the Dahl house

A recap of the year in pictures

2010-12-08T14:58:00.004-06:00

It has been a busy year full of all kinds of experiences. Potty training,a baby blessing, MRIs for Julia, eye doctor appointments, a road trip to Utah, kidney disease diagnosis for my mom, a kitchen remodel, violin recitals, lice infestations, Lauren's baptism, School, learning to ride bikes, and all the fun and exciting things in between.

A recap of the year in pictures

2010-12-08T14:50:00.002-06:00

A recap of the year in pictures

2010-12-08T14:41:00.001-06:00

Pics of the kids

2010-03-28T20:21:00.001-05:00

Milk!

2009-06-24T12:29:00.004-05:00

So last night I was reading a book to Ella before betime, and in the book there was a lamb that was being fed a bottle, but she thought it was a "mommy" sheep. I then said to Ella:

"It's a baby sheep because it's drinking milk out of a bottle. Ella, did you know that our new baby will drink mommy's milk?"

With a sound of concern Ella responded by saying, "Oh no, the baby will drink yours milk?" (gasp) (I'm pretty sure she was concerned that the baby was going to drink my glass of milk)

I then said to her, "Do you think the baby will share the milk with me?" And Ella concluded that the baby would let me drink some milk out of the baby cup.

Just one of the many cute interactions we've had with Ella lately. She's getting to be pretty funny in the things she says.

The Imagination/Inventors Fair 2009

2009-04-27T20:49:00.003-05:00

Last week Lauren had the chance to be involved in her school's imagination/inventors fair, and for her project she chose to present information about unicorns. As you can see in this video she has a flare for presenting. She did a great job on her project and seemed thrilled to be able to be involved in the fair. She had to stay by her project until an interviewer talked with her and then she was free to look around at the other projects that the kids did. Although, once the interviewer came I couldn't get Lauren to leave her station because she said that she wanted to be there in case anybody had questions. I finally tore her away and she and Grant and Ella had a great time looking at the other projects.

Happy Easter

2009-04-20T13:58:00.002-05:00

We had a really nice Easter this year. One of the best highlights is that we had Stake Conference on Easter Sunday, so that meant no meetings for Harv and we all got to sit together as a family at church. The kids woke us up bright and early at 6:00 and they all seemed very excited about their Easter baskets. Our Easter was complete with a jellybean trail, Easter baskets, a yummy breakfast, cute Easter clothes, going to church as a family, eating a yummy ham dinner with cupcakes for dessert and toped off by an Easter egg hunt in the back yard, and phone calls to our extended family.

An Overview

2009-04-09T14:28:00.002-05:00

In random order these are a few things we've been up to.

Losing teeth! This is tooth number five, but the hardest for me to get used to. My little girl's smile is forever changed.

Listening to General Conference in our "reverence tent". Thanks for the idea Rachel and Anne! It was a hit.

Playing peek-a-boo and hoping for Spring to come.

Taking our agression out on any sign of winter (frozen ice from the gutters) and splashing in the puddles.

FINALLY going to Chuck E. Cheese's for Family Night. Grant was in Heaven!

The Journey of the Bead

2009-03-12T13:24:00.002-05:00

ONCE UPON A TIME.....there was a beautiful black bead. One Sunday afternoon this bead was discovered by a curious little boy. This beautiful, black bead was lying on the floor, along with other colorful beads, in the primary room of the local LDS church. The little boy looked at this bead and thought to himself, "I wonder if this will fit up my nose?" The little boy then placed the bead in his nose and discovered, that indeed, the bead did fit up his nose. The bead then fell out and the boy thought, "I wonder if I can get the bead to stay in my nose?" Sure enough the boy accomplished this task, but not without realizing that a bead in his nose was not a good thing. The boy looked at his primary teacher with a very terrified look on his face and said, "The bead is stuck in my nose, and it hurts."

Quickly the teacher took the young, terrified boy to his dad. The young boy was then placed on the counter in the men's bathroom so that his dad, along with a medically trained individual, could look up the boy's nose and try to get the bead out. In the end they were unsuccessful, which in turn meant a trip to the nearby children's hospital. Once at the hospital the young boy was delighted to see that he would be able to watch cartoons on Sunday, since there was a TV in the waiting room. The boy thought to himself, "this hospital stuff isn't so bad".

Then the time came to take the young boy back to a room where the doctors could assess the best way to remove the bead. Many attempts were made as the boy screamed and kicked his legs. Finally the only option was to strap the young boy down, but the boy's brave and heroic father saved the day by offering to tightly pin the boy in his arms for one last attempt. With tears flowing from the eyes of the boy and his father, the doctors proceeded to cover the boy's mouth and blow air up his unblocked nostril. Miraculously the beautiful, black bead popped right out! The doctors, the boy's father and the young, curious boy sighed with relief.

As the young boy left the hospital, he told his dad, "That was fun! But I never want to go to that hospital again and see those doctors."

The moral of the story: "Never put beautiful, black beads in your nose!"

Winter fun!

2009-02-26T14:08:00.000-06:00

Why so many hugs?

2009-02-24T14:25:00.007-06:00

So Grant has hit that age where he says a lot of really cute things, but he has also hit that age where he is very sensitive if we chuckle at the funny things he says. One example, is when we had the missionaries over for dinner on Saturday and made steak for them. Before dinner Grant was asking questions about the raw steaks that I was preparing. He asked what animal it came from, I answered cow and Grant said, "I didn't know you could eat cow." During dinner Grant came up to me, whispered in my ear, and said, "can I have more cow?", I laughed and quietly told the missionaries what he said. I felt so bad as I noticed a few minutes later that Grant was sitting on the floor in the family room with a very sad look on his face--I knew right then that I had made a mistake. Luckily he forgave me, but now I know to be a little more sensitive in my response to his cute comments. Here is another funny conversation with Grant:

Grant- "Daddy gives you lots of hugs"

Me-"Ya I know! But why do you think he gives me so many hugs?"

Here I was completely expecting Grant to say "because he loves you" or something to that tune. Instead he says:

Grant-"Because your his owner"

Me-"So because I'm Daddy's owner he has to give me lots of hugs?"

Grant-"ya"

When I told Harvey this he said, "I guess Grant knows who's really in charge in this family." To me I simply loved the fact that the underlying observation Grant had is that Harvey and I love each other and show our affection through hugs. I think I've read a quote somewhere that the most important gift you can give your children is for them to know, without a doubt, that their parents love each other.

2009-02-20T22:53:00.002-06:00

Happy engagement day Rachel! I proposed to Rachel 11 years ago today and every day I'm grateful she said yes. To celebrate, we had salmon for dinner and broke out the Martinelli's (and then went to Costco).

Here's to the next 11+ years!

love, Harv

Happy Birthday Ella

2009-02-12T14:21:00.002-06:00

Today is Ella's 2nd birthday! Her day started off with Lauren, Grant and I waking her up by singing Happy Birthday! At breakfast I found her balancing a blueberry on top of her sippy cup (I'm assuming it was supposed to represent a candle on a cake) and singing, "birthday you you, birthday you you." When Lauren asked Ella how old she is, Ella's response was,"almost two." I guess now that she's actually two we'll have to retrain her.

As for the rest, it has yet to happen. And although Ella hasn't opened up any gifts yet, she has received one of the best gifts from Lauren and Grant. They have been treating their little sister like a queen, telling Ella what a special day it is, and including her in all their play (not usually the case). What a treat for me too.

Silly Conversations

2009-02-04T18:05:00.004-06:00

I've been meaning to document a few funny conversations I've had with the kids, or conversations that I've overheard. So here we go:

While Lauren was at school Grant and I made banana bread together. I had given him the job of peeling the bananas and mashing them up. I then asked him if he would throw the peels away. Seeing as he was feeling pretty proud to be assigned some responsibilities I said:

"Grant you can be the official garbage boy!"

Grant: In an exasperated voice, "No, I'm not the garbage boy, I'm the servant.....and the prince"

I guess he knows his place. :)

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Lauren: "When your wife has a baby, do you want to have a boy first or a girl first?"

Grant: "A girl!"

Lauren: "What will you name her?"

Grant: "Sweet. No maybe Sweet Berry"

What a lucky girl!

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Talking about the order of birthdays in our family Lauren said:

"If Ella has the first birthday of the year, then Jesus has the last birthday of the year."

Grant: "I think Jesus has the first birthday because he's the greatest guy in the earth!"

I guess that amidst all the chaos of FHE something has gotten through. I agree with Grant "Jesus is the greatest guy..."

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One night at dinner Lauren said the blessing on the food. In her prayer she made a comment that made Harv and I chuckle. Amongst other things she said, "I'm grateful for the spirit that is in our home....(pause, pause).....sometimes."

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Seeing as it's Valentine's Day in a couple of days I think these comments are very appropriate. After having a dance party with the kids I was cuddling with Lauren on the couch. She gave me a big hug and expressed how happy she was and how much she loves me i this unique way. She said to me:

"My heart is having a playdate with your heart" and, "I love you 900 times more than 900. That's how much I love you"

Music to a mother's ears!

High School Musical--Yikes!

2008-12-11T04:48:00.002-06:00

So a couple of weeks ago Grant discovered a "High School Musical" concert tour DVD at the library. I was a little hesitant to let him check it out, but let him go ahead and get it. Now two weeks later and a few too many viewings of HSM (remember that it's 20 degrees outside), Lauren and Grant have the music memorized. It's especially shocking to hear Grant sing along. After listening to "Get Your Head in the Game", Grant came up to me and said very seriously, "Mom, I always have my head in the game". I have decided it's time to start pushing the Christmas music a little more.

birthday fun!

2008-12-01T20:40:00.004-06:00

Lauren celebrated her 6th birthday last week.

The festivities began on Sunday

with cake and presents.

On Lauren's actual birthday, her Kindergarten class had a Thanksgiving feast.

Lauren got to be the line leader on the way to the school assembly,

and tell about the fun plans she had for her birthday.

Lauren's request for her birthday was to go bowling as a family.

Everyone had a great time, even Ella who didn't officially bowl

This is where Ella spent most of her time while at the bowling alley.

She wanted to make sure that she didn't have sweaty palms when it was her turn

to push the ball down the lane.

To top off Lauren's birthday week, our horse lover was able

to go to a stable and have the chance to ride a horse for the first time. She also was able to help brush and clean the horse and had lots of questions about horses answered.

This is Gretel that Lauren is riding.

We were very surprised when Ella wanted to have a turn like her big brother and sister.

After one time around the corral Ella refused to get off because she was having such a great time.

Still Ella's favorite part of our outing was the kittens that lived at the stable.

She kept following them around saying "Kitty hold you." We had lots of tears from her when we finally had to leave.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-21T22:58:00.003-06:00

Well, it's only a month later, but we figured out how to use our new video editing software to make our first movie! Here's a look at our Halloween 2008.

"On the day that you were born...."

2008-11-03T14:11:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday Harv! What would we do without you. You are more than I could ever ask for in a husband, the kids adore you, and just as importantly, you seem to have a way of keeping things fun and festive around our home. Oh, and that fact that you're pretty handy around the house is also kind of nice.

This little montage of you brought tears to my eyes as I reflected on all the wonderful memories that we have shared together. You have always been there for us and we hope that on this special day you will know how much you mean to us. Thank you for all that you do and all that you are.

Love always,
Rachel, Lauren, Grant & Ella

Mmmmm Good!

2008-10-27T14:34:00.002-05:00

We just can't get enough of Grandma and Grandpa's homemade raspberry Jam! Too bad we're on our last container. Thanks again for a great time on our trip to Utah in August.

Trick or Treat

2008-10-26T22:14:00.004-05:00

We had a dry run this past weekend for Halloween at our ward's Halloween party. The kids played lots of fun games at the party and most importantly received lots of treats. Our family was a hodge podge of characters. Lauren was the Little Mermaid, Grant was Spiderman, Ella was a chicken, Harv was a viking and I was a witch. This was our attempt at getting the kids to pose for a picture together. They are all marching to their own beat.

Harv was the most creative costume of all. Some friends of ours joked that it looks like Harv got out of the shower, forgot to put his pants on, (don't worry he has shorts underneath the towel) threw the bath rug over his shoulders, threw on some boots and Presto-- he became a viking. Pretty close, but I'm glad to say that is not our bath rug, but it is true that he is wearing a "towel skirt" as many people referred to it. Gotta love Harv for his creativity.

Fall Outing

2008-10-15T22:19:00.011-05:00

The day started with pony rides, (an especially exciting treat for Lauren, our horse lover) followed by a trip to our favorite apple orchard. The kids were able to hold baby chickens and goats, play in a huge bin of dried corn, pet piglets and cows and hop on a real tractor. Of course a trip to an apple orchard would not be complete without some apple picking. It took the kids about 10 minutes to pick enough apples to last us for a month! Lauren summed up our day best when she said on the way home, "Boy, that was a day!"

Quack Quack

2008-10-01T22:23:00.003-05:00

Creation's masterpiece

2008-10-01T13:14:00.004-05:00

Tonight I have been asked by the young women leaders in our ward to teach a lesson on social etiquette. Something I could use a lesson on myself. Anyway, in preparing for my presentation I found this great quote by David O. McKay that pretty much summed up what I wanted to share with the youth. I thought I would share it with you.

“A beautiful, modest, gracious woman is creation’s masterpiece. When a woman adds to these virtues, as guiding stars in her life, righteousness and godliness, and an irresistible impulse and desire to make others happy, no one will question if she be classed among those who are the truly great.” (Man May Know for Himself, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1969, p. 261.)

So to all of you beautiful women that I know, who live this quote each day as you strive to raise your children, strengthen your family and your testimony, and do all that is required of you, I want to say thank you for your example.

Funny Conversation

2008-09-30T13:57:00.002-05:00

So today at lunch Lauren said the prayer. She first started out by asking for a blessing to have a good day at school and not have a grumpy day. In her prayer she also said, "please bless Grandpa McKinstry, and we're grateful that he can be in heaven". First of all, it's sweet that she remembers Great-Grandpa McKinstry and second, I think she really understands where he is right now. After her prayer was done Lauren said that right now Grandpa is probably running to his wife and hugging her and running to his mommy and giving her a hug in heaven. This was sweet, but then the conversation turned to other matters about death. Grant said to me, "who gives Grandpa food?", and I asked him, "in heaven?", "no under the ground". Then Grant asked how long Grandpa would be dead, and offered his idea of four days. I responded by saying that I wasn't sure and that it depended on when the resurrection would be. Grant then thought, "Oh I remember, it will be in three days right?", Lauren quickly corrected him and said, "No Grant, that's how long Jesus was dead before he was resurrected."

It was a very deep conversation, at least for a 4 and 5 year old, and it let me talk more to them about the second coming, resurrection and life after this life. I was very impressed with how well Lauren seems to understand it all, and Grant is getting there--how cute!

Ella takes up yodeling

2008-09-10T22:22:00.004-05:00

Well, not really, but I couldn't resist posting this. We took a recent trip to Utah (more postings to come on that) and just returned last week. While there we went to Swiss Days up in Midway, Utah complete with alpine horns and yodeling. As you can see, Ella really got into the act.

August evening at the arboreteum

2008-09-10T22:08:00.002-05:00

We took our first trip out the Minnesota Arboreteum a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful evening with lots of gorgeous gardens to walk through. The kids had a blast and we got some great pictures. Then off to a nearby town on the lake for ice cream. A perfect summer night.

Ella's Goggles

2008-08-10T22:51:00.001-05:00

Although Ella is not currently taking swimming lessons, she still wants to get in on the summer fun.

Lauren's Violin Recital

2008-08-03T21:23:00.003-05:00

So now that we have figured out our new video camera we can finally post some of the video we've taken over the last couple of months. Lauren's recital was almost two months ago, but we thought that the grandparents would enjoy seeing this. She played two songs and it was her first time to play with an accompanist. She did a great job and seemed very proud of her accomplishment. Too bad I ended up locking the keys in our van and had to call a locksmith so that we could all get home.

Grant can read!!

2008-07-20T22:06:00.003-05:00

Grant read his first book today and we wanted to catch it on video. Ella wants to get in on the video camera action too.

Summer fun!

2008-06-23T15:22:00.001-05:00

Fairy Dust

2008-06-12T22:25:00.003-05:00

So the other night the big event we've all been waiting for finally happened. Lauren lost her first tooth! I must say though, that I'm feeling a certain degree of loss over this exciting event. I guess it's because I can still remember what a big event it was to discover Lauren's first tooth when she was six months old. In the early days with Lauren, Harv would regularly let her bite on his nose and slobber all over it, until one day she bit down and Harv yelped in pain. Thus began all the many months of swollen gums, night wakings, runny noses and fevers that accompany most teething babies. What I'm feeling more than anything is that Lauren has crossed another milestone which reminds me that she's growing up faster than I want her to.

Lauren's tooth came out just before dinner so our dinner conversation centered on the tooth fairy. Lauren asked me where the tooth fairy gets her money and Grant answered the question by saying "I think that the tooth fairy gets her money from the money store." So, whether the tooth fairy got her money at the money store, the bank or from a money tree, Lauren woke up the next morning and found fairy dust and a whole dollar in place of her old tooth.

5:21 Alarm

2008-05-26T21:46:00.002-05:00

This has been a wonderful "Birthday Week", as Harv has reffered to it. The celebrations started on Wednesday and lasted through Saturday, with the finale being a clogging routine from Harv at our ward's talent night. But that's a whole different story (video will be posted soon!) Anyway, Harvey had all kinds of fun surprises up his sleeve, but one of the best things was something that took a couple days to register.

So as most of you may know, Harv is the buyer for clock radios at Target. I was talking with my mom on the evening of my birthday when Harv showed a picture to me of his clock radio display. At first I had no idea why he was showing me this, but then I soon realized that all the clocks had the time 5:21 on them--my birthdate! I said to Harv "Oh, how funny, what a coincidence", then laughed a little, shared it with my mom, and continued my conversation. A couple days later Harv took me to see "A Midsummer Night's Dream". On the way to the car the conversation turned to the clock radios again. Harv was saying that his boss had questioned him as to why he chose the time 5:21 to be on all the clock displays. And finally, two days later, I realized that my birthdate was not just on Harv's mock display at work, but on all the clock radios in every store of Target. I also realized that Harv was the one to make the decision as to what time was posted on the clocks, that is was not just a coinicidence, but very intentional. Harv said to me "I was a little disappointed by your reaction the other night. I'd been waiting all week to show you that." I felt so bad and with all the thoughtful things Harv did this week, this topped them all. How romantic is that---my birthdate on 22 clock radios, in over 1, 650 Target stores across the country.

Peek-a-boo

2008-05-08T21:09:00.002-05:00

Ella's new pasttime. We promise we don't make her sleep in here.

This Old House

2008-04-14T19:50:00.002-05:00

So this past weekend we decided to begin our bathroom remodeling project. The main reason we have hesitated in fixing up the bathroom is because it's our only bathroom. Being without a toilet can have some logistical problems, as you can imagine, but we came up with a solution that I won't go into detail about. Let's just say that we created our own "little outhouse" and that our shiny new toilet will get a very big initiation once it's up and running. So here are some pictures of the demolition. As with many of the projects we have taken on in this 6o year-old house, we have run into all kinds of problems along the way. Harvey is doing a great job and hopefully all this hard work will pay off soon. I for one will be the most grateful for a functioning toilet!

This is one of the few things I did during the remodeling project. I torn up the old floor and this is what was underneath, plus a couple more layers of old flooring.

This is the new home for our old vanity and toilet. Sadly enough they may reside here for quite a while until we can figure out how to dispose of them. And yes, we still have a little snow :( but it will be in the 60s this week so don't feel too bad for us.

Here is our beautiful new floor!!! We even put the kids to work by having them remove the spacers between the tiles. As of today Harvey has just grouted the tile and the hope is that we can get the toilet in tomorrow morning before Harv goes to work. Stay tuned for pictures of the end result.

Twinkle, Twinkle

2008-04-14T19:22:00.003-05:00

What is your favorite blessing?

2008-03-24T20:27:00.002-05:00

So tonight for Family Home Evening we did one last followup on Easter. We hid some eggs around the room that had questions inside of them about Jesus and the resurrection. In a couple of the eggs there were smiley faces which meant that the kids had to tell us their favorite blessing that Heavenly Father has given them. Lauren said that she was grateful that Jesus created the earth and for all the pretty things that we have to look at. Later on Grant got a smiley face in his egg and so we asked him the same question. He responded by saying "I'm grateful for praying...", Harv and I looked at each other with amazement at Grant's thoughtful and unexpected answer, but then Grant continued, "no maybe trick or treating". It was nice to get a little glimpse into Grant's understanding about meaningful blessings if only for a moment. Besides, I guess he is right, life would be pretty bland without treats every once in a while.

Easter

2008-03-24T10:00:00.003-05:00

All dressed up in their Easter best.

This picture is very deceiving since it appears that Ella and I are standing next to a tree with beautiful blossoms. Sadly enough we actually were covered in six inches of fresh snow outside. I guess if it doesn't look like Spring outside we have to make it appear to look like Spring inside.

Doesn't this just capture the true excitement of fun occasions like Easter!

These rain boots that the kids received for Easter came in handy and saved Lauren and Grant's church shoes from being ruined by the slush and the snow.

Even though we started the day at 6:00 am, we had a wonderful Easter Sunday! The kids could barely contain themselves as they waited to follow the candy trail to find their Easter baskets. Lauren had drawn a picture for the Easter Bunny and when she noticed that it was gone she was very excited. Harv said to Lauren, "what do you think the Easter Bunny did with your picture?" Lauren responded by saying, "I think he took it home and hung it on his refrigerator." Once they found their baskets, Lauren and Grant were very excited and seemed to have a great time. We then had a nice breakfast and hurried to get ready for church. Harvey and I were both singing in church and Harvey was speaking in sacrament meeting so we had to be there early, but even with that one of the nicest things was that Harv was able to drive to and from church with us (since he cancelled all morning meetings and appointments). I sometimes forget how nice it is to go to church as a family. Our musical numbers went very well and Harv gave a very nice talk.

After church we prepared a nice dinner and invited some friends over to have dessert. The kids played while the adults talked. Later we discovered that the kids had scattered Easter grass all over our living room, not a big deal, but it goes to show the kind of trouble kids can get into when they know their parents are preoccupied. It was a great day even though we were covered in fresh snow. I guess you could say we had a white Easter.

A Trip to the Wisconsin Dells

2008-03-05T09:58:00.004-06:00

A couple weekends ago we went to the Wisconsin Dells. A touristy town with all kinds of man-made wonders, including huge indoor and outdoor waterparks. We went up for the weekend with two other families and had a great time. It was a great way to escape the never-ending winter. The kids played for hours in the water and Grant even braved a big waterslide. As the for the adults there were some very thrilling waterslides that I can't even describe. All I know is that I was shaking after most of them. We stayed in a great condo complete with a kitchen, fireplace and flatscreen TV. One of the highlights for the adults was the chance we had to play games after all the kids went to bed. It was a whirlwind trip, and required a lot of preparation, but it was well worth it.

A Peek Into Lauren's Future

2008-02-28T20:36:00.002-06:00

Tonight Lauren and I got into a conversation about her growing up. This is what we talked about and what Lauren said. I was pretty cute.

Mom: "What do you want your husband to look like?"
Lauren: "I want him to have a handsome face, and dark hair"
Mom: "Where do you want to live with your husband?"
Lauren: "Hawaii!"
Mom: "Why Hawaii? You've never been there before."
Lauren: "Because it's pretty there and lazy. I could sit on the beach and collect seashells."
Mom: "Where do you want to get married?"
Lauren: "In the temple in Hawaii."
Mom: "What kind of job do you want your husband to do?"
Lauren: "Wash the dishes and cook yummy breakfasts for everyone."
Mom: "How many kids do you want to have?"
Lauren: "Five, no maybe ten so that they can help me with all the jobs I have to do"
Mom: "What are there names going to be?"
Lauren: "I think maybe Clara, Max, Parker, Laura, and Sammy, and my husbands name will be Sam."

It was fun to cuddle with her and get a glimpse into her view of life and her future. She also said to me that she didn't want to grow up because she always wanted to be able to cuddle with her mom. I told her that she could cuddle with her husband when she grew up and I guess that's where our whole conversation began. I'm sure we'll both laugh at this when she is older and has found her prince charming.

Priceless Grant

2008-02-14T15:21:00.003-06:00

Okay, so for those who read the "Smoking Phone" you may be aware that Grant, at times, can be a little challenging. I felt that I should post a comment that I received from his teacher as a little follow up, but on the positive side. On Wednesday, after all the Valentine festivities at Grant's preschool, his teacher stopped me to tell me how much she loves having Grant in her class. In her words she said, "Grant is so mature and plays so well with all the kids. He is always full of energy and excitement and ready to get involved with whatever we are doing in class." It was a comment that really made my day and reminded me how special Grant is. Sure he is intense at times, and persistent, and inquisitive, and slow to cooperate, but he is one of those kids that everyone seems to like. He has a great personality and flare about him, and his curiousity, although it gets him into trouble, will one day be a great asset to him. I do adore Grant, but it took his teacher's comment to help me remember that a bit more. Happy Valentine's Day cute little guy. I love you more than anything, and even with all the trouble you get into, I wouldn't replace you for the world.

Happy Birthday Ella! We're so blessed to have you in our family.

2008-02-12T10:38:00.001-06:00

A Spoonful of Sugar (or maybe more)

2008-02-11T22:49:00.001-06:00

We had a great time celebrating Ella's first birthday. It doesn't take much to get the kids excited. Serve some cake and ice cream, blow up a few balloons, light a candle and upwrap a few new gifts, call it a party and they love it. As expected Ella spent more time playing with the wrapping paper and packaging than she did with the toys. Of course she would have to wrestle her birthday toys away from Lauren and Grant if she wanted a chance to play with them. The highlight for sure was watching Ella dig into her cake. She wasn't shy at all. Lauren and Grant laughed the entire time. They thought it was the funniest thing to see Ella make such a mess. Harv deserves a pat on the back, because in the end he was the one to clean up the mess while I gave the kids a bath.

I guess another milestone is now past. Ella is growing up fast and our home is getting busier by the day. We love having Ella in our family and can't even remember life without her. She offers endless smiles and laughter, and she puts up with a lot from Lauren and Grant. We love you Ella. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

A Smoking Phone

2008-02-06T21:55:00.000-06:00

So yesterday our cute little Grant ran into the kitchen with fear in his eyes and so worked up that I couldn't figure out what was wrong. He then said the word "smoke" and I quickly looked over at the base for our phone and noticed smoke coming out of it. I was completely baffled at what had just happened. I unplugged the phone cords and tried to calm Grant down. Once Grant was calm I did a little interogation of what he had done. Now Grant seems to have a tendency to experiment with cords. He is always curious what cords go to what, and what electronic items in the house will accomodate headphones. He is constantly plugging things in to other things. Well, I guess that Grant wanted to see if the laptop charging cord would fit into the phone and it seems that the voltage needed to charge the computer may be a little more than the voltage needed for the phone. Grant completely fried the phone base. Luckily we have connections with the electronic buyers at Target. I told Harv what happened and he was able to bring home a temporary phone until we figure out what to fo about our fried one.

So after telling Harv about this incident he felt compelled to compile a list of all the things that Grant has broken over the years. We joke that these amounts will be deducted from his inheritance--if he even gets one.

It all adds up!

Breaking the shelf off the fridge door (twice) = $40 (once)

Pulling the space bar off the laptop keyboard = $80.33

Stabbing the kitchen table 43 times with a ballpoint pen = $150

Writing on every cushion of the tan leather sofa = $900

Frying the base to all three phones by plugging in the computer power adapter = $TBD

Living with Grant = priceless, yet expensive.

Our Busy Little Girl

2008-02-01T13:26:00.000-06:00

Ella just started pushing her little walker around, and she simply beams when she pushes it. You can tell that she's pretty proud of her new found ability. Ella will be turning one in just a couple of weeks and wow, I know this sounds so cliche, but the time has flown. It seems that she went from a little baby to a toddler over night.

Ella is now at that tricky age where she is getting into everything. I'm finding it hard to keep her occupied with toys. She just wants to explore and get into the things that I don't want her to get into, namely potted plants (see below)

You know those times when things become a little too quiet around your house and that usually it means the kids are getting into something that you don't want them to? When this happens with Ella 90 percent of the time that means she is playing in the dirt of a large plant we have in the living room. This has become one of her new discoveries. Thank goodness for wood floors!
This is by far one of Ella's favorite things to do at our house. All of my kids have really loved the jumper, but Ella has turned it into a sport. I really need to capture it on our digital camera so that you can see her in action . A still shot just doesn't do it justice. In this picture Grant decided to stuff all of his special blankets and teddy bears into it so they could go for a ride. Luckily we have a wide entrance to our family room, because at times Ella will bounce is large circles while simultaneouly spinning in little circles. It's hilarious!
And last of all Ella just LOVES taking a bath. It's so fun when they get to this stage. The only down side is that she cries every time I take her out at the end of bathtime. Don't worry, the shark survived the attack.

Beauty and the Beast

2008-01-30T10:11:00.001-06:00

So I wish that I could be more clever when it comes to creating a title for my posts, but this was the first thing that came to mind when I thought about this picture. Now I'm sure many of you are wondering what this is a picture of, but before explaining I have to first start with a little weather report. So on Monday we had a bit of a heat wave here in Minneapolis where temps reached 40 degrees. This obviously is not normal for Minnesota especially in January. Now today is Wednesday, just 48 hours later, and the current temp is 10 degrees BELOW zero with wind chills around 40 below. So last night I ventured out into these freezing temperatures to attend a kindergarten information night at Lauren's future school. It was exciting to hear about all the great programs they have for the kids. It makes me want to be a kindergartner again. I know Lauren is going to love it! So after the visit to Lauren's school I had to make a trip to the grocery store. When I got home and started unloading groceries I noticed what you see in the picture. We have a detached garage, and the door to the garage has a window in it. While rushing to bring all the groceries in as quickly as possible so that I could escape the cold I notice the most amazing frost that I had ever seen. It was hard to capture on film, but it sparkled like a diamond. I pointed this out to Harv as he was helping bring the groceries in and so he braved the cold so that he could take a few pictures. Anyway, my point is is that even with the bitter cold here there are still a few ways to find beauty in it.

The Police on the Sabbath?

2008-01-06T20:50:00.000-06:00

So tonight we headed out the door, kids bundled, Harv's suitcase stowed in the van, and began our trip to the airport to drop Harv off as he looked forward to four days in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). So we arrived at the airport safe and sound, Harv grabbed his bags, kissed us all goodbye and headed into the airport. I then proceeded to pull out from the curb to head home and feed the kids dinner. No more than 30 seconds later and 100 yards at the most, I noticed flashing lights in my rear view mirror. Hmmm I wondered. This nice policeman must be wanting to tell me that I have a tail light out, or that Harv forgot to close the back hatch completely. Boy was I wrong! Instead, this nice police officer informed me that I was going 25 mph in a 15 mph hour zone (remember I had only driven 100 yards at the most), but that is not all. He then told me that my van's registration had expired last March. I was completely confused seeing as I had clearly remembered putting the new stickers on last winter. (after further inspection of bills and our other car, it appears that we never paid the registration on the van, just the car), but it gets worse. He then asked to see my driver's license, and yep, I didn't bring it with me on this short little trip to the airport. Then, he asked to see my current insurance card, but you guessed it, I had procrastinated putting the current cards in our two vehicles and they sat at home right next to the toaster. I think the police officer's comment to my lack of a license, insurance and two violations was, "boy you're striking out today." He definitely had that right. As the officer went back to his car to call the insurance, and to write up the ticket, I had three kids in the car, and one, namely Lauren, questioning me as to why there was a policeman with flashing lights behind us, and of course "I'm a Child of God" was playing in the background--how ironic huh! All I could think was that we should have had Harv take a taxi. It made me laugh that in seeing my subtle distress, Lauren suggested that when we get home I should call a babysitter and then go to the spa. I wish.

Once the police officer returned, he kindly said he would not site me for speeding (for 100 yards), and that seeing as I had a baby and two small kids in the car he would not follow the "typical protocol" by having my van towed because of a lack of a driver's license. So in the end I was only cited for having an expired registration on my van. Just a meager $170.

Needless to say, I did not end up having the most restful and peaceful sabbath. I sure hope that this isn't a sign of how the rest of my week is going to go while Harv is in Vegas. I wish I could say that taking the time to vent on my blog has made me feel completely better, but it has helped a little. Now the next steps; tell Harv once he lands in Las Vegas, go to the DMV and find out why we never received a notice for renewing our registration, and then, pay a beautiful pink ticket! I guess no spas for me.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-06T20:16:00.000-06:00

A new year is here and we had a great time welcoming in 2008, (just a few hours early). Harv had all kinds of grand plans for our first annual New Years Eve party. Most importantly, we had lots of yummy food (reminiscent of the great parties we had at Harvey's parents house back in the day before kids). Harv decorated everything beautifully of course, and he even lined the walkway to our house with candles nestled in frozen ice rings made by using our bundt cake pan, We also set up a projector in the kid's room so they could watch a movie in style. The biggest hit by far though, was the bubble wrap that the kids jumped on as soon as the clock struck twelve. It was actually only 8:30, but with the clocks in our house set ahead, the kids were none the wiser. There were party hats, streamers, dance, dance revolution (Strawberry Shortcake style), wistles, and to top it all off-- fireworks! It was a fun night, and as a result the kids decided that New Years Eve was their new favorite holiday. As for Harv and I, we partially cleaned up, saving the rest of the mess for morning, and were in bed by 11:00. I think this party definitely tops the many New Years Eves that Harv and I have spent watching lame New Years specials on TV and eating popcorn.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T12:45:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone! We have had a wonderful Christmas morning here! Santa stopped at our house and left all kinds of fun things for the kids. Lauren got dress-up clothes, an Ariel doll, a new book etc. Grant got his very own boom box, with a CD case full of CDs and yet another Wiggles guitar. Last but not least, Ella got an alligator xylophone, and a toy piggy bank. To top it all off Santa left the best surprise of all in the basement--a train table! After all the gifts and exclamations of "this is the best Christmas ever", we had a nice breakfast with Quiche (made by Harvey), cinnamon rolls (made by Pillsbury), and fruit! We hope you have all had a great Christmas and wish so much that we could be there with all the family that we love so much. This little slide show of pictures will have to do I guess. Merry Christmas!

"My Great Mom"

2007-12-17T14:40:00.000-06:00

Today when I picked Lauren and Grant up from school, I had a very fun surprise! In Lauren's class all the kids filled out a form about their moms (with a little help from their teachers) titled "My Great Mom". Here is what it said: (The highlighted parts are Lauren's answers)

My mom is 65 year old.

She weighs 60 pounds and is 30 feet tall.

Her Hair is blond and her eyes are blue.

My mom loves to wear gowns.

She loves to cook spaghetti.

Her favorite movie is The Little Mermaid.

Her favorite song is Jingle Bells.

She always tells me that Santa won't bring gifts if we are bad.

When my mom shops she loves to buy candy.

If she could go on a trip, she would go to Utah. And she would take a suitcase.

I really love it when my mom tells me it is my Birthday!

I got such a good laugh at this cute project. The most funny thing, is that it seems that Lauren and I have a lot in common.

Christmas

2007-12-17T14:27:00.001-06:00

Crazy Minnesotans

2007-12-10T14:11:00.000-06:00

So the other night we decided it would be fun to go to the Hollidazzle parade downtown. The kids loved it last year and so we thought we should make it a yearly tradition. The Hollidazzle parade is a lighted parade that runs down the main street of downtown Minneapolis. It reminds me of a scaled down version of the light parade at Disneyland. So, to feel like true, crazy Minnesotans, we attended the parade in arctic temperatures. Of course we chose the coldest night so far this winter to go to the parade. Factoring in wind chill I'm sure that the temperature hovered around zero degrees ---brrrrrrr. We just bundled the kids up, complete with snow pants, hats, gloves, boots, and scarves. Once the parade started I don't think the kids minded the cold one bit. On the other hand Harv, Ella and I were freezing. You can see in the picture that Ella was completely wrapped up. Ella and Harv spent most of the time huddled in the heated bus stop, which was still cold. It really is amazing how many people show up for the parade. The smart people are inside the skyways looking down on all the fun. I must admit though, there is something more exciting about being outside to enjoy all the music and even the cold.

To paint a picture of how cold it really was, before we went outside we bought some hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was scorching hot when we bought it. Once we got outside someone pointed out that the hot chocolate had spilled down the back of our stroller, it was a huge mess. I quickly grabbed some baby wipes to clean it off. I tried to wipe it off and realized that the drips of hot chocolate were frozen in place. We had to wait until we went back inside to let the hot chocolate defrost before cleaning up the mess.

Santa's elves busy at work

2007-11-27T21:32:00.000-06:00

Check out Santa's dancing elves!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9621557330

Madeline's Christmas

2007-11-26T10:04:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday we took the kids to see "Madeline's Christmas" at a children's theatre in Hopkins. They loved it, and right after the show they were able to meet the cast. Grant noticed that many of the kids in front of us were having the cast members sign the program, so Grant did the same. I'm not sure if he understood why, but he decided he should go along with what everyone else was doing. At the end of the line was Madeline and so we were able to get a picture of the kids with her. When we left, Harv and I asked what their favorite part of the show was and they both said, "getting our picture taken with Madeline." On the drive home Grant asked if we could have Madeline come to our house to play. They were both disappointed when I told them that she was probably busy with all the plays that she was performing. It was a fun thing to do with the kids -- maybe we'll have to do it again soon.

A Visit to Utah for Mom's 60th Birthday

2007-11-21T09:49:00.001-06:00

This past weekend I made a surprise visit to Utah for my mom's 60th birthday. I decided to be spontaneous and at the last minute bought tickets for a quick visit. Lisa was the only one who knew I was coming. We planned to surprise Mom and Dad before church. The plan was to first have Lisa take Ella to meet my parents. We thought it would be fun to see if they would recognize Ella and then I would appear around the corner. Our plan was foiled since Mom and Dad came out a different door and ended up seeing me first. Mom just stood there crying while my dad came and hugged me. Once it registered that I was really there, Mom gave me a big hug and then gave Ella a squeeze. During most of church I think mom still didn't believe we were there.

We had a great time on our short visit. Lisa and Dad planned a surprise party for mom on Sunday night, so I had the chance to see some family members that I haven't seen for quite a long time. As another surprise Lisa arranged for Mom and Dad to have the day off of work on Monday. Once I arrived Mom finally understood why her boss gave her the day off at the last minute. We spent the day at a fun shop in Farmington, followed by a picnic at a very cute park right at the foot of the mountains (I really miss the mountains). To top off the day, Lisa, Mom and I went to have pedicures together. It was the perfect thing to do before getting back on the plain that evening. It was so nice to see family so close to the holidays.

Lauren's Ariel Party

2007-11-21T08:58:00.000-06:00

On Saturday November 17th, Lauren had her first "friends" birthday party. She is now five years old, which all the sudden seems so old to me. She chose to have a Little Mermaid party--her new passion. The whole time we were decorating she kept saying, "This is going to be the best birthday party ever!" We had about 7 little girls here and they enjoyed decorating crowns, playing pin the flower on Ariel, and having a dance party to "Under the Sea". Grant was the honorary boy at the party and didn't seemed to mind a bit. He just jumped right in and joined the girls in all the activities. As for Ella, she loved watching the girls dance all around the room, and she loved all the balloons and crepe paper. The party turned out very well. The kids seemed to have a great time.

Pretty Toes

2007-11-16T16:44:00.000-06:00

So today I was doing my toenails, and of course Lauren and Grant were intrigued. Lauren instantly asked to have her toenails painted and whatever Lauren does, Grant has to do also. In the past I have told him that only girls paint their toenails, but I really couldn't dash his hopes of being pampered a little--so I consented. While I was painting Grant's toenails he kept saying, giggling the whole while, that "It's fun painting my toenails". I'm sure when Grant is older he will be mortified, but I figured it will give us all a good laugh one day. So here are their pretty toes!

Mommy the evil sea witch

2007-11-09T19:28:00.000-06:00

So as of late, Lauren has become very enthralled with the Little Mermaid. After watching the movie at her friend's Sophie's house she and Grant have played Little Mermaid very regularly. For Lauren's birthday she tells anyone who will listen (including the servers at restaurants) that she is going to have an Ariel party. So this morning Lauren and Grant were playing the Little Mermaid. Lauren, as she has many times before, was informing us all what part we played. Lauren was Ariel,of course, Grant was Sebastian, her friend Sophie was Flounder, Harvey was Prince Eric, and you guessed it--Mommy was Ursula. Now, I'm not sure if I keep getting assigned that part because Lauren wants me to feel like I have an important role, or if it somehow reflects how Lauren views me as a mom. I guess I may never know.

Lauren's Recital

2007-11-09T13:48:00.000-06:00

Lauren had her first recital on November 4th. We are very proud of her, she did a great job! She hasn't learned how to play anything yet, so the teacher had Lauren perform a song called "Up Like a Rocket". It's a song that Lauren sings while holding the bow during practice. It's supposed to help strengthen her fingers. We're still working on holding the violin correctly so that Lauren can begin to learn a song. The recital showed the whole spectrum of skill levels. The older students were absolutely amazing. The recital lasted about one and a half hours and I'm amazed at how well the kids did at staying relatively quiet and attentive. At the end of the recital the teacher said "What a wonderful recital, and what a wonderful baby". It took me a second to realize that she was talking about Ella. Ella was amazing in that she barely made any noise for the entire recital. After the recital there were treats--which was the highlight for the kids. Before leaving Lauren walked right up to her teacher and said "Celine, I love you".

Our Spoooky House

2007-11-09T13:19:00.000-06:00

As you all know, I am married to a man who loves to decorate. As of the last couple of years Harvey has found a new passion for Halloween decorating. Many of you have repeatedly heard the story of the night last year when I came home from a peaceful night at the Temple, only to find that my living room had taken on the likeness of the haunted mansion at Disneyland--complete with spooky music. At first, I was not a fan of the fact that Harvey had replaced family and temple pictures with faces of creepy, dead people. But, I must admit that I have now caught onto the fun of it all. This year he added tattered curtains, cobwebs, and a sconce with candles. This picture doesn't do Harvey's Halloween decorating justice, but it will give you all a little taste of our spooky living room.

Our Little Superheros

2007-10-31T10:16:00.000-05:00

For Halloween this year Lauren and Grant decided that they wanted to dress like Super Why (a new show on PBS). So Grant dressed like Super Why, who has the power to read, and Lauren dressed like Princess Presto, who has the power to spell! Ella's costume is unrelated, but she made for a very cute mermaid. Lauren and Grant are both at preschool today and were so excited to dress up and show all their friends. We also had a Halloween Carnival at church on Saturday. Everyone dressed up but me. I figured that I had dressed up like a 1950's homemaker the night before and now it was time to dress as a modern day homemaker (complete with tennis shoes and all), which was much more comfortable. At the carnival there were games, trick-or-treating, a chili cook-off, and a cake walk. The kids and I had a fun time decorating a cake to donate to the cake walk, but let's admit that they loved the candy the best!

June Cleaver and Zorro

2007-10-31T09:39:00.000-05:00

Now I'm sure you are all wondering how Zorro and June Cleaver go together, but the more I thought about it I realized that probably deep down, behind the pearls, feather duster, and immaculately clean home, June Cleaver could very possibly have fantasized about being swept off her feet by the handsome and mysterious Zorro. Seriously though, Harv and I had a great time at the Jagoda's (The SWAT man and the Hamburglar) on Friday for an great costume party. It was complete with a Gorilla Ballerina, thanks to our good friend Reed. It was fun for Harv and I to get dressed up and have a date night (something we don't do enough--going on dates I mean). While at the party we played a newlywed game and Harv and I learned a lot about each other. Did you know that Harv is afraid of snakes, and that his favorite Halloween candy is candy corns? I didn't think anyone liked candy corn.

YEAH ELLA!

2007-10-24T17:21:00.000-05:00

SHE FINALLY ROLLED OVER TODAY FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!

2007-10-17T15:13:00.000-05:00

I'm starting to realize that this blogging business can be slightly addicting. I have been spending way too much time on the computer lately. I should really be spending my time doing more useful things like cleaning our dirty bathroom. But if I'm forced to choose, blogging definitely comes first. The only consolation for me it that I am actually documenting the lives of my children a lot better than I have for a long time. I think my last journal entry was the day after Ella was born--YIKES!

Our not so subtle boy

2007-10-14T21:35:00.000-05:00

Today at church we had our primary program presentation. It turned out really well. Lauren and I even had the chance to sing part of a song together. Lauren sang right out and did a great job! The most entertaining part though was Grant. He was quite vocal today in sacrament meeting, but luckily in a funny way. First, he needed to go to the bathroom during the sacrament, but before we made our exit he had to proclaim to his friend a couple pews ahead of us "Olivia, I'm going to the bathroom". Then on the way back in (still during the sacrament) he was upset that he missed the passing of the bread. He kept saying over and over in a not so quiet voice, "I want some bread". I tried my best to hush him and finally had to resort to giving him some fruit snacks to end the his repeated demand for bread and to also avoid a meltdown. Last of all, when the kids went up to the podium for the program Grant did the typical "hi Lauren" shout.

One last cute thing. In primary, one of the classes had made some cute paper flowers for "the Bishop". They flocked to Harv after church to present their artwork to him. Harv was very gracious in accepting their gifts. It was fun for me to observe how proud all the kids were to give something to Harv that they had made themselves. As I looked at the flowers closer once I got home I got a good laugh. One said "BOO, I love you", and another said "BYU rules"--very cute.

Ella's ABC Adventure

2007-10-14T21:03:00.000-05:00

Fall outing to the apple orchard

2007-10-14T20:48:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was a beautiful fall day here in Minnesota, so we jumped at the chance to visit an apple orchard. Apple orchards are everywhere here. The orchard we went to yesterday is my favorite so far. The kids had a great time playing in the large bins of dried corn. Even Ella sat in the corn and didn't even try to eat it! I'm sure she was just trying to figure out what she was sitting in. Then Lauren and Grant got to hold some baby chicks, and goat kids. We let Ella touch the chicks, but quickly decided that was a bad idea as she almost squished one of them. The kids got to see piglets, chickens, donkeys, goats, and cows. Grant's favorite part was picking apples. They both got to carry a bucket and fill it to the brim with apples, all while singing a song that Lauren made up about going "apple hunting". To end our trip the kids picked out pumpkins and sat on a large tractor. On the drive home the kids ate an apple from their "apple hunting" expedition--yummy! It was a great outing!

The First Lesson

2007-10-08T09:46:00.000-05:00

This past saturday Lauren had her first violin lesson. She was so excited about it that she was dressed, with shoes on and violin in hand about an hour before her lesson. On the way she kept asking me how many more miles until we got to her teacher's house. Lauren's violin teacher was really great with her. Lauren learned how to correctly hold her violin, and also learned some fun songs to sing while she practiced holding the bow. The lesson was fun for Lauren, but the highlight was being able to play with her teacher's dog, Felix, after the lesson. Then one last thing even topped that---kittens. Lauren's teacher is taking care of five little kittens for a cat adoption agency. She took Lauren to see them and Lauren LOVED it. When we got home from her lesson she talked more about the dog and kitten's than she did about her lesson. Who could blame her though. On the drive home Lauren said that she loved her teacher and everyone that lived in her teacher's house (referring to the dog and kittens). She then said, "I should give my teacher some flowers so she knows how much I love her."

I think violin lessons got off to a good start. Even if Lauren starts to loose interest in the lessons, at least she will continue to be motivated by the fact that she'll get to see a cute dog every week.

Photographer Available

2007-10-02T13:41:00.000-05:00

Today Lauren has found a new interest in photography. Here are some of her latest masterpieces. She will be available for hire at $1 an hour. Her fee increases for objects or people that are in motion.

Little Musicians

2007-10-02T13:04:00.000-05:00

Well, we are finally doing it. After much contemplation we have finally decided to begin violin lessons with Lauren. Her first lesson is this Saturday and by Sunday we expect her to be playing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star--well maybe not quite yet. :) She and Grant are very excited about the violin and have asked many times if they can play it. I hope this violin survives the tug of wars that it sometimes gets involved in.

We had Evan and his dad Rob drop by last night and the kids had to show the violin to them. There was a little disagreement, and I'm not sure what happened, but I rescued the violin just as Grant tried to bonk Evan on the head with it. Poor Evan was so excited to visit our house to see the kids, but instead ended up leaving in tears. This is just a little example of what might happen as we try to help Lauren learn to play the violin--what a fun adventure this will be. Grant is very upset that he can't have a violin too and keeps asking when he can learn. I'm glad they are both so excited, I just hope that excitement continues as Lauren realizes it will be a while until she can actually play a song. Wish us luck!

Vehicle Fair

2007-10-02T12:45:00.000-05:00

On Saturday we attended the preschool's vehicle fair with some of our friends. The school arranges to have a variety of vehicles available for the kids to climb into and explore. They had a fire truck, ambulance, garbage truck, police car, snow plow, street cleaner, and school bus. The kids had the chance to ring the bell of the fire truck, pretend to drive a police car and honk the horn of the bus. One of the highlights for Lauren and Grant was being able to hug McGruff the safety dog.

Fall Updates

2007-09-27T14:49:00.000-05:00

Well the leaves are beginning to fall off the trees here in Minnesota, a sign that my favorite time of year is finally here. I love the fall season, with trips to the apple orchards, raking leaves (even if it means raking 60 plus bags of leaves), yummy fall foods, and no more humidity. We had just enough leaves in our front yard yesterday to rake up a small pile for the kids to play in. They had a wonderful time. Watching them takes me back to my childhood of spending hours jumping in the leaves with friends in the neighborhood. Lauren and Grant are loving preschool and I'm loving the time to get caught up on things around the house. Ella is getting big and has started making all kinds of sounds. Her first official word was "mama", so I must be the favorite right? A few days later she started saying "dada" and "baba". She also recently got a new tooth which has made her quite fussy, but we think she is going to be back to herself now--yeah! If you would like to se how she's growing, we recently had her 6m pictures taken (although she's actaully 7m). They can be viewed on www.johnballewphotography.com under order prints. The password is dahl0911_children.

As for me, I have made a new goal to go running on MWF with some friends, Amanda Williams and Erin Hale. The catch is that it's at 5:30 in the morning--yikes! We started this week so I have only gone twice so far. After the first run (I actually just sped walked) my body hurt soooooo bad. We only went about 2-3 miles, so I must obviouly be out of shape (not a surprise though). I felt like I had arthritis in my hips and shin splints in my legs. So wish me luck in sticking with this, at least for a little while. The one helpful thing is that Amanda has been doing this morning run for about a year now so we know that she will still go whether Erin and I go or not. It would make me feel like a slacker if I didn't get up. I must say that it's very different to be awake so early with half the world still sleeping and the moon still in the sky. It was nice to be awake and showered before the kids woke up, although I was exhausted the rest of the day. I think I will really like this once I'm not aching after every run. I'm not sure how I will like running in 15 degree weather as the winter progresses, but we'll see.

Silly Pacifier

2007-09-21T16:11:00.000-05:00

One afternoon this is what I found when I went in to get Ella up from her nap. It gave me a good laugh and I couldn't resist taking a picture of her. I guess she couldn't quite get her pacifier back in right, but it seemed to still work for her.

Little Firefighters

2007-09-21T16:01:00.000-05:00

Last week the kids and I went to an ice cream social here in St Louis Park. They had a huge firetruck there that the kids could climb into. We met our good friend Mandy and her little boy Evan. (Our husbands were in church meetings that afternoon.) The kids loved the ice cream and the chance to play on the train playground together. We were the last people to leave. We obviously had a great time.

Ella's baby model career

2007-09-16T21:17:00.000-05:00

Hi all, just wanted to share the link to the website that Ella's pictures are posted on. This is the beginnings of her professional career as a baby model--JK. For those who don't know the story, our good friend is a commercial photographer and called us last minute because her baby model had cancelled on her. She asked if we could come in and we couldn't turn down the opportunity to have great pictures taken of Ella. She also took pictures of another boy that Lauren and Grant play with, (he's the boy hanging upside down on the couch--very cute!). The website is http://www.allijagoda.com/ and Ella's pictures are under the baby section.

Welcome

2007-09-13T14:02:00.000-05:00

This is my first attempt at a blog. For someone who didn't even know what a blog was until a year ago this is a big step for me. I hope this will be a fun way to document the exciting lives of Harv and I and our three children. So enjoy and wish me luck!