The Adventures of Erik, Shana, Anja and Milla

St. Nick's Day 2010

2010-12-06T20:20:00.006-06:00

Milla loved the sparkles and little mouse in her book!

This morning the girls woke up to new books between their boots to celebrate St. Nick's Day. An annual tradition in our house, it was fun to get Milla in on things this year. Anja received "The Twelve Days of Christmas in Minnesota" and Milla received "Merry Christmas Little One." Both are sweet books, and the Minnesota one definitely makes us appreciate the cold temps of winter and the activities that go along with it. I think we'll head to the St. Paul Winter Carnival in the New Year!

Anja is FOUR!

2010-11-15T16:14:00.003-06:00

Hey! Hey! I'm FOUR today!

Anja has had about a week's worth of celebration and it all culminated today with lunch and presents with mama and papa at Noodles & Co. (her favorite). All of the museums were closed and movies were duds, so to the Mall of America for rides and a visit to the Hello Kitty store we went! She enjoyed the one-on-one time (Erik had to cut things short to teach at the U) and kept talking about how she could and couldn't do this or that, "because [she was] four now." Gotta love the grown up talk!

We went sledding, ate more of her birthday cake after dinner and ended the evening with a few rounds of "Simon Says" before bedtime. Lots of smiles and laughs to go around.

The best part of my day with her was that instead of me reading all of On the Day You Were Born tonight, Anja helped me by reading the words she recognized throughout the book. She even surprised me with a few! Wow this little lady is growing up---it's so fun to see and experience! Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Anja's First Day of Preschool!

2010-09-14T14:28:00.008-05:00

September 14, 2010 -- Anja's first day of preschool.

Today was Anja's first official day of preschool. She almost forgot I was there and her teacher had to remind her to give her mama a hug before I left. I teared up. She didn't. This is exactly how it's suppose to go.

Milla was SO excited to sit with Anja on the swing. She must have known it was a special day!

When we got there to pick her up, Milla excitedly shouted, "ANJA!" to announce that it was time for us to take her home. Anja had a lot to talk about (new friends, what they did, etc.) and was really excited that they got Cheez-its and Goldfish for snack (she's never seen a Cheez-it in our house before so THAT was a big deal)! I have a feeling she's going to tell us about many "new" snacks this year!

When we put her to bed that night, she asked if she could go back to preschool again tomorrow. She was disappointed to hear that she would have to wait two days to go back. We hope that her enthusiasm for school continues!

Anja & Milla are so fun and sweet with each other nowadays. (Most of the time that is!)

Growing Up

2010-08-05T21:02:00.007-05:00

Leaping to Papa!

Anja has been such a great kid the past month . . . like she's getting over some big hump of toddler hood. She doesn't argue much, she's super helpful with Milla and around the house, the time-outs are few and far between and she's SUCH a sweetheart. What's better than waking up to, "Mama, I love you" ? Not much.

Anja waters G'ma Linda's flowers (without coaxing!).

This new attitude has to be connected with the new found confidence she has. Last Saturday she told us she didn't want training wheels on her bike anymore. Erik and I looked at each other and politely said sure, we'd take them off (with a little wink to each other). Sure enough, she was riding by herself IN THE DARK eight hours later.

"I'd like to take my training wheels off today, please."

She's also been a little daredevil in the water, jumping off the dock all by herself into the water and recognizing that she's strong enough to tackle the water solo. This is so different from the "come closer, come closer" kiddo we were seeing a few months back.

We love what we're seeing and are excited to see what her next trick will be. In the meantime, we're enjoying every minute of Anja's new persona.

Mad-City Wedding

2010-06-28T10:50:00.007-05:00

This past weekend we traveled to Madison for the wedding of our good friends Peter and Kathryn. We met Peter during our time at Concordia, specifically after Erik started the Concordia Cycling Club, and the three of us did Ironman Wisconsin together in 2005. Our history includes a lot of sweat and many, many miles on the bike. Peter proposed to Kathryn on the shores of Lake Superior the weekend of Grandma's Marathon a couple of years ago.

Pre-wedding nail salon at our house. Sparkles and Essie's 2010 wedding colors!

G'pa Paul always provides much-needed fun, especially after 5+ hours in the car!

Anja got her hair done, and as you can see, had a bounce in her step all day long. She danced like crazy at the reception!

Ready to go!

Erik had the honor of being one of Peter's groomsmen and Anja was one of six flower girls. I simply did support for the weekend, along with Erik's parents who came along and helped a ton. We had a fantastic time and wish Peter and Kathryn the best of luck as they embark on the crazy journey of marriage!

Post-wedding----we made it!

Memorial Day Recap!

2010-05-30T21:51:00.012-05:00

Anja & Milla at the new splash pad--it was a little cold for the girls!

This past weekend was been a busy one with projects around the house to be completed, workouts to be done, guests to be hosted, etc. We did take a little time to relax though!

Anja saw her first movie in a movie theatre with a couple of neighborhood friends on Friday---Shrek: The Final Chapter. I was concerned about the volume, the dark, a few scary parts, and some crude humor, but she handled it all like a champ. She loved it and will definitely be back again!

Milla also took her first dip in the lake about a 1/2 mile from our house. She enjoyed kicking and splashing around, but didn't quite like the full body plunge! It's a great park, complete with a boat house that rents canoes and kayaks, a splash pad for the kiddos, built-in grills, a beach, volleyball courts, real bathrooms (!), concessions, and a cordoned off swimming area. I have a feeling we'll be spending a lot of time there!

Erik and I were both busy trying to get things done around the house during naps and quiet time and we did pretty well. Erik built a great platform step to replace the paver step that was just too small in terms of safety for all of the kids running in and out of the house. He's pretty handy!

Only two more weeks of school for Erik, then he starts teaching at the U of M for their summer term. We are all looking forward to some great summer days in our new house in the coming months!

Milla's Walking!

2010-05-06T19:38:00.004-05:00

She's pretty proud her herself and her new found freedom!

So I started to write this post 24 days ago . . . since then Milla is full force on the walking! Not to be overlooked, she has even started to join in on the chasing round-and-round the kitchen game that we play with Anja all the time. She'll be running in no time!

One of Milla's favorite ways to rile up her parents---climbing up onto Anja's chair!

A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks---besides the walking, Milla is also talking a lot more (mama! papa! this! cheese!) and more deliberate about her actions: stacking blocks, helping take off her shirts and jackets, pushing things away if she doesn't want them, and so much more. It is so fun to watch her "expand her box" each day.

We've also been very busy as a family . . . I took my first trip away from the girls to Chicago for a swimming clinic, turned 31 (!), and Erik traveled to Ghana for a week, where he worked to implement a pilot education program. Anja has been delighting in playing outside with gobs of neighborhood friends and attending dance class (when she feels like it). We are looking forward to settling down a bit before the end of school!

Anja made her very own "Dinosaur Train" on a rainy day a couple of weeks ago.

Milla is ONE!

2010-04-24T07:41:00.013-05:00

Hey! Hey! I'm ONE year old today!

Milla turned one year old today! The day was very low-key, having celebrated with both sets of Grandparents and Milla's Uncle Steve on Thursday. She seemed to enjoy all of the attention but didn't really appreciate eating cake as much as I thought she would. I think she'll like it a little more next year!

What is this crazy thing?
Why it's a chocolate ganache cake from the Franklin Street Bakery of course!

Ribbons are much cooler than gifts this year!

Anja and her typical reaction when she's given something (she adds the sweetest sing-songy "Thank You!").

Milla continues to grow and expand her world each day. She's been adding to her repertoire of tricks too; walking a little more, understanding concepts of in and out/open and closed, waving hi/bye using her little fingers, speaking "words" that sound like "hi," "mama," "dada," "Anja," "cheese," throwing balls (sometimes two at a time) and lots more. She loves being outside, playing with water, and going on wagon rides around the neighborhood. Like everyone else, we've delighted in spending lots of time outside with all of the unseasonably warm weather. No doubt, Milla has too.

Early morning pictures?! (If she only knew . . .)

She prefers crawling because she's FAST!

Playing stand up/sit down peek-a-boo with Papa.

The Bjerkness girls stopped by to wish Milla a Happy Birthday on their way over to the NSC Stars home opener.

We continue to feel so blessed to have Milla in our lives--it has been such a sweet year with her. She has brought smiles and cheer to many. We look forward to everything her second year will bring!

11 Months!

2010-03-24T19:55:00.006-05:00

11 months today!

Milla is 11 months today! She's been very vocal the past month, is becoming increasingly aware of her surroundings and loves being outside. She's doing a lot of standing, standing and clapping, standing and holding her hands above her head, etc. and her walking record is at four continuous steps. It won't be long before she's chasing her sister!

I've been calling her "snuggles" lately because she's such a cuddly baby. Hold her and add her purple blanket to the mix and she's in heaven!

She's clearly growing . . . she does a lot of ducking under the table now!

See you next month!

Happy Birthday, G'ma Linda!

2010-03-05T11:06:00.006-06:00

Anja works diligently on G'ma Linda's sign.

Preparations began yesterday for a birthday party for Grandma Linda who can now officially tap into Medicare (before it disappears for the rest of us)! Anja worked hard to make ice cream cupcakes (thank you Joy the Baker for your recipe, and to Alisha for your tip last year), a big sign, and was certain that G'ma needed flowers AND balloons to celebrate. Anja thought dancing should be a part of the party as well, so she tried hard to coerce everyone to get on the dance floor. It was a fun night, even concluding with Singapore Slings, courtesy of G'pa Ron.

Happy Birthday, G'ma Linda!

Day 2 of the ice cream cupcakes . . . fill 'em up to the top with ice cream!

The finished product . . . the frosting (1/2 and 1/2 and chocolate chips) kept melting off the tops!

Next month she'll be clapping for something a lot better than Cheerios . . . her own cake!

Milla's First Steps!

2010-02-26T18:58:00.004-06:00

Right after her first steps . . . mama was too slow to get the camera!

This afternoon, Milla took her first steps. One-two, then one, then later another. (The phrase "baby steps" definitely rings true!) She's got a ways to go before we consider walking her means of transportation, but we're excited about this new development!

10 Months!

2010-02-24T11:39:00.003-06:00

Morn morn! I'm 10 months old today!

Milla is 10 months old today and continues to show us and the people around her loads of love and affection. She's had a great month giving fives, waving hi/bye, babbling lots, eating a wider variety of foods (cheese!), has sprouted six total teeth to date, and will be walking before we know it. Like Anja did, she loves to cruise around with her little push cart.

She's also our little explorer . . . getting into anything and everything. We thought that we could maybe bypass the baby-proofing of this house but who were we kidding?!

See you next month!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T14:28:00.005-06:00

All smiles, 1 1/2 hours into Project V-Day 2010.

Last week, Anja worked for two hours non-stop on Valentines for family and friends. (She even wanted to work through lunch!) Nothing says "I Love You" like glitter glue and hearts!

Happy Valentine's Day!

9 Months!

2010-01-24T08:17:00.005-06:00

All smiles at nine months . . . one big tooth and a little one too.

Milla is nine months old today and is keeping us on our toes. She's taking to climbing up the stairs (cruising right into her sister's room), has sprouted two teeth, has mastered the pincer grasp, can stand unassisted for a few seconds, likes to practice walking around with any willing hands, and is quickly becoming the best snuggler in our house.

We took her swimming for the first time last week and she enjoyed the water quite a bit, splashing and crawling around. The zero entry pool at our YMCA is great for the little ones!

Her stats seem to indicate that she's stretching out a bit, 95th percentile in height (29 inches) and 75th percentile in weight (20 lbs. 4 oz.). To us, she's just perfect.

Attempting to get at her ch-ch-ch-Cheerios!

Happy 2010!

2010-01-04T21:26:00.003-06:00

Anja helps with Christmas letters (a tad late, we know!), all the while wearing her party headband from the night before.

We had a great low-key-no-driving-necessary-home-by-8:30pm New Year's Eve get-together at our neighbor's house. It was perfect, and the best way to end a wonderfully chaotic 2009!

Happy New Year!

2010 is already off to a fun start . . . here's to more memorable happenings which will hopefully make their way(s) into blog posts.

8 Months & Christmas at the Erickson's!

2009-12-25T21:58:00.011-06:00

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!

2009-12-15T22:43:00.013-06:00

(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!

2009-12-06T21:26:00.003-06:00

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.

Seven Months!

2009-11-24T16:59:00.004-06:00

She loves to stand up during meal time . . . looks like bananas are for dessert!

Milla is now seven months and cruising all over the place. She loves eating her solids (opening with big "Ahhhhhs") and is developing more of her own personality. She's very observant of others around her and only "speaks" when necessary. She easily goes from person to person, often grabbing for any willing hands. She loves to slap the hard wood floors, tables and her legs, eliciting noise wherever she can. She is on the cusp of many milestones and is still such a sweetheart. What a joy!

Anja is Three!

2009-11-15T07:45:00.009-06:00

Anja counts her balloons.

The day started with a snuggle and Anja asking, "Today? Really? Today is my birthday?!" Reassured, we headed downstairs for her traditional breakfast of heart-shaped Norwegian waffles.

All day long she asked about when her friends would be coming over and when we'd have cake. A 3pm start time is a long time for a three-year-old to wait! 3pm finally came and three of her friends (Maya, Elle and Harper) their parents and her Grandparents helped to celebrate her day.

Waiting and waiting and waiting!

The photos do a good job of showing how the afternoon unfolded . . .

The kiddos made birthday hats to start.

Next up, stamps and markers and stickers and crayons to decorate a mural for the wall.

Harper and Maya hard at work.

Nana Marilyn and Milla come to take a peek at the action.

Next up . . . a treasure hunt.

Anja and Maya find one of the clues.

Time for the 3rd edition of the chocolate ganache cake from the Franklin Street Bakery. Just as good as the last two years!

Presents!

Playing with the new toys.

Anja and me winding down the evening. She definitely didn't want to go to bed---she was too jazzed from a great birthday.

Anja is a remarkable 3 year old. She can count to 100 with a little help, is starting to read and sound out words, is very independent, a great snuggler, quick-witted, very confident, and on and on. She amazes us with some of her one-liners and quick problem-solving skills. We look forward to another exciting year of watching her grow!

Six Month Stats . . .

2009-11-10T10:04:00.009-06:00

Exploring new territory a couple of weeks ago.

Milla had her six month well-baby check last week and she's literally off the charts for height. At 28 1/2 inches long, she's over an inch longer than Anja was at 6 months. No wonder she easily wears 12 month pants!

We can say that she officially started crawling as of sometime in the last couple of weeks. She gets around to wherever she'd like to go, and if she wants something, she's going to go and get it, so watch out! For example, Anja has been into playing "Go Fish" lately, but "Go Fish" has become "You'd better move those pairs out of the way before Milla gets them," or something like, "Grab 'Em, Move 'Em and Go Fish." It provides Anja with great entertainment, and for us, great enjoyment to hear her belly-laughs. It's fun to see them interact more and more each day.

One Month Later . . .

2009-11-08T16:22:00.007-06:00

Our house, all lit up on Halloween night.

It's been a month since we moved in and we're definitely moving in the right direction. We're getting more sleep, but unfortunately that just means putting things off. We do however have pictures on the wall, so we think we're doing pretty well at this point. Our goal is to get things in order by Anja's birthday, or Thanksgiving, or Christmas. :)

The first weekend we were in our house, our neighbors (one whom is a Concordia alum) hosted a bonfire in the alley behind our houses. We learned that this was a regular occurrence, something that they do lots in the summer, and when it's nice during the fall, winter and spring. It's a great time--the kids run around all of the open yards, drink juice boxes and fix s'mores, and the parents get time to socialize with each other drinking their beverages of choice. A win-win for everyone.

All told, there are 32 kids in our "circle" which has about 30-40 houses in it. The vast majority are toddlers, so Anja is in heaven meeting new kids whenever she has the opportunity.

Anja organizes her Halloween candy in our entry.

Beyond a great place for the kids to run around, having a lawn and yard has also afforded us a little extra added responsibility, something that we don't mind (yet at least!). We purchased a push mower over the weekend and the compost bin will be set up in the next couple of days.

We hope to take more pictures as things come together and will post them as soon as we can find the time.

Our First Halloween at 2708

2009-10-31T21:57:00.013-05:00

Organized chaos?

We had a great time meeting up with neighbors this Halloween. About 25 kids showed up for the pre-trick-or-treating photo-op where parents of the kiddos passed out candy and treats and then traveled around our neighborhood's circle to visit the other houses. Anja had a blast with Sophie, a new friend who lives just a couple houses down from us.

At first, Anja wanted to be a ghost. Then, on the fairy kick (like everyone else), she decided she would be Abby Cadabby, a fairy-in-training and also her favorite Sesame Street character. We teamed up with Erik's mom who sewed a fantastic skirt, and I even busted out the puff paint (!) to put the finishing touches on the wings. Here we are dressing her up on Halloween night:

Abby Cadabby is ready to go!

Sophie and Anja take a pit stop.

Anja and Sophie visit our house, where Erik's parents handed out candy and watched Milla.

After the trick-or-treating was done, everyone met up again to have another bonfire. It was way past Anja's bedtime so our time there was short, but we were still able to talk with a few neighbors. Anja summed up this Halloween just like Corduroy as the "best Halloween ever!" She's already talking about her costume for next year.

Six Months!

2009-10-24T18:15:00.008-05:00

Hey! Hey! I'm six months old today!

Milla spent part of her 1/2 birthday at the Tamarack Nature Preserve for their Trick or Treat event. It was a great, non-sugary filled event that we hope to attend in the years to come!

Milla continues to be a sweet, sweet baby. She's happy and content the vast majority of the time, very strong, and is on the cusp of crawling. Still moving around on her back, she oftentimes runs right into the stone fireplace. (Ouch!)

Anja is also becoming more interested in her little sister---giving (and taking away!) her toys, singing to her, wanting to help when she can, and even cleaning up copious amounts of her spit-up!

Joe, Elle, Milla, me, Anja & Maya trekking around Tamarack in search of the next treat.

Anja and Elle playing with gourds and filling up their buckets. (A good lesson in sharing for all!)

Cranking out fresh apple juice . . . yum!

We've Moved!

2009-10-09T12:24:00.003-05:00

Well, we're in the process! We closed yesterday afternoon and stayed the night at our new place last night. Anja was SUPER excited to finally be able to go into the house (we'll post pictures later). We won't have internet or phone access until next Tuesday, so it'll take us a few days. Time to get packing!

Twin Cities 10 Mile

2009-10-04T23:01:00.002-05:00

Erik and I ran the Twin Cities 10 Mile today . . . let's call it our longest training run in a loooong time. (Two and a half years for me!) It was slow, but we're happy to have finally "raced" again. We look forward to more road races and triathlons in the next year.

Grandpa Ron brought Anja out to cheer us on, but was a little shell-shocked because after hugs and kisses, both Erik and I ran away from her. She was probably thinking: Huh?! We hope to sign her up for some fun runs of her own as well.

We hope to post some pictures soon!

She's Scootin'!

2009-09-28T22:30:00.011-05:00

Wooooeee!

Tonight Milla decided that besides her usual mode of transporting herself (via the roll), she would try out a new move: scooting across the room on her back. She's super excited about her new way to get around as it allows her more freedom, and the ability to get her sister's toys a little easier. (Duplo Legos sure do taste good!) Unfortunately, when she finds her way to the other side, she finds a wall or other barrier, so I guess she'll have to figure that one out soon. Meanwhile, we'll help her out when she beckons.

She's also bridging a lot more and once in awhile scoots ahead on her stomach, though not too far. She's good at pivoting on that belly too. I think she'll be army man crawling pretty soon!

Happy Five Months, Milla!

2009-09-24T09:18:00.012-05:00

Good morning, Milla--you're five months old today! She's so happy when she wakes up . . . and has almost outgrown her Stokke bassinet!

Milla is five months today and at this point in her young life, she mainly wants to move. Put her down on one side of the room, and she'll roll her way to the other if you're not careful, especially if there's an interesting toy on the other side. Anja's alligator pull-toy looked awfully intriguing the other day so I moved it behind the coffee table. Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, she had found it again. Something tells me we're going to be doing some quick baby-proofing in the new house in two (!) weeks!

Much to her sister's displeasure Milla is also using her voice a lot more. Only a mama and papa (and the grandparents of course) can appreciate the shrieks and shrills of their babies!

Time for something new . . . Milla got to ride in the swings for the first time today.

Her exploration of solids is going well . . . she's not getting too much down but I guess that's not the point. Soon enough she'll be eating like a champ. Today her Stokke high chair arrived, so we were able to put it right to use.

Erik and our girls with the newly assembled Stokke Tripp Trapp (the best!).

Anja is excited to have someone to sit by during meals. Although she was a little less excited every time Milla grabbed her! This is the start of something--we just know it.

Much like her sister was, Milla is a wonderful baby. She's happy, healthy and a little joy to have in our lives.

Milla's First Solids

2009-09-21T22:51:00.004-05:00

Ready for tasteless rice cereal? You betcha!

Over the weekend, we ordered Milla her very own Stokke high chair and purchased her first rice cereal. Though her high chair hasn't come in yet, tonight we took out the crazy Bumbo chair to give Milla her first taste of what the grown-ups eat. As our first family meal together, it went pretty well. Milla was interested and took in about 20% of what we gave her and Anja delighted in showing her what she would someday eat (pasta with garden grown tomatoes and fresh mozzarella).

Anja Takes a Trip

2009-09-21T22:38:00.003-05:00

Marilyn, Anja and Great Grandma Anna.

Last Friday, Anja set off with her Nana and Grandpa Paul to Belgrade to visit her Great Grandma Anna. As usual, after spending time with Grandparents, she came home all-smiles and even with a bell-bottomed giraffe, named none other than "Dotty" (what she names every doll and animal that comes her way).

A New Trikester for Anja

2009-09-17T22:47:00.004-05:00

Tonight we unveiled quite possibly the coolest trike to Anja, Trek's Trikester. She loves it! Erik installed a New Belgium bike bell and she was off ringing and pedaling in no time at all.

Trek's "Dialed Fit Specific Design" is fantastic!

Off she goes . . . it only took her a few minutes to get the hang of it.

The best part: we can ride around on it too! It's ultra-sturdy so even us big kids can have fun riding it.

She was just as excited as I was to give me a ride!

Much to Celebrate

2009-09-07T07:54:00.005-05:00

When asked whether he wanted a simple or fancy cake, he replied, "Simple!" So, thank you Betty Crocker for the Angel Food box (!) cake. Anja beat Erik to the punch both times we lit the candle. She'll be ready for her 3rd birthday in November!

Erik turned 30 today! We decided to throw him an impromptu party around 9:30am, and by 4pm we were at the park celebrating with family and a few friends. He starts his PhD program tomorrow and I'm pretty sure he feels like it's the perfect way to start his 30s.

I'd like to thank Paul and Marilyn for bringing him into the world . . . he's quite the catch!

Anja Rides Solo

2009-09-01T23:39:00.005-05:00

Anja waited patiently for the ride to start up.

We ventured to Como Zoo again today and it was wonderful to see Anja so excited to be out and about. The last month has been tough; between the cooler summer temps and trying to get the house on the market, many times we opted for just going to one of the many parks in our area. It was time to get out and see something different (even though we'd been to Como Zoo about a dozen times in the last year).

She spotted the rides just before the zebras and I promised that if she was good and ate a good lunch, that she could pick one. About an hour later, she had finished her entire lunch (sans carrots that were accidentally dumped on the ground--I told her it was okay that we wouldn't get to eat them today--yuck!) and she was set on choosing her one ride. She quickly spotted the swings (which are her favorite---she could swing for hours) and we were off to purchase the four required tickets.

This would be her first solo ride, so she was a little worried. But, before I would need to try and convince her it would be okay, she confidently chose her swing and was ready for take-off. She was serious the entire time; I think not to let on that she was thrilled to be riding, all by herself. We may just see a few smiles next time, after all, she'll be a pro by then.

So serious!

Four Generations

2009-09-01T22:59:00.005-05:00

G'ma Bev getting her hair done. Her stylist does a great job!

Last Friday, we ventured north to Alexandria to pick up a king size bed from my Grandma's almost-sold house (Thank you!) and to stop by her place for a visit. We managed to arrive precisely as she was getting her hair done, so we hung out with several seniors at the salon for awhile until she was beautified. It was nice to see her again and to introduce her to our little Milla. Here are some shots from that afternoon.

Four Generations . . . and Erik. :)

65, 7 and a New Beginning

2009-08-31T23:04:00.007-05:00

A great night to celebrate much!

Tonight, over brats and Cafe Latte's famous Turtle Cake, we celebrated many things . . . my Dad's 65th birthday, our 7th wedding anniversary and my brother's move to Boston. It was a delightful night and I think that all of us would agree that it was a fitting way to say goodbye to year's past and hello to what will come. Best of luck to Steve as he ventures out East!

Steve and Erik looking "manly" by the grill.

Anja helped Grandpa open his present.

He requested a cake with chocolate and nuts; needless to say, we delivered! As Anja would say, "Scrumptious!"

Look at that delicious cake! My Mom has requested one for her 65th next year too!

Milla hanging out on the patio . . . next year she'll get a brat and some cake too.

Two Growing Girls!

2009-08-26T20:41:00.004-05:00

Today Milla went to her four month check-up and as we thought, she's very healthy and is measuring off the charts for her height. She's 27 (!) inches, which puts her in 12 month clothing already (which makes sense because the 6 month pants I put her in today were like high-waters). We love watching her grow, but hope she stays a baby for us a little while longer!

Meanwhile, her sister who isn't even 3 yet, is wearing 4T and now 5T clothing and is 42 (!) inches in height. I ventured into the "Girls" section tonight and did not like what I saw. Anja's sizing puts her into the section that boasts Hannah Montana (yuck!) and other tween items. Help!

We are so very fortunate to have two healthy growing girls, even if they are growing a little faster than we thought they would. I guess it means that a trip to Disneyland can come a little sooner (yes!).

Four Months . . .

2009-08-24T22:02:00.006-05:00

Look how long I am!

Milla is four months old today and continues to bring us great joy. Her newest endeavor includes rolling from point to point on the floor. Lay her down on a blanket and a minute later she's positioned herself in a new spot and is up on her elbows. She seems to enjoy her budding freedom, albeit only a couple of feet!

She's also beginning to like standing while you hold her. (Which makes burping her a lot easier!)

Tomorrow we go back to the new house to check things out . . . Anja and Milla will go for the first time. Anja can't wait to see her new purple bedroom and closet. She's got big plans already!

Selling our home!

2009-08-22T09:17:00.002-05:00

We're taking on the for sale by owner challenge to sell our existing townhome. We'll see how it goes. The past week has been filled with long days painting, cleaning, and "staging" our home. The place is looking great and we've put it on the market.

Take a look at the website we created: www.662villageparkway.com

If you know anyone who is interested or looking for a new home, please feel free to pass on this information to them. It really has been a great place for us - it is just too small for us now!

Closing is Set!

2009-08-19T20:09:00.010-05:00

The top windows are two of the bedrooms, and small middle one is a walk-in closet. The bottom windows are the front hall-way, bathroom and "flex room" (read: playroom). We can't wait to get a swing and some chairs for the porch!

About three weeks ago, in desperate need for a yard, basement and extra room or two, we set out to look for a new house. Alas, we found one that we just fell in love with (the first one we looked at). It's a former Hans Hagen model home with lots of extras, maple throughout, a full porch, and even a purple room with a walk-in closet for Anja. (Which Milla will probably fight her for in a few years.) We close on October 8th and are extremely excited. Here are a couple of pictures for the curious!

The backyard, complete with pond, (tasteful) fountain, and great pavers. The best part is the green lawn! Run, Anja, run! Top window is the master bedroom (vaulted ceiling!) and bottom window and door are the living room.

All of this means that our home at 662 Village Parkway is for sale! We are going to try "For Sale By Owner" until we get desperate. So, if you know of anyone who is looking at townhomes in the northern suburbs, let us know! We'll get an MLS listing and get a website up in a couple of days when everything is set. Meanwhile, here's some info:

For Sale!

Approx. 1820 sq. ft. - 2 bedrooms - loft - 2 1/2 bath - pool and kiddie pool (part of association) - quiet nature preserve out back porch - lots of windows and sunshine throughout - hardwood floors in kitchen and dining room - freshly painted - etc.!

The Summer Rolls on By . . .

2009-08-11T20:46:00.007-05:00

All of us!

The past couple of weeks have been quite busy . . . so busy that we've neglected our blog. One of the highlights was welcoming my sister and her family to MN for a cousin's wedding. All six of them made the trek out from Colorado, complete with two of their dogs. We hope that they make the trip again because Anja sure loves having playmates (and Milla will someday soon too)! My brother also came with his girlfriend who flew in from Massachusetts. It was surreal having our entire family there. We were so happy that everyone made the trip.

Anja and Milla all dressed up for the wedding, which was held on a perfect summer evening in Sibley Park. Congrats Breck and Mitch!

Our feeble attempt at a family photo!

We're also putting our house on the market as we are quickly outgrowing it! Anja needs a yard to run, run, run!!! So throughout the past few days, we put the girls to bed and go gang busters cleaning, decluttering and organizing. Our home has served us well, we're just in desperate need of a couple more rooms, a yard and a basement. If anyone is looking at townhomes in the northern suburbs, give us a call! (I'll post a few pictures later.)

Milla has also started to use her hands. Anja loves handing things to her and is enjoying all of her developmental milestones just as much as we are. She gets super excited every time Milla does something new . . . wait till she starts crawling!

Milla holds onto one of our favorite toys from France, a Moulin Roty dragonfly.

Back to Front!

2009-08-04T22:25:00.007-05:00

A mid-roll yawn . . . and finally over.

Milla rolled from her back to her front for Erik . . . I wasn't there to witness it but here are a couple of the shots he got! Since we took these pics last week, she's been doing it again. She's getting faster and more efficient!

Three Months!

2009-07-24T07:30:00.006-05:00

Good morning Milla, you're 3 months old today!

Milla is three months old today and she continues to be a great baby. After all of the fuss immediately after she was born, she has settled into a very relaxed and happy little one. She's a little sweetheart.

The latest is that she really wants to move, although she only goes around in circles and can roll from her front to her back. She's beginning to plant her feet into position for other moves, but just isn't there yet. We'll just have to wait and see . . .

Milla rockin' tummy time this evening.

An addendum: A couple of my favorite things about Milla to date . . . she greets us with BIG smiles when you get her up in the morning, and she sleeps 9-11 hours (straight!) every night.

A Trip to the North Shore

2009-07-18T20:06:00.008-05:00

Anja and Milla ready to go . . . Anja requested a snack (Goldfish crackers) the moment we started moving.

This past week took us to the North Shore of Lake Superior with Erik's parents. We enjoyed a whole lot of relaxing and exploring Northern MN just a bit. In Grand Marais we took in Sven and Ole's Pizza, Chez Jude, Java Moose and The World's Best Donuts. We ended our four-night excursion in Duluth, where we made S'mores and walked the shore. I think it was a much needed break for everyone! Thanks, Paul and Marilyn!

The big draw in Silver Bay was the promise of a frog slide . . . it didn't disappoint! Milla watched from the sidelines--next year!

Can you spot the "A?" Anja did!

Proof that on occasion, Anja does nap. This nap started in the car . . . Erik successfully made the transfer.

This photo is for Peter and Kathryn . . . we hope that Peter is "Jumping Around" the next time we see him. (Thanks you two!) Milla did more lounging than jumping around in Grand Marais.

Anja chasing some strange bird on the shore in Grand Marais. (Sorry bird!)

We visited Betsy Bowen's studio in GM. It's located in an old Norwegian Lutheran church, which is now home to the GM Playhouse.

Anja feeds the seagulls with Nana and G'pa Paul.

Milla's beautiful blues (checking out her G'pa Paul).

After a hard day, Nana gets a foot rub from Anja and G'pa Paul.

Front to Back!

2009-07-09T21:17:00.003-05:00

Milla surprised us tonight by rolling from her front to her back during tummy time . . . this girl wants to move! She's been rotating around in her crib at night, sometimes a full 360 degrees, so we knew that this would come soon enough. Stay tuned for more action!

We Love Our Little Milla

2009-07-06T16:08:00.010-05:00

Milla stares intently at a book in front of her.

Milla continues to grow and change and is a great baby . . . she smiles and babbles a lot and is even showing us glimpses of how she'll eventually roll over. She's super fun to watch and interact with.

Anja continues to be a great big sister, reading to Milla and trying her best to calm her when she cries. It's sweet to see her so thoughtful with her little sister.

Anja's First Haircut

2009-07-06T16:07:00.003-05:00

No fuss here . . . a movie and a sucker surely do the trick! Anja didn't want to leave---she wanted to stay and finish watching Madagasgar 2.

Today we decided it was time to get Anja her first haircut. On the recommendation of my stylist, we headed to Kids Kuts in Coon Rapids. Anja was a little reluctant as we walked out of the house, but after my reassurances that it "wouldn't hurt," she hopped right to it. I was primarily concerned that she would lose her curl, but not at all. In fact, Anja now has layers and the curls look even better.

We walked out with a certificate and a lock of her hair in a ziploc, and headed to Noodles & Co., Cold Stone Creamery and the park (our standard play date destinations). Not a bad morning for Anja!

Two Months! and Milla's First Trip to the Zoo

2009-06-24T19:23:00.007-05:00

Milla is two months today, and it's been a lot of fun to watch her grow. There's such a contrast between the girls right now . . . Anja can do many things while Milla is just learning to do the most basic of things. It's amazing how easily you forget all of those little steps that bring you to the present moment. Erik is especially appreciating all of these little steps this time around as he's home for the summer and able to see many more of them on a daily basis.

Milla has really impressed us with how strong she is . . . holding her head up much of the time and bearing lots of weight on her little legs. She's also using her vocal chords more often, giving us many "ah-goos!" which Anja likes to imitate, is quite smiley, and is becoming more interested in what we do (particularly the shadow puppeteering I've come to do at bedtime when the lighting is just right). But she is still a baby, so she sleeps a lot. Like today, she slept through our entire visit to the Como Zoo, rain and all.

Milla's position the entire time . . . she's a good sleeper!

"Let's jump on one foot!" Maya and Anja footloose and fancy free.

Milla's Baptism and a Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T20:37:00.005-05:00

Father's Day was an especially memorable day for all of us this year. Milla, held by her Papa, was baptized by my Dad, her Grandpa Ron today. Interestingly enough, I was baptized by my Dad 30 years ago on Father's Day as well. It's been so special having my Dad there at some of the most important days of our life together . . . presiding with the late Carl Lee at our wedding, Anja's baptism, and now Milla's baptism. Thanks, Dad for being there for these important days! And Happy Father's Day Erik and Dad!

Milla being baptized by her Grandpa Ron today . . . and held by her Papa.

With Milla's Godparents, Paul & Katie and Krista & Nathan.

Papa shows off Anja's writing skills (there weren't any "A" stickers left, so she wrote them in).

Life is Good

2009-06-01T09:09:00.007-05:00

This weekend we had a few rough patches (mainly with our non-napping 2 1/2 year old!), but had more good times together as a family. Here are a few of our favorite shots:

A beautiful evening for a trip to the park.

Erik and Anja.

Anja is a great big sister . . . here she entertains Milla with her (former) rattles. Shhhhh! She quiets her very sweetly when she cries, singing to her, and mimicking many of the things we say. Needless to say, it's super cute!

Anja and G'pa Ron in the bleachers at the MN Thunder soccer game. Come out and watch sometime, the cheap seats are only $5!

"Silly guy" (Thor, the Thunder's mascot) and Anja picking him out on the field. We aren't sure whether she likes him or not. We do know he was good entertainment for her, enough to last her the entire game. Yay!

Five Weeks . . .

2009-05-29T14:46:00.008-05:00

Same age, same onesie . . . similar looks, but very different demeanor!

Milla is five weeks old today, and I'm happy to say that we're all getting more used to each other and how life has changed. It's definitely a transition, in different ways for all of us. My days at home with both girls are getting easier (knock on wood!), Anja is doing a great job with more independent play, and the three of us girls even got to the park everyday this week (without any craziness)!

Milla is about 10 lbs. (subtracting our weight while holding her with us on the scale), so she's a good eater just like her sister. We think that she's got some reflux issues, which are causing her some grief (lots of spit up and some uncomfortable moments), but beyond that she's very healthy. She's also showing more smiles, which are sweet to see, and has started to throw in a few "ah-goos" here and there. We are very blessed!

Milkshake, Anyone?

2009-05-27T20:05:00.005-05:00

Silly Anja tonight, offering up a try.

The latest Penzeys Spices catalog features several recipes that include strawberries (which are finally in season!), so tonight Anja and I gave their milkshake recipe a go. It's super easy and delicious!

1 cup milk
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1 cup fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries or raspberries)
2 cups crushed ice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar (we opted for about 1/8 of a cup)

Put all of the ingredients into blender, and blend until smooth.

One Month!

2009-05-24T17:03:00.004-05:00

Milla . . . all 22 inches of her.

Milla is one month old today . . . it's amazing how fast time really goes! She has surprised us with a few party tricks this week. On Monday, she rolled from her stomach to back and on Wednesday she was able to do tummy time and hold her head up for 2-3 minutes at a time. She's starting to put weight on her little legs as well. She's clearly a strong little one!

And to our surprise, she has also been sleeping through the night for about five out of the last seven nights (!). That being said, she cluster feeds at 3:30pm, 4:30pm, 5:30pm, 6:30pm, 7:30pm, 8:30pm, 9:30pm and 10pm, so it's not entirely a picnic! :) We're thankful to be sleeping more like normal people though and are cautiously optimistic that it will continue!

It's 2:23 long . . . Milla just hanging out while Erik sleepily facilitates the action.

Already a Great Traveler

2009-05-18T09:48:00.003-05:00

Milla on our flight to Chicago.

Our trip to Chicago this weekend was great . . . can't say we did much more than hang out at the hotel, but it was quite relaxing. Milla did wonderfully on both flights, I learned a lot from some coaching greats, and Erik watched more TV (History Channel) in one day than he probably has watched in the past month! (Okay, maybe not that much, but he finally got a chance to do some relaxing after a very busy spring.) We're looking forward to more travel with both girls as they're showing us they are great little travelers (yay!).

Erik braved a crazy diaper change in the car . . . could've been pretty messy!

Anja had a fun weekend as well . . . she played lots. From what we've gathered, she did lots of rolling down hills, made some sand castles, ate lots of popcorn, and even got her first fly fishing casting lesson from her G'pa Paul. And she wasn't even mad at us for leaving her for the weekend. We are looking to celebrate our 10th anniversary (2012) with a grown-ups-only vacation abroad, so these short stints away bring us great hope!

3 weeks, 2 1/2 years and the Big 3-0!

2009-05-15T10:39:00.003-05:00

Today marks Milla's third week of life, Anja's 1/2 birthday, and my 30th birthday. Anja and Erik surprised me this morning by waking me up with cards and gifts in hand. Anja was so excited that she told me what she picked out (a cool purple Sigg waterbottle) before we finished opening the present. She's got great taste!

Erik, Milla and I are flying to Chicago today so that I can attend a coaches swim clinic. Headlining is Michael Phelps' coach, Bob Bowman, who I hope to learn a few things from! I love Chicago, so it'll be nice to celebrate (kind of) three decades of life there!

Anja is staying with both sets of grandparents this weekend, one night at each. I'm pretty sure she's going to have a great weekend as well! Good times!

Two Weeks & Two Napping Girls (!)

2009-05-08T14:15:00.005-05:00

Milla and Anja ready to go to the park!

Milla is two weeks old today, and has already reached her birth weight and then some (8 lbs. as of Wednesday). She's obviously a good eater and a super calm baby thus far. We feel so fortunate to have another healthy little girl!

Thanks to Anja's great daycare provider who gifted us two free days of daycare this week, I was finally able to get some rest (the whole "you nap when the baby naps" thing wasn't happening last week!). So, today was my first day with both girls. Milla slept almost the entire morning, and through her first trip to the park, so Anja and I were able to fully enjoy every piece of playground equipment at one of our neighborhood parks.

Right now, both girls are napping. This is a strange and wonderful phenomenon as Anja has been fighting naps since last June. Maybe Milla is rubbing off on her . . . we shall see! Guess it's time for me to lay down too!

Swinging and snoozing . . .

More Photos from Milla's First Week . . .

2009-05-02T09:11:00.011-05:00

On Tuesday, before our second ER visit (this time for me), I promised to post more photos. Here are a few of our favorites from the past week.

Dr. Soneral (delivered Milla), Milla and Erik before we were discharged on Sunday.

Coming home, the first time. Our new family of four!

We're home!

Milla's first nap in her bassinet.

Anja serves up cake to celebrate Milla's birthday on Monday.

Anja helped give Milla her first bath at home.

It's tummy time!

One Week!

2009-05-01T19:09:00.005-05:00

Milla . . . one week old today.

Milla's first week has been rather eventful . . . her birth, coming home, two trips to the ER (her own and mine), and in general, getting to know the world around her. She shows a quiet curiosity that is fun to watch and is quite the chill little lady. (Maybe we're just used to an almost 2 1/2 year old running around the house, just a guess!)

We've seen her first smiles and first rolls from side to side and look forward to many more milestones in the days and weeks to come!

Meanwhile, it was great to get out with Anja for a little one on one time today to celebrate the first day of May. We went to the library and park, played with her new dance ribbon (Thanks, Heather!), and instead of making traditional May baskets, Anja conjured up making a "stick garden" -- where we gathered dead grass and stuck it in our planter right alongside the tulips. She's a creative one!

Our stick garden (see right side of planter).

Who's Who?

2009-04-30T21:19:00.005-05:00

Anja at 5 weeks . . . Milla at 6 days.

Milla will only be a week old tomorrow, but she's sure looking like her sister already. Check out the resemblances!

The Things They Do . . .

2009-04-30T21:14:00.005-05:00

When Anja told us she needed to feed Baby Stella this morning, we thought nothing of it. Then, she brought Baby Stella downstairs and proceeded to nurse her. That's our girl!

A Good Day . . .

2009-04-28T19:56:00.002-05:00

After all of the drama from the past few days, it was nice to have an uneventful day at home as a family. What did we do? We ate, bathed, napped (some of us), and rolled down our hill in the backyard (the one who didn't nap). :)

We'll post more pictures tomorrow . . . we're tired tonight.

Homecoming . . . NICU . . . Homecoming . . . Relief

2009-04-27T15:26:00.005-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, the three of us brought Milla home. It was wonderful to have our family of four together at home for a brief period of time. We spent the afternoon relaxing together, had a nice dinner and were about to make a birthday cake with Anja for Milla.

Then things took a turn for the worse. We were shocked to witness our little Milla choking on some mucous or something and turning blue in the face. Erik was able to do some infant back blows which were able to help clear her airways and allow her to get some good breaths in again. She was only in distress for a few seconds, but it was after a few small cries Milla's color in her face came back but her extremeties remained a purplish blue for sometime. We called our clinic's afterhours line and were instructed to take her into the ER as soon as possible.

We arrived at the ER and were helped out fairly quickly. After another bout of choking and blueish extremities, we received much faster help from a sleu of nurses and doctors. The doctors let us know it could be just an isolated incident of choking, but it also could be a host of other things. We appreciated how serious they took the situation. After contemplating sending us to Children's Hospital, they realized they could use the NICU right there at St. Johns - I doubt they get too many 2 day olds in the ER.

We went up into the Special Care NICU unit and Milla was put into a warmer bed as her temperature was below normal, and hooked up to a number of monitors to watch her heart rate, blood pressure, O2 level and breathing. Later, she was hooked up to a machine that monitors symptoms of apnea and records them for the night.

The nurses did a few tests and were quickly able to tell us that they didn't feel it was anything out of the ordinary. To be safe, we were to stay through the night so they would be able to rule other problems out. I stayed in Special Care to nurse Milla and Erik was given a room in the maternity ward (right outside).

It was a long night, but very reassuring to have brought her in. They think that it was only mucus or milk that she was choking on, as her systems are still so immature that her body just needs to learn how to do things. We left at noon today armed with more information and skills to help Milla get herself out of these predicaments. We will be watching her very carefully as every time she wakes up, she chokes a bit, spits up through her mouth and nostrils, and looks alarmed. This is scary for us, but the nurses assured us that it's normal and that we did the right thing to come in and have her checked out.

You quickly learn how easy it is to become so attached to someone so new when something like this happens, and we were very relieved to bring Milla home with us again today. Tonight, we once again plan to be together as a family, and finally make Milla that birthday cake.

Milla's First Day

2009-04-25T19:15:00.023-05:00

While Friday may have been Milla's official due date, we were not necessarily expecting her to be on time. In fact, we've been expecting her to be early. After two false alarms, she has kept us on our toes the past few weeks. Yesterday morning Shana had a biophysical test at St. Johns. I was able to get off work a bit early and meet her there. When we got to the hospital at 11:15, I doubt either of us expected that we wouldn't be leaving. Milla's biophysical score came back a 4 of 8, a score that prompted the doctors to try and get things moving because of her breathing and movement.

After some discussion with the nurses, doctors and Heather (our doula pictured above with Shana), we decided that it would be best to have an artificial rupture of the membranes (AROM or in other words, to break her water) due to the concerns of the biophyscial test and the strong likelihood that Shana would go right into labor. Sure enough, after the AROM at 3:00, Shana was in active labor by 4:00. At 5:57, she delivered our healthy baby girl without any further interventions. Milla arrived in this world with a shout and it was great to hear her strong lungs announce her arrival.

We wanted to make sure Anja got to meet her new baby sister as soon as possible so Ron and Linda brought her to the hospital later in the evening. Anja was great! She was very excited to meet Milla and couldn't wait to hold her. Anja was also very happy to see her mama and climbed right up into the hospital bed with her.

It was great to see Ron and Linda as well! They have been a huge help and have been taking care of Anja over the past two days. Milla makes grandchild number six for them, although I think Linda would like to see that number increase. We'll have to wait and see, but I wouldn't hold your breath. As they say, one kid is like one kid while two kids are like ten kids!

Many of you know that my father, Paul, had emergency open heart surgery to repair an aortic dissection around 4 weeks ago. Recovery for him has been going well, although the steps are small. After Ron and Linda left with Anja for the night, Paul, Marilyn and my brother Karl came to visit as well. It was great that Paul could make it for a visit, although we know it took a lot out of him. Karl also made a big occasion of it, dressing up in his fancy suit. It's always good to see a surf bum in a suit!

Our first night with Milla reminded us of the sleep deprivation to come! We finally did get some solid sleep around 4:00 am. The lack of sleep is a small price to pay as we had a great morning. We simply enjoyed being with Milla and taking it all in. We gave Milla her first bath, met with the doctor who delivered her (while not our regular doctor, he has been fantastic) and relaxed as much as we could.

Today, Anja came for a long visit over lunch with Ron and Linda. We had a nice time, and Anja and Milla had the opportunity to "exchange" gifts - it was Milla's birthday after all. Anja got right to work putting her new puzzle together although she kept going back and forth between Milla and the puzzle. One minute she wanted to sit by Milla and hold her hand or give her a kiss, the next she was back to a puzzle piece. So far, Anja is enjoying being the big sister. We hope this is a sign of more good times to come!

As a final treat for the day, Paul and Marilyn stopped by for a quick visit. All the activity of yesterday really took it out of Paul and made for a pretty rough Saturday. We were glad to have their visit and we know that 10 minutes with your new grandchild can certainly brighten one's day!

We plan to take Milla home tomorrow as a family. Anja is looking forward to it and we have her big sister outfit all ready to go. For Shana and me, it's been nice to have some relative peace and quiet at the hospital. We're excited, but also a bit nervous to see how life at home is going to change. I suppose we can be assured our new life will be similar to what Paul told Shana before we got married: "Life with the Erickson's may be many things, but it is not boring!"

Say Hello to Milla!

2009-04-24T20:39:00.005-05:00

On Friday April 24th, Shana gave birth to another beautiful little girl. We named her Milla Letnes Erickson. Milla is pronounced me-lah. She was born at 5:57 pm, weighing 7 pounds 9 ounces and 20 and 3/4 inches long. Baby and Mama are both healthy and doing very well.

Anja was able to meet her new sister tonight and she was wonderful! She is going to be a great big sister. Ron and Linda, Marilyn and Paul, and Karl were all able to visit as well. We'll post some more pictures of their visits tomorrow.

40 Weeks Today . . .

2009-04-24T07:35:00.002-05:00

Well, we've officially made it farther with this baby than with Anja. I'm 40 weeks today, and we have yet to meet our little one! I'm set for tests to make sure she's not in any distress today, then on Monday, then . . . I don't want to be induced if I don't have to be, but if there's any concern we'll do what's necessary.

We finally decided on her name last Sunday . . . it's fully Scandinavian but won't be unveiled until the big day. You'll never guess--we promise!

Hopefully we'll be able to report more exciting news soon!

Another Good One from Putamayo!

2009-04-21T19:37:00.007-05:00

Calling all Putamayo fans! We received our first Putamayo CD from friends for Anja's 1st birthday and have purchased several since then. They are by far our favorite kids' CDs (not annoyingly irritating for the parents to listen to over, and over, and over again!). Today while shopping, I found a 50% off sale at the Coon Rapids Borders bookstore, which meant their Putamayo CDs were only $7.50 each. (Bargain! Whether this is a nationwide sale, I don't know.) I snatched up Sesame Street Playground as well as another. Anja loves it . . . danced around like crazy tonight and loved hearing the voices of her favorite Sesame Street characters. Worth every penny!

And in other news . . . no baby yet. We hope that all of the dancing tonight will encourage her to arrive soon!

Enjoying the Outdoors

2009-04-13T19:44:00.003-05:00

A trip to the hospital for an ultrasound this weekend provided a couple of things . . . Anja was able to see her baby sister again and we happened upon a good idea to help us all enjoy more of the natural world. What's the big deal? Well, we decided that a bird feeder in the backyard was long overdue. So, off to Fleet Farm we went!

Anja picked out the pinkest bird feeder in the lot, a 40 lb. bag of bird feed, and a two-pronged shepherd's hook. We were set.

She helped pour the bird seed, then started shouting, "Come eat, birds!" This is when we tried to explain that the birds are a little shy, so it's best to watch them from a window inside. We think she's okay with this, but bless her heart, we know she would much rather stay outside to personally welcome them over for some snacks.

She then proceeded to continuously roll down the hill. I loved this. I hope that this is something Anja can teach her little sister . . . to get a little dirty and to enjoy the simple things.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T18:21:00.006-05:00

Anja patiently waiting for her eggs to color earlier this month.

Easter started early this year . . . an egg hunt on Thursday, a community-wide one on Saturday, and finally a couple of hunts today. At church this morning, Anja made it through the 1 1/2 hour (!) service almost perfectly and learned about how the egg symbolized "new life" during the children's sermon. (At least it's a point that I hope becomes clearer in the next few years.) We ate Easter lunch and searched for eggs and small gifts with G'ma Linda and G'pa Ron, and Nana Marilyn and G'pa Paul even stopped by for a few minutes.

Erik took Anja to the community hunt. He said it was a zoo!

Anja met up with her friend Teagan, and one of Teagan's friends, Reese. Looks like they had a great time together!

She has now mastered the you-hide-em, I'll-seek-em game!

Erik gives Anja a boost to get another egg at G'ma and G'pa's house.

It's been a beautiful weekend, and we feel very fortunate to have been able to get outside into the fresh air for a few walks and tricycle rides. We feel like it's the calm before the baby comes . . . we're both getting quite anxious, so truthfully we hope that the calm ends somewhat soon. Our calendar is bare, which is an oddity in itself, so we look forward to filling it up with everything that comes along with having a new baby at our house. Her name is chosen, bassinet is ready, and Anja is ready to help change diapers (yes!).

Less than a month to go . . . we hope!

Playing with chalk in the driveway yesterday. It's fun to see her creativity develop!

It's the Big Red Dog!

2009-04-08T16:18:00.007-05:00

Today, with the umteenth day of 40 degree temps brought us to the Minnesota Children's Museum. The big draw? Why, Clifford the Big Red Dog! Anja was somewhat perplexed by the notion of going to see him and kept asking where Clifford was, but after the drive down to St. Paul and three long purple flights of steps later, we were at his paws.

Hanging with Clifford . . . watering "Birdwell Island's" flowers.

The place was crawling with toddlers, kindergartners, school groups and more, so it was a little crazy, but well worth the lessons in sharing, taking turns, etc. (What do you do when some kid smacks another kid? Intervene or not?) Anja did a great job with the chaos, but was a little miffed when she would wait in line for her turn, only to be turned away because some other kid stepped ahead of her. Truth be told, she wasn't perfect either. She did try to take a small child's plastic fish, but then gave it back (and then some). And, she did push a boy (where does she learn this?). But, on the whole, I give her high marks for not succumbing to anything more than those two incidents. :)

Anja working the conveyor belt to feed Clifford some snacks.

Driving the truck around Birdwell Island.

Anja loved finding scissors, crayons and tape to make her own creation.

Dressing up as Cleo and petting Mac.

She got a kick out of the musical part of the exhibit, sometimes even dancing around as Cleo.

Playing with the "sand" by T-Bone.

She was thrilled with the morning, and after almost two hours with Clifford, was perfectly content with heading to her favorite eating establishment, Noodles and Co. Ironically enough, she's napping now. Thanks, Clifford!

A Day at the Ballet

2009-04-05T19:00:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to take Anja to her first ballet performance. The James Sewell Ballet presented what they dubbed the "First Chance Dance," a performance especially for the under 10 crowd, with no intermission, and only an hour long. At the end, we asked Anja what she thought of it, and her response was, "It was too loud . . . but I liked the dancing!" It was a fun experience for the three of us to do together as we look to becoming four later this month!

Anja loved wearing her pink sparkly Converse and her dress from the Botn Family, our good friends in Norway.

Sunny Mango Sippers

2009-03-31T20:40:00.003-05:00

What got her out of her new pink booster seat? Ahhhh . . . she wanted to make Sunny Mango Sippers from her Silly Snacks Sesame Street recipe book. This recipe is ridiculously easy, quite healthy, and very tasty.

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh or frozen mangoes
1/2 cup orange juice
6 oz. vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
*Serves 3 using small cups.

Put ingredients in the blender on high for a few seconds, and voila! a tasty snack.

As Anja says, "D-Yummy-Licious!"

A "Big Girl" Booster Seat

2009-03-31T18:46:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago, we discovered that Anja was quickly reaching the maximum capacity for her current car seat, so off we went to research the best and safest booster seats for her. We discovered that not only were 5-point harness seats the safest, but with safety you also pay a bit more. (Can you really put a price on safety though?) Anyway, while looking on-line with Anja last night, she pointed out that she rather preferred every pink booster seat that popped up. So, off we went and purchased a pink Britax Frontier booster seat for her. Needless to say, she likes it!

She wanted to try it out, so we all went and sat in the car this evening.

As many of you know, Erik's dad, Paul, is home from the hospital and recovering from quite the week. His recovery will be long, and lifestyle changes will be great, but we feel ever so thankful that he is still with us (and celebrating his birthday today!). Your thoughts, prayers and help with their transition back to their life at home have been greatly appreciated.

Thank you . . .

2009-03-25T11:23:00.004-05:00

We just wanted to thank everyone for their outpouring of support for Paul, Marilyn and all of our family. Erik is posting updates about him on this site: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/paulderickson
Right now all of the news is positive, but we know there's a long way to go.

Please keep Paul and Marilyn in your thoughts and prayers.

Transition Time!

2009-03-23T19:36:00.005-05:00

Erik teaching Anja how to use an Allen wrench, or the "zigzag."

We've gotten a ton of use out of our Baby Bjorn Sitter in the past 2+ years, so much that we've just realized that Anja is about seven pounds over the "maximum weight" limit on it. (Oops!) We decided that it was obviously time for a change (with the new baby coming!), so to IKEA we went. Their kid-sized Poang chair was the perfect fit. We brought it home and she put it together with Erik. As you can see, she's a great little helper.

Anja worked very diligently.

Finished!

We've begun a lot of "baby sister" talk and have tried to get her into the mindset that we'll be welcoming the new baby into the house in the next month or so. It's going to be a big change for everyone, so we hope that with all of this talk it'll help when it becomes the real deal.

Erik collapses the Baby Bjorn, just until the new baby arrives.

I'm the BIG Sister! Class

2009-03-21T19:28:00.003-05:00

Anja's already pretty good at changing Baby Stella's diaper, but we'll have to see how she feels when it's a real one!

Today Anja and I went to a class specifically for her to learn about what it will be like to be the BIG sister . . . or something like that. The kiddos got to see a couple of newborns in the nursery and up close, changed their baby's diaper, swaddled their babies, and learned how to hold a baby. Anja did pretty well, and was especially excited to ride the elevator up to see the real babies! Here are some photos from the morning. She's going to be a great BIG sister in a few weeks!

Almost done . . .

No naked babies here!

Practice holding the "baby."

Anja receives a certificate and coloring book for successful completion of the class.

Yay for Warm Temps!

2009-03-14T19:42:00.003-05:00

Ironically, Anja had the run of the park. We didn't see anyone else!

Today's outing was quite the treat . . . 50 degree temps meant it was finally time to hit up the park again. Anja, Erik and I went on the first walk we've been on for quite some time and enjoyed getting out under the beautiful blue sky. We look forward to more of these days to come!

We were all smiles the entire time . . . nice to be outside!

Festival of Colors (Holi)

2009-03-13T12:40:00.003-05:00

Someday I will attend this festival. In fact, this is probably in my top 5 wish list of things to do. I've seen video and other photos of this amazing celebration. The Festival of Colors or Holi is a Hindu celebration which welcomes the coming of spring (rebirth), and the triumph of good over evil. I think we'll have to wait a few years until the girls are a little older though :-)

Just Warm Enough for a Spin . . .

2009-03-07T20:46:00.003-06:00

This week, we were fortunate to have a few days that reached into the 40s, so we tried our best to take advantage of the "warm" temperatures. Anja saw a few teenagers riding their bicycles, so she figured it was about time that she got to ride her tricycle again too. Too bad there's snow in the forecast for tomorrow and Tuesday! Ahh, we'll take what we can get guess!

She kept chanting, "Faster! Faster!" We kept chanting, "Pedal! Pedal!" There's something about having a semi-uphill driveway when you're trying to maintain momentum . . . guess she might have to watch some Tour de France highlights this summer to see how the pros get out of the saddle. Should be an interesting one this year, with Lance back as well as Landis, Hamilton, and the rest of the formerly suspended cyclists!

A Tasty Dinner Recipe . . .

2009-03-03T19:11:00.005-06:00

This afternoon, I busted out our Rival Crock Pot and made another meal courtesy of our monthly Everyday Food magazine. Slow-Cooker Spiced Chicken Stew with Carrots was the selection this time, and it was extremely easy. They call it a stew, but I definitely wouldn't. The chicken, although it turned out a little dry, was fantastic. I halved the recipe, so that may have contributed to the dryness (next time I'll add a splash of water to the pot). Try it--you'll like it!

The BIG Picture

2009-03-02T16:59:00.001-06:00

Kyrgyzstan was featured in today's Big Picture. This is one of my favorite photo sites. Check it out here.

Let it snow!

2009-02-26T18:39:00.004-06:00

We hope that other Minnesotans are happy about the new snow we're getting right now . . . all of us got out for a snowy romp-around this afternoon. Yay!

Hushovd takes stage 3

2009-02-17T21:25:00.003-06:00

I must admit that I'm not following the cycling world as avidly as I once was. I did however, tune in to see a good chunk of today's stage in the Tour of California. You can watch the stage live on their Tour Tracker website. It's pretty cool. You can follow individual riders, get mph, time gaps, etc. Stage 3 was clearly a sprinters day. Some early climbs and then about 50 miles of flat to finish off the 104 mile stage.

A small group had broken away and got a 5+ minute gap. It wasn't enough. The peloton slowly starting reeling them in. Unfortunately, I had to go with about 12 miles to go. The gap was now around 1:30. At this point I decided to call the race for my favorite Norwegian sprinter, Thor Hushovd.

In the end, the peloton didn't catch the break until the final kilometers. Then in a text book lead out, the Cervelo Test Team set up Thor perfectly to take the win. You can check out the video here: http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/race-live/video.html

I also love the picture above - you know this was as much a victory for Thor's team as it was for him.

Happy Heart Day!

2009-02-14T19:03:00.003-06:00

Anja's Valentine's Day pizza, complete with roasted red and yellow peppers, pine nuts and mozzarella cheese. Yum! (We added garlic, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms for Erik, sauteed onions and corn to the others.)

Beginning late last fall, we tried to establish a once-a-week tradition of making homemade pizzas. So, the weekly thing hasn't worked, but we've certainly tried. (We hope that once the swim season is over, we'll be able to do it more often!) We got the recipe from our friends Adam and Laura when we traveled to Seattle last summer. Turns out we owned the book that the recipe for "Friday Night Pizza" came out of: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver, but we hadn't reached that part in the book yet. (You can have the recipe too, just look under "Recipes" on the right side.)

Anyway, to celebrate another pizza night and Valentine's Day, we made heart shaped pizza this evening. Below is our little helper!

Anja's got a knack for spreading toppings and rolling out the dough!

He's In!

2009-02-13T20:47:00.004-06:00

Erik received confirmation today that he was accepted into the University of Minnesota's Comparative International Development Education PhD program, effective this fall! This is a true affirmation of his academic skills and scholarly interests. CONGRATS PAPA!

String of Things . . .

2009-02-07T20:19:00.003-06:00

Anja, post production, still decorating her hearts.

Since last Halloween, Anja and I have enjoyed celebrating holidays by decorating the house with a few arts and crafts projects. Valentine's Day this year is no exception. Anja LOVES hearts, so she was especially keen on this project. (And we busted out the markers too which doesn't happen very often!) We took a cue from our friends' "Love Mobile" on this one (see "Growing" blog), but added our own twist. We decided to make a string of hearts for family, friends, and even a heart for "hearts." These are all people and things she thought of, so if you see your name, consider yourself on Anja's "A" list.

Anja's string of hearts graces the wall in her room.

We're Still Having a Girl!

2009-02-06T19:04:00.003-06:00

Well, the one perk to having "pre-term" whatever you want to call it, is that you get frequent ultrasounds to check on how things are going. We went in again yesterday and although things aren't perfect with her mama, our baby girl is doing well. (It's also nice to have confirmation that she is indeed a she.) :)

We've got another ultrasound scheduled for next week, so we'll probably post another pic then. Meanwhile, my doctor says it's time to slow down (again, but seriously this time, although no best rest). I may get to finish the swim season after all. Yes!

What's an hour?

2009-02-01T15:58:00.003-06:00

Today I skied the City of Lakes Loppet. My intense training regimen enabled me to finish the 35 km freestyle race in 2:29:07. This put me in 639th place.

In 2006 I skied this same race and finished in 1:27:31 and was in 130th place.

What's an hour? In geologic time this is like a fraction of a hundred-thousandth of a second and thus, I'm feeling pretty good.

I'll try to post some pics later.

A Rough Week . . .

2009-01-23T21:01:00.004-06:00

Relaxing and reading the newspaper on Sunday.

Well, this past week has been full of rest, movies and several trips to see our doctor. It all started on Saturday, when Anja showed signs of some sort of sickness coming on, and Erik and I spent a couple of hours at the hospital because of a barrage of contractions in the evening (just like I had with Anja, only a couple weeks earlier this time).

After six days, we're both doing better (though not 100%), and I'm not on bed rest quite yet. (Just sitting a lot more, or else!) We're looking forward to a healthier week next week!

The Inauguration

2009-01-21T21:49:00.005-06:00

We were all happy to witness history this past Tuesday. What an amazing moment. Here is a photo from one of my favorite sites, "The Big Picture: News Stories in Photographs." Check this link for 48 photos from the day.

Erik Skis the Pepsi Challenge

2009-01-17T19:53:00.007-06:00

I started this winter with high hopes of putting in some serious skiing. While that hasn't quite panned out (I'm lucky to get out once a week), I'm not letting it stop me from doing the races I signed up for. Today I skied the classic 26 km Pepsi Challenge in Biwabik, MN. With all the stellar training I put in I knew I was going to be a contender in today's race. After getting winded in my warm up, I staked out a spot in the starting area and enjoyed the warm winter morning, it was 5 degrees above zero.

Rather than give a lengthy race report (see Peter Nelson's blog, Ironman and Beyond for stellar examples of truly in-depth race reports), I decided to include this helpful graph of my race. I thought this might help analyze my performance in order to improve in my next race. In the eating chocolate department and b-s'ing with the aid workers I was unstoppable today. Otherwise I think it's clear I spent far too much time limping, crawling, and walking rather than racing.

In all honesty, even if my legs would not agree, it was some of the most fun I've had skiing. Often times when you're racing you don't even notice the scenery. Not today. It was truly a winter wonderland. Pristine snow covered meadows with a light snow falling and just enough sun to give each snow flake a little sparkle. Truly beautiful. If I can find some pictures I'll post a few.

To Florida and back again . . .

2009-01-12T21:44:00.005-06:00

The girls out snorkeling . . . I stayed on the boat because I can't snorkel (and I'm a little weary of the wildlife)!

This year the St. Kate's team training trip took us to the Florida Keys . . . the warm sun was fantastic and the girls' training was as well. Erik and Anja stayed home this time around, and they survived very well without me. Needless to say, everyone's glad that we're back together again. Here are a few shots from the trip!

Looking landward from the beach. I loved seeing green in the winter!

There were little lizards and iguanas everywhere! Yeeesh!

Ut på ski!

2009-01-03T12:26:00.006-06:00

Anja got her first pair of skis this holiday season, a pair that both Karl and I used when we were little. While there is some uncertainty as to when my brother and I first used these skis, maybe it was at two years old, maybe it wasn't until we were three or four, there is no uncertainty about Anja. This kid is a natural. Here she is on skis for the first couple of times at two years, 1.5 months. Enjoy the video. It's one minute 40 seconds in length.

The clips where it is snowing was her very first time on skis. We had two brief attempts (we basically put the skis on and she was done) and then another great outing yesterday.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T16:55:00.002-06:00

It's been a busy holiday break for us and I'm sure we'll get to posting about all that took place. For now, I just wanted to post a link to the lists of 2008. An impressive collection of bests and worsts of the year. Enjoy. http://www.fimoculous.com/year-review-2008.cfm

A Very Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T21:58:00.007-06:00

Anja in her Christmas dress, I mean "THE dress" from Hanna Andersson. This one was hard to get our hands on!

We've had a week filled with Christmas and holiday get-togethers; it's been great to celebrate with many family members and friends throughout the past few days. We have to say, that with such a packed week, we are looking forward to a bit more relaxation in the coming week, with a trip to Bayfield, WI (sans Anja who is staying with her Nana and G'pa Paul) and other than that, not too many other places to go!

Here are a few pictures from the past couple of days. We'll add more later!

Hmmmm . . . what is this all about?!
(Thanks, Nathan and Krista for the fleece PJs. She LOVES them!)

Hey! This gets more fun by the present!

Anja in her very own kitchen . . . she's a great short order cook!

A Delicious (and easy!) Recipe . . .

2008-12-16T12:42:00.002-06:00

We had some browning bananas sitting around the other day, so I Google searched "Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins" and found this delicious recipe, courtesy of the "Curious Foodie" on-line (looks like CF has other delicious recipes I'll be trying as well). Anja and I finally got around to making them this chilly morning and were pleased with our results. My late "Grandma" Litka used to send Banana Chocolate Chip bread, amongst other goodies in a large box each Christmas season, so these bring back good memories of those treats. We hope you like these muffins as much as we did!

Oh Christmas Tree . . .

2008-12-14T13:52:00.006-06:00

Anja puts the *star* up!

We had a great time with friends last weekend cutting down our Christmas trees. Unlike last year, it only took us a day to get the tree decorated. (YAY!) Here are a few shots we took last Monday.

Lights up and on! She was obviously super excited!

The final product . . . Anja making sure Snoopy was doing okay on the tree.

Master of Arts

2008-12-13T08:52:00.011-06:00

While I had already "officially" completed my Master's, I attended the graduate commencement ceremony at the University of Minnesota yesterday. I have always appreciated such ceremonies and I have to admit, it felt good to take some time to reflect upon and recognize the past two years of work. I guess this means I am officially a Master, whatever that means.
Yesterday also marked the one year anniversary of my grandfather's death. It felt good to think about him watching down on us as we celebrated. It is odd to think how often the closing of one chapter coincides with the beginning of another. Of how often grief and sorrow is followed by joy and hope. This is, I think, one of the beautiful ironies of life.

Raku!

2008-12-11T22:14:00.002-06:00

Over the past few weeks I've built a raku kiln at City Academy. I was pretty proud today - for someone with little to no ceramic experience, I was able to build a kiln (with assembly help from my students) and have a successful raku firing at school today. Fellow staff members Oscar and Mem gave some great help and it was a very cool process - we learned a lot. I'm already excited about a few tweaks and our next firing - probably in January, but who knows... could be sooner. I'll try to post some photos of some of the pieces we made. We had some mixed success with our glazes. Some of them turned out excellent, while others did not. Oh well, all part of the process.

It's Another Girl!

2008-12-09T13:58:00.001-06:00

For those of you curious folks, we went in for our 20 week ultrasound today and found out we will be having another baby girl in April! We're very excited, and Anja is as well, although she wants to be the "little sister" and not the "big sister." We've got a few months to work on her yet, so we're not too worried. Anyone care to guess or suggest some names? (Please note: they must be Scandinavian.) We've got a few we're deciding between, but we're not telling!

Happy St. Nick's Day!

2008-12-06T07:08:00.005-06:00

Anticipating St. Nick's arrival, Anja puts her boots out by her door.

Today Anja woke up to find a gift from St. Nicholas in her boots. She's been jumping around talking about "Nick" all morning. At this point in her young life, "Nick" is all about presents. In a few years, we'll actually be able to tell her about St. Nick and what he did for those in need. For those of you curious blog readers, here's more about the Saint from the St. Nicholas Center:

The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

Under the Roman Emperor Di ocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminals—murderers, thieves and robbers. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic, called manna, formed in his grave. This liquid substance, said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day.

Anja finds and opens her gift from St. Nick.

This year, St. Nick brought Anja Tomie dePaola's The Friendly Beasts: an old English Christmas Carol.

It's Time for Christmas Lights!

2008-12-04T20:42:00.006-06:00

Anja has been eyeing the lights across the street, so we decided to start our holiday decorating early (okay so it's not so early for everyone else, but for us it is!). She was a great helper, checking the lights, "They work!" and helping string them around the railings. Next decorating task: getting our tree at the Erickson Bros. Tree Farm on Sunday with friends.

Anja also had her two year check-up today. She's a healthy 2-year-old! Her measurements put her in the 95th percentile in height (37"), weight (34 lbs.) and head circumference (20"). The only negatives of the morning were the immunizations and the milking of her finger for the lead test. Lots of tears! But, as you can see above, she made it through just fine. (She even took a nap for me this afternoon---those are hard to come by these days!)