the face paint at home, so he ended up being Joe Mauer sans sideburns. Oops!

Gotta love online shopping - I found MN Twins party supplies!

Thanks to a wonderful lady at Dairy Queen for creating this cake for E. I asked if she could do something for a baseball theme birthday and she created this stadium! It was fun and delicious.

After singing the traditional "Happy Birthday" song we continued and sang the song made famous at Inspiration Point. It begins with a morbid segment that did not impress E at all!

No problem blowing out the candles - at least not the second time around. The first round was interrupted when, out of nowhere, N rushed in and blew out the candles before E had a chance. Thankfully, lighting the candles again for a second round seemed to pacify the birthday boy.

My precious 4 year old waiting to open presents.

This air hockey game was a fun surprise for E. He got the name mixed up a bit and calls it "sky hockey". Thanks to everyone for the generous gifts and for making E's party so special! E sends his love and thanks to all!

So Many Pictures, So Little TIme

2008-12-09T22:25:00.005-06:00

Ok, so the most wonderful thing in life happens - a new baby - I should be blogging galore, right? Well, this precious little girl sure requires a lot of my time . . . and I'm loving it! Blogging, however, has taken a back seat in a big way.

So, to update you just a little bit, Miss A is a wonderfully easy going baby. She's sleeping well and is a great eater, in fact at her two week check up she weighed in at 9 lbs 14 oz! Look out E & N, this little girl is going to be able to hold her own!

Here are a few pictures . . .

Cousin Z is 3 1/2 months older than A. These two little girls are going to have so much fun growing up together!!

Thanksgiving Memories

2008-11-29T17:38:00.000-06:00

These are some of my favorite memories from Thanksgiving . . .

E looking like a Pilgrim - He's actually wearing the inside of the crock pot on his head!

Auntie Stacy reading to the boys . . . gathered around the commode!

Pretty impressive, Uncle Michael! Push ups with three boys on your back!

Oops! Big time collapse!

Little N patiently waiting for Thanksgiving dinner to start! I think he's eying the Jell-O!

Girl cousins! So sweet!

Uncle Brent and Auntie Jennifer were behind the camera and captured our sweet 9 day old!

"Deer Hunting"

2008-11-28T22:41:00.003-06:00

Erik's been quite fascinated with deer hunting this fall. He takes every opportunity to "hunt" deer. It's amazing the amount of "deer" that run around places like Walmart, Target, and especially our back yard. We often "hunt" with any stick like object becoming a gun. Erik loved the opportunity to put on grandpa's blaze orange hunting gear and man the hallway deer stand.

One Week Old

2008-11-28T22:34:00.002-06:00

It's been pretty busy around here, but we're having a blast celebrating Thanksgiving with the whole Levang family in Fergus Falls.

Home Sweet Home again

2008-11-22T21:50:00.003-06:00

The girls of the house are home! Mom and baby are both doing fine and the boys love having both mom and baby close by.

Annika resting comfortably in grandpa's arms.

Officially Introducing . . .

2008-11-20T16:54:00.004-06:00

Annika Elisabeth Bjorndahl

Born November 20th at 10:44 a.m.
8 lbs 11 oz
20 3/4 inches

We are so thankful for this precious gift from God.

Big Brothers

2008-11-20T15:16:00.004-06:00

Sorry, we still have no name decision to report! Our nurse just told us there's no need to decide until kindergarten, but rest assured, we'll decide shortly.

In the mean time, here are a few pictures of the Big Brothers meeting their new baby sister.

She's Here!

2008-11-20T11:11:00.002-06:00

Our 8lb 11 oz little girl arrived at 10:44 a.m. Pictures and more details will follow soon, but we wanted to let you all know that she's doing very well and Mom's doing great, too.

Thanks for your prayers!

Epidural

2008-11-20T09:15:00.002-06:00

Pain relief is here! Carrie's much more comfortable now. She was dilated to six centimeters at last check about an hour ago. The predictions contest has now begun. The winner will receive a photo-op with the newborn.

Henrik

Update

2008-11-20T08:29:00.003-06:00

Labor has really set in now. Carrie seems to be progressing enough on her own that they will not break her water at this time. Waiting for the epidural...

Henrik

In the hospital

2008-11-20T07:09:00.003-06:00

We checked in to the hospital about 12:30 am as Carrie had been having contractions for a couple of hours. Once here though, the contractions ceased for a little and she got some rest. This morning though, they're up and running again. The plan is to break her water within the hour or so, and we'll take it from there...

Henrik

Celebrating Part 1

2008-11-18T20:35:00.007-06:00

Since we are waiting until Thanksgiving vacation for E's official birthday party, we decided we needed to do something extra special as a family to celebrate on his birthday. What would a 4-year-old like to try out? Bowling!! It was awesome! E was completely taken by the whole experience and, with the help of gutter guards and bowling ramp, he was quite successful, too!

This AP jersey was one of E's favorite gifts! He was absolutely thrilled to receive it!

Happy 4th Birthday!

2008-11-17T09:02:00.003-06:00

Our Little N is Growing Up

2008-11-13T12:13:00.004-06:00

Soon it will become very apparent that N is not our "baby" anymore, but it will be hard to let go. He is such a snuggly, easy natured, sweet boy, that it is almost impossible not to baby him. Yesterday, however, he was a very Big Boy as he was picked up for his first official playdate. No mom along, no big brother along, just N headed over to his friend's house for the day. He was thrilled as he waited by the door, constantly reminding E that "Just N's going to the Bergers' house . . . not E, just N."

"Are they here yet?"

Stealing the Spotlight

2008-11-11T14:17:00.003-06:00

Sunday morning E's Sunday school group sang in church. In the past, we've always had trouble getting E to participate in performances, but not this time. He stepped right up to the mic and proceeded to sing "If You're Happy and You Know It". Unfortunately, it was not supposed to be a solo performance! After a few looks from his classmates and guidance from his teacher, he stepped back from the mic and continued singing with the group.

Glad you are getting over your stage fright E!

Any Ideas??

2008-11-07T14:50:00.002-06:00

Just looking to see if anyone can help me figure out what movie E watched in the nursery during my Bible Study this morning. Here's his description . . .

There was a cowboy who fought a crocodile with a sword.

There was a barefoot princess.

The princess had many helpers who could become very small, like lightning bugs, and they had a lot of work to do to help her get ready for something.

He thinks it was a cartoon, but I'm not really sure if he understood what I meant by cartoon.

He said it was not Cinderella, and she did not have a special shoe.

And the Cowboy married someone, but not the barefoot princess.

By the way, this is not a riddle, I'm just trying to figure out what movie he watched! Any ideas?

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T13:49:00.010-05:00

This is the first time the Bjorndahl family has tackled pumpkin carving! Yes, I'm one of those moms who doesn't like messes, but I'm working on putting fun and memory making before my own aversion to sticky, gooey, yucksville.

Check out E's response to the gooey pumpkin guts! Though he looks like his dad, he's much like me when it comes to getting messy! I lost count of the number of times he asked me to make sure his sleeves were pulled up! Maybe next year we'll make a shirt covering out of a plastic bag so he (and I) can relax and have fun!

N liked the "guts" so much, that once he got them out, he put them back in again so he could do it all over again!

Of course, before carving, we had to begin with a plan. Henrik was in charge of N's and . . .

I was in charge of E's. As you can see, neither of us are very artistic!

E's pumpkin needs some serious dental work.

N's turned out as cute as a button.

"This is TOO MUCH FUN!!!"

"Don't even think about touchin' my pumpkin."

"I LOVE my pumpkin!"

Tonight we put on our costumes and headed out Trick or Treating.
Here's our Little Joe Mauer.

And N dressed up as a Gopher football player.

"Hooray for candy! Happy Halloween!"

Our Little Lefty

2008-10-28T14:25:00.003-05:00

It has been so much fun to see N developing into a baseball fan/player just like his older brother. Though he may be a bit more relaxed when it comes to details, he's every bit as competitive, and loves to "hit the ball - run the bases". (He provides his own commentary while playing!)

Since N begin swinging a bat, he has always been a lefty. In everything else in life he uses his right hand, but batting is exclusively left handed. Henrik is pumped, but continues to work on his right handed skills in hopes of creating a switch hitter.

Here's an example of what I mean by N being more relaxed about details. Though this would never fly with his big brother, N is completely comfortable playing catcher with one shoe on and one off, while wearing a football sweatshirt. We are enjoying N's easy going nature!!!

Little Miss B Update

2008-10-23T22:31:00.004-05:00

Well, we are at 35 weeks and so thankful for this healthy, and relatively easy and uneventful, pregnancy. Up until the past week or so, I would have been just fine to wait until 2009 for her to arrive. After all, she is quite easy to take care of tucked away like this. However, my mindset has quickly changed as discomfort and contractions have set in full force.

Thankfully, we are making progress toward the goal of her arrival. For those of you who don't mind these types of details, we are at a "strong 2" and "60% effaced". If that info grosses you out, I apologize!

Regarding a belly shot, seriously, I just can't get myself to post one. We even attempted a pic last night, but after viewing it, I just couldn't post it. Maybe we'll try again. . . Tonight, N TRIED to sit on my lap, but finally, after attempting every different configuration, he just gave up and put his head on my shoulder.

Regarding the boys, E is fascinated with his baby sister and really seems to understand that she is a real person just waiting to meet her big brother. The way he talks to her is amazing. N hasn't been interacting with the baby in my tummy on quite the same level, but has taken on the mothering role to a doll that we have by feeding it, changing its diaper, singing and rocking her to sleep. I'm really starting to sense that one of the most wonderful things about enjoying this little addition to our family will be seeing the boys experience having a baby in our lives. When N was born, E was still pretty much a baby himself (16 months), so this will really be a new experience for our family.

Here's the nursery so far. A few bare spots, but it's starting to come together!

Thank you for your prayers as we continue to wait patiently for the Lord to bring our little girl into the world at just the right time.

Fall Family Fun

2008-10-23T14:06:00.004-05:00

Just outside of Fergus Falls we visited Lindig Farms. After a fun hay ride and visiting a wide variety of farm animals, the boys had the chance to milk a friendly cow. Both E & N were a little hesitant at first, but afterward they were proud as can be!

Firefighting galore

2008-10-12T13:51:00.006-05:00

The Alexandria Fire Department had an open house the other day. The fire fighting enthusiasts that we are (at least E and N), we just had to attend.

E using a real fire hose

Sporting Alex FD turnout gear (must be for very small firefighters)

N driving a fire truck from "the olden days."

Exploring the ambulance gear.

Marathon Man

2008-10-06T20:57:00.006-05:00

Henrik succeeded in completing his 12th marathon this weekend when he participated in the Twin Cities Marathon. The conditions were MUCH cooler than last year, by over 30 degrees! The first half of the race was run in a cold rain, but the skies cleared and Henrik actually enjoyed the cool temps as he completed the race.

He was cheered on by hard core, faithful fans, braving the elements.
One fan took the race quite seriously.

The other was just out for a good time!

Thanks to Mom and Dad for helping us again this year! We couldn't do it without their support!

We are so proud of you Henrik!

Oh What a Night!!!

2008-09-27T20:47:00.007-05:00

For any of you who have missed this little fact, we are HUGE Twins fans! The past few days have had us living on the edge of our seats, watching the race between the Twins and the White Sox unfold. Well, Thursday night, we had the privilege, along with 44,000 other crazy Twins fans, to see it firsthand. Not only was it any incredibly important game, putting us a 1/2 game ahead in the standings, but it was an exciting, extra inning, nail-bitting, "game you will never forget" experience.

Of course we had to display our support for our favorite player!

Our new friends Anna & Jeff came with us to the game. Jeff is the associate pastor at the church we've been attending and we were thrilled to find out that he's a Twins fan! (No, that did not influence Henrik's decision about where to go to church - at least I don't think it did!!)

TC Bear was N's highlight of the night.

Joe was E's highlight! Our seats were 12 rows behind the bull pen, so before the game E had a great spot to watch Joe & Kevin Slowey warming up.

This was the highlight for Henrik & and I - a come from behind, extra inning victory!!!! Seriously, we were exhausted from cheering and I can't even begin to tell you how loud it was in there. Our ears were beyond ringing! An experience we will not soon forget and worth keeping the boys up until 11:00 p.m. (the game wasn't even over until after 10:30!!!)

So that was Thursday night, an early anniversary celebration for the two of us. Today marks 5 years of being married and we truly are so thankful for the years we've had together. To quote a sappy country song, "He sure knew what He was doing when He joined these two hearts." I love you Henrik!!

Otter Pride!!

2008-09-24T20:31:00.002-05:00

Last Friday night E had the special treat of traveling to watch the Otter Football team, specifically his big buddy Nick! Way to go on a 4-0 start to the season!! Check out the Risbrudts' Blog to see a great post about the game and E's enthusiastic cheering.

Our Latest Project . . .

2008-09-21T14:39:00.001-05:00

Painting Pink!!!

Big T's Party!

2008-09-17T20:29:00.001-05:00

An Olympic celebration was perfect for our nephew T's third birthday. He has an amazing wealth of knowledge regarding flags and the Olympics was a perfect way to showcase some of his favorite flags! (Henrik was pleased to see that Sweden made the cake!)

The boys all loved the pinata! Here's a tap from T.

Another gentle bump from N.

A swing from our friend E.

And an all out whack from E. But no tap, bump, swing or whack could crack this pinata, so Uncle Michael got out the . . .

BIG GUNS!!!!

N ran for cover . . .

and soon there was candy for everyone!

"This one tastes good even through the wrapper!"

Gold medals and bags full of candy! You can't make a three-year-old any happier!

T's response to E & N's singing of "Happy Birthday". (It was kind of painful!)

The boys all picked which color cake they wanted - can you tell what N picked???

And at the end of the wonderful party, we thought it would be fun to get one darling picture of our three boys together. This is what we got . . . Maybe next year!

We love you T - Have a wonderful year being three!

Lovin' on Our Z

2008-09-11T08:09:00.004-05:00

I think the sparkle in N's eyes speaks for itself!

E has become fond of reminding me that I am an aunt to T & Z and that they are his cousins. He's just starting to "get" the relative concept.

This big boy LOVES babies - especially Baby Z!