the stroms

snow

2012-01-23T12:38:00.000-08:00

I love that this is what the inside of my van looked liked this morning! Today we got new snow, all three boys and I were home by 10:30 (Caleb stayed home because he had a fever yesterday) and we went snowshoeing and ice skating over at camp before lunch!

pockets

2012-01-22T12:29:00.000-08:00

I guess I have been taking a lot of pictures of Emmett lately! This one is just funny because he loves putting his hands in his pockets. He does not want to wear gloves and says "I put them in my pockets." Sure enough, he walks to the car like this and sits in his car seat like this. He fell asleep on the way home from church, we carried him in and his hands were STILL in his pockets. Luckily if we are spending any length of time outside I can convince him to put his gloves on.

trying to keep emmett busy

2012-01-14T12:22:00.000-08:00

Emmett has been very busy these days! We have had a few really cold days so going outside hasn't really been an option for getting out some of his energy. We have done a lot of painting instead. He really enjoys it and also enjoys the bath that usually follows!

My little lumberjack

2012-01-12T12:18:00.000-08:00

Here is Emmett watching a show on the computer, chainsaw and all! Caleb and Jackson wanted me to point out his little crossed feet.

Downhill skiing take one!

2012-01-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

With an early dismissal for Caleb (and 40 degree weather!) it was the perfect day to take the big guys to the ski hill for their first (free) ski lesson. Emmett stayed home with a babysitter but Angie told me he has to come next time! Ah! Angie is a friend from church with a passion for teaching kids to ski and she was the perfect teacher for our boys. They spent a few minutes inside learning all about their equipment first.

Making pizzas.

Angie is pulling them with a ski pole to get them over to the tow rope.

Caleb

Angie held Jackson on the tow rope the first time. He was a little more timid for sure, but he kept saying he just wanted to do it himself! He eventually did and did well. He wasn't able to last as long as Caleb, but we were so proud of him!

Jackson

Caleb was a quick learner. He was going up on the tow rope by himself and learning how to turn and slow himself down. I think Angie would have wanted them to ski a little more, but we were done. I know you all really want to see videos, so here are the best I got...sorry Jackson's is all shaky!

Another winter sport...

2012-01-07T18:11:00.000-08:00

This morning we tried out cross country skiing. There were a lot of smiles...

...but also a lot of falls! These guys have been so good about trying all these new things. On Monday we head to the ski hill for a downhill ski lesson!

Indoor soccer

2012-01-06T18:02:00.000-08:00

We got a call from a friend tonight at 6pm letting us know that there was an indoor soccer group (for 6yrs and up) starting up tonight at 7pm in town. With our love for soccer we quickly packed up the kids and headed to town. Caleb wasn't very excited at first but had such a great time and poor Jackson was just wishing he was old enough to play! Oh, and the best part is that each time it meets it costs $1. Yes, you read that right, $1. I love this place!

Winter Fun!

2012-01-05T17:54:00.000-08:00

Skating on the lake. Practice, practice, practice.

We had a fun Strom broomball game tonight. I think Emmett will be quite the player with so many years of practice ahead of him!

And of course Kevin was giving sled rides!

Christmas Day

2011-12-25T16:57:00.000-08:00

Stocking presents even before Daddy was awake!

I sorta think Nana was just as excited as the boys!

Emmett really enjoyed opening presents this year and was excited for everything he got.

Snowshoes!

Playing a new game.

This is what either of them would do if they won...VICTORY!

The boys all got Angry Birds from Mark and Michael...perfect for my boys.

Those are all the pictures I have...I didn't even take one picture at Christmas camp this year. I'll see if I can steal some from Tammy or Linnea.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T16:02:00.000-08:00

Breakfast at Gramma and Poppas with the whole family (minus you Condaps!)

Cousin pile!

Adeline and Emmett ended up enjoying falling over more!

While shopping at Anglei's one day Caleb spotted a bag of only juicy pear jelly beans. He wanted to buy them for Gramma because they are her favorite. He then said "Oh man, she is just gonna hug me and hug me." I prepped my mom and she was very excited for her jelly beans from Caleb.

Christmas Eve dinner with the ENTIRE Christiansen side of the family. (We had a Mecher party on Tuesday but I forgot to take pictures!!) Here is one of the kids tables.

Emmett took a 45 minute nap today (very short for him) and as a result was a wreck by 6pm tonight. So, we put him to bed right away. At around 8:30 Erik went up to check on him and he had actually just woken up crying. When Erik went to get him, Emmett threw up all over the tow of them...thus the bath on Christmas Eve night! We are pretty sure it was because of all the mucous he had in his throat and nose, he was fine after the bath. Meanwhile Jackson was coming down with a fever...he snuggled with Aunt Betty until we could get everything packed up.

Photoshoot!

2011-12-23T15:50:00.000-08:00

Tonight before bed the boys wanted to take pictures with all of Nana's decorations. They posed themselves and everything...enjoy!

Next stop...Stroms!

2011-12-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

Our first morning we hopped in the wagon and took a walk to town for some much needed Starbucks! Vanilla steamers and hot chocolates all around!

Another full day

2011-12-19T12:54:00.000-08:00

We started our day with dentist appointments for everyone...Emmett's first.

Next up a visit to our ENT to check on Emmett's tubes. The doctor literally came in looked in both of his ears and said "we'll see you in another six months to make sure they are still in then." Brooke could have done that for me! But since it was so close to Christmas we did get a stuffed animal (not that we need anymore).

Then off to Winter Wonderfest for the rest of the day!

Caleb and Sklyar were watching the magic show and the magician called up 4-6 year olds and Caleb went right up!

As you can see we got to spend the day with tons of friends and family. All those grownups made it very easy to take kids on whatever they wanted to go on. And Adeline fell asleep on Poppas shoulders. A very exhausting day indeed!

2011-12-17T12:06:00.000-08:00

After a wonderful brunch with friends we moved over to 4027 for the next few days.

First thing on the agenda, decorate the tree. It was kinda fun to be the visitors this time. I wasn't torn between going home to put the kids to bed and staying to hang out with family. We got to do both. The Mechers and Rummelhoffs came over often!

2011-12-16T12:02:00.000-08:00

Cam took Friday off and had some extra help fixing their back door.

A busy day in Chicago

2011-12-15T11:26:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Wilmette yesterday around 4:00, got settled in at Cam and Linnea's and then headed over to Wednesday night at Winnetka Covenant. It was great to see so many friends and honestly felt very normal being there...almost like we hadn't ever left! Our time in the Chicago area was split up staying at the Johnsons, my parents and the Stroms, we loved every minute of our time and got some good quality time with friends and family.

On Thursday morning I took the boys to the Shedd for one last time before our pass ran out (Gwen had school so they stayed home and Erik went to a coffee shop to do a little work). The boys enjoyed watching the Christmas Fantasea and I was surprised at how easy it was to have all three boys there. Such good troopers.

After the Shedd we met Erik, Linnea and her girls at the Zoo! Talk about a full touristy day! While we waited for them we went into the Conservatory which was all set up for Christmas with trains and poinsettias...so beautiful. The boys enjoyed walking around with the camera to take pictures, so here are their photos...

Gwen arrives!

The hippo was right by the glass today.

Winding down with some veggie tales after a fun filled day...love these kids!

Opening our presents...

2011-12-13T09:18:00.000-08:00

This morning we let the boys each open one present before they left for school. Secretly I just wanted Emmett to have some time to play with his chainsaw before we left for Chicago! The picture with the eggnog is a gift from Caleb and Jackson to Erik. I guess on one of their many trips to school with Linnea they came up with this big plan to buy him eggnog and wrap it up for a present...so Linnea followed through and her it is!

A boy, his chainsaw and a piece of wood equals heaven! It was so cute to see him playing with it, he used it just like daddy did when cutting our wood for the fireplace...even kicking the "cut" wood to the side! Already a true yooper!

We are leaving for Chicago the day before the Christmas program, so I went to their practice instead! (Lame, I know...but the best we could do.)

Jackson is our little note man. When we climbed into bed tonight this was greeting us on our pillows. He actually made the cards at school today and set them up like this. He is always writing notes and is getting really good at spelling things himself.

Tonight we opened the rest of our presents to the boys.

Jackson wanted a matchbox car!

And Caleb wanted Legos.

Dinner with friends

2011-12-12T08:58:00.000-08:00

Jinny invited all us CPBCers over to her house for dinner and to help get her tree set up and decorated. The food was delicious, our children loved helping out with the tree and Erik and I actually had some grown-up conversations with good friends.

To Duluth and back...

2011-12-10T06:22:00.000-08:00

Linnea and I packed up the kids and headed to Duluth for Grant's 4th birthday party! All the kids were great and had so much fun at his dinosaur party.

Since we were in Duluth at Christmastime we made sure to squeeze in a trip to "Bentleyville." A huge "tour of lights." Emmett fell asleep on the way there and stayed asleep in the stroller for most of it (this was actually a nice treat so I didn't have to chase him around). Everyone loved it, especially the free cookies, hot chocolate and popcorn! We got home around midnight and were all very exhausted!

2011 Gingerbread House

2011-11-27T11:49:00.000-08:00

We bought this gingerbread house at the end of the season last year...so when we moved I made sure to bring it to the house (and not in storage). The boys have asked every week if they could do it, but I told them they had to wait until after Thanksgiving. So, they came running into the house after church on a gingerbread house mission!

The rest of Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-24T22:35:00.000-08:00

Dress up breakfast. Dress as your favorite book character.

The man with the yellow hat and Curious George.

The table is all set. 44 seats and one baby to be held!

Josh and Emmett playing Angry Birds.

Al and Samuel

My cute dad and mom...

...and their family!

The whole clan! We had such a great time together. Too bad it ended with lots of cases of the flu!!! (As of now, the Stroms are all ok!)

Turkey Trot

2011-11-24T06:47:00.000-08:00

This years Turkey Trot had races for all ages. Emmett and Adeline raced about 100 feet! The next age group which included Jackson and Caleb ran a course around the big field, behind the dining hall past the shop and up the hill to the finish line. The adults ran to Hagerman Beach and back. Brixton finished in under 10 minutes and the next person to cross was 16 minutes! Thanks to Dave for organizing the races complete with bib numbers and timing chips!

Dan, Erik and I all stuck together and crossed the finish line like this.

2011-11-22T05:38:00.000-08:00

Emmett loved to help out whenever he could. Here he is helping serve breakfast.

Making cupcakes with Kristin (a friend of Erin and Jims)

Making Oreo turkeys...so cute!

Emmett helping again...with the dishes.

While the grownups were all cleaning the kids made a mess with Gramma's yarn. Each person got a quarter for rolling up a ball of yarn. It was actually pretty fun to clean up!

Sparklers on the back porch after dinner!

Thanksgiving Camp 2011

2011-11-21T05:35:00.000-08:00

We started Thanksgiving Camp this year on Sunday afternoon with a trip to the pool in town. The next morning was spent hanging out at camp just enjoying being together. It was so fun to see my boys play with everyone and be much more independent.

crafty boys

2011-11-18T16:24:00.000-08:00

I remember making these when I was younger, so I was SO excited when a box of them showed up at the rummage sale last year. Emmett took a super long nap this afternoon and the big boys got to make these without him climbing up on the table. I love that they have the patience to do crafts like this.

Museum Christmas Tree Galleria

2011-11-14T16:15:00.000-08:00

The tree decorated by the Kindergarten classes.

Pre-K tree

The library tree. You can seem Emmett's little picture on the right towards the bottom.

Tonight was family night at the museum. We brought canned goods for the food pantry and were able to get in for free. There were tons of trees to look at, crafts and snacks for the kids, story time and a sing-a-long. Fun for the whole family!

2011-11-11T16:12:00.000-08:00

A beautiful sunset at CPBC.

More on the first snow...

2011-11-09T23:00:00.000-08:00

Once Caleb got home from school we all headed over to camp to play.

Kevin took the kids for rides behind the four wheeler.

We went sledding and made a huge snowman to sit on the Johnson's front lawn.

We were surprised to find out that school was cancelled tomorrow. Snow Day! We lost power for a couple hours in the middle of the night, but all is well now.

Winter wonderland...

2011-11-09T11:38:00.000-08:00

It started snowing here around 9:00am and hasn't stopped. Erik and I were just talking about how quickly our scenery has changed...it feels like we are living in a completely different place. The boys are beyond excited for a chance to play in the snow and I am enjoying the beauty all around us (talk to me in March and see how I feel about it then!)

Big Boy Pants

2011-11-08T04:19:00.000-08:00

I know this is a funny picture but it is just to document Emmett wearing big boy pants! He basically decided that he wanted to go on the potty and has done a very good job of staying dry throughout the last couple of days. When he wakes up in the morning and after a nap he calls and says "I go potty", but is usually a little wet by the time I get there. He loves to have anyone that is over come into the bathroom with him and makes sure that we never forget his smarties! I can't even imagine a house without diapers! Yippee!

Happy birthday to me!

2011-11-06T11:30:00.000-08:00

Here I am with my beautiful family on my 33rd birthday! I can't believe I am that old already, but am so thankful for all I have been blessed with in these years...especially all my boys that take such good care of me.

Megan made me this ice cream cake that was so delicious, I may or may not have had two pieces! Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes and phone calls.

New Lego

2011-11-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

Caleb is showing off his new Lego float plane that he got for quitting his nail biting habit! The deal was if his nails were long enough that we had to cut them all, he could pick a new Lego kit. He still sucks his thumb, but one thing at a time right!? I think he might get a really big Lego package when we finally get there. (I was a thumb sucker and I remember people always trying to "bribe" me to quit. It wasn't until I broke my arm in just the right spot so that I couldn't get my thumb in my mouth that I quit...he might be doomed!)

EMMETT!

2011-11-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

Here is my little man covered with chocolate frosting and dirt. I just love that face (even if he does wake me up at 4:45am!)

Trick or Treat

2011-10-31T05:12:00.000-07:00

Here are my boys all dressed up for Trunk or Treat at our church.

The Covenant Point trunk. (Colby, Johanna and Dustin are the characters from "True Grit")

After church we were invited over to Duff and Donna's farm for a little tour and some treats. The boys loved seeing the cows and all the farm equipment.

Happy Halloween!

Chalkboard banner

2011-10-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

I saw a version of this chalkboard banner on Pinterest and decided I could make one too! I made a few changes, mainly drilling holes for the ribbon instead of gluing the ribbon to the back of the circles. I wanted to be able to change up the amount of letters used for each message. As you can see it is even fun for the kids to write on.

Library and Marquette

2011-10-22T05:44:00.000-07:00

This morning we went to see "The Frog Man" at our library. The boys were brave enough to hold that salamanders but let the other kids hold the frogs.

Then we hopped in the van and headed to Marquette for the day. We headed right to the water and found this boat for nana.

And this fun wooden park to play on.

Erik was behind me making funny faces to get the boys to smile! We love those little pumpkins!

Decorating pumpkins at the library.

2011-10-20T05:37:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to the library to decorate pumpkins. Everyone had to bring their own pumpkin and there were fabric scraps cut up that we modge podged to them. Everyone enjoyed themselves and were covered in glue by the time we left!

2011-10-18T05:33:00.000-07:00

I just love the fall, rain boots, pumpkin hats, sweaters and vests. What could be better?

Carving pumpkins!

2011-10-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

Everyone had so much fun carving their pumpkins this year!

Riding the tractor with daddy and Kevin.

Making apple cider with the high school kids.

Fire Department Open House

2011-10-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went over the the Fire Department for their open house. Our fire department is all volunteer run! The boys enjoyed a ride in the fire truck. Emmett was so excited to climb up in there with daddy.

The excavator was dropped off today; they plan to start digging tomorrow!

Strombergs!

2011-10-09T06:26:00.000-07:00

We had more visitors this weekend. Katie and the boys stayed with us while Lars was at the retreat at camp. We had so much fun together and the weather was unbelievable!

Rolling/sliding down the hill is a new favorite for these boys. We spend so much time outside and loved every minute.

Kevin and Emmett on the tractor. This little boy is in love with all of Kevin's toys! He seriously asks to go to the garage to look at everything in there.

He also loves the pile of tools in daddy's office. Once he is done eating he will just head in here and measure or "fix" things. Future grounds crew!

Stories with Katie before bed. Look at all those boys!

Clifford!

2011-10-08T06:24:00.000-07:00

Today the library had a special Clifford event. We headed in to see him...Emmett and Jackson did not want to take a picture with him . Here he is with his friend Jonathan.

Leaf Fort

2011-10-04T06:15:00.000-07:00

My friend Teri gave me a book with a bunch of fort ideas for the boys. It was easy for us to make this one with all the leaves on the ground right now. We just wish we would have had bigger boxes.

Cranberries

2011-10-03T06:24:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we went to Cranberry Fest in Eagle River with Linnea and the girls. There were a ton of vendors selling arts and crafts and a lot selling food. Erik and I bought some craisins and whole cranberries. We bought 10 pounds of cranberries to make cranberry sauce for our upcoming Thanksgiving camp (with my family). Jackson and I cleaned them up and packed them in smaller bags to freeze until then.

And here is a sneak peek at the halloween costume Jackson created for himself! I was laughing so hard the first time he showed me! How creative!

A full day with the Johnsons

2011-10-01T17:01:00.000-07:00

Jackson was always wanting to hold Naomi. The first night they got here, he ran to the bathroom and washed his hands (without anyone telling him to) came back and said "I washed my hands, can I hold Naomi now?"

Playing in a neighbors leaf pile.

Naomi is such a good baby. I cannot even stand how cute this picture is!

Gwen and Caleb on the piles of dirt at the site of our new home.

The boys just figured out that rolling down the hill was quite fun.

A full day

2011-10-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

I have been to Caleb's class twice to do art with the kids. Last week we talked about Eric Carle and read some of his books. The kids then painted tissue paper to give it more texture. Then, today I went in and had the kids create these 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' pictures. I thought they turned out great.

This one is Caleb's.

After school we went right over to Jane's to make applesauce.

And then tonight the Johnson ladies came to visit us! Here they are at story time with Erik at 9:30 at night! The kids were so excited to be together again and we loved having them here. Thanks for making the drive up Linnea.

more fall colors

2011-09-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

A neat looking tree right by Caleb's school.

This is a view of camp from across the lake.

The beauty of fall in the U.P.

2011-09-26T16:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some beautiful pictures of camp this time of year. The boys and I don't mind the drive to town so much when then trees all look this beautiful.

2011-09-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

The boys were huge helpers while we cut and stacked our wood for the winter.

These are some trees behind the Stroms cabin...so pretty!

2011-09-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

A weekend visit from Uncle Dave and Papa. Storytime before bed.

2011-09-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

Saw this huge pile of wood wile driving around today.

And Emmett is sporting his new 'G diaper' from Gramma and Poppa. Love those 'G Diapers'!!

"one, two!"

2011-09-20T07:40:00.000-07:00

Today is Emmett's birthday. When you ask him how old he is, he holds up his fingers and says, "one, two!" It is really cute, we make him do it ALL the time!

The big brothers helped open his presents.

There was story time at the library today (I LOVE our library...so much fun stuff happening there for my kids). Emmett got this special crown and everyone sang to him.

This was the second week of story time. Last week there were 32 kids (plus care givers) and this week there were 50 kids!!! It is so great to see all these little ones, just anxious to get to know everyone better.

We picked up Caleb from school and went to Scott's for ice cream (thanks Uncle Kyle, Auntie Jenny and Charlotte for the gift cards!)

Here is our big 2 year old. How has it already been 2 years. Our Emmett is so full of life. He is constantly talking and moving and trying to keep up with his brothers. We love you so much Emmett!

2011-09-18T18:15:00.000-07:00

2011-09-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

I ended up driving the boys to school this morning, so Emmett and I spent 2 hours "out on the town!" I was too cheap to actually pay for this horse ride, but some old man came and gave Emmett the $0.50 he needed...good times.

Here is Jackson having snack in his classroom.

And Jackson with his backpack by his classroom door.

jackson rides the bus

2011-09-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

We were so happy to get a call from the preschool on Monday saying there was an opening for Jackson! Here he is on his first day of preschool in Iron River. He got into the morning class which means he can ride the bus to school with Caleb. I think it will be good for Caleb to have a buddy on the bus. As you can see Jackson was pretty excited about the big yellow bus. (Emmett is already asking to go on the bus too)

2011-09-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

Me and Samuel

cousins bath time

2011-09-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

I know these aren't really the best pictures but they are a little funny to me!

Taking the bus

2011-09-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

The second day of school the bus driver stopped at our house and surprise...his bus driver was Scott (of Scott's Subs in town)! Caleb hopped right on and was off to school. Meanwhile, I had the van all packed up for a little visit to Chicago. I got Jackson and Emmett loaded up and we drove to school to meet Caleb when he got off the bus. We got there just in time and helped him learn what to do once he gets to school. Soon enough the bell rang and we walked Caleb to his class and said goodbye. We hit the road at 8:00 and made it to Linnea's at 2:00! The boys were amazing in the car which made the trip even better.

We had a packed couple of days but most important was spending as much time with our new cousin, Samuel Atticus Asher Rummelhoff who was just one week old! Welcome to the world little buddy, we love you so much (and are so glad you can reuse all our boy clothes!!)

My baby starts Kindergarten!

2011-09-06T21:21:00.000-07:00

I just loved these pictures of Emmett waiting outside for the bus.

Today was Caleb's first day of Kindergarten. Last week after his orientation he said "I was kinda nervous about Kindergarten but now I am excited because I get to meet new friends." We were excited for him too but also aware that there are a lot of new things for our kids right now. Caleb will be in all day Kindergarten (7:52 to 3:08). He will be riding the bus to school in the morning and our friend Linnea will be driving him home at the end of the day. The bus picks him up at 6:50am! Although today things didn't go as planned...Erik was standing in the driveway looking for the bus while the rest of us huddled inside because it was a whopping 32 degrees out this morning! All of a sudden the bus just flew right past our house! The driver obviously didn't have our house on his route. Erik and I were planning on meeting Caleb's bus at school this morning to help him figure everything out so we all just drove him to school. Of course I had some tears thinking about him being gone all day, but it was great. He walked right into his class and said goodbye like it was any other day!

His teacher, Mrs. Fish (So nice to not have to get to know the teacher too!)

Locker

Classroom

When Caleb got home from school he was pretty good at sharing about his day. He was so excited that he got to have 3 recesses, his favorite time was story time and they celebrated someones birthday. I did notice that he didn't really eat too much of his lunch (only applesauce and raisins). Wondering if the whole lunch thing was a little overwhelming for him. As for me, I missed him a lot. It seemed like he was gone for so long and I just kept wondering what he was doing. While Emmett napped, Jackson and I had some good quality time together. We made cookies, played baseball and cleaned up the house. I guess they do have to grow up sometime...just not sure I was ready yet!

2011-09-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

From left to right Caleb, Jackson, Emmett, Laurel, Grant and Henrick

We enjoyed some time with friends at Jack and Verls. This weekend was Erik's installation service, so we got to see a lot of friends and family. I didn't take any pictures of the service! I was overwhelmed and so so proud of my amazing husband. He is already serving this camp so well.

Our life at CPBC

2011-09-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

Naked again! I seem to have a lot of pictures of Emmett these days. Enjoy.

Fun in the lake...

2011-08-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

We had a little naked swimming this afternoon because mommy forgot the swim suits.

He is getting so big!

Here are some pictures of Emmett enjoying the tube with Erik.

My little Ear Band-it

2011-08-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

Emmett needs to wear wax ear plugs and this headband when he swims in the lake...doesn't he look so cute!? I am always surprised that he even lets us put that thing on him and that he keeps it on the whole time!

Here's Caleb enjoying a view of the lake...this is the life!

the boys go tubing!

2011-08-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

We decided to get the boys out on the tubes while we still have nice weather. It took a while because we had to slowly ease them into it. Both were pretty timid at first but eventually were doing this and LOVING it! They didn't want to stop.

I love this picture...just look how happy he is.

We did go again on Monday night but I forgot my camera. Caleb and Jackson went on with Erik all at the same time. Emmett cried for Daddy the entire boat ride and after pulling Caleb and Jackson in we realized the Emmett wanted to go on the tube! He loved it, he just sat there smiling with Daddy the whole time! I can't believe I don't have a picture of it.

Tonight we went to the Demo Derby with a bunch of Covenant Point people. Jane was nice enough to watch Emmett so we only had the bigger boys. We stayed for about 3 rounds and the last round this "McQueen" car won. Caleb had been cheering for him.

2011-08-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

I made Nadia take a picture with me (because we realized we only had pictures of the kids)...and I made her cry! We are going to miss our friends so much!

S'mores with the Johnsons

2011-08-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here we are...enjoying our last moments in the same place together! Love you!

WCC Family Camp Week

2011-08-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

We had a great week with our Winnetka Covenant family at CPBC. This was our fourth year and our best attended. What a great way to finish up our time with them! I hope this week still happens every year.

Our new home

2011-08-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

We will be living at Erik's parents cabin for a season while a longer-term housing situation is being figured out. In the meantime, we're so grateful for this great place to call home! We pulled up the driveway and this sign was taped to the porch. I walked up and saw it and immediately started crying. (I had held myself together most of the drive up!) I was overcome with love and joy for our new community and the welcome we're receiving.

We basically moved in to the loft area. Erik and I will sleep upstairs, Emmet will sleep in Jan and Dan's room and the big guys are in a room in the basement. The sleeping arrangements seem to be working out great so far and I even had to wake Caleb and Jackson up for breakfast the other day!

The boys have all their toys and movies on the bookshelf and their art table in the little cubby.

Here is our office!

Moving Day

2011-08-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

Today was moving day. I set my alarm for 6a.m. but woke up on my own at 5...so I just got up and started this crazy day! First I went to Jewel to get some gatorade for all our helpers, then to Dunkin Donuts to get goodies for the helpers, then I justified buying Erik and I Starbucks because we won't be having any for a long time! My dad pulled up in our big 26 footer truck right around 7:15 as I was leaving for a dentist appointment! I had to get my permanent crown put on this morning! When I got back the movers were here and a lot of friends carrying all of our boxes out. The movers (and our wonderful helpers) got our entire house loaded into the truck in 1 hour and 45 minutes! Once things were moved out of rooms people started cleaning them so that we left the house completely spic and span for all those possible renters coming through. Kat and Linnea made lunches for us to take on the road, we prayed, we cried and we said our goodbyes. We were on the road just before noon. Everything felt a little surreal as we drove down Long Road one last time. We will miss you!!

2011-08-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

We headed back home this afternoon. Here is a great shot of Mt. Rainier. We head back home to a lot of choas...so we were so thankful for this time to be removed from all of that!

another fun day in vashon

2011-07-31T06:25:00.000-07:00

The boys were totally enjoying the 'gravel box' today. They were all basically gray by the time we left!

Erik, Kelly and the big boys went on a little boat ride as the sun was setting...so beautiful!

Keir and Emmett watch the boat from the shore.

jellyfish

2011-07-30T06:23:00.000-07:00

Today we went over to Blake Island and found these teeny tiny jellyfish.

2011-07-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

Our first breakfast at the Quackenbush house

Hanging out at "The Land". The boys loved watching the tide come in.

Snacking with the family.

Playing in the 'gravel box'.

All those big boys behind Caleb cheered for him as he jumped and went all the way under in the cold, cold water.

Off to Vashon Island

2011-07-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the ferry to come in.

There's our big boat. Walk ons get to board the boat first, then motorcycles and then all the cars. We counted 92 cars coming off the island.

Franklin Falls

2011-07-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

Hiking at Franklin Falls

We were so glad we brought the backpack for Emmett...we got a lot of use out of it this week.

A family vacation to Washington

2011-07-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

We all hopped on the plane this afternoon and headed to Washington to visit some friends. It was a long flight but the boys did great. Emmett fell asleep almost immediately and slept for 1.5 hours. Caleb and Jackson enjoyed watching the in flight movie, 'Rio'. We spent the first two nights with Jared, Chrissy and their daughter, Violet. Our kids had so much fun together. Then we took a ferry to Vashon Island to spend the rest of our time with the Quackenbush family.

going away party!

2011-07-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

A bunch of friends of our had a going away party for us at Gilson Beach (of course we remembered to take a picture at the end of the evening when most people had already gone home!) It was so fun to spend time with these friends we have known for so many years. We are going to miss our regular interactions with you all SO much! I better stop typing before I get too emotional...

Jackson visits the Emergency Room

2011-07-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

We spent our Saturday in the hospital with Jackson. He woke up this morning around 6am and called for Erik saying his leg hurt. Erik rubbed his back and got him back to sleep. Then at 7am, Caleb came in to say that Jackson had to go to the bathroom but he couldn't get out of bed. He was in so much pain, the only comfortable thing was laying on the couch with his leg straight. He layed on the couch for a while before I called Erik and said we needed to go to the Emergency Room. After the ER doctor checked him she immediately thought it was 'transient synovitis.' We were told that we would stay over night and do some tests because these same symptoms could also be a 'septic hip', which is basically an infection in the bone, and would require immediate surgery.

He was a good little patient and when the nurse woke him up at 2am for more medicine he was able to walk down the hall to the playroom. It was so good to see him walking again. The doctors came in and saw how well he was doing and decided it was indeed 'transient synovitis'. The way I understand it is that he had a virus and his immune system didn't react correctly and sent fluid to his hip joint. The fluid on the hip is what caused so much pain. A few doses of ibuprofen helped with the pain allowing him to be able to move around again. His body will absorb the fluid in time. What a crazy day. We have just had so much going on, I am not sure this was what we needed!!!

Emmett gets tubes...

2011-07-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

We have been busy taking Emmett to several doctor appointments to find out if he needed tubes. He has had fluid sitting in his inner ear for quite sometime and all the doctors agreed that he should get tubes. I wasn't very excited about my little baby having surgery, but when I heard that the fluid could distort the way he hears sounds and affect his speech I was more on board.

He got a 1:30pm appointment which meant we had to be there at 12:30 and he couldn't eat anything from midnight the night before. He was, however, able to have popsicles, apple juice and jell-o. He actually LOVED his diet for today!

Erik and I were both able to be with him. Everything went very smoothly. We were at Children's which put everything into perspective! Here were all these other kids fighting for their lives and my little boy was getting tubes in his ears. It took him about 15 minutes to settle down after being put under and then he was back to himself. He gobbled up all the snacks I brought for him and drank two things of apple juice from the hospital.

We are thankful for great doctors and a quick surgery. I just ordered him some ear plugs and a headband for swimming in the lake!

We are moving to Covenant Point...

2011-07-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

I am sorry that I haven't posted about the BIG change taking place in a few short weeks for us. I just didn't feel I had the right words to say. We have a lot going on right now and I haven't had a chance to figure out how to upload pictures to our new computer, but I wanted to finally put an update about our move.

In our house Erik is the writer, so I've posted the letter that was sent out to our church to inform them of his new position. The Sunday after this was received Erik and i stood at the front of the church while he read this to the church, both of us crying. It was a very emotional day for us and actually each day is overflowing with every kind of emotion! Here's the letter...

June 2, 2011

Dear Winnetka Covenant Church Family,

It is with both excitement and sadness that I wish to share with you the news that I have been called by the HarborPoint Ministries Board, and confirmed by the Central Conference Executive Board, to be the next executive director at Covenant Point Bible Camp.

As with many of you who are deeply connected to Covenant Point, I was shocked and shaken by the sudden death of former executive director, Chuck Frasier, this past November. In many ways, I feel that the direction my life has taken and the gifts that I am currently using as a pastor in this community are fruits of Chuck’s leadership and the wonderful ministry of the camp. So, it is not without much personal grief, deliberation, gratitude and hope that Courtney and I have come to this unexpected season of discernment. Trusted voices in our life, including many of yours, encouraged us remain open to this process from the beginning. By God’s grace, through each step we have felt an undeniable and overwhelming sense of call that this is indeed where God would have us serve in this next season of our life – and we are honored and filled with passion and excitement to respond to that call.

We are also, of course, deeply feeling the loss that is associated with a change of this nature – most of all, our hearts are heavy in thinking about the change which this will mean for our relationships with each of you. Over these past four years, this community has become much more than a place to serve; this community is our home, our life, our family, our strong support. You have been for us the very presence of Christ. You have watched our children grow and you have shaped how they have grown by your love and witness. And as youth pastor, I have been honored to be invited into your lives – sharing with you at times both the joyful and also painful moments. You have trusted me with much, and I have sought so deeply to be faithful to that trust by the way I have tried to care, lead, teach, and preach with every ounce of my energy, devotion and gifts. We have had an incredibly blessed adventure here among you, and we are overwhelmed with gratitude for the part each of you has played in that journey. I want to say a special thank you to the youth whom I have been privileged to walk alongside. Courtney and I love each of you very much! We will continue to pray for you, we will so look forward to hearing updates on your life from you, and we will treasure the memories of countless Sunday night gatherings, retreats, Wednesday night activities, meals, games, songs, stories, prayers, projects, dreams, and laughs. Thank you, thank you.

Please know that my family and I will remain at WCC for much of the summer, officially concluding our time at the end of our church family camp week at Covenant Point on August 14. Between then and now, I hope for a few months to continue our life together, to reflect on these past years, to pray for the good plans God has in store here, and to probably share much laughter and tears.

“And now,” as the Apostle Paul says to his beloved community in Ephesus, “to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.”

With all our love,

Erik, Courtney, Caleb, Jackson, and Emmett

After church that day we had our church picnic. It was nice to be able to have some more conversations and to cry more!

It was also a hot day, so we headed to the pool with some good friends.

Soccer camp part 2!

2011-06-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

We signed the boys up for soccer camp again this summer. Jackson didn't make it through the first practice last year but has really been enjoying himself this year. What a difference a year makes!

Cars 2 and Angry Birds!

2011-06-25T07:01:00.000-07:00

We took the boys to see Cars 2 this morning. Good but not nearly as good as the first one. Too much fighting and guns for my taste. It was fun to take them to a theater though.

We celebrated summer birthdays with the Stroms today. I ordered this "Angry Birds" cake as a surprise for the boys! (A girl from my parents church made this...she is so talented...just look at the detail!)

My camera ran out of batteries after this so I don't have any more picture from the rest of our busy day. We opened presents, ate the cake and the headed over to Charlotte's first birthday party! A jam packed day and the boys were all amazing.

Jackson learns to ride a two wheeler!

2011-06-24T06:49:00.000-07:00

Jackson decided today that he wanted to take his training wheels off. We had VBS tonight so I just packed the kids up a little early and we practiced in the parking lot. He got it right away and was cruising around the parking lot in no time! Hard to believe he just turned 4!

Playing at the Johnson's

2011-06-23T06:40:00.000-07:00

Emmett loves riding on the "mo-mo" at Gwen and Sonjas house.

This large branch came down during the big storm on Tuesday. The kids had fun climbing all over it.

Emmett took his nap like this today!

2011-06-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

We lost power on Tuesday night and didn't get it back until Thursday afternoon! On Tuesday the boys were still awake when the lights flickered and then finally went out. Caleb was not comfortable knowing he couldn't turn the lights on. I tried to make it fun with headlamps etc. but he just kept checking to see if he could turn the lights back on. They were more comfortable with it the next two days. Here we are after VBS at church having a bedtime snack by headlamp.

2011-06-20T06:33:00.000-07:00

The Strombergs came over for a playdate today. We took them to the church gym for some good fun! Thanks for making the drive here.

Our boys are really into "angry birds." Here is one of Caleb's many angry birds drawings.

4 years old!

2011-06-19T06:20:00.000-07:00

Jackson's birthday also happened to be Father's Day.
Happy Father's Day Erik! We love you so much and are so excited to see you in this new role at camp. I cry often just thinking about it.

This isn't the best picture...but this morning when I was getting ready Caleb was hard at work on a project for Jackson. he made this little banner for him. He cut out little triangles and taped them to a string. Each triangle has a number 1 through 4 on it. There are triple triangles on the ends! I love seeing his creativity.

2011-06-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

Dinner and ice cream with the Johnsons! Love those kids!

2011-06-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

Painting bird houses

Canoe rides

Emmett loved the sand

Here is a cute craft that erin found on one of her many favorite blogs. It is a puzzle! 2x2 cubes with 6 different fabrics to create six different puzzles. I made this for Caroline's new baby, Grayson. erin made a girly one for Charlotte.

2011-06-15T07:04:00.000-07:00

The giga ball!

Waving to Jenna as she comes home from school.

Strawberry picking, yankee candle and dinosaurs, oh my!

2011-06-14T06:10:00.000-07:00

We had planned on going strawberry picking today, but woke up to not so good weather. We chose to put on our boots and rain coats and go anyway!

The clan. Poppa stayed in the car with a sleeping Emmett.

After picking one bucket full Jenna said "now I am just going to eat them all!"

Emmett was so excited that he just got to eat and eat strawberries.

Next we headed over to Yankee Candle for a picnic lunch, including delicious number 4 cookies for Jackson. We spent 3 hours in this store! All of the kids were so great. They enjoyed the Christmas room the best.

We even hand dipped our own candles...

Here we are at the most random side of the road shop you have ever seen in your entire life! Dinosaurs and mining! We had to stop and check it out.

Here is our day in a nutshell...strawberries, yankee candle and dinosaurs! (We bought the asparagus at the strawberry place)

Celebrating Jackson's birthday with the Condaps

2011-06-13T05:35:00.000-07:00

This morning I watched 5 kids while Erin and Sawyer went to the doctor and mom got her hair done. We started out with Starbucks and then walked over this waterfall.

"Four"

Erin quickly whipped up some cupcakes for the little buddy.

Jackson chose to go mini golfing for his birthday. Here we are at "Twinkle Town." A mini golf course right in the owners front lawn!

Poppa and Gramma with the soon to be "out of town grandchildren."

On the last hole Jenna got it in the clowns nose and won a free game!

Lately Emmett has been obsessed with spoons and forks. He loves looking around in the drawers and picking a favorite for the day. He loved Auntie Erins because he could just take the whole container out! Look how excited he is! He says "A poon" meaning, a spoon.

The birthday boy wanted to end the day with s'mores!

a visit to camp...

2011-06-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

Today we went over to camp. Here is part of the new dining hall at Squanto.

Costume closet!

Look at the Cheez-It's we found!

We made it to New Hampshire

2011-06-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

We drove to New Hampshire to visit the Condaps! My parents, me and my boys headed out there while Erik was away on a Boundary Waters trip with the High School students. It was nice to have some company while Erik was away and the cousins all played so well together. There will be a lot of pictures in these next posts...enjoy!

Emmett giving Sawyer a kiss.

Jackson wanted to sleep like this the first night!

Brick oven pizza

2011-06-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

We took Mor Mor out to lunch today. The boys gave her a lunch date for Christmas. It was a fun afternoon with yummy brick oven pizza.

Luke and Kat Knotts!

2011-05-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

These got placed out of order...but here we are with Cam and Linnea.
Not sure why I am standing so awkward! As bridesmaids we got to pick any black dress that was to our knees. I got mine for $8.99 at Francesca's and Linnea got hers for $14.99 at Forever 21! (Kat bought us all the white sashes to add to the dress.)

Luke and Kat got married this morning...we had such a fun day celebrating the two of them!

All ready for pictures...we got our hair done at 6:30am!

The happy couple at the reception...I love this one! Congratulations! We love you so much, thanks for letting us share in this special day.

Last day of Preschool!

2011-05-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

Today was the boys last day of preschool. The parents all came at the end of the day for a picnic lunch. Our kids love this preschool. We are so thankful for such good teacher and friends for our boys! Jackson was very sad that this would be his last day of school...what a little sweetheart.

JELLIES

2011-05-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

Upside down jelly

2011-05-11T11:38:00.000-07:00

When Emmett sleeps or naps in his pack and play, this is how I find him when he wakes up! He pulls the mattress up and folds it over and snuggles into the corner of the crib. I have NEVER seen any kid do this before and he does it EVERY time!

So HOT!

2011-05-10T05:51:00.000-07:00

This morning we woke up and were so excited to get to play outside right away. I put Emmett in this sleeveless one piece and he proceeded to pick out this hat and these gloves!

After playgroup this morning, I brought home two extra kids! We took advantage of the warm weather and pulled out the water toys. (Gwen was such a trooper wearing the boys clothes!)

We turned our rope swing into the "mountain dew swing" like at Covenant Point! Maybe we need a bigger pool!!!