Oh Joy!

2 weeks ago, Samuel John was born! What a blessing! T is a great big brother and somehow I love him more even while loving this perfect newborn.

John and I have had wonderful help from our parents. I'm ok with the honeymoon lasting for as long as possible.

Samuel was born in 12/12/11, sharing a birthday with Ole Tobias Berge (John's grandpa) and is the 12th grandchild on John's side of the family, 2nd on my side.

Also special was being able to have Samuel baptized on Christmas day. What a joyful time for our family!

Our Little Cub is Three

I love thinking back to this day 3 years ago . . . I could hardly sleep knowing I'd meet you July 1st. The 3 of us started a great adventure and I'm often amazed at how much I love every new corner we explore together. We love you so much, T!

Father's Day

So . . . there is nothing overly sentimental or profound here. Only a great Dad, on a great day and a blessed wife and son.

Civil Engineers?

We are fortunate to have new neighbors across the street including G who is so much fun and T asks to play with him every day. Their play usually consists of racing circles around the driveway (T with his yellow dump truck and G on his balance bike) or digging up the dirt in the flower beds. I've drawn "roads" with chalk within our driveway in the past, but this time, we used road drawing as our activity together. The boys had a great time. G just turned 4 y/o at the end of March.

Following the intense road drawing and racing, the boys helped me with yard work by gathering my piles of raked grass and dumping it into the yard waste bin. T is still a little short to reach and most of the grass would end up on him or scattered around the bin, but he was having a great time.

Easter Joy

Our Easter Day began at church including pancake breakfast and the 1st of two egg hunts. Sara was in the Easter Drama this year, "The Choice for the Executioner".

Following church, we had a bunch of friends over for Easter dinner which is a cinch when you've got dual wall ovens (set to delay start), everyone bringing food to share and disposable tableware.

Next, the 2nd egg hunt. Our guests provided all the eggs and the guys hid them around the yard. Once T filled up his little pail, he was content.




Aren't these kids a sweet bunch!


Chocolate!!!!

It was very special to share a wonderful holiday together with great friends with whom we share faith and hope in Jesus Christ. I wonder what kind of egg hunts we'll have in heaven . . . .

The Great Christmas Get Together: Great Coffee Needs?

So, next month we will host a Christmas celebration and I find myself constantly thinking about food and sleeping arrangements, activities for the kids, food, serving dishes, presents, food . . . I'm looking forward to the crazy days to come and the sweet peace that follows at night. Even the following mornings, lazily stumbling into the kitchen for a cup of coffee, wait a second . . . coffee??? How many people? With only a french press? Oh, no this will never do.

$6 Coffee Maker, 12 cup capacity, removable filter basket, Pause 'n Serve function, ergonomic handle, non-stick warming plate, easy pour, non-drip carafe, convenient cord storage.

Ready for a Good Morning, family!

Treats

Sometimes the best treats don't come on special occasions. T loves helping, especially in the kitchen. Now, this "help" gives me one more thing to keep track of at dinner time, yet I'm so amazed at how fast he learns new things and wants to do things on his own :)

Tonight we decided to rearrange our pumpkins' outward (and inward) appearance. T was having a great time placing little poke holes in the pumpkin. I have to be careful not to miss these little moments. It was my idea to start carving pumpkins before dinner, but I found myself completely busy with the food prep. Luckily, I came to my senses, washed my hands and grabbed the camera.

Treat for Mommy

T: Mommy, treat. [pointing at his plate]

Me: The leftover crusts? For me?

T: OK. Welcome.

Wow, thanks, kid.

In the Bright Mid 'Tober

Have you tried fresh-pressed apple cider in a little paper cup? Oh so good . . . .

We joined our church family at the Montgomery Orchard following service last Sunday. Nothing puts me in a thankful mood like a bright, sunny day outside with friends, apples right off the tree, a dirt road off the beaten trail, groves of goldenrod and the combines out in the field.

Nothing steals my thankful attitude like laundry. But, finally, when it's clean
out of the dryer and folded, ah, life is good again.
Stats from yesterday's 2 loads:

24 sock pairs

15 underwear

5 bras

4o tops

21 bottoms

2 jammies

1 blanket

Tall Ships

We went to see some tall ships in Duluth.

Always a Party

When cousins show up, if you show them your pool, chances are they'll ask for their swimsuits. The Mom will get everyone's swimsuits and usher them back towards the pool. Upon stepping into the water, they'll see a toy fishing pole and 10 plastic fish and want to hook the fish. They'll need to take turns "catching" the fish and eventually loose interest, but catching and releasing water proves just as fun, so they'll need a bucket. They find a green bucket, which reminds them of lounging on the beach in Mexico, so they'll go over to the sandbox. In the sandbox, they create towers and castles. Between the sun and sand they get pretty warm, so they head back into the pool. The breeze picks up, so the cousins ask for towels. You get green towels for everyone and herd them over to the picnic table for pizza and watermelon. After eating, they remember how nice the freshly-cut grass feels on the feet, so the cousins will run in circles chasing each other through the lawn. As the sun gets lower in the sky, they'll realize that they still have a few hours of driving until they get home, so they'll change out of their swimsuits back into clothes. Time for a bathroom break! On the way to the bathroom, they'll see brownies and ice cream and ask for a bedtime snack. After eating the snack and getting bathroom breaks, they are sent out the front door toward the car . . . best not to show the pool again . . .

Thanks for the Party!

Momma Day Highlights

The 3 of us on Mother's Day

T's cute head

A duck nest with 7 eggs outside our front door (snuggled in the creeping juniper)

He is Risen

Happy Easter all!

So Far So Good

This week marks the first for me as non full-time employee. So far, the weather has been beautiful and play time outside is so good. We've discovered a magical time (between 3:30 and 4:00p) when several school buses are motoring by one of the 3 roads seen from our house. T's exuberance with proclaiming the arrival of bus after bus into his field of vision is pretty fun to behold. All the excitement is addictive and I find, even when I'm by myself, announcing, "Bus" when I catch it in my sight.

Even with the excellent, spring fever-inducing weather we've experienced, it is necessary to spend a fair amount of time indoors, preparing the house for its new owners. I can't deny that I'm thrilled when T can entertain himself for a little while during the cleaning and/or packing escapades. (One week left in our current home)

Hello!

March Madness

I guess Spring Fever is coming on fast and furious. Along with it is this burning need for change which cannot be held back and refuses to drag out over the course of years (a.k.a. this is not like our house projects). So, within March there will be 2 milestones: the end of my full-time employment and saying goodbye to our very 1st home.

Weekend Recap

Weekends are worth their weight in gold around here. This weekend was no different and it started Friday evening as T and I goofed around while waiting for John to get home from work.

Saturday's activities included lots of reading, walking about with stars around our ankles, blueberry scones and a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Berge.

To take advantage of the nice weather, today we spent some time at a park near our home. The snow was deep, but we were still able to climb on the equipment. T's fav is the swing to be sure.

Here's to being refreshed for another week!