"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..."

I had all but published this post when we had a few expected and unexpected surprises occur.

First, we are so happy to announce that we are proud uncle, aunt and cousin to new baby Elizabeth! Bjorn's sister had a beautiful baby girl and we couldn't be happier for mama Kaarin and dada Patrick. She is absolutely precious and we can't wait to meet her!

The 2nd unexpected happening occurred when Miss Lily had a seizure on Sunday afternoon. After several hours in the ER they believed it was a febrile seizure due to the fact that she had a high and quick rising temperature. They sent us home, but when Lily had 2 more seizures the next morning they had us back to the hospital where we spent the night. After a very normal MRI we were sent home. We'll have an EEG this week that we pray is normal. Hopefully all this seizure business is done with and we can be, in the words of Sir Paul, simply having a wonderful Christmas time!

Nick Jr. TV might be the greatest gift children's hospital has ever received.

Our room had quite the view!

Enjoying some food after a long day.

Deck the halls- our house is ready for Christmas! We've got our swag from the Boy Scout next door, a wreath from our amazing realtor Marilyn Johnson, and 3 new little trees from Menards.

Lily has accepted that trees are for admiring, not pulling down. She always says "it's beautiful!"

I was quite excited to find this gem at Target last month. I love the idea of a nativity scene especially for Lily, that she can rearrange and play with. One of my favorite things to do was(is) arrange the figurines just so. I always made sure that everyone was looking at baby Jesus. Someone would move it around and I would have to fix it back to my certain configuration. Early signs of my OCD? : )

As you can see, all eyes on the Baby.

With the incredible gift of school cancellation last Wednesday, we spent the day hanging out at home with Sam & Mara. There was some cookie decorating, play dough playing and Little People town making. What a fabulous way to spend a "free" day together!

Lily was more interested in eating the frosting vs. frosting the cookies.

I did give her a spoon to frost hers, that might have conveyed the wrong message.

Sam was a professional!

Lily's learning...

Mara's candy cane looked exquisite.

Always up for holiday fun, we met up with Annie & Grace to catch Santa Clause at Gerten's garden center. I wish I would have taken a few pictures of the displays they had- amazing plants and Christmas cheer. Lily loved the opportunity to sit in the cart with the girls.

Seeing the man in red made her a bit edgy, but she allowed me to get close enough to capture a picture with her and Santa. He was so friendly, and she now thinks that he is a giver of candy, that we might attempt one more picture with the jolly fellow at the mall.

Candy canes sure are tempting!

After the Santa visit, we scooted around through the displays for as long as 3 little ladies would allow. They enjoyed the trees, lights and even a deer. I would love to meet the person that has this stuffed animal as part of their holiday display.

What you can't see is that this guy is actually a 10 point buck.

Tis' the season!

"Second verse, same as the first."

You'll notice that this post-Thanksgiving post has no Thanksgiving pics. This is due to the fact that our little pumpkin pie had a wicked case of croup and looked a sweet shade of pale with dark purple bags under her eyes. We enjoyed a nice low-key time at Papa & Grandma's house though. We also were glad to be home with Lily while she was sick. The old wives tail is totally true- at night I bundled her up in blankets and we sat on the front step looking at the moon and listening to the stillness of 1 in the morning. Her breathing would change from labored gasping to silent sighing within minutes.
Here we are on a visit to the zoo: They've started letting people back up top to see the dolphins, even though they still aren't doing shows. We were able to watch them jump in the back tank, looked like they were getting restless. Bjorn got reprimanded for putting his hand in the tank. I'm glad Lily isn't the only one who can get into trouble.



Lily really enjoys pushing the stroller around, now that she is a "big girl". It reminded me of a trip we took to the zoo just before her 1st birthday when she was just learning to walk, and was also feeling like a big girl!

What a difference a year and a half makes!

For the first time ever, she was really interested in the splash pool, with the starfish & other critters floating around. Or maybe it was just about splashing and getting wet. : )

Bjorn and I have realized that we are that family that likes to get treats when we are out, and I don't think Lily is ashamed of that one bit!

Lily took a spin at the Mall Carousel with Auntie Erin, who realized that thing spins a lot faster than it looks.

November has been a crazy month- we were able to visit the park right up till the end.

Can't wait to see oh what fun December brings!

"When there's a smile in your heart... you can fly, you can fly, you can fly!"

Fall pumpkin addition: Halloween is a great culminating event to wrap up fall and send us straight into the holiday season. If they would play Christmas music November 1st, I'm not ashamed to say I would be listening.
We've been buying our pumpkins the last few years at Pahl's market. They have the best BIG pumpkins and a pretty sweet lay-out that makes for a fun romp. Lily had a lot of fun this year exclaiming "That's a big pumpkin!!" at several of the freakishly large gourds.

Always running EVERYWHERE!
"Mama- I want this one!"

(the biggest one we ended up with was 27 pounds!)

Tricks and Treats: This year we visited the Zoo Boo for the 1st time and loved it! Lily is such a fan of the carousel and dressed in her fairy costume with crown and wand in hand made it all the better. The people dressed as animals were a bit frightening- instead of saying "trick or treat" or thank you, she would exclaim "Good bye!" as each dressed up volunteer gave her a treat. The costumes and scenes were really creative though, and they gave a variety of snacks and treats, rather than just candy. PLUS the event is a fundraiser for the zoo- Yeah!

The horsies at night were a lot of fun!

Ain't that the truth? : )

The main event: This year Lily's official costume was the one and only Tinkerbell! She 's been talking about being her ever since Gia and Elliot bought her the costume. We found the wand at a little boutique on Grand- when Lily saw it she gasped "Mama- it's Pixie Hallow!" (Tinkerbell's home, for those yet to experience the movie). We made it a family affair, with Bjorn dressed as Peter Pan and me as Wendy.

Suckers were Lily's #1 choice treat

"Pixie Hallow!!"

I spared Bjorn the joy of tights, this year anyway...

Lily's pumpkin, carved completely free-hand without a stencil.

I'm positive I've never been so proud of a creative endeavor.
Seriously, ever.

I wanted to coat it in plastic and save it forever.

Happy Halloween 2009!

"And a time for every purpose under heaven..."

As I mentioned, fall is in full swing. As only a true Minnesotan can, I have a special place in my heart for every season. Autumn is a wondrous time with its changing colors, crisp weather and fun filled events. It seems there is something fun each weekend, weather permitting, and I like to take advantage of it ALL...

Football:
Bjorn and Hector were able to take in a game at the U of M's brand new TCF stadium. They witnessed the Gopher's 1st loss and and took this super cute picture:

(sorry ladies, they're both taken)

Back stoop chillin':
Minnesota is the definition of a moody lady. One day it's 47 degrees, the next it's 75. Hot, cold, the weather changes day to day. So I wasn't surprised, after a week of cool days, to find Lily and Papa enjoying an ice cream cone.

Yum!

Fun family news:

A season can't go by without something exciting happening for someone. This fall that news was that Auntie Gia got engaged! She's thrilled, he's fabulous and we all couldn't be happier. Look for a fall 2010 nuptial and a really cute flower girl!

The happy couple!

The proud sisters!

Scarecrows:

You can't have a true fall without a few friends made with straw. We love the free scarecrow stuffing at Bachman's, and this year my mom honored the newly engaged couple with a bride and groom. She did a fabulous job, and now papa has a few friends to hang out with on the nights mom works!

Scarecrow and the Mrs. (King?)

Apple orchards & pumpkin patches:

(and usually a petting zoo or 2)

Our neck of the woods is filled with places to pick your own apples, pumpkins, gourds, etc. Many of the places have figured out that activities for the kiddies draw in the mama's and the dada's with their wallets. Petting zoos, wagon rides, mazes, forts and slides, not to mention delectable treats keep us coming and wanting more. We had a wonderful time out at Minnesota Harvest and Emma Krumbee's and hope to hit up at least one more spot before the season is over. The word is that with this crazy weather, the orchards plan to stay open a bit longer than usual.

Getting to know Mr. goat.

King & princess of the hay mountain!


Riding the wagon with auntie Beth

Riding the train by HERSELF!

Such a big girl!

Back in the saddle with dada

Hiding out in the playhouse with mama

Emma Krumbee's was really so fabulous- well worth the drive and $3 to get in and do all the "stuff". They also have a scarecrow contest each year and all of the fun entries are displayed throughout. Grandma should have entered the bride and groom!

Pennant races and post-season baseball:

The Twins made a THRILLING win in a tie-braking, winner-takes-all game at the dome. It was the most exciting, exhausting, emotionally draining game I have ever witnessed live. We were able to experience the final win at the Metrodome as the Twinkies head west to their new outdoor home next season. What a night!

Twins win the pennant!

We were feeling good!

What a night!

Leaves:

Leaves, leaves, the magical treat- the more you rake, the more at your feet! This season mother nature got duped. It got so cold, so fast, that several of the trees dropped their leaves while they were still green and many trees still stand filled and confused. The fall colors are such a pretty sight though, and even brown and crunchy leaves on the ground are fun to play in. Lily has really enjoyed raking and running around in them, so we decided to leave some around. By choice.

Throwin' em around

Mama & Lily

"I'm mowing the lawn!"

So sweet- our love!

Happy Fall to all!

"Goodbye, sunshine..."

Summer has boarded up the windows, taken down its umbrellas and packed up its warm rays for the season. It's been seen headed south, way south, to the other hemisphere. Autumn is in full swing- setting up shop like only a Minnesota fall can; snow so fast the leaves didn't even have a chance to turn color before dropping to the yard. I'm back at school (note lack of weekly update), our computer wouldn't upload our camera's photos (another reason for no posts), yet we've had the opportunity to enjoy some good times and great oldies together!

Pool chill at Papa & Grama's!

Labor day weekend we hit up the Lundberg cabin for a gals weekend (+Larry & Coen) of boating, swimming and fun. Lily got to hang out with her pals Coen, Siri and Ava as well as her auntie Erin, Mara, Nicky, Mariah, Larry and Carol. Lily took her very first jet-ski ride! It was a fabulous way to end the summer.

Driving the boat

Being safe and snug with Coen.

1st jet-ski ride!

Right before school started we made our homage to the Great Minnesota Get-together. We figured out that the 1st day is the cleanest, happiest, not busiest, most awesome day to go a few years back, so that's the day we try to go. It just so happened that it was a gorgeous day in the midst of rain, so several other million people also decided to attend. We still had a great time though- rode rides, saw animals, checked out exhibits and ate well. New food was the "fry dog" (hot dog, wrapped in fries, on a stick) and the big hit of the day was the deep fried pickles. A great time had by all!

Riding the giant slide with Auntie Beth!

The horsies- a new favorite!

Floatin' around on the boats.

Down on the farm!

Lily & Sammy!