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!

We Did It

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.

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!!

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!

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

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

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

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!!