My Favorite Faces

Oh, how they change quickly! These little faces are the often the reason we open our eyes in the morning (literally, they are our alarm clocks) and the reason we are so exhauseted when our heads finally hit the pillow at night, but oh, so rewarding. We try and make our individual interests a family affair. Together we are running to football, baseball, soccer, ballet, swimming, choir, play dates, the doctor or the grocery store, we love to just be together--wherever that may be!

Erik CAN sing!

Erik had the incredible experience of singing at Abravenal Hall with his elementary school choir. He has had a great time this year and the choir has done really well. They sang songs from Broadway musicals such as "Wicked," "Mama Mia" and "The Lion King." We are all glad that early morning practices are over, but it was a great experience for him...and I think he rather enjoyed the girl-to-boy ratio!

Milestones, continued...

Look Mom! No training wheels!

My sweet little girl is off and riding...all by herself! She was terribly determined to accomplish this two-wheeled thing...in the dead of winter! Thank goodness it is now Spring! She really did it all on her own. I taught her how to get herself started and then I ran behind her when I could, but my real job was just crowd control. I had to make sure the little bothers were safely off the sidewalk so she didn't crash...she would NEVER run over one of them, so this was for her safety, not theirs!

Milestones

Hallelujah!

It's official. Mats now has his Masters Degree in Criminal Justice. He has worked long and hard and it all paid off. He graduated with honors and we are all very proud of his accomplishment. Although with Mats, every finish line just brings on a new starting point. There are great things ahead. He hasn't had time to wait and wonder. I know that doctoral program seems to be calling his name, but I'm just hoping he'll soak in all the joy of this day! Congrats, Mats!

Together Is a Wonderful Place To Be

We could make a list a mile long of the things we are grateful for right now.

Topping our list is the blessing of Eternal Families.

Where Isss My Erik?

I don't have any experience in having an older brother, but from all indications, Owen thinks it is the best thing EVER! Owen is enough younger than Erik that he really is more of an accessory than anything. He basically worships the ground Erik walks on. It is so much fun to watch them together. Erik is so good to him an willing to help him in any way. Owen wants to be just like Erik and trys his best to keep up. My favorite thing has to be when Owen walks around the house looking for Erik and saying, "Where isss my Erik? I need my Erik."

Emma is Six(teen)!

Our beautiful baby girl is growing up! The reality of it set in when I watched her run off to Kindergarten. Emma has already informed her daddy (whom she has wrapped around her little finger) that she wants a CAR for her sixteenth birthday. Since she is only six this year, a scooter will do, but it MUST be PINK. No cross-contaminating-blue from her brothers! She is the FAVORITE sister of her three adoring brothers. She loves to go and do exactly what her older and wiser brother, Erik, is doing, but she can play right along side the little ones and be totally content. Emma is the glue in our family and we love her dearly!

My Baby is ONE!!!

I can hardly believe Luke is a whole year old! He is getting to have such a big personality and my quiet little baby has finally figured out that he has to make a little noise to be noticed at our house. He was totally loving the cake and ice cream and he is truly one of ours as he pulls faces for the camera! Love you, Luke!

Pick up the Pace!

I guess I should have looked at images Mats had saved on his computer....umm, not the cute photos of Luke's 1st Birthday I was hoping to post! Oh, well. At least I posted a photo, right?!?! This is Mats with Dan Patrick (I wouldn't know him from Adam), who is a sports-talk radio host. Mats attended a brunch where Dan broadcast his show and then took questions and had a photo op for sports-crazed fans like Mats! As you can imagine, this was a "dream come true" for my dear husband!

Posting, yet again! I know, I know, for all two people who even know about this blog, you are all simply amazed. Who am I kidding? With my four busy kids and my dear husband who is juggling work, school, family, and his very demanding wife, life will never slow down, so I guess I better just pick up the pace! This post will be my tiral and error, so please forgive me. I will mess around for a while and TRY to add some photos, they may or may not have captions, we'll see. Even though I might not have much on this blog, I do check the blogs of friends and family OFTEN! Keep my kids happy and keep posting! We love to peek into your lives!