A Visual Christmas Replay

Christmas Eve dinner with the Murrill Family hosted at our house.


Gingerbread cookies did get made this year with Soren spending a morning with Gramma Anne at her home for the baking.


A very early Christmas morning digging into the stocking.

Soren and Sevi were a great team this year helping each other with the gift opening process.





Santa Delivered!!!!!!

Christmas at Gramma Anne's.


Soren opening the marble run gift.


Setting up the marble run. I am super excited that we made it through this christmas with only one battery operated gift (Sevi's music drum)!


Soren working on his lacing cards - notice the fire truck?????


Uncle Chris arriving from Atlanta was the perfect gift for Sevi!

We ended the day with the Lewandowski Family.


Hanging with the cousins, Alyssa and Nicole.


Cousin Kristi with Sevi.



Opening up gifts with Grandpa Henry and Nana Nancy.


Setting up the playmobile police station and police car.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

May your days be filled with Love, Peace, Wonder and Joy.

Santa's Electronic Message

Santa is not only busy at the North Pole, but busy sending electronic messages to good little boys like Soren. We are saving this for Christmas Eve, so ssshhhhhhh if you see Soren before then!

Dodge Preschool Classroom Party

I love that Soren's preschool celebrates the holidays with a classroom party that celebrates in the classroom of the great outdoors. All the parents and children bundled up for the 18 degree morning and headed out for some snow mound climbing and butt sledding, real sledding, hot dog roasting and eating and then ending the party with a cup of hot cocoa with classroom buddies.

The Bundle

Sevi is at that awkward, in between mobility phase for winter right now. He can't quite walk, so it is a question of bundling him up warm enough to be able to sit and enjoy the snowfall. Thankfully, in Sevi fashion, he can lay contently all ready to go while I layer up Soren and then myself. It really is a feat to get out the door this time of year. It is only December and I caught myself already wishing for the ease of summer...... I don't think the past weekend record for the 5th biggest snowfall in MN history is helping.


Here is Soren walking with a pink balloon he received at a party the night before the big blizzard.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like........Winter

Here in Minnesota it feels like we drastically went from a warm Fall to a harsh Winter. One day the boys were playing "train" with the big wheel and wagon, then all of a sudden we were digging out the sled. Soren had to try one last spin around the block on his favorite wheels before storing the big wheel away for winter.

Birthday Pleasures

Wednesday was a busy day for Sevi in celebrating his first year. He and Soren woke at the crack of dawn, with Soren all eager to celebrate the days festivities. We started with some birthday hats and balloons, a couple of presents, a playdate with milk brother Griffin while big brother Soren was at school, then we ended the day with a two hour train ride on the Northstar commuter train with the Grandma's and Grandpa Henry. Since the day ended late we celebrated again on Saturday with the cake, a tasty end to a great first year.

Mr. One Year Old

Our Dear Sevien -
Today marks one year that you have blessed us with your presence. You have brought so much joy and happiness with your contagious smile and always happy demeanor. It has been a year of health and growth for you, starting off strong and ending strong. We call you our love Buddha, always snuggling, grinning and contently sitting, taking in the world around you. We thank you, we love you. Happy Birthday dear one!

Milestones

It took Sevi 10 &3/4 months to crawl on all fours and now at 11 months he loves to use any form of a baby walker to push behind, so we can check those off the developmental list. But the real milestone in our house is the one when they can pull up and just peek over the top of the dining room table. That can be a check next to the too darn cute developmental milestone.

Halloween 2010

This was the first year that Soren was an active Halloween participant. Up until now he has been more on the end of Halloween giving then getting. You can call Randy and I Halloween Humbugs - as we really aren't up for all that it is meant to be. Even our friends mock us as we hand out pencils, stickers and playdough. But this was to be Sorens year and we celebrated Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Soren was excited about all his possibilities for a costume. On Friday, at the Dodge Preschool event, he wore the fantastic fireman's costume he has been wearing for the last month. On Saturday, he wore his police outfit. But for the big day, it was the tradition African outfit that his Uncle Chris got for him from Africa that he wanted to wear. One thing for sure, there weren't any other african dressed white boys out in our hood tonight in the land of halloween costumes! FYI - Sevi hung out with papa to hand out the dreaded halloween treats we supply.



Soren in his Halloween night costume - yes, he did get a major haircut!


Soren and Sevi.


Meeting up with friends and neighbors Max and Amanda


Soren and Kai (aka Batman) with his dad Joe (trying not to be in the pic).



Checking out the bounty at home. He ate only one piece and was asleep 15 minutes after this shot was taken!