8 Months & Christmas at the Erickson's!

Merry Christmas . . . I'm eight months old!

Milla turned 8 months old on Christmas Eve and we celebrated our family Christmas that evening as well. The big snowstorm kept us from church, but we had our own mini-service in the living room that would have made my Dad (the Lutheran pastor) proud. It was a great night . . . Milla was way too interested in the wrapping paper to care what she received, Anja was stoked about her new kitchen duds, discovered the Nisse sitting outside, put out food for Santa and the Nisse, and Erik and I just sat back and enjoyed being a family.

Anja helped wrap presents and Milla wanted to as well.

Last year Anja received a play kitchen . . . this year came the real deal, complete with her own working Kuhn Rikon Kinderkitchen tools!

We both received aprons and "oven mittens" as Anja calls them.

A sweet pea for our sweet pea.


Anja and Erik spot the Nisse . . . can you?! If you see him, he freezes!

Erik in his Erik the Viking shirt by Danefae.

Christmas morning brought stockings and presents from Santa and the Nisse.


Anja and Milla enjoy a ride on their new sled from the Nisse from their Grandpa Paul on Christmas Day.


Anja and Nana Marilyn preparing the fruit for breakfast.


Anja was quick to put her oven mittens and new tools to work, making sugar cookies on Christmas morning after presents and breakfast.

The past month has been a big one for milestones with Milla . . . she sits up, crawls around like crazy, pulls herself up, takes steps around furniture, can lean down and pick things up while standing, is more aware her tactical sense, crawled up her first step(s), sleeps and naps in her own room, is beginning to find her voice, eats and hunts for Cheerios, and is also beginning to hold her own with Anja. :) She has been so fun to watch! My favorite new thing is the shy look she gives friends and relatives---looks at you and smiles---then quickly hides her big beautiful blue eyes. Such a sweetheart.

Time to Catch Up!

(Anja's creation: please note the drink coasters strategically placed at each leg.)

This picture of Anja (taken last Saturday) pretty much captures the chaotic fall we've had . . . a little bit of everything, fairly well organized, teetering just so. Needless to say, we are looking forward to some time off!

Anja with the same drying rack before her 1st birthday. (Just because.)

It's time to recap a little and catch our blog up before Christmas and New Year's arrive, so here it goes.

We spent the day before Thanksgiving traveling around a bit . . . our first stop was Bella's in Alexandria to have pre-Thanksgiving lunch with Great Grandma Bev.

Our next stop was to Windom, MN where my Dad is the Interim Lead Pastor at American Lutheran Church. We spent the night in the parsonage and then drove out to Annandale for Thanksgiving with Erik's extended family.


The next day brought us to the Erickson Brothers Tree Farm to pick out our Christmas tree.


The start of our trek through the fields (it took forever but we found a good one)!

Anja running the trains inside.

It only took us a couple of days to put it up . . . here Anja and Papa put the finishing touch on the tree.

Our first real snow at our new house! This is the snow pile in our backyard . . . the kids are out there playing every chance they get, even in these colder than normal temps. Anja is in heaven!

This is Milla's favorite thing to do now . . . standing, practice walking, pulling up on everything, and even climbing up a stair. We may have another early walker on our hands!

Happy St. Nick's Day!

We celebrated St. Nick's Day again and this time Anja found the book "Olivia Helps with Christmas" tucked between her boots. Each year we try and give her something with a song; the first year was "The Little Drummer Boy," the next year was "The Friendly Beasts," and this year's story included a page with Olivia singing "Angels We Have Heard on High." The book is sure to become a bedtime favorite.