65, 7 and a New Beginning

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!

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 . . .

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!

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!

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 . . .

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!

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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!