Yard Improvements Part 2

 

This weekend we added some new and improved hostas to the front of the house.  Thank you very much to Bill and Carol!  Tryg helped with the hostas too (and ate rocks)!

Yard Improvements

Now that we have more free time (without homework), we have taken the opportunity to make some improvements to our yard.  It is also a great excuse to be in the backyard with Tryg on the nice days we've had so far this summer.

The first improvement we made was to take out the big pile of fallen branches, fire wood and grass clippings to make room for a new shed.  It does make it a little more difficult to build a shed with an infant crawling around but we got it done and now we have more room in our garage.

Tryg wanted to help too! :-)

 We also added mulch to finish it off.

Where's the Love?

I just have to tell this short story from yesterday.  We went over to our friends' house after church.  As I was getting my plate ready to sit down for lunch our friends' youngest daughter, who is 21 months old and just expanding her vocabulary, brought my shoes over to me.  She said, "Shoes on.  Shoes on."  I thought, "Ok, sure.  I'll appease this little girl who is learning new words."  I put my shoes on and then she quickly started waving and said, "Bye-bye.  Bye-bye."  Well, I guess I know where I stand. :)

Happy Father's Day (a week late)!

Erik (and Tryg & I) really enjoyed Erik's first 'official' Father's Day.  It was Father's Day morning last year that my water broke and we went to the hospital.  Tryg was born the next morning.

We had a low key day that started with gifts for Erik and then some snuggle time with Tryg.  We had breakfast together and then Erik's dad came over with his Chevy!  He and Erik went to "Back to the 50s" for a bit and then Tryg was able to give Grandpa his father's day gift too.  We topped off the day with a walk (while Tryg napped) and dinner.

Party Like a Rock Star!

Overall Tryg's Rock Star Birthday Party was a success!  Since Tryg likes music so much, we thought it was only fitting to have a rockstar party for him. 

Thank you to Kristen for the "Brownie Bite" recipe!

 However, we had to have a 're-do' because Tryg woke up with "the remains" of an upset stomach the morning of his party.  We called everyone who has small kids that day to warn them.  Some of our friends decided to stay home, which we completely understood.  So, we had them over this weekend instead. 

Thank you to all of our family and friends who came to celebrate with us!  Even though Tryg only had one nap and was not feeling 100% that day, he also appreciated the party :-)  Our little rockstar is already 1!  It's crazy!

Happy 1st Birthday Little Man!

We are so excited that we had an evening with just the three of us tonight to celebrate Tryg's first birthday.  We went out for dinner and then to the indoor playland at Rosedale Mall.  Then, Tryg got to pick out a couple of gifts with one of the gift cards he got (from Uncle Brad).  He picked out a riding fire engine and a big orange ball.  It was a simple evening but nice.

His Birthday Party was on Sat, but due to some illness, we may need to have a 're-do' this weekend.  It was a great time with family and a few friends though.  Overall, it was a big success for our little rock star!

We feel so blessed to have Tryg in our lives.  It is an honor to be his parents and to have the responsibility to help him to grow into a young man.  The time is flying by.  It's hard to believe that he's been a part of our lives for a full year already!  We love you Tryg!!

Wonderfully Weird.

As far as I can tell so far, the best part about getting my master’s degree is in this initial time when I still have a very clear image of four and a half hour evenings of sitting in class, the constant weight of homework sitting on my shoulders, and the anxiety of balancing time between work, school, family and life!  It’s the best part because I clearly remember all of those things, yet, I don’t have them anymore! 

It’s beautiful! 

It’s wonderfully weird! 

It’s wonderfully weird to sit in the back yard, warmed by the sun.  I get to look into my son’s cheerful eyes and just enjoy… him!  I am soaking up every minute.  It’s fantastic to bring those thoughts into the present.  I love to think for just a few seconds about all of the things I would have been doing or worrying about and then think, “yep, but I’m done now!” 

I can’t get over it! 

I want to enjoy it as much as I can during these moments because I know that soon I will forget what it was like.  I’ll forget scheduling time with friends around class and how a good portion of my weekends were filled with homework or at least the constant thought of the assignments that were due. 

So, for now, I will enjoy the summer with my family!

I won’t lie…we still have home improvement projects (like the new shed!) and the daily routines of maintaining a home and a family to keep us busy.  And, I also do not want to discourage anyone from pursuing their master’s degree.   I think it was worth the time and energy that we put into it.  I hope that it will further our careers and our futures.  However, right now, in this moment, I want to be present with my family and enjoy time with them. 

It’s fabulous and I love it!

A Few Steps!

OK, so we're far from the point of saying he's walking, but Tryg did take about four or five steps on Saturday and then another three steps on Sunday.  Unfortunately Erik missed the first steps on Saturday but Tryg took about three steps right into Daddy's arms on Sunday.  Since the weekend he's actually gotten more "lazy" when it comes to walking.  So, who knows when he'll be an official walker, but we're headed in the right direction.  

 Little Double Chin :)

We are loving the fact that we don't have class or homework right now!  Evenings, at home, eating dinner outside and playing in the yard have been great!  We are soaking up time with Tryg and enjoying every minute.  It truly feels great to be finished with school!  We're glad we did it, but we're glad we're done!


I hope you guys are enjoying the start of summer.  Crazy roller-coaster of weather we've been having here, but with the long winter, I am not complaining about the heat.  I'm just glad that Randy came over and got our air conditioner working on Sunday night!