Mindy & Erik

Bittersweet Uncertainty

2012-01-26T15:34:00.001-06:00

So, today is my last day in the Bethel Universtiy CAS Admissions Office. It's an odd feeling. I love this place. I still view it as "my dream job!" However, I'm taking a leap. It's a fairly small leap...in fact, it is just across campus as the Bethel University CAS Assistant Registrar. However, it still feels odd. It's definitely bittersweet and certainly uncertain.

It's bittersweet to be packing up my office and getting ready to "say good-bye" to my very fun co-workers. I realized early on in my 'working career' that when you work full time, you are actually around your co-workers more than your spouse (at least while being awake). I am going to miss the people I've been working with....some of them do feel like family! So, although I am happy and excited about my new position, it is bittersweet.

As for the uncertainty...the job itself is very stable and certain....I am just not certain what it will look like, be like, or feel like. I was so surprised to be offered the job even after interviewing. Thrilled actually! But then I had to make the decision....will I leave what I have known for the last 5 years (7 years total if you count my student worker experience)? What will the day-to-day look like? No one could really answer that question in my interviews and speaking with HR. It just kind of leaves it uncertain.

The biggest draw to me is the more regular hours of the Registrar's Office. The added events, college fairs, travel, evenings and weekends of Admissions was getting to me. It also doesn't help (or does help- depending on how you're looking at it) that there is this very sweet little boy at home that I love to snuggle, kiss, and just watch in amazement. I hope that this will be a job (as I am told) that will allow me a little more time with my boys (little & big).

Another big motivator was the idea of moving into something that will better use my master's degree...moving to the "academic side" of the university. I have no idea what this will bring for my future, but I feel that it might be time for a move and this direction was/is appealing. I guess we will see what happens as a result.

What remains, at least for the next few days, is uncertainty. As I have been telling people at Bethel about my move, almost all of them immediately said, "Oh, Registrar! That's a busy office." This seems a bit concerning. What does it mean? Am I busy now? Do people say, "Oh, Admissions. They are busy." or am I jumping into something that is way over my head??

I guess I'll find out in just a couple days. My first day there is Monday. I will have a couple weeks overlap with the person who currently has the Assistant Registrar position. I'm looking forward to learning from her and, mainly, answering a lot of my uncertainty. I'm excited....just nervous.

Snow!

2012-01-23T17:22:00.000-06:00

This winter has been crazy [read: fantasticly warm]. Remember way back in November when I thought that winter was here to stay, we had snow and that was the last of our "fall weather"? Haha! Yeah, well, it didn't really get cold until this last week and today we woke up to the most snow we've had all season. It was finally enough for Tryg to go 'sledding' (or at least his version of it). I came home from work to find this...

Three Weeks Later... (Christmas Review)

2012-01-14T21:04:00.000-06:00

So, it's been a little crazy around here and it has been MUCH harder than I thought it would be to get back into the reality of working full time after having almost a week and a half off for Christmas break. We truly enjoying just relaxing as a family. Tryg was home from daycare and Erik and I were both home from work. We LOVED it! We stayed up late and slept in every day (Tryg slept in too --fantastic!!). We rarely had anything specific planned besides family gatherings. So, we just did what we wanted. It was a wonderful way to celebrate Christ's birth and cherish family. Tues, Jan. 3rd hit hard and even though I still have not worked a full week, I am struggling to get back into the swing of real life. I also get Monday off for Martin Luther King Day, which is great, but not helping the whole "real life thing."

So, here are some pics to capture the week and a half over Christmas:

Gifts under the tree. I enjoyed wrapping the gifts in a simple way this year.

This pretty much sums up the Santa photo experience:

(Although it was nice that we got a picture with the same Santa as last year)

Tryg had a blast with his 2nd cousin, Calvin, on Christmas Eve when we went to Erik's Aunt & Uncle's house.

Santa came to our house on Christmas morning. Tryg really loved opening gifts this year!

On Christmas day Tryg got a wagon from Grandma Sue and Bompa Randy. As you can see, he loved it.

The day after Christmas we celebrated with my family at Grandma and Papa Elsbecker's house. The kids loved opening gifts and playing together.

(Tryg liked wearing Cousin Kya's new bike helmet & stealing the candy that Grandma put on the coffee table)

Tryg spent A LOT of time in the tub since he got the stomach bug that was hitting all the homes in the midwest. He got it two different times. Poor kid was just not doing well, but we did our best to keep him clean and hydrated!

Tryg also found new loves... Thomas the Tank Engine (or "Choo Choo") and Elmo (or "Melmo") are now common guests in our home...books, toys, and video with either one of the two are requested frequently by our little boy. We are not even really sure how it happened. It's not like we pushed it at all! He only has one book with Thomas and a couple things that happen to have Elmo on them. He also has a million other toys, cars and books with a million other characters on them. How is it that kids just gravitate to these two things!?! I blame daycare! (haha, sorry Jennifer) :)

We hope that you also had a great Christmas! We're hoping for a fantastic 2012. It already started out pretty well....I got a new job!! I'll share more about that in another post, but I got a job as the Assistant Registrar at Bethel University. I'm glad that I'll still be at Bethel and hoping this will also be a good fit for me.

2011 in Review

2012-01-09T14:17:00.000-06:00

I have been horrible at keeping up with this blog (good thing it wasn't my New Years Resolution --or maybe that is a bad thing). So, I thought I would at least do a review of 2011. However, this will look VERY familiar to anyone who gets our Christmas letter!

This has been a great year. We’ve had a lot to celebrate, some times of relaxing and times of busyness. Overall, we’ll count it as a good year for our family!

We started the year with a road trip back from Montana. We ran into a lot of snow and ice but after an extra night in a hotel in SD, we made it back. Our six month old had a successful first road trip and got to see mountains and a few moose during our surprise visit to Auntie Rachel and Uncle Billy.

In late January, we got to celebrate Grandpa Forbes’ 90^th Birthday and Erik’s 30^th Birthday. They are one day shy of being 60 years apart. We enjoyed throwing a big party in Owatonna for Grandpa…I think he enjoyed it too!

February, March and April were filled with many firsts for Tryg…first foods, standing up, crawling, going up the stairs, first tooth, sledding, and getting into everything! We are loving almost every second! He has brought pure joy to our lives!

Winter and Spring were also filled with hours of reading and studying while passing Tryg back and forth to each other and to friends and family. With Erik and Mindy both in grad school, it made for some busy days and nights. However, we cherished every moment we could with our little boy and are very grateful to friends and family who helped along the way! We survived and both graduated in May!

In June we celebrated Our Little Rockstar’s First Birthday! It was such a delight to have so many friends and family to our home to party in true Rockstar style with a guitar cake and backstage passes. Tryg also took his first steps in June but really started walking in July. He’d been running ever since! J

We spent the summer having fun with family and friends. Erik and Mindy both cherished the free time with Tryg without homework!! We enjoyed family dinners from the grill. We went to Erik’s parents’ cabin a couple times. A few landscaping projects were completed and we put up a new shed in the back yard. We went to friends’ houses for dinners that turned into family dance parties. And we finished off the summer with the Steele County Free Fair in Owatonna with Mindy’s parents.

This fall was wonderful. We had fantastic weather for watching the leaves change and visiting the apple orchard. Our family enjoyed a nice fall weekend in Appleton, WI while attending Mindy’s co-worker’s wedding. Tryg sported a dinosaur costume for Halloween and was cleverly called “Tryg-a-saurus-rex” for the day (T-Rex for short). He was very into the whole idea of taking candy and putting it in his pumpkin shaped bucket!

One of the highlights of the fall was celebrating our 5^th Anniversary in Marco Island, FL with our little family of three. Tryg saw the ocean for the first time and couldn’t get enough of it. We truly enjoyed a relaxing time on the beach each day. It was just a joy to have time together without expectations or time constraints. The weather was absolutely fantastic and we loved it!

We had a great holiday season and I hope to post about that soon (with photos)! We hope that you have a fabulous 2012!

With Love,

Erik, Mindy & Tryg

That Time of Year...

2011-12-19T13:54:00.000-06:00

So, with my Birthday being 4 days before Christmas, I have been a very Bitter-Birthday-Person. However, I am trying to become more mature in my old[er] age and embrace the "Holiday Season." So, with my Birthday Party last night, this is what our chalk board said....

It was fun to have people over last night and just have a casual gathering with friends and appetizers! There were tons of kids, which made for a lot of chaos, but it was a lot of fun too! It's crazy how fast these kids grow up!! Of course, Erik and I forgot to take pictures, but Amy got a few pics of the kids with her phone while she was there...

Tryg was out-numbered with all the girls around! These pics only represent a few of the people who were there. We had a great turn out (the livingroom was PACKED). Thank you everyone who could make it. I know it's a busy time of year! Sorry to miss some of you. I hope you all have a great Christmas with your friends and family!

Snowy Day

2011-12-04T18:33:00.000-06:00

Hats, mittens, snow pants and all...

Our FL Trip

2011-11-27T15:52:00.001-06:00

So, we went to Florida the last week of October. My intentions were to keep a blog post for each day while we were there and to post daily. However, the internet connection was not working. Then, of course, we got back home and the busyness of everyday life took over again. And well, now, we are a month from our actual vacation.

Being a month behind also means that I don't remember what happened each day of our trip but luckily that doesn't really matter because EVERYDAY can be summed up with the phrase "We hit the beach!" We went to a couple different beaches and had some fantastic meals. We also got to meet up with my (Mindy) Aunt and Uncle who live in Naples. But the whole purpose of the trip to Marco Island was to have NO agenda and spend time together.

We had the most relaxing time! It was such a blessing to be able to take a week off and have fun as our little family of three. Thank you Coyours for allowing us to stay at your place! Tryg had a blast and LOVED the ocean and the beach! He could have played with seashells for hours (and he did!) We went in the ocean and the pool at the condo everyday. The pool must have been heated to about 85 degrees, which I loved! Erik and I also found some free movie rental codes and put them to good use each night. I think the grand total for the week was about 9 movies. This might sound like a pretty lame vacation (the beach and movies each day) but it was just what we wanted.

Since our 5th Anniversary was during our trip, we also kept our tradition of watching our wedding video that night. On our actual anniversary, we went to Naples. We shopped, went to the beach and walked around the city. Once we got back to Marco Island, we went out for a nice dinner and then finished the evening with our wedding video. It is fun to remember the people and events of our wedding day and talk about how we were nervous and excited. We laugh together as we remember that day and all the days that have followed. I love you, Honey and I'm happy to have spent the last 5 years of my life married to you!

Never Mind....

2011-11-25T21:18:00.002-06:00

All the snow is gone. :)

A Perfect Day for It...

2011-11-19T17:01:00.003-06:00

I found it a bit comical that at noon today (in MN) Erik and I were both outside doing things that probably should have been done a month ago (or at least a week ago)....

I was trying to get the last of the leaves off the grass before the first snow. Mind you, the first snow was already in progress at the time. Does it matter that I was raking snow? Last year (you may recall) the first snow was in early to mid-November and we got several inches all at once. We had forgotten about all the leaves that were left in our front yard until the spring melt. We had some raking to do in May. So, this year, we wanted to get them all BEFORE the snow came. We almost made it! :)

Erik was working on another project. He was helping the neighbors behind us put in new windows! Not the best day for making four foot square openings throughout your home. But...this is when the windows came and it's best to get the new ones in before winter is in full force. It was also a good way to test the new furnace they got this week since their last one gave out on them. It has not been the best week for them but we were glad that Erik could lend a hand with the windows. ...Not so secretly, I wanted Erik to get some experience and maybe a little sweat-equity for someday when we get new windows for our place! They are desperately needed.

Well, winter is here in MN. I'm not sure if we'll see the grass again before spring. The wool socks are already out but we still need to buy an extra space heater or two ...remember the desperate need of new windows I mentioned.

**Please note: These photos were taken at noon. It's now just after 5pm and we can no longer see our grass. Welcome Winter :-(

Need a Nuk?

2011-11-17T19:57:00.001-06:00

This morning I looked under Tryg's crib for a Nuk and this is what I found.

Tryg and the Ravioli

2011-11-07T10:19:00.001-06:00

I was feeding Tryg some ravioli, which typically is a favorite of his. He was getting fussy so I gave him the child-fork and was going to let him feed himself. He grabbed at the fork (which I had preloaded with a bite) with such bravado that it flew off the fork on to the floor. He didn't see the piece fly off so as he opens his mouth to put the piece in - he looks at the empty fork and says "uh oh." It was hilarious....

Happy Halloween from Our Little T-Rex

2011-10-31T22:44:00.001-05:00

T-Rex is short for Tryg-a-saurus in this case!

Tryg truly enjoyed his 2nd Halloween! Since putting things in a container is one of his favorite past times, taking candy and putting it in his pumpkin bucket was in his element! He didn't so much love all the attention, but he did really well. Mom & Dad will enjoy his trick-or-treating stash! Mom & Dad will also have to eat the remains of the 150 piece Costco candy bag since we only had about 15 trick-or-treaters this year! What happened to all those little fairies and ghosts?!?

Someone discovered sauce!!!

2011-10-23T12:07:00.001-05:00

Weekend in Appleton

2011-10-09T21:21:00.005-05:00

Our family had a wonderful time exploring Appleton this weekend. Mindy's former coworker Lisa was getting married and we decided to drive out and be a part of the big celebration (and make it a mini family vacation at the same time). None of us had been to Appleton before and were surprised at how beautiful and happening the whole town was.

We enjoyed walking along the river and discovering old railroad tracks on a beautiful and warm fall day.

We enjoyed the wedding and meeting new people. We wish Lisa and Matt all the best!

I Love Fall.

2011-10-03T21:33:00.000-05:00

Enough said.

Bee Sting on a Little Nose

2011-10-02T21:31:00.001-05:00

Before:

Our poor little man got stung by a bee today. We were on the pontoon boat at the cabin. A bee came and was flying around Tryg and me. Grandpa Randy was going to speed up the boat to try to get it away from us....but right as that was going to happen, the bee landed right on Tryg's nose. I tried to blow it off and shoe it away but it was too late. Tryg started screaming. I'm not exactly sure what happened but once I was able to look at Tryg's face I could see the little red sting mark right on the end of his nose.

Now, bee stings are bad enough...but if you know me, you know that I am deadly allergic to bee stings...so is my Grandpa. So, we feared the worst from my genetic pool as we were out in the middle of the lake with a red sting mark on the Little Man's nose. The poor guy just screamed for about 20 minutes. However, it didn't swell up the way my bee stings have done in the past.

When we got back to the cabin we put some baking soda paste on the sting. So far, (now about 5 hours later) he seems to be just fine. Maybe the bee didn't get the stinger in all the way...maybe Tryg's not allergic... We're not sure, but we are very grateful that we did not have to make a run to the Emergency Room in Rice Lake, WI.
After bee sting:

Then we tried to distract him with Grandpa Randy's remote control truck...

He does have a red spot on the tip of his nose, but I think/HOPE that he's going to be just fine. I think I'll be up many times tonight just listening to him breathe though.

Cranberry Festival

2011-10-01T22:19:00.001-05:00

We enjoyed the beautiful fall day at the Cranberry Festival in Stone Lake, WI, just a few miles north of Erik's family cabin. We walked around to many different crafters booths and food venders. Tryg was fantastic even though he didn't get a chance to nap until the drive home. We had perfect weather and a great day. I even ran into two different groups of people I knew from growing up in Owatonna --Small world!

Tryg took the picture above. :)

We ended the day by viewing the fall colors during a short boat ride before the sun went down.

I Love This Little Boy

2011-09-27T11:22:00.000-05:00

Such a sweetie. --even when he's not sleeping :-)

A Day at the Orchard

2011-09-24T20:00:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed the day at the apple orchard. The weather was absolutely perfect! We could not have asked for a better day. The only down side was that the great weather also attracted many other people making the orchard a bit crowded. It wasn't that bad though. It was really fun to bring Tryg around to the different apples, giant pumpkins, little pumpkins, goats, chickens, and our friends, the Skerbitz family. Tryg had a great time. He was bouncing all over and excited about everything he saw.

Sorry.

2011-09-19T12:02:00.000-05:00

I'm so behind on this blog....I didn't realize how bad it was until today. Someone commented on my last post and I honestly thought that she must have went back into the archives to leave a comment. Nope! It's just really been a full month since I have posted! Yikes.

Sorry! I'll work on it.

I can tell you that Tryg is SO FUN these days! He's everywhere but he's as cute as ever. I love seeing him in his little hoodies and fall hat. The kid cracks me up. He looks like a little man as he walks all over and grunts at things.

He has not developed much of a vocab yet, but everyone says, "He's a boy." He does say "Hi" and "Aah...Ohh" and then "Dadadada" or "Nananana" and the occasional "Mamamama" when he wants something. It's not so much for 'Daddy' or 'Mommy,' it's just to get anyone's attention who has working hand-eye coordination and a taller reach. :) Oh well. He'll get there....and we love him even if he doesn't call us "Mommy" and "Daddy" just yet.

This photo is from cousin, Kaleb's 3rd Birthday Party. Tryg loves "driving" anything he can.
**I'll work on more photos and more posts.

Steele County Free Fair

2011-08-27T12:22:00.002-05:00

If you grew up near or in Owatonna, you know that the Steele County Free Fair is the place to be in mid-August! So, we had to make a stop there this year with Tryg. We went to the fair last Saturday when we happened to be in town for my cousin's "family bridal shower". Tryg enjoyed his first cheese curds and time playing with his cousins at the shower.

Tryg loves tractors and was happy to find this one while the other cousins were on the swings.

After the shower, we got a chance to visit my Grandpa in the nursing home he was staying in. He is out of the nursing home now but was there for two weeks as he recovered from a fall and a minor stroke. Since the nursing home was right next to the Fair, we were able to steal him and get some ice cream at the fair with him! :) Tryg held Great Grandpa's hand in the elevator. So sweet.

Sweet Boy

2011-08-26T14:24:00.002-05:00

Green Family

2011-08-16T15:30:00.001-05:00

So, one day when I got home from work and saw Erik and Tryg, I just had to laugh...

We had all gotten dressed at different times that morning and thought nothing of our clothing choices. Well, when we all stood next to each other that evening, it was a bit comical.

Oompa Loompa

2011-08-09T14:14:00.000-05:00

Our little man covered himself in orange sauce last night while eating his ravioli. He was beginning to resemble the Oompa Loompa (or Umpa Lumpa) orange/tan faces before long.

We gave him a bath in the kitchen sink (our new favorite bath spot) and his eyebrows were still orange after his bath!

Unofficial Reunion Weekend

2011-07-19T14:47:00.001-05:00

This weekend was filled with parties and get-togethers...and unofficially, it ended up being a high school youth group reunion for me!

We started the weekend by celebrating Carly's 30th Birthday with her and many friends! There were a few kids at her place but mainly adults. We kept Tryg up past his bedtime which caused him to have many legs to walk around and through as he navigated his way back and forth from one end of the house to the other. He loved the challenge of practicing his new walking skills. Mom and Dad got a little tired of following him around to make sure he wasn't getting into anything, but we had fun celebrating with Carly and crew!

On Saturday we had two gatherings. We first went to the park to celebrate Alex's 5th Birthday! We joined lots of friends (young and old) for a great BBQ. Tryg enjoyed playing on the playground with other kids his age. The swing is his favorite!

After the BBQ we went to Oborn's to spend time with Northbridge church friends. This began the 'youth group reunion' as Dan was there (he was our youth pastor while we were growing up) and Shane grew up with me as well. We had a fantastic time spending time with everyone there. The evening ended with an all out dance party in their family room. It made me want to live in community with these people. However, Carol had to remind me that that would work for me, being a huge extrovert, but not for the rest of the group. Oh well. I sure enjoyed spending time with our friends and their kids!

On Sunday afternoon we met up with the Mortimer's! I went to high school with Jamie and Julia and we did youth group things together too. They were in town from Nebraska doing a family missions trip. I'm glad they got a hold of us and that we were able to meet up with them. We spent some time at the Mall of America just talking about life with kids and what was happening in our lives. And now, thanks to Julia, Tryg really likes french fries! :) :) Thanks Julia! :) (It's fine...I'm really fine with it. It will give us more options for dinner now!)

Finally, Sunday evening we met with the Livesay's. After being here for a year, they will be leaving for Morocco in a week and a half to continue their missions work there. It is sad to see them go, but we are excited for what they will be able to do in Morocco. Who knows, maybe we'll get to Morocco to visit them!! Since Sarah was in our high school youth group as well, this gathering brought a few more friends from high school to complete the 'reunion weekend.'

Tryg really wanted to walk up the hill.

Ollie was great about swinging with Tryg.

All in all, it was a great weekend with friends! It was also a little funny that it happened to be a weekend of gatherings including different friends from my high school youth group. I think it's great that I have been able to keep in touch with so many people I grew up with. It's wonderful to stay connected to them and watch their families grow.

Tryg's One Year Photos

2011-07-14T12:57:00.001-05:00

So, I just have to show off our cute little boy a bit. Here are just a few of the one year photos we had taken a couple weeks ago:

Here is also a link to our photographer/friend's blog with more photos from the shoot. Thanks again, Tess! We love the way you captured our little boy on camera.

Hooks are Finally Up

2011-07-13T14:34:00.000-05:00

I bought hooks for Tryg's room about a year ago. Last night they finally went up...even though it caused Tryg to have a melt down because we were hitting his bedtime and beyond, I'm glad to have a completed project. We now have a place for Tryg's stuffed animals and the lamp I made last weekend. I don't love the lamp...but it will be fine for now.

Energy.

2011-07-12T13:41:00.000-05:00

It seems weird for me to talk about and even think about, but I really feel like I have turned some type of invisible corner within the past couple weeks. I just feel like I have a lot more energy. I actually WANT to clean (shocking...I know!). This past week Erik has even said a few times, "What has gotten into you?" I will fully admit to all my friends and family (and whoever else reads this blog) that Erik is the one who cleans our house! He is a rock star! I do most of the cooking, but he pretty much does all of the cleaning! Without him our house would be a complete disaster. Most wives I tell this to are extremely jealous (and/or confused). I am VERY grateful to him...even though I do not always show him the appreciation that I should.

I'm not sure what caused the lack of energy or this idea that I now have 'more' energy. It might be because I no longer have grad school (probably a big factor)! And/Or it may be because Tryg is getting older, becoming a little more independent and I have more room to breath! I'm not completely sure. When Tryg was two months old, I remember one of my friends telling me that you won't realize how much energy is drained from you after having your first born until they are one or two. Then you'll look back and see the change. Maybe that is it!

Whatever it is...I like it!

I love it!

The best part for me is that I now have energy to create!! My sister-in-law, Rachel, has passed on a ~~blessing~~ curse of some creative idea websites. This one is my favorite. I ~~love~~ hate them! They are full of ideas for decoration and organization. As a result I spent one of my entire lunch hours last week meandering through the isles of Michael's! I am so excited to have more free time to take on a few creative projects...but am also a little overwhelmed about all the ideas swimming through my head.

This weekend I made one project and also did some rearranging in Tryg's room in preparation of displaying said project. I was going for a variation of this. Here is the progression:

This lamp is currently in our kitchen, but will be going in the corner of Tryg's room next to his changing table. I changed the mobile that was there (a gift from Auntie Rachel) in preparation for the addition of the lamp.
Here is the before and after:

***Note Tryg at the bottom of both of those photos getting into the wipes. He likes to bypass the step of actually using the wipes and just puts clean wipes directly into the garbage...this is VERY helpful!

Anyway, I might just start a few more projects around our house (yes, Erik is a bit concerned). I'll try to post photos of my adventures when I can/remember.

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-03T20:42:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Independance Day!

Ma Ma?

2011-07-03T20:24:00.000-05:00

So, the jury is still out (including me), but there is a chance that Tryg may have said his first intentional word. As I was getting ready to run to the store for some eggs, Tryg crawled straight to me and said "Ma Ma" over and over again the whole way. Although I am not convinced it was real, it still melts my heart! Could it be? :)

We're having a great weekend. Tryg is getting the hang of this whole walking thing. He's getting further and further each time and probably takes 10-12 steps now. He is also waving at EVERYONE and anything! However, it is not always something he'll do on command. He tries to wave at people to get their attention. However, since waving is silent, it doesn't work the best. It can also be random or about 30 seconds after the person stops looking at him.

Happy 4th of July Everyone!!

Yard Improvements Part 2

2011-06-30T09:12:00.001-05:00

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

2011-06-28T14:10:00.000-05:00

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?

2011-06-27T10:02:00.000-05:00

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)!

2011-06-26T22:48:00.000-05:00

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!

2011-06-26T21:29:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-06-21T22:25:00.000-05:00

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.

2011-06-14T11:50:00.000-05:00

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!

2011-06-07T21:28:00.000-05:00

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!

We Did It

2011-05-23T21:51:00.004-05:00

I'm so happy that we've finished. When I put the count down to graduation on our blog, it started at over 100 days. That seems so daunting. Now it's at zero! We had Commencement on Saturday night. We kept Tryg up so he could see Mommy and Daddy walk across the stage and we had to get a photo with him!

For the entire past two years, my motivation has been the idea of a photo of Erik and I in caps and gowns holding our child who would be just under a year old. I got pregnant the week I started grad school...so all through the pregnancy I had this picture in my mind. Then Tryg was born...the photo was still in my mind. Without that motivation, I am not sure I would have made it. BUT I DID --We BOTH did! And so did Tryg!! And here we are...
Thank you to all of our family and friends for your support during the past two+ years. Now we'll have more time to spend with you!!! :)

Check.

2011-05-19T16:40:00.003-05:00

Erik's Final Group Presentation -Check.

Erik's Personal Portfolio -Check.

Erik's Portfolio Presentation -Check.

Erik's Last Class -Check.

Mindy's Final Group Presentation -Check.

Mindy's Last Blackboard Discussion Posting -Check.

Mindy's Last Class -Check. (including flowers from Erik & Tryg as a celebration)

Mindy's Capstone Oral Defense -Check.

Loving Tryg Like Crazy -Check.

Tryg Learns to Clap -Check. (just in time to cheer on his parents!)

Mindy's Final Draft of her 89 page Capstone --next week.

Graduation --Saturday!

Celebration --Sunday!!

WooHoo!! Life is Good!!

First Time Swimming!!

2011-05-10T21:54:00.001-05:00

While staying at a hotel in Des Moines last weekend, Tryg swam in a pool for the first time. He LOVED it. He kicked his legs and loved splashing his Mom and Dad.

All Ready for the Pool!

Swimming with Dad!

Tryg LOVED to splash.

Swimming with Mom.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T10:33:00.000-05:00

We spent a lovely weekend in Pella, IA for the Tulip Time festival. Tryg has been able to spend lots of fun time with his Mom and Grandma Nan. Tryg and I are very excited that this is Mindy's first Mother's Day with Tryg in the world! Happy Mother's Day Mom! XOXO, Tryg and Dad.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T21:46:00.003-05:00

Happy Easter Everyone!

I think Tryg enjoyed his first Easter. We went to the cabin with Erik's parents and then came back to enjoy the wonderful Easter dinner that Erik's sister, Amy made for all of us. This is Tryg's first Easter basket. He really loved the purple eggs. He had about 20 eggs and 8 colors but he only played with the purple ones.

Tryg played with his purple plastic egg while Mommy colored the real eggs.

It Isn't Pretty

2011-04-14T21:40:00.006-05:00

I'm talking about me. This has been a very rough last few months. With two people in the final semester of Master's Programs, both working at least 40 hours per week, while trying to be good parents and home owners all at the same time...well, it's just not bringing out the best in us! However, I'm afraid that it's actually been taking a bigger toll on me than Erik.
Erik has been amazing. When I feel like I can't even function or even think beyond the guilt I feel when I am not doing homework, he is in the middle of laundry, doing dishes and planning out the rest of the day so that we both get in some homework time and time with Tryg. No, he's not perfect, but I am SO grateful for him! I have been so stressed and jumpy... and sometimes, just not nice.

I really hate that about myself. I have been extremely aware of my emotions -especially in the last two weeks. And I so wish that better responses could come out of me when I am stressed and tired. I guess awareness is the first step, and then I just need to step back, relax and breathe before responding.

I am hoping that this week will be better. I have a week off of class this week and if you've read my facebook page, you already know I also have one complete draft of my 78 page Capstone Project finished now!! I have MANY revisions to make, but at least I have a complete draft (yes, I feel guilty that I am writing on the blog instead of making revisions on my Project).

Even though I have to work over 10 hours on Saturday and Erik has at least 2 nights a week with his group working on his MBA group project....I'm going to try to stay positive (or become positive in the first place) and be aware of my stress level.

May 21...36 days away! I can make it!! But now, I'm going to bed.

Study Break for Mommy

2011-04-11T17:35:00.004-05:00

I spent all afternoon and evening on Sunday working on my Capstone project. However, I am very happy to say that I have 78 pages down on paper! That is a full draft! I will have many changes to make, but it's still so wonderful to have a full draft!

Erik watched Tryg for most of the day so I could focus on my Project. However I did get a few study breaks...one of which involved getting Tryg's swing out for the first time. This was another great $2 garage sale find. So worth the $2 already! He loves it!!

Bath Time Fun

2011-03-23T15:13:00.004-05:00

Rubba Dub Dub, Little Man in the tub!

Blue Steel with fohawk while chewing on bath toy...that's talent!

A Little Sledding

2011-03-14T13:12:00.003-05:00

We took Tryg sledding for the first time this weekend. It's finally getting warm enough to use the $2 garage-sale-find that I got this summer. This little sled was well worth the $2! The sun was pretty bright as it glared off all the white snow and it was Tryg's nap-time, but he was smiling. However, I think he actually liked the sled inside, when Auntie Amy and Grandpa pulled him around the living room, much more than outside. It may have something to do with being crammed into a bear-snowsuit, being blinded by the sun and just wanting to take a nap, but we're not completely sure. :)
Gracie (Erik's parents collie) had no idea what to do with the little bear that was going through the yard. She kept barking at him! :)

2 Days Later...the Stairs.

2011-03-08T13:47:00.004-06:00

So, two days after he mastered standing up in the crib, he is now going up stairs at daycare. I was just sent these three photos over email from our daycare provider. (she has two steps up from her living room to her kitchen)

And, he's off...
Note: Date on camera is wrong (clearly). It's actually 3/8/11

Look What I'm Doing Now!!

2011-03-07T14:49:00.004-06:00

This face says it all! He is SO excited about his accomplishments! Our proud little boy standing in his crib all by himself! The one main problem...he doesn't know how to get down! :) Poor kid!

Erik and I are doing our best to keep up with this little monster we've created. He's totally on the move now and climbing on everything. It's difficult now because he can get up to his feet but he sure isn't stable on them! We're trying to keep the falls to a minimum as he discovers this place called earth.

I know many of you have been through this stage at least once before...but it's all new to us. We've been told about it, but it is oh so much more real now to be living it! :)

Look who's starting to crawl!!!

2011-02-25T13:50:00.002-06:00

We are so excited!

Not Toothless for Long

2011-02-17T13:24:00.005-06:00

So, we're soon going to miss the toothless grins from our little man. He's actually teething now. --even though people have said, "He's probably teething" for about six months now. The start of his front right tooth is coming through. This was also evidenced by his lack of a nap yesterday afternoon. Our Daycare provider said he was up every 15 minutes crying and then back down. We were bracing for the worst last night, but he only woke up once @ 1:30am. I gave him a bit more Orajel and he went back down after some squirming and fussing. Poor little guy. We hope this is short lived -for both him and us. And that we don't have many of the horrible nights that people always tell/warn us about!

Overall, Tryg is a wonderful baby and we really can't complain too much. Literally EVERYDAY either Erik and I will tell the other how much we just love him like crazy and how he really is just a sweetheart! We also talk about how cute he really is...Yes, we're biased, but he really is a cute little guy even if we do say so ourselves! :)

*We'll try to get a picture of his first tooth as soon as he'll let us.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T11:10:00.003-06:00

One of Those Weeks...

2011-02-02T16:53:00.004-06:00

So, if you're actually looking at our blog (instead of Google Reader or something like that), you'll notice that I've added a Graduation Countdown Timer! I was doing pretty well. Well, I guess that depends on how you define "pretty well." But I was at least OK with being in grad school, Erik being in grad school, both working 40+ hours a week and raising our 7 month old son....but then I think something just snapped last week. I don't know if it was the 10 page paper due last Tuesday, the additional hours added to my job, the realization that my Capstone Project needs to be done in about a month or that Erik's classes started back up after a long Christmas break. However, I do know that there is a large weight over my head and tension in my shoulders.

I know I'll make it...I just need to pull through. I have a lot of people supporting and encouraging me. I also know that there are a lot of people, including Erik, who are going to kick my @$$ if I don't finish. It's just that it seems like a lot right now.

May 21, 2011 cannot come soon enough...but, I guess in some sense I don't want to wish that time away though. You see, Tryg keeps growing up faster than ever and I don't want to miss one more second than I have to with my BABY. Just last night I found myself looking at photos and videos of him at the hospital the day he was born. He's grown up so much! But he's still my little peanut and always will be! After May 21st I'll be able to devote much more time to him and I am so happy for that. In the meantime, I'll cherish the moments I have.

Happy 90th Birthday Grandpa!

2011-01-29T21:19:00.004-06:00

So, Erik and my Grandpa are one day shy of being exactly 60 years apart. We went out for dinner tonight in Owatonna at Grace's, a family favorite. They had these great hats and glasses for the Birthday boys. I just LOVE this picture of my Grandpa!! Erik says it reminds him of the man in the movie "Up!" :)

Today we also had a party to celebrate my Grandpa's wonderful life! It was fantastic to be able to spend time with him as well as family and friends. He has touched so many lives with his sweet and kind nature. I'm so glad to call him Grandpa and to see so many others who love him too. Thanks to cousin Jackie for this nice family picture **sorry that we are missing a few of the family members. --but apparently those who were there for the picture got the memo to wear red and/or some shade of gray or black :)
Four generations! I love that Tryg has a Great Grandpa. Grandpa just loves Tryg too. It's fun to see them interact. I'm glad we got a picture of four generations together. I also hope Tryg got the Forbes eyes. If you click on this picture you'll see how my Grandpa's eyes almost glow... my mom's too. So far Tryg's eyes are also very bright. I hope they stay that way! :)

Happy 30th Birthday Erik!!

2011-01-27T11:31:00.003-06:00

Erik turns the Big 3-0 today!

-What a cute son you have! :)

Thanks for a great dinner last night Randy & Sue!

Happy Birthday Honey! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Road Trippin to Bozeman, Montana!

2011-01-10T19:49:00.003-06:00

Our family, along with Amy, went to visit Billy and Rachel in Montana after Christmas. It was fun to go out and see the beautiful Big Sky Country that they call home. Despite the horrible driving conditions, we had a blast spending the week with the Flanagans!!!

Santa Baby

2010-12-25T00:51:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Blessings to you and your family this
Christmas and New Year!!

Tryg Meets Santa

2010-12-22T11:43:00.005-06:00

He only smiled once, and it was not captured on camera.
BUT, he didn't cry, so that's good.

We just had to get at least one picture with Santa for
Tryg's First Christmas!

A Year Ago This Week

2010-12-09T11:06:00.004-06:00

A year ago this week was one of the hardest weeks that Erik and I have experienced. It was a year ago yesterday that we were told that Tryg had a 95% chance of having a major defect and that he may not even survive the pregnancy. A year ago today I could not even go to work. I was just heartbroken. Erik and I cried so hard all week long, and well into the next three months. We both just laid in bed and cried every night. There were so many questions, uncertainties and emotions throughout those following weeks. We were so upset to hear that the baby we had so longed for may not even make it full term or would have life altering defects. Of course, you all know how that portion of our story ended. Slowly, after months of prayers and further tests we would learn that he was going to be healthy! Then on June 21, 2010 our beautiful son was born....health, beautiful and wonderful. We are SO thankful!
I reminded Erik that I was just one year ago the other night. We both just held Tryg in our arms and cried tears of joy for our little boy.

Christmas Time is Here....

2010-11-29T21:07:00.001-06:00

Carly came over on Sunday to help us put up the tree and the trimmings. She was also our photographer for the evening. It's Tryg's first Christmas and it was fun to involve him in the process. Obviously he couldn't do much, but it was great to see his face as we lit the tree!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-28T00:10:00.003-06:00

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving gatherings. We enjoyed three different gatherings with family and friends. Tryg enjoyed his first Thanksgiving even though he didn't get to try the turkey (firsthand anyway). Holidays are just more fun with a little one around. We are sure thankful for our little man. We love him so much! It's hard to imagine life without him...he's only 5 months old, but it seems like he's always been a part of our lives. I can hardly even remember being pregnant.

Thank you, God for this gift!

Whelmed

2010-11-17T21:24:00.004-06:00

As in overwhelmed. I have been feeling that way a lot these days. Who thought having a baby while both mommy and daddy would be in grad school was a good idea? Oh, wait. That was us! The phrase "We just need to make it to May" has run through my head or come out of my mouth quite often lately. With full time jobs and then trying to get in every cherished moment of Tryg's first year, in between homework assignments and everyday life expectations...OVeRwHeLMeD comes to mind.

I'm currently sitting here typing while feeding my son a rice cereal and breast milk filled bottle in an attempt to get him back to sleeping through the night. He had been doing great ever since he was seven weeks old until everything changed two weeks ago. And, if you note the time of this post, you'll see that we have yet to master the art of getting him to bed at a decent hour as well. So, lack of sleep isn't helping either.

However, I will say that I am not to the point of being stressed. There is a good reason for that...every time I see my sweet boy smile, even if I am so frustrated because I'm trying to get him to sleep, he spit up all over me and is wide awake just looking at me, it makes it all worth it! Hearing him giggle is even better! He just melts my heart and I can't help but stop, smile and enjoy the moment.
***Don't worry...I did not actually type this whole post while feeding Tryg. I put him to bed and then wrote the post.

First Snow Encounter

2010-11-13T15:27:00.003-06:00

I think he likes it!

What IS This?

2010-11-13T11:39:00.006-06:00

Tryg sees SNOW for the first time.

Later today we'll take him outside
to really experience it.

The Fohawk

2010-11-11T22:13:00.006-06:00

Trick or Treat

2010-10-31T21:14:00.004-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN
From:
Our Little Sweet Pea

4 Years Ago Today

2010-10-28T21:41:00.002-05:00

So, October is Almost Over Already...

2010-10-26T16:52:00.002-05:00

Life right now has been a blur. With both Erik and I working full time jobs and in grad school, as well as having a four month old, it seems the blog gets forgotten. Sorry! We'll do our best to post more pictures of Tryg soon. He's getting big (I hear they do that) and now he's using his voice a lot more.

Check out this video of Tryg telling us all about it.

In the News

2010-09-29T16:14:00.004-05:00

So, my parents made the News! However, it is not good news. Unfortunately, there home was one of the twenty or so homes that had severe damage because of the Owatonna Floods. At the peak, they had 7 FEET of water in their basement! EVERYTHING in their basement has been ruined...all their storage, Christmas decor, my dad's workshop, washer & dryer, water heater, furnace, etc. It has now been stripped down to the concrete blocks.

My heart just breaks for them. It seems that they just can never 'get above water' -this time literally! FEMA is down there right now to see if they will give funds to help. I don't know what they give even if they do determine their situation to be 'bad enough.'

On the bright side, they have had people who have volunteered to help them get the water out and clear out their things so the cleaning crew could get in there (they had sewer backup in there as well). They had 30+ people helping on Monday. Now the basement is completely empty, they have a huge pile of all of their belongings on their front lawn, the cleaning crew has come and my parents and my grandpa will be moving out of their motel room and back home soon. First, they need to get a new furnace and water heater. They have come a long way in the last week, but unfortunately, it is just the beginning of their recovery journey.

Thank you to all the Owatonna family and friends who have helped them! At these (and many) times, I wish we lived closer!

Here is a link to the news clip --click on the video on the right side of the page.

God Bless You, Tryg

2010-09-27T19:54:00.006-05:00

Yesterday we had a "Commitment Ceremony" for Tryg. Since Erik and I do not have a church we call 'home' right now, we had everyone over to our house for the service. As Erik grew up in the Lutheran church, I grew up Baptist, and we met and got married in a Non-Denominational church, we had a hybrid service. Instead of an Infant Baptism or Child Dedication, we had a Commitment Ceremony. We wanted to commit, in the presence of our friends and family, to raising Tryg by using Christ as our example.
My friend David, from Bethel was able to lead the ceremony for us. He is a Children's Pastor at a local church. He did a great job. We were very glad he was able to be a part of the day.

As a symbol of this commitment, we washed Tryg's feet just like Jesus washed the disciples' feet. (Some of you may also remember that we washed each others' feet during our wedding.)
Our friends, Bill and Carol, agreed to be Tryg's godparents. They have been a big part of our lives and we're glad that they will 'formally' be a part of Tryg's life as well -as they have been already!
Thank you everyone, for being a part of Tryg's day and his life. We are grateful for each of you -whether you were there yesterday or not!.

Just Tryg

2010-09-23T21:47:00.005-05:00

OK, so we know you're probably sick of the landscaping and just want to see more pictures of Tryg. So here you go...

Landscaping Part 3

2010-09-23T18:58:00.003-05:00

The finishing touches...Now we just need to get rid of the mosquitoes so we can enjoy our work!

Landscaping Part 2

2010-09-22T17:08:00.002-05:00

To spruce up the yard even more, we also put edging and mulch around the fire pit. It made us lose some of the grass, but we thought it made the fire pit look much nicer.

Landscaping Part 1

2010-09-15T21:53:00.008-05:00

So, after a year of owning our home, we decided it was time to shape up the back yard. We have a row of lilac bushes across the back of our property and we decided to put in some edging and mulch. Carly is a rockstar and helped us all day on Saturday and Sunday. In fact, she stayed overnight, so we could get the most amount of time into the yard work. She's truly an amazing friend because this was a lot of work.

4 Generations at the Twins Game

2010-09-15T20:47:00.003-05:00

For my Mom's Birthday, we decided to take her and my Grandpa to a Twins game! They were both very excited, as were we! Erik was the only one who had been to a game at the new stadium, so we couldn't wait to see it. Tryg had a great time wearing his Twins gear and sucking on his Twins nuk.
But I think it was my Grandpa who had the best time. When we got home he could not stop talking about Target Field. He watches the Twins on TV all the time but couldn't believe how big the stadium is in person. I was so thrilled to be able to take him. I'm so glad he enjoyed it.
My mom had a great time as well...she liked her Birthday gift. I'm sure part of the reason she had such a good time is because she got to hold her new grandson! Oh yeah, the Twins won too!

Guess Who...

2010-09-13T17:02:00.003-05:00

Guess who has the baby that spits up a lot! Hmmm...

Last month Erik, Tryg and I got to have dinner with Gavin and Jessica, as well as their two girls and Gavin's parents and brother. Gavin and I are friends from high school and church youth group. We try to see each other about once a year, but it had been a couple years since our last meeting and I had yet to meet his daughters.

It was great to spend time with them and they made a nice dinner for us as well. The girls are adorable and it was fun to catch up with friends!

At the end of the evening we remembered to take a picture together (their oldest daughter had already gone to bed). After we downloaded our picture and saw it full size, Erik and I just laughed at how pathetic we look with Tryg spit-up all over both of us (which is normal for us)! We're really hoping this stage will pass SOON. It's insane.

Anyway, it was fun to see you guys!! I hope it's not another 2+ years before we see you again!

Laundry Helper

2010-08-29T21:35:00.002-05:00

With a newborn, I have had to get a little more creative while doing everyday tasks....I only have two arms. Erik caught me once with my "laundry helper" and had to snap a photo. I have done this a couple times now. However, since our boy spits up A LOT, it is not always a success. In fact, one time I had to rewash a few of the clothes because of my little helper. Oh well.

A Year Ago Today

2010-08-24T11:16:00.004-05:00

A year ago today...we closed on our first house! It's crazy to think that we have been home owners for a full year already. Just last night we were talking about our house and the location. To be honest, the house is not located in my 'dream location' but we have found a great neighborhood and have become more acquainted with the east side of Roseville now that we bought our house. The location has provided new walking paths and parks as well. (and we hope our friends have not been too bothered by the 4 extra minutes that it takes to get there) The house has also been good...we've had bugs (earwigs), a duck in our chimney and back up from tree roots in our pipes, but overall, it has been a really good house! We've filled one more of the five bedrooms now...don't worry there are no plans of filling all of them with children. We'll start with one and go from there.
Unfortunately, it was also a year ago today that we found out that Erik's Grandpa Johnny had terminal lung cancer. Right after the closing, I had to cut our celebration short to tell Erik the sad news. He only lived five short weeks after the diagnosis. He has been missed this year. Such a wonderful, sweet man. We so wish that he would have been able to meet Tryg.

We love you, Grandpa Johnny!

Too Much Sorrow

2010-08-21T16:21:00.008-05:00

Today marks the third funeral for a child under the age of four that I have been to within the past three years. This does not count the other three children I know who have passed away in the same time frame. It causes a lot of questions and so much sorrow. Why would God allow this to happen to these children and these families? My heart continuously breaks for these friends as I just want to find a way to take away the pain, to reverse time and to bring their children back into their arms. I think about them and their children daily, but just feel so helpless.

This week I was driving to work for the first time without my son. My eyes were filled with tears as I thought about leaving him for the day. I looked back through the rear-view mirror to see the empty carseat base and cried even more. Then I thought about the parents of this sweet four year old boy, who had to say their final good-byes today. I cannot imagine the sorrow and pain they feel as they see the empty carseat that once held their son.

I wish I lived in a world without empty carseats.

Back to Work

2010-08-20T14:54:00.003-05:00

It's official... I'm back to work. I will admit, I cried the first two days. So far I have not cried today. :-) I literally never thought I would ever want to be a stay-at-home-mom. BUT then last week happened! I'm not sure if it was the reality that I would be coming back to work this week or if it was just seeing the smiles and hearing the 'coos' coming from my sweet little boy, but it happened. I want to be at home! I miss him!
Luckily, once I am at work, I'm fine. I like my job and the people I work with, so it's ends up being just fine. But I will admit that during the day I do think of Tryg and what he might be doing...hoping he's doing well at daycare. Unfortunately, the reality is that right now I need to work. Tryg is in a great daycare four days a week and with Erik's mom on Thursdays. I just need to remember that he'll be fine and cherish the time I do have with him.

I love you little boy!

Mommy Haircut

2010-08-15T23:08:00.005-05:00

Yep...it was time. Tryg's hands are moving a lot more and they were getting caught in my hair. It was also pretty warm on my neck and getting in the way during feedings. So....this is what happened...

(before)

(after)

Little Skipper

2010-08-09T16:17:00.005-05:00

We went to my parent's cabin on Monday night and then Erik's parent's cabin over the weekend. All the Grandparents were requesting some "Tryg Time." He was full of smiles and enjoyed 'talking' with his grandparents. We're happy to be able to share him with them as both sets live relatively close by.
He also went on the boat and wore his 'little skipper hat' that I got at a garage sale for 10 cents. :)

All Smiles!

2010-08-05T16:38:00.004-05:00

Tryg has been smiling 'real smiles' off and on for a while, but last week (week 5) is when he started smiling full force! It has been delightful to see his huge grin and little dimples. He has even woken up with only smiles for Erik and me a few mornings (until he quickly realizes that he is hungry!). Here are a couple photos that we were able to get. We love our little boy!

The Saints

2010-07-31T11:04:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday evening, Tryg and I got to go to our first Saints game! Our friends Shayna and Joel took the three of us to the game. They had all gone before, but it was a first for Tryg and me. The Saints won, but as I have been told (and now understand), you don't really go to Saints games to watch the game. All of the side action is very entertaining as well! It was a good night and it was also fun to catch up with my Bethel YOMI friend, Shayna, and her husband, Joel. It was very nice of them to take us to the game. Thanks guys!

Cousins! (But Not Kissing)

2010-07-30T14:14:00.005-05:00

On Sunday we got to meet the newest addition to our extended family, Halea Colleen, my second cousin, Holly's daughter. She's a little doll. She was born on the 24th of July, which is just over a month after Tryg was born. So, we did some comparison photos of the two of them. There was talk of the two of them hooking up and getting married some day...until we reminded my aunt that they ARE second cousins!!

The Whole Crew

2010-07-25T18:30:00.003-05:00

Steph was in town this last week, which tends to mean that there will be a group gathering. We were happy to host the crew at our place yesterday. It was fun to see the older kids running around in the yard and also ALL the babies! It's kind of crazy how many new babies there are in the group. We made it simple and ordered pizza and enjoyed the company of our friends!

So, He Might Look Like His Dad...

2010-07-22T14:13:00.002-05:00

Tryg -1 week old
Erik -3 months old

One Month Old Today!

2010-07-21T15:05:00.004-05:00

It's hard to believe it has already been a month since Tryg came into our lives! It sometimes seems like we were just in the hospital a week ago! We're so thrilled to have our little blue eyed boy. He's overall a really good baby. We just wish he didn't get so gassy and spit up SO much! Not much we can do I guess. They say it will end in about 7-9 months (BTW, that seems like a lifetime from now!).

My maternity leave is already over half over! This is bittersweet for me. I love to be around people, so it has been somewhat difficult to be home with a little man that doesn't talk. However, I love that little man like crazy and it will be hard to take him to daycare for the first time...that's for sure! But we have a good daycare set up, near Erik's work, and Grandma Molin will have him one day a week. I'll just take one day at a time and love him as much as I can during these days I have him all to myself!

Many "Firsts"

2010-07-19T14:47:00.006-05:00

So, I'm a bit behind...but I also have a newborn, so give me a break, right?? :)

Over the 4th of July we ended up going to Erik's parents' cabin. This brought a lot of new 'firsts' for Tryg! First short 'road trip,' first time out of the state, first time at the cabin, first boat ride, first fireworks, first WI bar outing (yes, we're bad parents). Tryg sported his "Little Firecracker" onesie and had a good time with family. Tryg has been meeting tons of people! People at work, family and friends have all enjoyed meeting him and we've enjoyed showing him off. Last week it was special for us to spend some time with Kirk & Sarah and their boys. They are back from Morocco for a few months. We had dinner at Bob & Sara's. Diana came over too! It was great food and great times together. They got to meet Tryg and we got to meet Nico for the first time (since he was born in Morocco).

Ollie thought Tryg was "very funny and very tiny"

This weekend was the Birchwood Street Dance, which brought Erik's whole family back to the cabin...and there were more firsts, like Tryg's first street dance and first Electric Slide. And apparently his first time sleeping while folded in half. :-)

And on Sunday one of my 'old youth group kids' got married. It was great to see her so happy and it ended up being a beautiful day for an outdoor wedding (even with all the storms on Sat. night). Tryg went to his first wedding and also did his first 'mother-son dance.'

What is in a Name...

2010-07-01T17:33:00.005-05:00

Tryg Edward Robert

We have actually had our little guy's name picked out for a while...and by "a while" I mean about 3 years. We knew we wanted a Scandinavian name. We thought about "Trygve" but I just couldn't do it. I liked "Tryg," though, and found out that Tryg is also a Scandinavian name. Pretty much from that point on, we didn't have any second choices. However, many of you have heard about how we "were not sure" or "Erik isn't convinced" about his name for most of the pregnancy. This is because we had to think about all of the things that would come with the name "Tryg." We're pretty sure that most people will not believe or understand him until he is about 7 years old when he's asked, "What is your name?" We also know that there are bound to be the jr. highers that will make fun of him..."Tryg the twig" or "Tryg the pig" But we hope that he grows into his name and that he likes it as much as we do. We are not trying to torture the poor boy, that's for sure.

TRYG... Tryg is a Scandinavian name meaning: Trusty Brave Victor. We found this especially fitting when we were told back in December that he had a 95% chance of having a major chromosomal, heart or kidney defect. At that point we did not know if he would survive the pregnancy or what his life would look like. We know that many of you were praying for him and for us as we had further tests done. We were all so relieved when all the tests came back clear. At that point we knew we had a "brave victor" on our hands. We also like the Scandinavian roots. Erik's family has a large Scandinavian background -as does mine, but I have a little German and Scottish mixed in as well. Now, one thing that we were not looking forward to is that Sarah Palin named her child Trig. The first thing the nurses said was, "Oh, like Trig Palin!" Well, that wasn't our goal, and we did have the name picked out before we even knew who Sarah Palin was. We also like the Scandinavian spelling better. So, Tryg it is!
EDWARD...Edward is a family name. Erik's middle name is Edward, named after his Grandfathers. It is his Maternal Grandfather's first name and his Paternal Grandfather's Middle name. It is also my dad's middle name! So, we knew we wanted to keep it in the family. We are sad that neither of Erik's grandfathers are here to meet our son though. Edward means "wealth protector" or "guard of riches" --that might come in handy?!?
ROBERT...Robert is a family name as well. My Maternal Grandfather is Robert. I also had a brother named Robert who only lived a few hours. I was thrilled to tell my Grandpa our son's name! I think he liked it too! Robert means "bright fame" -so we'll see what happens with that.

Intro to Tryg... Again...With Photos this Time.

2010-06-26T19:52:00.004-05:00

Here is our son right after he was born, Monday, June 21, 2010 9:28am, and a couple other hospital photos. (Other photos are on Facebook, thanks to Auntie Amy --FYI)
We're happy to be home...a little tired, but overall we're doing really well. In fact, he is already past his birth weight! He gained 7oz in 2 days...apparently most kids gain a half an ounce to an ounce a day. Erik says, "Well, he's a Molin!" Here, I was so worried about his spitting up and concerned he wasn't keeping anything down. Well, I guess I can stop worrying about that anyway.

We love him and can't get enough of him (except maybe at 3am). At least 3 or 4 times a day either Erik or I will stop and look at each other and say, "We're parents!" or "He is just so adorable." We know we might be biased, but we do think he's pretty cute --especially for just going through a birth canal (sorry, squeamish people).

We will try to keep this up to date, but those of you with children know that you don't get a lot of time just to be on a computer. We're doing all we can to keep him fed and all three of us sleeping. We've had help, which has been wonderful. Both Grandmas and some friends have come to help make sure we're fed! Thank you!

Ok, back to feeding Tryg. Love you all. Thanks for all of your prayers!

Introducing The Newest Member Of Our Family

2010-06-22T14:38:00.002-05:00

We are excited to announce the arrival of our son, Tryg Edward Robert Molin. He was born June 21st, 2010 at 09:28am. He is Beautiful he weighed in at 7lb 2oz 21 inches long. He is happy and healthy doing well Mindy is also doing great. We are getting used to being new parents and will be happy to introduce you to him in person shortly!

Thank you for all your prayers and support, Please continue to pray while we learn to sleep through the night :)

*****Sorry for the delay....the photos are not uploading. We're working on it! We're also trying to sleep!!

Newest Addition to the Nursery

2010-06-08T21:48:00.003-05:00

Nope, no baby yet! We're eager for him to come now. I'm just two weeks and two days from my due date (yes, I know that due dates don't always mean anything) We're nervous and excited all at the same time. Praying and hoping that everything goes well and that we come home soon with a happy, healthy, (small) baby boy. Don't worry....we'll keep everyone posted when he comes.

But tonight was a fun surprise...we went out to dinner at Old Spaghetti Factory with my family to celebrate my dad's Birthday, which is actually tomorrow, the 9th. He's hoping for a grandson on his Birthday. I told him he'd have to take that up with the boy and that I was fine with the idea. Anyway, after dinner was over we walked them to their van and were surprised with a gift for us! My dad had refinished a dresser for the baby's room and it was in the back of the van! Now, we knew that the dresser was coming but on the way to dinner my dad tricked me by calling me to ask me to bring something from the crib so that he could match the wood color for the dresser. I told him that the crib doesn't really come apart, so I wouldn't be able to do that. Well, it was all a trick because he had already refinished it and it was with him in the van. :)

It looks great and we love it! Thank you very much dad. It matches the crib and the room very well! Oh, and Happy Birthday again!!

More Belly Pics

2010-06-01T11:00:00.004-05:00

I just posted these on Facebook, but wanted to share them here too:

Week 33

Week 34

Week 35

We're getting there. I am currently 2 days from week 37 --the week 36 pics are still on the camera. We're getting excited (and nervous) as it gets closer!! When I turned the page of my calendar this morning, it made it all the more real!! We'll keep you posted!

The Latest in the Nursery

2010-06-01T10:48:00.006-05:00

Here are some of the latest pictures of the little boy's nursery. It is a work in progress, but we're getting there! His name will go on the wall when we actually decide on it! We will also be adding even more polka-dots on the walls too. (We hope the poor little guy doesn't go bonkers looking at polka dots all the time!!)

Diana made this very nice quilt for us! Love it!
My co-worker, Amanda, made this diaper cake for us.
It was at my Office Shower last week. Very fun!!

Thank you very much to all our friends and family...With the showers we had, we were able to get pretty much everything on our registry and make his room complete! We have been so blessed and are so grateful for everyone's generosity!! Thank you all so much!!

Schoooools OUT for the Summer!

2010-05-26T13:50:00.003-05:00

I'm fairly certain that title is from some 80's song that has been running through my head for the last week. Anyone else know what it is? I sure don't.

Anyway, I'm done!! Unfortunately Erik has class throughout the summer with only a short break in August. My last class for the school year was last night! My cohort went out to Old Chicago after class to just hangout and say good-bye for the summer. It was fun (except it was hard to get out of bed this morning)! Unfortunately, I still have a very large paper, called a prospectus, due in two weeks. I would like to get it off my plate SOON so I can focus on other things....hmmm...like the baby who is on his way! (due a month from this last Monday!)I don't have 'official pictures' here with me. We need to upload them off the camera. So, this is a picture from my cell phone, that I just took (with the one handed photo, I couldn't get the full image -but the belly is the most important part, right?) I'm feeling pretty large these days. I have been able to keep the weight down, but there is no doubt that I'm nine months pregnant!. Oh yeah, and my ankles are huge! I don't like it at all. In fact, I had a minor whinny breakdown last night in front of poor Erik. At least I admitted that it was happening at the time. This picture does not really give the full effect either, but you get the idea.We're excited for this little guy to make his appearance...I just don't feel ready quite yet! So, if he can hold off until I finish my paper and we get a few more baby items, like the car seat, we'll be in a much better place overall!

April Flowers Bring May Showers??

2010-05-11T13:15:00.005-05:00

Well, it has been raining a lot here in MN these days, but I am talking about Baby Showers. It seems that this baby is being 'showered on' all this month! All the baby showers we are having happen to be in May. It's wonderful to celebrate with friends and family.

Although my camera didn't make it out of the case, here are a couple pictures from a friends and family shower that my sister hosted in Owatonna. Thank you Jana for hosting (and Bev for providing the location)!

Gift "Helpers" -my niece and 2nd cousin helped pass gifts to me
--until they got distracted :)

Little MN Twins gear all the way from FL! --Thanks Brenda
(and Margo, for the photo opp)!

We are very excited for this little guy to come and so happy that so many people are excited with us! Thank you, everyone, for all of your love, support and prayers! We are grateful for each of you!

April was a Blurrr.

2010-04-30T11:27:00.002-05:00

So, it's going to be May tomorrow! Where did April go? Well, I know that I worked a couple of Saturdays and evenings here at Bethel and just started my final course of this school year. Unfortunately this course also introduces our "Capstone" for the master's program, which means that a lot of decisions and writing will begin during this course. I am pretty tired these days...being 8 months along now, plus the added hours at work and school. But I'll survive, right?

May is also proving to be a bit insane with at least one thing scheduled each weekend. However, I think it will be fun as we are having some baby showers! I'm looking forward to focusing a little more on the baby and also seeing friends and family this month!

Sorry there are not many pictures or exciting things to post, but there is always next time!

Love you all!

Tulips are popping up!

2010-04-16T09:02:00.002-05:00

We promise to get a better picture later, but our Tulips have started to come up.

Yep! It was a Duck!

2010-04-11T18:50:00.003-05:00

Our afternoon adventure started by having some photos taken at the Guthrie and near the Stone Arch Bridge. Cami Thomassen took some maternity photos of Erik and me. We can't wait to see how they turned out! Earlier this week they talked about the possibility of some rain showers today. I'm so glad that didn't happen. What a wonderful day for a photo shoot! Thanks Cami!

Then we made some homemade guacamole for a snack and settled in for the afternoon for some time to write our papers that are due this week. I set up shop on our kitchen table and tried to get motivated. As I was flipping through Facebook :-) I kept hearing a shuffling noise. I first I thought it was the dryer downstairs. Then it got louder. It was coming from the chimney! Oh no! We have a bird trapped in our chimney! I yelled for Erik when the noise got really loud. So much for paper writing...we had a bird to catch!

After getting a few ideas online, we decided to just go for it. First, Erik went next door to ask for some 'protective gear.' This is what he came up with!
After opening the flume, we realized that it was a pretty big bird and it looked a lot like a duck! We were a bit concerned that it wasn't going to be able to fit through the slats of the flume. We covered the fireplace just in case it got out on it's own. After trying to coerce it out for a while, we decided just leave it alone and see if it would come out on its own. Yep! It did! It landed in the tupperware bin we put in the fireplace. I yelled for Erik again (because we had both gone back to paper writing). He came and put the lid on the bin as fast as he could. We got a good look at it then....sure enough, it was a duck!
We took him outside and Erik pulled off the lid.
And he flew away! Fly! Be free little duck.
(you can kind of see him flying away in this picture --he's the blob in the branches on the upper right)
Well, now back to writing our papers.