family photo sessions

For Father's Day, Matt got a "daddy and me" photo session with our friend Kerri as the photographer. Kerri came to our house on a recent Saturday morning, and ended up capturing the whole family. Words cannot describe how perfect these photos are ... they speak for themselves.


THANK YOU, Kerri! These photos are a precious gift we will treasure always.

fall in the field

It's that time of year again ... when the apples in our tree are ready for picking!


This year, Matt has a "little" help:


His helper was mesmerized by daddy's round toys! Two little fists instantly grabbed the one that was offered to her. Thankfully she doesn't have teeth yet, so all she could do was drool all over it.


Afterwards daddy gave her a four wheeler ride. All those knobs and levers look fun!


When can I drive, daddy?

4 years

This week Matt and I celebrated our fourth year of marriage.


It's been an exhilarating four years ... we adopted a Brittany, both got new jobs, sold one house, moved to temporary living quarters, moved to a new house, adopted another Brittany, and had a baby.

I asked Matt, "wonder what the next four years will bring?" He said "stability ... I hope."

Through it all, I'm increasingly in awe at the power and secrets of marriage in general, and ours in particular. Matt and I lived together before we were married, so we believed our wedding was simply "making it official." I was wrong, though. The connection we gained through making a public commitment felt deeper, and really did make a difference. It's amazing how two individuals can act as one unit, in financial decisions, household running, baby raising, and dog care. Doing it all takes huge leaps of faith in each other. There are times we don't understand why something is important to the other one ... all we know is that, somehow, it IS important, and even if we don't know the reasons, we are learning to treat the other's important things as our own. We've learned that if we support each other in our passions, our spouse will do the same for us. I know that traveling for bike races is important to Matt, and try hard to support him, even though his traveling can be difficult. He knows that having a vegetable garden is important to me, so he helps haul dirt and set up fences. This mutual exchange can't be born from a sense of quid pro quo, however; keeping score would only result in us being bitter and having unrealistic expectations. Rather, we support each other out of love and a genuine desire to help our partner be happy.

I've learned it can be really easy to take your spouse for granted when they are there every day, and Matt's traveling is a good reminder of how much I rely on him and enjoy his company. I've learned that you need to smile together, laugh together, give hugs and kisses, and snuggle together -- and then the worst things in life can melt away. I now agree with Matt that "home is where you make it" -- our house is my sanctuary from the rest of the world, and it is home because that's where my family is. I hope we can continue to create a home of peace and love and happiness, for all family members, as Victoria grows up. Matt has taught me how to put on my sweats and just relax, and we both take comfort in the fact that we still love each other even when we don't look our best. This is what the last four years has meant to me. We have years ahead of us, and much more to discover -- and I'm looking forward to all of it.

9 Months

Victoria hit the 9-month mark over a week ago. I’ve just been too busy reveling in all the baby-girl fun to write a blog post. A few highlights:

After a couple unsuccessful attempts with a sippy cup, I went and bought a different brand – and now she loves her cup of water! It’s great to bang, throw, tip upside down, chew on … oh wait, mommy, I’m supposed to drink from that? Well, yeah, she does that too … it provides plenty of meal-time fun.

September has meant harvest time. V loves the garden, although this love means that harvesting veggies takes Mommy at least twice as long, as I have to follow a specific process: 1) Look at baby to make sure she’s not putting anything in her mouth. 2) Reach for tomato 3) Look back at baby 4) Realize she’s stuffing dirt in her mouth. Run over and take it out. 5) Run back and quickly pick tomato 6) Realize V has found a rock and it’s headed for her mouth … you get the picture. Still, we managed to pick all the tomatoes and squash before the first freeze last week. Tonight we even went out and she watched (mesmerized) while I started shoveling dirt out of a raised bed we’re going to move. When she’s old enough I’m ready to give her a garden plot of her own.

Victoria’s talking is getting more purposeful. She loves to repeat syllables, especially “dadadadada.” Sometimes she’ll let loose a whole string of complex words that make no sense to us … but it seems like she is telling us a story for sure. We make sure to listen very intently. Here is a short clip of her at Sarah and Evan’s wedding entertaining us all with “dadada.”



With the cooler temperatures and the pending first steps, I have been on the search for baby shoes. I didn’t have much luck scouring baby clothing stores and department stores in Duluth and was hesitant to buy online when I really wasn’t sure how they were going to fit. Finally I found a pair at a used children’s store and a friend said she would send me a pair her daughter outgrew. Her first shoes!

On Sunday night, V had her first non-family babysitter. Our couples bowling league has started back up, and it runs way past the little girl’s bedtime (and she is a baby who really needs to go to bed at a certain time). I miss having her with us at the bowling alley (in her little “Team Spam” shirt), but felt proud of her for doing so well with Britney. We are thankful to have someone we trust taking care of her.

Lots of new foods! We’ve tried zucchini, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, cottage cheese, and kiwi … V seems to love everything. Like Hannah, we call her our “good eater.” Here she is with her first steamed zucchini:


Speaking of Hannah, we are continually grateful for our good-natured dogs. Sometimes Hannah gets unsure of what V will do, and she will get up and walk away. But Piper will lay there and take just about anything. V will play with her paws, pull on hair (we stop her before she pulls too much though – we’re trying to teach “gentle” with the puppies!), play with her dog tags, try to take her food, and crawl over Piper repeatedly like she is her own personal mountain. Piper’s lack of boundaries and personal space, so annoying to new visitors at our house, serves us well in having a 9-month-old around.


Many days Victoria would rather play with random things around the house than her own toys, such as the above pic of her with Daddy’s shoe and the dog leash. Yesterday a package of baby-proofing locks and a plastic pot kept her entertained for 45 minutes. Anything plastic, straps and tags, and things that make loud noise continue to be among her favorite things.

I know there is so much more going on that I can’t think of right now. It’s impossible to capture every detail, as much as I’d like to. Every day brings new adventures and special moments with our beautiful baby girl, and we treasure every one of them!

perfect

What a crisp morning in the Northland! The temperature plummeted to the mid 30s overnight, and it felt surprisingly good to put on a fleece for a morning walk with my girls. Stretching my legs, watching dogs leap through the woods, seeing glimpses of the fall transformation in the woods, brought a new aliveness to my morning. We all have things that make us feel more whole, more true to ourselves. This morning after the walk I pulled V out of her stroller and we stood in the morning sunshine while the dogs raced around the yard. She and I were both content taking in the perfect moment. Celebrating four seasons in the woods with a baby on my hip and dogs happily exploring ... this is what my life is made of. Inside, I poured a cup of coffee and realized I felt like baking. My heart smiled.

Sarah & Evan's Wedding

Last weekend my little cuz got married. Aren't these two just amazingly cute together? You may remember me writing about her bridal shower. Well, their big day finally arrived, and she and Evan looked amazing at their very elegant wedding. I won't post too many pics of their wedding day, as Matt has them all available here with all the proofs to come soon.

I will, however, share some of the behind-the-scenes photos of what we were doing over the weekend. Our whole family went to the Cities Saturday morning; the pups got dropped off at friends Barb and Ben's, and Matt, Victoria, and I went to the rehearsal in Chanhassen. That evening, we were treated to a sunset rehearsal dinner on Lake Minnetonka. Despite a quick bout of seasickness (yes, that would be me), we all had a great time. While we were waiting to board, V had her first water from a bottle. She loved the bottle and was very entertaining for everyone waiting:


When dinner time came, V charmed everyone with her antics.




After dinner, it was time to enjoy wine, the fancy houses on the shore, and each other's company.



My favorite moment came near the end of the cruise. Sarah and Evan stepped onto the bow for quiet moments together before the big day began. It was a precious moment not just for them, but for all their loved ones who could feel their happiness emanating from them:



The boat docked late, and of course our little girl fell asleep on the way back to the hotel. This peaceful image has quickly become one of my all-time favorites.


The next day Matt went to the church early, being the photographer and all. There was quite the hustle and bustle around the hotel, as the wedding party, family, and guests -- all staying on the 7th floor -- got themselves ready. There were conversations being shouted through doorways, gatherings in the hall, people taking photos, women helping each other with dresses and make-up, impromptu visits to neighboring hotel rooms, and a baby crawling down the hallway, exploring as she went. (yes, that would be Victoria).

To get Victoria to nap, my dad and I drove around for over an hour, then met my mom for a big treat ... ok, a big treat for me at least -- we went to Chipotle! I hadn't eaten at Chipotle in probably two years. It was so good I could have cried. Is it pathetic that Chipotle was such a highlight of the weekend?

I made sure to get to the church early. This was a chance to see some extended family, and to have some people meet Victoria for the first time (and my Chipotle-induced happiness made me very outgoing!).


This photo is of three of my uncles (the good looking guys in the middle; Ron, second from the left, is Sarah's dad). On the far left is my great-uncle Del, and on the far right is my great-uncle Leroy, whom I adore and was very excited to see.

Then someone walked in who I was surprised and thrilled to see: my aunt Liz, my cousin Rachel's mom, who again I hadn't seen in years! I have missed her presence in my life ever since she and my uncle divorced. It felt so good to give her a big hug. Here are Liz and Rachel:


V was, of course, very active during the ceremony, constantly needing toys, puffs, and laps to crawl on. While I did one of the readings, she played with Grandma and Grandpa in the pew.



The reception and dance were at the Hilton Bloomington. The dinner was delicious, the cake perfect, the wine soul-soothing. V was very cooperative, staying happy all the way through toasts and the first dance. I was feeding her a bottle when "Brown Eyed Girl" started playing, and knew I had to get on the dance floor. So I swept her up, and she and I went dancing! She was soooo tired, but true to form, kept going strong. We stayed for several dances, and she was having a BLAST.


Her cousin Cruz was on the dance floor too, and she loved watching him. I love this picture because it shows Cruz, along with his Grandma Teresa and Grandpa Ron, and behind him my mom and aunt and cousin Rachel.


One of the other people I was really excited to see was my great-aunt Marlys. She's 80 years old, but spry and (apparently) ready to party!


My mom made herself stay on the dance floor longer than Aunt Marlys. She was so proud of herself that she "outlasted Aunt Marlys." I had to tease her -- "Mom, you should only be proud when you outlast a 20-year-old, not an 80-year-old!" Although what can I say -- they were all still on the dance floor long after I had brought Victoria to bed.

Two more favorite images of couples dancing. There's my parents (who just celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary) ...


... and my aunt Teresa and uncle Ron, the bride's parents ...


We had so much fun I only wish it hadn't gone by so fast! Congratulations, Sarah and Evan -- you two are fabulous together!

Three Dog Night

Last weekend Matt was out of town, so of course I had all three girls to myself. My bro was going to be gone Saturday night, so that morning he also dropped Molly off.

That meant me (one adult).

And one, two, three, four girls to take care of.

I'm trying to think which of them is the most difficult. I'm not quite sure who that would be. What I do know is that it wasn't Molly.

On Saturday night, I returned from a party. Molly (who had free range of the house and was a perfect angel while I was gone) greeted me at the door calmly, with tail wagging and a few licks. There was no barking, whining, or jumping. My two dogs, on the other hand, were howling like wild wolves from their kennels in the basement. Once I opened the doors, they shot up the stairs like a fire had been lit under them.

Yep, wild wolves shot out of a cannon, that's my pups in a nutshell ;).

That night I slept soundly with a whole pack around me. The next morning, I decided to take all four girls for a walk to get the Sunday paper. It's all the way at the end of our half-mile long driveway. The dogs are allowed to run free, but when we get close to the road I don't want them running out where a car could be driving by. At the end of the driveway I called them all, told the dogs to sit and stay, and started walking to the mail box.

ha! There was no way my dogs could be that patient. Within my first five steps they were trotting after me.

I made them sit. And stay. Again. Notice in the picture below how they are now several feet in front of the stroller.

Also notice sweet Molly. She got so bored with my dogs not listening she just decided to lay down and take it easy.