The Nilsens

Sooooo.....

2012-01-21T09:03:00.003-06:00

I don't have a lot to say for this post but I know I should be posting more often...as "good blog" protocol requires. :) Sooooo, here are a few ramblings...

It snowed yesterday. I have four kids under six years old, well, five but one is tanning in the Glorious Son! Which is where I would choose to be over cold any day.....but I digress. Ok, so these four kids need to get some energy out and they really like playing in the snow so naturally I told them it was time to go outside. Do you have kids in your life? Have you ever gotten them ready to play in the snow? Craziness!! I move from the closet to the coat hooks, to the hat box and back again as they all swirl around me like a tornado. "Mommy, I need my....." Mommy, will you help me......" "Mommy, I can't....." "Mommy, I'm hot." "Mommy, I need to go potty."

So you get the picture. Finally, a half an hour later, everyone has found their hat, has two gloves (not necessarily matching) and is zipped up to their noses. Inevitably the last one out the door turns and sweetly says (as I am wiping the sweat from my brow) "Mommy, are you coming out to play with us?"

I take a deep breath as these responses float through my head "I can't. I have to change the laundry." "I can't. I have to do the dishes that are still on the counter from breakfast." "Are you kidding after that tornado, just give me some peace and quiet!" But then Something stops me and I can let the dirty dishes disappear from my vision, I forget about the laundry, the toys all over, how tired I am and answer her "Yes, I will be out in a minute." Then...

it takes ME a half an hour to find all my snow clothes and I finally get out there, and they want to come in.....

Over a year ago...

2012-01-09T14:01:00.002-06:00

It has been over a year since I have posted on this blog. Not long after my last post we found out I was pregnant with our 5th child, Braaten. So much has happened since then...

We had this read at Braaten's funeral.

In January, we learned from ultrasounds that our baby boy would have serious challenges with his kidneys, and it was possible that he might not even survive until delivery. It was possible that his kidney would rupture before delivery. It was possible that he would survive delivery but die upon entering the world. It was possible that he might survive delivery but only live a few hours or days.

Shortly after we learned of our baby’s challenges, we shared the news with family, friends, and anyone who would pray for him. People from all over the country and world began praying for Braaten.

Braaten Norman Nilsen was born on March 17, 2011, eleven weeks before his May 28 due date. He spent almost three months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford. He was cared for wonderfully by neonatologists, nephrologists, urologists, nurses, and other specialists who medically managed him and helped his body do all the things that his kidney could not quite do on its own. A loving, skilled community of caregivers nurtured him and helped him to grow.

On June 13, Braaten was eating, breathing, peeing, and growing enough to come home! He moved home to our zoo of a house where he was welcomed by his older brother and three sisters. We had the craziest and most wonderful summer with Braaten.

Braaten survived his delivery, survived for hours, for days, for weeks, and even months. Our journey with him has been a roller coaster, from surgeries to weight gain, to tubes getting put in and tubes coming out, from heel pokes to IVs, from doctors’ appointments to a hospital stay. Despite the many ups and downs Braaten exceeded everyone’s expectations and did so well for so long.

Even though we knew our time with Braaten might be short, it was still hard to say goodbye. Last Saturday, Braaten did not seem himself. We decided to take him to the ER and on the way Kjirsti checked him and noticed he was not breathing. Ryan pulled him out of his car seat and felt a heartbeat while Kjirsti called 911. Kjirsti held him in her arms until we met up with first responders. Medical professionals worked to revive Braaten in the ambulance and in the emergency room but were not able to re-start his heart. So we let Braaten go and held his body for hours in the emergency room and cried with family members, Warren, and CJ, as they joined us through the night.

Braaten loved to be with people. He had a big beautiful smile and his bright blue eyes followed people intently. He loved to be outside. He loved to watch the trees. He loved cool air and cool formula bottles. He loved to be held and wear nothing but a diaper. He loved watching his brother and sisters. He was learning to coo in response to conversation. Above all, though, Ryan is certain he loved being with his mother, looking at her, smiling at her, and talking with her.

We miss Braaten. We miss seeing him napping on the couch or sleeping in his pack-n-play. We miss his feeding pump lighting up our room at night. We miss holding him, looking at him, talking with him, and kissing his bald head. We miss cramming five cars seats in our minivan. We miss that after the other kids go to bed, we no longer mix his formula and prepare his medications for the next day. Our home is filled with reminders of his presence, our sweet boy here with us just a few days ago, and we are so sad he isn’t with us anymore.

We miss Braaten but we are comforted in knowing we will see him again one day. From the start, we acknowledged that Braaten, like all our children, was not ours but the Lord’s, and that He loved Braaten far more than we ever could. When we discovered the full extent of Braaten’s challenges we decided to enjoy and be thankful for all the time we had with him, no matter how short that might be. We are so thankful for God’s goodness to us. He gave us a wonderful church family and community to support us with prayer, medical attention, meals, babysitting, gas money, and more. He gave us more time with Braaten than we expected. We are so thankful that we got to know Braaten so well. We are thankful that in the end, Braaten most likely passed away in Kjirsti’s arms while we were together with him.

Through Braaten God has taught us about love, grace, community, and strength. He has given us a new perspective on life, death, and eternity. Thanks be to God for his unfailing love and the gift of Braaten.

Baobab Blast VBS 2010!!

2010-07-24T08:41:00.004-05:00

Praise's VBS is starting this coming Monday! Here is a little preview of what the church looks like so far. Come join us in the African Savannah!

Entry

Small Group meeting area

Baobab tree

Some pics from the summer so far...

2010-07-19T22:24:00.002-05:00

Playing in the rain

A little poison ivy

Snack time

Even without water the pool is fun

E "helping" and C "driving"

A very quickly done post...

2010-06-27T07:19:00.002-05:00

Pics in Washington State and the airplane on the way out.

Random pics

2010-04-10T09:48:00.002-05:00

Sitting in church before the worship service.

Random play at home. This ia A, E and O.

One of the few pictures I took in AZ. :)

Elsie and Clara's 3rd birthday party

2010-03-25T13:15:00.005-05:00

Not surprisingly, Elsie chose the purple flower cake and Clara chose the pink one. :)

Oh, the concentration!

Clara

E just had to put her new shirt on immediately.

Spring jackets.

My fifty cent garage sale finds were a hit!! :)

Pics from the last few days...

2010-02-25T18:36:00.003-06:00

Snow on Feb. 24

Snack time C, O, A, E

O

E, they all liked watching Daddy trying to move all the snow.

A climbing, of course.

C, all prim and proper.

A, C, E, O

Usually doesn't nap anymore but I found him like this at the end of rest time one day.

Often doesn't nap at rest time anymore either but on this day snack after rest time proved to exhausting. :) This is E.

Mostly Annie

2010-02-15T19:43:00.002-06:00

Annie thinks the grippy stuff under the rug makes a great blanket.

She also really enjoys vaccuuming! It was actually on in this picture.

Elsie and Clara playing "Mary" using only one blanket.

This marble has traveled from the top to the bottom of Annie.

I think they have their dolls mixed up. :)

O and E

Owan's Birthday

2010-02-06T13:54:00.004-06:00

Annie was really enjoying the wrapping paper! They were laughing histerically. :)

This is Elsie, sad because she didn't get any presents. Clara was too but she only got on video.

Owan's "nice" smile. I think we have a "Chandler Bing" on our hands, or maybe he's just his father's son. :)

Our make shift birthday candles.

"Almost got it..."

Don't let them fool you...

"Haha that was hilarious, they thought we were sleeping! Ahh haha"

Warning: the vidoe is a little trippy because I wanted to get Clara and I in a there. Sorry!

This one's a mover...

2010-01-27T08:32:00.003-06:00

I have to do this...

Because of this...

She gets up soooo fast! Anywhere there is something to climb she will climb it!

The other haircut.

2010-01-21T09:21:00.003-06:00

I cut Elsie's hair yesterday. She was pretty good too but kept shrugging her shoulders. Oh, also I cut just a few bangs on Clara. She was funny because she had some whisps of hair in her face (as usual) so I pulled a few more down and tried to see if bangs would work, when she asked, "You cut them, Mommy?" So I said sure and did it! :) That when Elsie came over and lifted up the end of her hair and asked to cut hers. :)

C and E

E, C, and A(who won't keep socks on anymore)

O, C, E

Having fun with Daddy, as usual. :)

E, C, A, O

We all had our capes on this morning. :)

Haircutting

2010-01-18T18:39:00.004-06:00

So I did it! I finally got up the courage to cut my daughters' hair. I only did Clara's tonight because that is all I had time for. It is not as nice as a professional of course but cheaper and faster than paying someone. :) Clara did so well!! There was a movie on a food to eat so that helped but she wanted to see every time I cut some off. "I wanna see, I wanna see it" :)
So, for a day, it will be VERY easy to tell them apart. Trying to decide how to make Elsie's a little different but still short. Bangs, maybe???? Not sure I'm up for that.

A couple pics for today

2010-01-16T08:33:00.003-06:00

I usually don't take pictures of the food I make becaue it usually isn't picture worthy. :)

This time, however, I had to! These are absolutely the best looking cookies I have ever made!!

They also are probably the best tasting cookies I have ever made. It's just the Nestle Tollhouse recipe but still very fun to make such perfect cookies. :)

Now, this next picture may not be appropriate for putting online but I just had to show my family. :) She brought us the shoes and then the hat and then the mittens. She was sooo happy just toddling around like this for quite awhile and there weren't any accidents either! :)

Staying caught up! :)

2010-01-11T21:34:00.003-06:00

All the girls wanted to be on my lap. :0)

C, A, E

E, O, C
What can I say?
I love these kids! They're crazy!

O, E, C
A

Our little readers, they fit right in with Nilsen's and Erickson's! :)

Clara-bug

The O-man.

Elsie-girl

Annie-pants
Not into reading yet, just climbing.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-09T08:28:00.006-06:00

Christmas morning milk

New pjs!

O is growing so fast...a beard already!

A mostly bangs the guitar on the ground, using it like a cane.

Exhausted after a big day! E

C, same as sis.

Papa and Mimi, aka Bill and Marcia

Aunties, aka Kari and Stacy

Siblings

He and me.

Almost caught up...

2010-01-07T08:15:00.003-06:00

Owan's first Christmas Program
I think he and his friend got a little tired of standing. :)

High school buddies.

and the wives. :)

Christmas Eve dinner. Yum!

More catching up...

2010-01-02T08:01:00.002-06:00

Ladies being silly. C, E

Just reading O, E, C

oops sideways A and Daddy

Just reading, again. :)

This is our between Sunday school and the service routine. Yes, that is no hands. Yes, Owan is stilling using a cup but I am not up to changing that right now.

C, O, A, E

More catching up

2009-12-31T13:05:00.002-06:00

My 4 "princesses"

Thanksgiving Bouquet

Trekking to the tree!

The bear tha wondered across our yard one morning.

2009-12-31T08:29:00.005-06:00

It's been so long...

Here are some random pics and my trip to AZ.

C, O, E, A

Yes, Elsie has green Sharpie all over her.

C, E, A, O

Ronda, Carrie, hike in AZ

Ronda and Brian

A, O, C, E at Thanksgiving Eve service

"Look, Mommy, I made you! Here are eyes, nose, a chin, another chin..."

"Two chins?!"

"Oh, you don't want two chins?"

"No, thank you."

"Oh, ok."

Annie is One Year Old!!

2009-10-26T07:13:00.003-05:00

October 2008

October 2009

Happy Birthday Annie!!

A few recent photos...

2009-09-28T18:11:00.010-05:00

This proves these girls are Nilsen/Erickson. Books, books, and more books. Clara looks so funny over in the coner with her arms crossed. She was the one who started pulling the books out so I don't know why she is over there.

Ladies man or a great daddy someday?

"Oh, yeah, I'm cool. I can climb the stairs and you can't stop me."

(unless the gate is up)

What can I say? :)

"Sisters, sisters..."

These three may be the best pictures I have ever gotten with all four actually in the shot. I'll take what I can get. :)

Not sure what was wrong with Annie in this one.

They were all playing so nicely here. That does seem to be happening more and more. Thank you Lord!

Out of the mouth of babes...

2009-09-25T22:32:00.003-05:00

Owan: "Annie is my friend. Annie is my car friend." Explantion: Owan and Annie sit beside each other in the car.

Mimi asked Owan to put away the plastic toy Little People barn. Owan, as he was putting it away: "Is it to heavy for you Mimi?"

Clara was downstairs playing and started screaming "Help me." I went down half-way to see what she needed help with. When I saw it was just a dress-up sock that she wanted on I told her I would be back in a minute because I needed to get Annie. Elsie was sitting at the top of the stairs so I said "Maybe Elsie can help you." Elsie started going down right away and said "I will help you Clara." Then I heard a triumphant cry from Clara "I did it!" Then Elsie "Good job!" :)

Paragraph update

2009-09-21T20:52:00.002-05:00

Well, we are all finally feeling better and healthy. We got past a very busy couple weeks and it's not really slowing down it's just nice that those two are done with. :)
Owan went to his first Sunday school on Sunday and his poor teacher has like ten kids mostly boys. I'm pretty sure Owan liked it but he hasn't said much about it.
Both Elsie and Clara are talking more and more grown up. It's so funny to hear three kids talking like that instead of just one. They were very cute today walking around the yard holding hands.
Annie is so close to walking! She will walk 4 or 5 step to a person and she can walk beside us holding just one hand. Also she is starting to use a very loud voice. I think she is learning if she wants to be heard in this house, that is the way it has to be. :)
I am trying to work on organizing and switching out kids clothes. It's a little overwhelming because I haven't down anything since Annie was born which is a year ago next month.
And life goes on...

A long weekend...

2009-09-10T19:00:00.010-05:00

We stayed at Nilsen's lake cabin for the weekeend and enjoyed ourselves immensely! We went to the Woodstock Fair, played in the sand and cold lake water, played games, watched movies, picked berries, visited relatives, and even relaxed. Yes, I did just say we actually relaxed!! The key is to exhaust the kids beyond "code red" (Ryan and I have coded our children's emotional states and you can guess what code red is) and then put them to bed early so we can enjoy the evening. :) So here is our weekend in pictures.

K and E

R, O and A

A

Marcia and Bill, my in-laws. Great picture you two!

E, O, C

There was a sand sculpting company at the fair. That is entirely sand behind these three. Elsie and Clara have there hands behind there heads because Owan has his hands on them. I'm not sure if someone told him to put his arms around them or if he was trying to pull them back. I'm guessing it was the latter.

O on a ride where he found a toy snake and I don't think I have ever seen him so excited. It was one of those "that is so gross but you are making my heart explode with your happiness" moments. When he got off he asked if he could keep it...how could we say no? Yes, it was up to his face almost the whole day but, hey, if a kids never gets germs will his immune system ever get strong...no! So, go immune system, go! Oh, and he named it Fuzzy snake. :)

This is E and C getting off the ride, which was their first. The first couple rounds were fine but for the last few each time they came around they seem to take turns crying and they were a car apart too. I feel a little bad saying this but it was very funny to watch.

All of us and Ryan went on the Ferris Wheel. Very nice calm ride. The kids all enjoyed it and it was much cooler up there than down on the ground. (Notice the snake?)

K and C, "up where the air is clear"

Kari, O and R

Papa, Mimi and Ryan took O, E and C respectivly on the Carosel. Once again cautious Clara wouldn't ride on a horse. I'm so glad I didn't have to go on this ride I couldn't even watch it very long I got so dizzy.

Owan really enjoyed this goat at the petting zoo. He was playing with the beard and the goat just let him!

Kari, E and a camel.

Back at the lake. S and E just relaxing.

C and O trying to figure out Candyland. :)

E, O, C All I have to say is Brrrrr!

Stacy and Kari got me a pedicure for my b-day and we all decided to go with different shades of purple just for fun. I have to say it was thanks to Stacy and I am very much enjoying my purple toes!

Last summer this wonderful little restaurant was discovered by relatives and we have fallen in love it! it's called Bill's Bread and Breakfast. A tongue twister in itself. :) Our favorite food there is a huge pancake called The Chunky Monkey. It has bananas, chocolate chips and nuts in it! Mmmmm!!

After breakfast went and picked blueberries.

C, E, and me

Annie is getting a little bored here I think.

"Almost, just a little farther, stretch!"

This is Ryan's Great Uncle Paul. Elsie is named after his wife who passed away a couple years ago. The kids all really like him and ask to walk over to see him when we are staying at the lake.

E and O are in the front, C in the back.

This next pic is what happens when we take an exhausted 3 yr old for a paddle boat ride just before supper on the day we are leaving the lake after a very busy weekend. :)

Little update

2009-09-02T07:21:00.003-05:00

Clara

Sorry I didn't get the picture turned before I put it on here.

Elsie

E, O, C

Kjirsti, E, O, C, Stacy

We are doing well other than a little infection for Elsie which affects my sleep because she wakes up itchy and can't sleep unless I hold her. Aaahhh! It is getting better though. Elsie is Owan's little shadow and echo. :)
Both Clara and Elsie seem to be hitting the stage where we can really see personalities coming out. Very fun stage!
Today when E and I came home from the Dr. and grocery shopping we were at the front steps when I heard a very loud yell from inside. "Elsie!" It was Clara. :) She came over and tried to give E a hug but E wasn't interested. Clara wasn't phased though. Oh, Clara has a very deep voice. It's hilarious!
Annie took one little independant step today. She wouldn't duplicate again though. She and Owan, despite his "talent" for hurting her, seem to be very good buddies. No one can make her laugh like O can.

Owan has said so many funny things lately. He just came out of his room tonight after bedtime and said "Mommy, I'm frozen hot." :D
The other pastor at church was done as of Sunday so Ryan will be adjusting to that for the next few weeks (months?). We are going to look for a pastor who will focus on children's ministries/young families.
We just came off 3 of the busiest weeks we have had for awhile but this week is much quieter (Ryan is only gone one night!) and Stacy and Kari are taking me out for a pedicure for my b-day, probably on Thursday, so I'm excited for that!

I think it very funny how I can keep up with this so well for awhile and then be so bad at it for awhile. Maybe I am starting a good streak again. :) The above pictures are from a parade of Fire engines up in East Hartland, CT. I wanted to put them here at the end but for some reason I couldn't get them to move. Oh well.

Haircuts!!

2009-08-01T08:30:00.003-05:00

BEFORE

AFTER

Words are worth something...

2009-07-29T09:02:00.003-05:00

So I haven't downloaded pictures off my camera in a very long time, so I don't have any new pic for you just writing.
This morning Owan asked for his milk warmed up (just like he always does) only this time he said "Will you warm my milk so the worms don't get in it?" It would be so interesting to know where that came from!

The 3 older kids have mastered holding hands together when we need them too. They will do it most of the time if asked even if there is a grumpy one. :)

Annie is officially crawling as of her 9 month b-day on Sunday! She tries to follow us around now however she isn't quite fast enough yet to keep up. Now out come the gates again!

We got rid of our pool finally! We were so tired of taking time to keep it up and putting money into it for chemicals. We had never really been able to get it right after it had sat for who-knows-how-long before we bought the house. Also we our little kids we just didn't use enough. So we tore it down last weekend because we found someone who wanted the wall of the pool for something else. Now we have a big round sand spot bordered by white rocks. It's so nice to be able to see across the yard! I'll post pictures later.

I can't believe it is almost August! Until then...

A couple old videos from June...

2009-07-22T21:11:00.005-05:00

One of these is a cheerleading video that we did for Dana. I have to apologize Ronda, I sometimes forget you were a cheerleader too, sorry. I think Dana was on my mind because of her birthday coming up. Also, you may want to watch them on mute...I talk and scold too much. :)

July 4th at the lake

2009-07-22T06:26:00.003-05:00

C, O, E
C, O, E

O, C, E

K, C, O, E

We were at the Nilsen's lake cabin for the weekend of the 4th. We also had a Braaton (spell?) family picnic. This is Bill's mom's side of the family. Unfortunatly I did not get any pics. It wasn't quite like an Erickson gathering where there is a whole morning for pictures. :)

We had all the kids in bed but Owan never did go to sleep and Clara woke up from the fireworks. They got to watch there first fireworks out the window at the cabin. I got one picture but it was really dark so I didn't post it.

The beach w/ Ronda

2009-07-08T08:19:00.003-05:00

These are backwards but oh well. We had a fun day at the beach! The next day Ronda left to go back home. Thanks for visiting Ronda!!!

Happy Birthday Dana!!

2009-07-02T12:30:00.003-05:00

Sorry this is a couple days late. We did it on your b-day just didn't get it on here. Love ya!! :)

Ronda's visit continued...

2009-06-29T12:58:00.013-05:00

The day Ryan left really early for the convention was also the day that we had 15 frogs in our pool. One got away and one I found later after this was taken. I asked our friend/relative/neighbor Steve S. to come help do the removal. The next pic is of him taking them way back in the woods and the kids watching. We figured most of them would die from the chlorine. They look bleached out. Steve also killed the biggest spider I have ever seen for me. It was hanging on our sliding glass door. I just shivered just writing about it. I wasn't brave enough to get a pic of it. :( Thanks again Steve!

We went to a couple parks/playgrounds while Ronda was here.
C,E,O

Ronda & Owan, Stacy & Elsie, Kari & Clara

Ronda made cookies and when O woke up from his nap he had fun helping.

Annie

We also went to a Place called Action Wildlife. It has a museum of all kinds of stuffed wild life and an area with reptiles and birds. It has an outdoor area where there was mainly deer and farm animals. I realized I was very bored and unimpressed because of that but my kids don't see that everyday like I did growing up so it's fun for them.

E, C, O

The kids were scared stiff of the little goats. It was pretty funny. :)

Ronda, E, O, C

She didn't actually get licked but it was amazing that this happened right when I took the picture. :)

There was a little play area there as well. The kids really enjoyed it.

Only one more installment of Ronda's visit...

More of Ronda's visit...

2009-06-25T12:34:00.004-05:00

Ronda had a wonderful idea while she was here. A date night for Ryan and I! Stacy and Kari came over and helped Ronda babysit. Thank you so much Ronda!!!!

Dandilions are considered flowers in our family. :)

My little girls are growing so fast!

This is what has been doing in CT for the whole month of June! I'm literally going crazy with lack of sunshine.

Ronda and I took Owan to a waterfall close by and went on a nice hike up to the top.

This is at the top.

June already half way done!

2009-06-20T08:50:00.006-05:00

The biggest thing that has happened so far this summer is that Ronda came to visit! We had lots of fun and these pictures are of our first outing. We went to the Nilsen's lake cabin up on the border of Mass. It was not a hot day but warm enough to play in the water. The kids were all in and out all day and had lots of fun!

Going nowhere...and enjoying it.

C and E

A, C, E

Kari, Owan, and Stacy in the newest addition to the lake. A paddle boat!

Elsie is watching. "Wait for me!"

Kari, twins, Ryan

Clara

Kari, Stacy, Owan

Clara, Elsie

O, Kari

E,C

Ry after splashing K on raft.

Ry, Stacy, C & E

The uninvited guest. We usually see at least one each time we go to the lake.
Clara

I'm so thankful our kids enjoy the water. They are very brave too! This is E.

C and O

Elsie had five shovels at one time. Three in one hand and two in the other.

It was a fun day!

May so far...

2009-05-19T20:05:00.006-05:00

A few weeks ago it was very hot for a couple days. Of course we had to get out in the water!

Clara

We buzzed Owan's hair recently because
1. We didn't want to pay for haircuts anymore and
2. He has hair like me so his head is very warm.

Elsie

Clara, "going to school"

Rain boots are a great invention! It's nice to have them just for

very dewy mornings as well as rainy days. The kids can put them on

by themselves too!

Elsie, Owan, Clara

We met some friends at a little lake beach we hadn't been

to before. It was really nice and the kids had lots of fun!

These two didn't leave each others side the whole time.

Elsie, Clara

For awhile Owan was doing this for every picture.

Owan

Best of friends? I hope so.
Clara, Owan, Elsie

Crazy kids! Even though we go bonkers sometimes,

Ryan and I are so glad God gave our kids such fun personalities!

Just sitting. :)

Annie

This should be the best of friends pic.

Elsie, Clara, Annie, Owan

Can you tell this little couch is new to us? :)

They are on it all the time. We get some wonderful hand-me-down toys

from our great friends/relatives up the street.

Elsie is playing with dust in the air. :)

Owan, Clara, Elsie

This one of Annie reminds me of Owan because he used

to do this with his pacifer too.

Reading time before bed...wasn't very quiet this night. :)

Elsie, Clara

If you every wanted to see what fifteen pounds of mashed potatoes

looks like here it is! There was a youth event at church a couple

weekends ago and Shepherds Pie was on the menu so lots of potatoes

were needed...I also spent about four hours helping fry up ground beef.

The pie was very yummy!!!

You can't see it here but it was raining and E and C just really wanted to go out.

Unfortunatly, we didn't have time to use the rainboots

because we were going to a grad party and I did not want to change any clothing.

Maybe next time. They had fun even though they couldn't go in the puddles.
Clara, Elsie

Clara, Owan, Elsie

Sis-in-law, Kari, graduated from college with

nursing degree! So did other sis-in-law, Stacy, but I don't have a pic of her

because it was in Minnesota.

Big congrats to both!

All of us.

Annie, Ryan, Clara, Owan, Elsie, Kjirsti

All Annie

2009-05-06T19:52:00.006-05:00

Easter egg hunt and mud and singing

2009-04-27T06:57:00.003-05:00

Preview: A trip to Phoenix

2009-03-27T08:51:00.003-05:00

Ronda and Annie

Annie, Ronda, and Brian

Both above and below are of Annie at a Mariners spring training game.

Annie

Happy Birthday Kari!

2009-03-20T19:56:00.002-05:00

Clara and Elsie's Birthday Party

2009-03-16T06:32:00.004-05:00

Elsie's big smile can light up a room!

Clara reminds me of me so often! My family will attest to the frowning being all me!

Lawn Chairs for summer!

Ice Cream Cake!!

Odds and ends

2009-03-15T14:35:00.003-05:00

Owan or Annie, Annie or Owan?

2009-03-05T07:35:00.002-06:00

Obviously if you look at the context of the picture it this is Owan but WOW what a resemblance! Annie does that same lip thing and they both have those wonderful "Quam" (according to Steve S.) ears. :)

No words needed, these say it all... :)

2009-03-04T07:22:00.007-06:00

Annie is 4 months today!

2009-02-26T07:27:00.004-06:00

It goes so fast!!

Do we have a swimmer?

B-day Video

2009-02-02T12:26:00.002-06:00

Paaarrrrty!!

2009-01-31T20:56:00.004-06:00

The cake.

Friends and family. The start of gift opening.

First baseball and bat! E and C were eager to help. :)

Friend Timothy watching his gift be opened.

A train set!

Friend Kaleb. More books!!

This gift was more for Ryan and I. Potty training supplies!

The O-man's buddies.

(Tim is not really sleeping but I'm sure they will all sleep great tonight)

Annie and her buddies Samuel and Steve.

A great day.

Happy Birthday!!! ...haircuts ...and mischief

2009-01-28T06:36:00.006-06:00

Clara

Elsie

Elsie very unsure

Elsie all done

Clara actually smiled

Handing out raisins

Clara and Mommy

Here is the mischief...wall anchors and screws in the printer.

First picture at home of new haircuts, their hair looks much thicker now. :)

We kept Clara's a bit longer, Elsie is in front here.

Sorry about the food in the mouth. :( I wasn't thinking.

Washington & more

2009-01-22T08:22:00.004-06:00

Growing so fast

2009-01-19T09:47:00.003-06:00

A video

2008-12-17T09:34:00.002-06:00

My posts are just pics now...

2008-12-14T13:54:00.003-06:00

No time for time words...

2008-12-12T13:18:00.001-06:00

Just pictures

2008-11-17T19:39:00.005-06:00

I'll come back later and add words but I thought I would just get some pics up.

Announcing...

2008-10-28T16:22:00.003-05:00

Annie Gloria Nilsen was born at 9:54 pm Sunday Oct. 26, 2008!!

She weighed in at 7 lbs 10 oz. and is 20 inches long. And she is beautiful!! :)

So many prayers were answered with a yes!

1. It finally happened!

2. It was fast!

3. She is totally healthy!

4. We brought her home with us from the hospital today!

Still pregnant...

2008-10-21T08:42:00.006-05:00

Good for baby... not for me. It is fun to think that we will get to take her home with us. It's hard to even grasp that but exciting!

This next video is actual footage filmed by me. It was one of the strangest things I have ever seen and had to document it so people would believe me.

Both Clara and Elsie's hair is long enough for pony tails! It makes them look so grown up. I can't even imagine how big they will seem when the baby comes.

This is Elsie sleeping with her feet stuck out the side of the crib.

This is Clara sound asleep at nap time with the blanket over her head.

E and C have started playing together and it's so fun to watch! Here they were rolling a ball back and forth and laughing.

We just painted our main floor bathroom finally. Owan got to help and only got a little splotch of pain on his pants. He calls them is work pants now. :) You can see his beautiful work in the background.

A couple videos

2008-09-26T15:02:00.004-05:00

This one shows a little of Clara walking.

They say laughter is the best medicine...I think my kids laughter is definitely a very close second

Just some thoughts...

2008-09-23T08:49:00.003-05:00

Well, I've been feeling really good the last few days. I think our baby girl has dropped and now I can breath better. I also feel like maybe I have hit the nesting phase because I am not nearly as tired even though I don't sleep well at night. I also have been getting things ready for the baby and I feel ready now, which is nice. This time when I go into labor will be so different from the others. All three of my pregnancies have been so different too. The first one was hardly noticeable until all of a sudden at only 35 weeks we had a boy and we lived a block from the hospital so it was a quick trip. The second one I was huge but not uncomfortable, I was actually in the hospital when they were ready to come and it was a C-section and Ryan's Dad was here so we already had care for Owan. This third one, (I shouldn't complain some have it much worse) I have been uncomfortable for most of it (until now at 34 weeks), we are going to a hospital 45 min away, and we have to make sure our 3 kids are taken care of when we go. So different...
Clara is officially a walker! After ever meal she goes straight to the shoe drawers to get her shoes. It's very cute. She brings one over to me and says "help me, help me." Elsie still likes to have a hand to hold but she is getting more brave. Owan was just introduced to play dough and has fallen in love! It is so fun to watch him enjoy new things. Of course he had to taste it once but he is old enough that I don't have to watch him constantly while he plays with it and that is so nice!
Another exciting event happening...Ryan and I are going on a date tonight! :) We haven't been able to do that in awhile so I'm excited. Granted, we are planning on going dress pants shopping for Ryan and then dinner out but hey time alone away from kids is great no matter what we do and we always have a good time. :)
A random thought...I realized the other day that in May it will have been TEN YEARS since I graduated high school! Anyone from my class who reads this, can you believe it?!! It's amazing to look back and see what has happened in those years. Wow!
I guess that is enough rambling for one day. :)

The Woodstock Fair and our new neighbor!

2008-09-08T09:28:00.008-05:00

Woodstock is the town where Ryan's parents have a lake cabin. The town has a fair in Sept. and we decided to go. It was nice that it wasn't sunny but still warm and it didn't rain until just as we were leaving.
Can anyone else relate to the laden down stroller? :)

This was so neat to see! I have always wanted to see one up close. This is made of sand.
Elsie showing off here "one hand held" walking skills. :)
Clara being her regular cheese ball self in front of the camera. :)
Owan enjoying his first ever carnival ride. He had the biggest smile I have ever seen when it started going. :)

Ahh, how cute is this?! Daddy and son, hand in hand.
I was having a bad hair day!
Papa and Clara
Aunt Kari and Elsie
Marcia(Mimi) and I "picking up" the largest pumpkin I have ever seen. Oh and Kari was helping too.

WELCOME!!
This is our newest neighbor and godson Samuel Lindell Swensen and his mom (my cousin) Rochelle. Doesn't she look great, this was the morning after!

This is dad, Steve.

Older brother, Christian.

Oldest brother, Caleb, showing off his lost tooth.

Isn't he soooo cute!! Makes me even more excited for our little one!

It's a little hard to hold a baby with a pregnant belly, it was easier standing than sitting.

Not sure if you can tell, but Samuel has his hand up like Ryan's.

This is where our baby will be born, Lord willing. It is about 45 minutes from us, but it's the closest hospital with a NICU (and I'm not taking any chances) and it was recommended by others. We actually got a tour about an hour after this visit and it seems like a very nice facility.

Last but not least, our latest family photo! :) All the kids sat through probably 7 or eight pics to get a good one but no one complained at all!! It was done by the timer and they probably thought it was funny watching me get up and down and run back and forth. We even got one with Owan picking his nose but I thought I would post the best one for you. :)

Answering a question...

2008-08-20T09:25:00.002-05:00

I'm due first week of November. I am hoping to go before forty weeks but I am really hoping and praying we don't have to do any time in the NICU again. It would be nice to experience one "normal" delivery and hospital stay. Or to get to hold her right away...I can't even imagine how wonderful that would be. :) We're praying!

Found a video of popsicles...

2008-08-14T09:11:00.003-05:00

Popsicles!!!

2008-08-14T08:53:00.002-05:00

There were some great funny faces but we managed to miss them all.

Owan took a big bite and a couple seconds later spit it out and was in a panic because of a brain freeze. Even though we felt bad for him it was also very amusing. :) Now he is very cautious of biting popsicles.

Clara

You can see a little of the pregnant belly. This new little girl moves all the time and most of the time it feels like somersaults!!!

Elsie

I'm so thankfully there are so many sugar free food products now! I like giving the kids treats but it's nice not to have all the sugar in them and us for that matter. :)

Big news!

2008-07-31T13:56:00.004-05:00

We went to a little beach with the mothers group from church.
He really was having fun.

Clara can walk!!! I have been trying for the last three days to get the video to upload but for some reason it isn't working. I will keep trying though. The first time she did it she was really excited and walked all over but the last couple of days she hasn't wanted to do as much. It gives me hope though that I won't be carrying them around for the rest of their lives!

Washington

2008-07-23T08:58:00.002-05:00

Once again I haven't posted forever but it's partly because I don't have all the pics from our vacation. Here is a little glimpse into my life. This is where I grew up. They are not the best pictures but it's all I have right now.

Not only did I grow up here but so did my mom! The picture makes it look really small but it is actually quite large...4 large bedrooms, two bathrooms, huge kitchen, big living room, large family room...ect...it's big. I really realized this when we were looking for our own house to buy.

This is from the top of the driveway. The house is to the right of the barn behind the trees.

We went to this little country church until my sisters and I were the only ones left in Sunday school and my mom was teaching on of our classes.

This is our pasture land across the road from the farmyard but it is rented out so those are not our horses.

This is looking out across the flat by our house. The house would be to the left of that little building.

So...this is where we stayed for three weeks in June!

It's a...

2008-05-31T09:55:00.003-05:00

Girl!!! Poor Owan...so out-numbered! I'm sure he'll survive though. :)

E, O, C

This hardly looks like Owan! He is showing of his muscles which requires a grimace on his face.
Clara playing with something she shouldn't be and having a ball!!

We finally got them all in the same seat! Much easier for loading and unloading.
Family pic at the East Hartland, CT Memorial Day parade/program in the cemetary.

We are leaving for Washington this Wed. for three weeks!! I'm so excited for a lot of my extended family to meet C and E and for Owan because I know he will have so much fun with his boy cousins! We are flying into Seattle and spending a few days there with relatives and then we will go to my parents house. I'm getting so excited!!! Can you tell? :)

Today is our anniversary!! Five years. It's weird how in the same thought I can think it's only been five years and it's already been five years. Either way they have been wonderful years full of excitement and new experiences. :)

Pics and videos

2008-05-12T08:30:00.003-05:00

The answer is...

2008-04-29T13:23:00.005-05:00

Elsie is on the left and Clara is on the right! :)

Thanks for all the nice comments about our new little one!! For all of you who think we are absolutely crazy...well..you are probably right. We are really excited though and see God blessing us with exactly what we wanted. We always said we wanted 4-5 kids very close in age. I could go into reasons for this desire but I'm not going to and some of you have heard them anyway. One thing is, whether this is the last one or not we won't be dragging diapers on for years and years and I'm really excited about that!! :)

Here are some pics of when Aunt Ronda (my younger sister) came to visit us! Aunt Stacy (Ryan's first younger sister) came too and their time overlapped some.

Stacy, Ronda, Rochelle (my cousin) and I went to a museum in New York city. It's the one from the movie Night at the Museum but it looks different. The animal are very real looking! it was raining almost all day but we were overwhelmed enough by the museum that we decided to take a walk in Central Park which is right across the street. It was very muddy.

We (Stacy, Ronda, Kari, Owan, Clara, and Elsie) all hiked up to a tower a few miles from where we live. It was windy and a hard hike for a stroller but good memories.

Easter Sunday

Well, I'm almost caught up...

Auntie Dana came!

2008-04-17T18:51:00.002-05:00

Auntie Dana (my older sister) came over president's weekend. We didn't get many pictures but here are a couple. We went to New York and took Owan with us. It would have been fine to have him along if it hadn't been so cold. At least it was sunny! Thanks for coming Dana!! We miss you and love you!

Jumping back in...

2008-04-16T21:34:00.007-05:00

I have had high hopes of "catching up" on this blogging. Long story short...I give up. I'm just going to jump in and maybe I will be able to add some older pics later. Enjoy!

E and C's b-day party

Owan did all the unwrapping for his sisters

Owan, Clara and Elsie got a piano as a combined gift from Papa and Mimi. The boys really enjoyed it. There is one downfall to this piano...when it is turned on the volume is on 7 (=very loud), fortunatley Owan quickly learned to turn it down when I ask. Whew!

Elsie and Clara both stared at their cake and then grabbed them and started sucking! It was hilarious!

This is the "after the cake/time for a bath" picture. I don't know if you can really read their shirts but they say "I'm a big sis" (in November). :)

Mom, this pic is just for you!! I'll take guesses from anyone who can tell me who is who (Stacy, Dana, Ronda any guesses??)

After...

2008-03-12T17:17:00.004-05:00

Well...here it is...I hope you can tell what you are looking at.
Please excuse the mess. We were watching the video after it was on here and realized we could have cleaned up a bit. I also want you all to know that my wonderfully talented husband installed the wood floor!! He also learned so many new skills in order to be able to fix things in our house. He took time to learn from reading and from other people. He is now very capable in plumbing and electrical work!!

Enjoy!

Before...

2008-03-05T09:01:00.006-06:00

This is standing at the front door.

Looking to the left.
The front door
The kitchen, standing in the dining room
The dining room from the kitchen
Basement door in the dinging room, bedroom on left

Main floor bathroom across from bedroom

Notice the "beautiful" pink accent. You'll see it later too.

From inside main floor bedroom... yes, that is linoleum squares...in a bedroom...hmmm

Looking in from the door

All the carpet looked like this...YUCK! No the stair were never finished, that is plywood. Owan my little "Vanna White"

Upstairs landing from the stairs, Master is to the right kids room to the left

Upstairs bath...notice the purple...:)

Master bedroom from inside looking at the closet

Master door...hmmm...

Owan's room

View out Owan's window, the backyard, yes we have a pool, but we have no idea what condition it is in or even the first thing about pools

Elsie and Clara's room...there were mirrors on three walls, they were glued on...not fun to get off.

Clara and Elsie's nice walk-in closet...more mirrors

The garage is a two car but we only have about 2 maybe 3 inches clearance on either side of the vehicles when parking...we have already lost one side mirror but now we are getting good at parking...:) Oh, this is all the wood for our floor.

I'm going to try to get a video of the whole house for the After blog. That way I can explain better what we did. It's seems like it's not even the same house...you'll see. It may be Friday before I can get it done though, so I know you will be waiting on pins and needles!! :)

Yes, we are still alive!

2008-02-28T14:34:00.003-06:00

We have been living in our house for a couple weeks now. We had one week between houses when we stayed at Ryan's parents' house. Then after getting things straightened up enough for the kids to be here we were finally in our own house! Now we are settled but we still have a lot of little things to do on the house: painting some trim, decorating, a bathroom floor, and so on... From what everyone else seems to say those are all things that will take ten years to get done...I guess in ten years I'll let you know if we're still working or if there are new projects. I will get pics on but not today because Elsie decided to wake up early from her nap and is getting antsy on my lap. Has anyone else perfected one handed typing?? :)

We're Moving!!!

2008-01-26T09:36:00.000-06:00

Please pray for us!! Today we are moving out of the house we have been living in. We will be trying to move in to our house too, but I'm not sure if we will stay there tonight or not. It still has some lingering fumes from the floor and paint. Hopefully the next post will be from our new house!!! :) :) :)

Hello!

2008-01-21T13:25:00.000-06:00

The first pic is Elsie. She tries to get up on anything that will hold her. The next one is Clara. Still trying to get the crawling down. She tries to bear crawl, on her toes instead of on her knees, which is quite difficult compared to regular crawling, I think. The video is O tickling E and C. Clara is really enjoying it. :)

.....

2008-01-16T08:47:00.000-06:00

Here is a message from Owan: bdjdfdsbABHDJDND C N B BB b b

I can't believe I have actually kept up with this for several days in a row now!! Enjoy it while you can because I will probably stop for awhile when we move into our house. :)

Taking some friends for a ride. :)

Elsie

Clara and that face again!

Aunt Kari and Aunt Stacy making an Owan sandwich.

These are the days of our lives

2008-01-14T08:18:00.000-06:00

Last week we had a rainy yucky day. It was just one of those days where I wanted to get out of the house and do something. I called a friend (yes, I have friends I can hang out with!), we packed up and went for a walk at the mall. Owan really enjoyed playing on these vehicles.

Elsie and Clara always manage to scoot themselves under the couch. :)

This is Clara. She likes to make this face and breath really hard. She especially does it when she stands up.

Last Thursday I babysat for my cousin, Rochelle. She has two boys. We had fun building this pyramid and knocking it down. They also took turns riding Owan's bike around the house. They are so well behaved, it was fun to have them!

Here are a couple more random videos. Both C and E like to stay in front of the camera. :)

Owan was just sitting at his table leaning on his hands talking to his trains. It wasn't even "table time." I thought it was cute.

I'm running out of titles

2008-01-12T18:41:00.000-06:00

Here are some more pictures from Christmas.

Papa with Elsie and Clara.
Jason (Ryan's good friend from younger years) comes for Christmas Eve usually.

The kids really weren't scared of him just tired.
See?
Clara and Mimi
Aunt Stacy, Elsie and Mommy checking out this cool gift.

Clara is happier getting her diaper changed.

Elsie hanging out in Owan's new chair.

Owan checking out his new Curious George slippers.

Ryan and I

I think it was the next day it snowed. It was beautiful.

The second day in a row can I keep this up?!!

2008-01-10T12:51:00.000-06:00

We are still working on our house. We hope to move in within the next couple of weeks. We had a fun Christmas. Here are a few pics.

Our first meal in our house sitting in the dining room. :)

Ahhh, kisses.
Can you believe it! We got one with all three together facing the same direction!

Owan was a sheep in the Christmas program. They were only up there for one song which makes sense for their age group but they were so cute and did so well I wish it could have been for longer.

This is what Elsie (w/ Papa) and Clara (w/ Mimi) did for the Christmas program. :)

Owan really enjoyed opening gifts this year. We didn't celebrate until the Friday after Christmas but we let Owan open his gifts from Grandma Gloria and Grandpa Norm on Christmas Eve.
Thank you Grandma and Grandpa. He really likes both the pick-up and his shirt!

Clara and Elsie have been sitting up for a little while now.

Below is the first really good picture of a truly joyful smile on Owan. As you will see in the video it is thanks to Aunt Kari. Owan really likes the muppets Mahna Mahna(can look up on You tube) song and she was singing it with him in a strange voice.

Yeah!! Aunt Stacy has been able to be home for a couple weeks!

C and E's first bath together. Actually it was the first time I tried it with out the baby tub too. Owan was anxiously waiting his turn.

This is our Christmas Eve. E and C in their new outfits from Auntie Dana! Sooo cute! Thanks!

Clara was playful.

Elsi was busy. :)

Clara and Daddy

No we are not as tall as the tree. It's just a strange angle.

I do have more pics of our celebration but I will leave them for another day.

Happy New Year!!

Finally a post...

2008-01-08T22:52:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

2007-12-04T19:29:00.000-06:00

Hope you enjoyed your day with the boys. I also hope you do something fun for your birthday one of these days. Again I'm sorry for the dark picture I think we will just have to get a spolight. :) Love you!!

Update-3

2007-12-03T13:56:00.000-06:00

A warning to some of you: These may be long and boring. I know our family will like to see them though. I'm sorry they are so dark. We just don't have any other lights to turn on in that room and...I just thought of something I will try for the next video we'll see if it works...oh and that room is where we do all our hanging out. Well, hope you can enjoy them!

Update-2

2007-12-03T13:47:00.000-06:00

Here are pictures of our little super heroes.

Clara - Cat Woman

Elsie - Wonder Woman

Owan - Superman

We did the best with stuff we had! It seemed to work out well. We only went two places, Nilsens and their next door neighbor. We hung out at Nilsens for the night. Owan enjoyed answering the door for tricker treaters, then he went to bed, we turned off the porchlight and ate the rest of the candy. :)

Update-1

2007-12-03T08:45:00.000-06:00

Well, I guess it's been awhile since I have actually written anything about our lives. It seems we are always busy. One big event in our lives is hopefully happening on Friday when we close on our first home! Everything has been going smoothly just slowly. Once the house is ours we plan to put wood floors in the whole house. The carpet is really gross. We like wood floor and Ryan can install it himself so it will be quite affordable for us. (YEAH!) Later I will post before and after pics. Here are some pics. Enjoy!! :)

After Thanksgiving dinner. I would have to look at a close up but I'm pretty sure this is Elsie.
One day Owan wanted to put his rain/barn boots on so...I helped him. Next he wanted his coat on...I helped him. Next he wanted to ride his bike...I helped. I ran quickly to grab my camera and two seconds after I snapped this pic he wanted off the bike and the coat and boots taken off.
This is Clara enjoying a little Daddy time. Update: I was wrong. When I was looking closer I noticed it looked like Elsie so I checked up close and it is Elsie. This means Elsie has a lot of face time on this post and Clara doesn't. Oops.

Owan being Owan.

Elsie-left Clara-right

Any pic with a tongue hanging out or just about anyone with eyes shut is Clara.

Clara

Elsie

Owan needing a haircut but I really don't want to try it myself and I really don't want to pay for it either. What a dilemma...shaggy hair is sort of in style right?

Elsie

Owan's first Christamas tree hunt!

Here he is helping Aunt Kari put the claim tag on the top. He really enjoyed watching the tree get shaken on the shaker (which I also thought was very neat because I hadn't ever seen one).

Elsie is on the left and Clara is on the right. They were waiting for their other pajamas to dry and watching us put up Nilsen's tree.

2007-11-13T14:50:00.000-06:00

Hope you enjoy!! :)

E and C

2007-11-03T10:21:00.000-05:00

Just a note: Elsie is on the left and Clara is on the right.

For those of you who know Ronda...I think I sound exactly like her in this.

As you can see they are so slobbery...they had their shirts changed right after this. Oh, and yes I know they are probably teething but they have been like this for over a month and Owan was the same way and didn't get teeth until he was eight months and technically C and E are only about five months old. (sorry for the rant but everyone says: Oh, they must be getting teeth and they aren't... so I'm a little tired of hearing it)

Supper time with three little ones

2007-11-03T09:59:00.001-05:00

Just some pics...

2007-10-24T20:09:00.000-05:00

It worked!

2007-10-24T05:38:00.001-05:00

I'm so excited!! I just learned our digital camera can take video. AND... now that I put it on here I realized it DOES have sound! Now, hopefully, this will make my far separated family feel just a little closer to us. YEAH!!
We have a digital video camera, but can't figure out how to transfer the video to the computer yet. Also we don't have a lot of time to try to figure it out. Any tips? :)

Clara smile

2007-10-22T20:13:00.000-05:00

New England Fall

2007-10-22T20:01:00.001-05:00

All I have to say is: This world is amazing! I didn't know trees could be these colors!! Imagine whole trees the colors of those leaves I am holding! God is so creative and awesome!

The Big E

2007-10-02T08:21:00.000-05:00

Here is the first pic of our fair experience. This is Bessie the Bloomin' Bovine. Bessie was not looking her best, a little scraggly on her back side.

This fair taught me a few things about New England. One is that both Legos and Pez candy come from Connecticut.

The lego batman. And...my super-hero.

Kari? Where are you? Kari?

PEZ!!!!

This guy was cool. He made little pots really fast. We watched him for just a couple minutes and I think he formed about four or five pieces. I think this was New Hampshire.

The Big E is a fair for all of New England and each state has a building. These are the buildings and they are very neat looking. Now...a little quiz for those of you have never lived or had family in the Northeast: Name the states that make up New England. I will give the answer at the end of this post. (Hint: there are 6)
Another interesting thing I learned about New England is that almost every state has maple syrup, apples, and ...one other thing that I can't remember right now...maybe it was chocolate.

This is a man who moved just like a robot. He was really good and fun to watch. Kari said she remembered him from when she was little. I think it is amazing that he is still doing this.

This is a guy that Ryan remembered from childhood. He likes this guy because he is funny and shows how to make things from way-back-when.

This is a mini Mardi Gras (I have no idea how to spell that) parade. Kari and Stacy had fun trying to catch beads. Kari you can see is in the back and Stacy is up in front of the guy with the blue hat.

Ironically being in the back turned out to be the place to get the necklaces.

There were live sharks! I've never seen a live one and I am very fascinated by them. I'm the person who always wants to watch the shark documentaries or Shark Week on TV. Oh, I just noticed you can see the state buildings in the reflection and they look really pretty.

There was a nurse shark which I thought would be fun to take a pic in front of. Even though none of us are actually nurses yet we will be someday.

Ever since I met Ryan I have heard about The Big E. The single most talked about part of this fair were the Maine baked potatoes. Turns out they are as wonderfully good and filling as the Nilsens have all raved!
As we were walking out of the building with our potatoes I heard a girl comment: "Good thing Idaho isn't here." (I thought it was funny, just because I'm from the Northwest.)

Ok this is one of the things that was on my "to do in my lifetime" list. I rode an elephant!!Instead of crossing it off my list though I'm going to change it to: Ride an elephant in India in the jungle. Way more exciting - don't you think?

Stacy rode with me and as we stood in line waiting we discussed how it was sad to see such a magnificent animal confined to such a small space. Then we decided it was probably better for him there than hauling some big huge heavy rock up a mountain or something......now...typing this...I'm not sure that really makes sense...hmmm.

This was pretty much the end our day. After getting the necessary mini donuts we left for home. I'm glad I was able to finally experience The Big E!

ANSWER: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut

What's new...

2007-09-19T13:35:00.000-05:00

This is our first house guest. She came all the way from East Hartland, CT. (1/2 hour away) She stayed only one night. :)

These next two are Owan's first swim in the lake at the Nilsen's cabin. He really did not like the life jacket. He really did like swimming in the lake without the jacket.

The best of friends?...hopefully. If you can see the shirt Elsie is wearing, there is a black dog on it. (they each got one) I guess it is a really nice brand from Cape Cod?

"Bring it."

This is the name of the beach we went to last weekend. We had so much fun! It was our first exploring Conn. trip. :)
First we found a nature center where there was a snake presentation in progress. It was pretty interesting and we learned poisoness snakes are not very common in CT.
If any of you know Ryan well, this next pic is going to be a shocker. The man HATES snakes. Owan didn't care much.
After the snakes we took a walk along a path. We could see Long Island, NY.

Ahh, isn't this cute?
And this.

Next we went to a different part of the beach where Owan played in sand for the first time! A lot of firsts for Owan lately. He liked it but was a little nervous about the waves coming at his feet.

Ryan and Elsie.

Kjirsti and Clara.
This is the bench where E and C ate their first meal on the beach. :)
This is the result of a long fun day!!

Hello Connecticut

2007-09-06T08:53:00.000-05:00

We had to get one "arriving in CT" pic before we piled into the car to get to G'ma Marcia's to eat and sleep.
E and C on our borrowed couch in our borrowed house. We have a sheet draped over it for protection from spit up. It's a nice couch.
Kjirsti and Owan hanging out on the couch. (Notice he has a barrier under him too) Owan likes drinking from straws so he had his milk in an old Dunkin' Donuts cup. Which is a whole other story for another time. :)

We are here! Finally we are feeling a little more settled in. Ryan's mom and aunt and the kids and I flew last Thurs. which was...um...interesting. That is all I'm going to say about that. Ryan and Bill drove in on Friday evening. Also we found out on Thurs that our moving truck had broken down. This was a little disconcerting but they said instead of Friday they would be here Monday. I think this was an act of God because I was not up to the task of dealing with a storage unit and movers on Friday. Whew!!! Sat. Ryan and I were able to get lots of personal business taken care of so we were ready for Monday. Sunday was quiet because of labor day and Monday we were able to move in to the house we are staying in for a few months...but still no truck. Once again...an act of God...funny how he knows what is best for us. :) Both Ryan and I agreed after getting situated in this house we did not want to deal with movers and sorting our storage "stuff." So...Tuesday the truck came!! As far as we can tell everything is there and only one thing was broken which we didn't care too much about. Yea!!

Big huge thanks to Marcia and Aunt Lois for spur-of-the-moment babysitting so we could get things moved to the house from storage. Thanks also to Bill for making trips with his pick-up and Kari for feeding babies.

As of today we are finally all feeling at least 90% healthy. Last night Clara had a fever and the night before Elsie did and I think we are finally done with this bug.

Just a couple pics for you: at the top where I didn't feel like moving them from.

The Day has come

2007-08-29T10:43:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow we leave West Union, Iowa. We're goiong at 4 am. Hopefully everything will go as planned. PLEASE pray for us. Ryan and Bill are each driving a car to Conn. Owan and I are both sick and I think Clara and Elsie are a little too. Owan knows something is happening around here. AND we have to fly on a plane tomorrow!! YIKES. We definatley could use prayer. Well, I will write again when we are in Connecticut. God is our strength!!! (and the only resevoir we have left) :)

Life=packing

2007-08-13T09:23:00.000-05:00

My packing list is quickly dwindling. It's nice to be able to cross things off. Our guest room is full of boxes now. It's amazing to realize how few possessions we need to live our lives. It's almost embarrassing to have all this "stuff."

This seems to be life right now. So I guess that's it. :)

Here are some pics.

Owan and I went to the fair. He was watching the sheep.

Mommy and the kids.

Clara thoroughly enjoying herself.

Elsie putting in a little tummy time.

Owan enjoying corn for the first time!

Packing

2007-07-26T09:32:00.000-05:00

Seems like everyone wants to know how the packing is going so I will tell you...slow. We started almost right away packing items we would not need for the rest of our time in West Union. Bread machine, books, wall decorations...that sort of thing. It's hard to get much done having to feed babies and play with a toddler. However... last week one of the "grandparent" couples from church offered to take all the kids for a day and night and next day. All I could say was: Are you sure? Are you sure? Well Tuesday and Wednesday were the days. We ended up not taking the kids down there until 4pm due to a check up(Clara is 13 lbs and Elsie is 12 & 4 oz). Kent and Marilyn Peterson had two of there grankids there helping, especially for entertaining Owan. Kally is about 8, I think, and Marilyn said she was very motherly and couldn't stand to have any of the kids upset. I guess waiting for Owan to cry a little before he went to sleep was almost torture for her. So a big huge thank you to Kent, Marilyn, Tyler and Kally.
It was so strange to wake up and not have any babies to feed or change. All day both Ryan and I kept thinking we had to get Owan or check on Elsie or feed Clara and then we realized we didn't have to-it was strange. We finished packing all the books and I was able to organize, pack, and label all the baby clothes!! We also got our whole storage room cleaned up, packed and organized so now we can actually use it to store boxes.
So that is how the packing is going.

This is Marilyn with Clara and Elsie at a get-together a week ago.

This is Owan riding a pony. He doen't look like it here but he really had fun!

Help please.

2007-07-23T10:22:00.000-05:00

Can anyone tell me how to make posting pictures and words easier? I feel like I am always manipulating the words and pics with spacing and returning to get them to the place I want them. I get so frustrated sometimes. Any tips?