March 2011

Mmmm, do you think I should change the name of our blog to something about Esther? I won't do that, she helps us serve the Lord too (in fact, she's head of our children's deparment :) ) but I'm noticing that she is sort of dominating the blog...This is her in a snow suit - we've been taking her out to get the mail with us once and a while.

She's outgrowing clothes by the week, and she recently discovered how to roll over and is making full use of her new mobility.

Esther's swing from Grandma S. - She likes it for a while, but then she gets tired of being all strapped in!

I sat next to her in the van for a while because she doesn't really like being strapped in the car seat either! Managed to catch a smile :)

We've been talking about going down to visit Aaron's brother and sister-in-law in Missouri for a while, and had a free week so we left after church on Sunday and made it back Saturday afternoon. We also spent a couple nights with my cousins in South Dakota and it was fun to catch up with them too - unfortunetly, I forgot to take pictures while we were there...

Josh and Danialah took us to a BBQ restraunt in Kansas City - it was a cultural experience :)

Esther all dressed up :)

It was like 70 degrees one of the days we were there! Aaron and his brother spent time cutting wood and working in the garden and working on a car - guy things - and us girls just kind of hung out.

Also, when we were in the city, we walked around down town (there were a couple men giving carriage rides...) and went in a giant bookstore.

Four Months Old

Hello! I hope you all are doing well - we both had bad colds earlier this week, but, thankfully, are feeling much better!

The other day we went to a natural mill that's located near here - we'd never been there before and found it pretty exciting :) They had all kinds of different grains and flours and a few other things - in small bags or big bags. So, it's a great place to go if you want to eat healthier or have a large family! We bought a few things we needed, and a few things to try just for fun.
I took a few pictures of Esther a couple Sundays ago and this was my favorite one - she's four months old now. Recently she's started reaching and playing with her toes...but she still would rather eat at night than during the day - life is just so exciting!
She can almost sit up without help...
and we're still not sure if her eyes are going to stay blue or turn brown.
Aaron and Esther :) Have a great week!

February Travels

Hello! No exciting pictures this time :) We've had kind of a crazy couple weeks and are glad to be home today - finally! First, we went to a Pastor and Wives retreat in Green Lake,WI - about a ten hour drive. The ship above is in Duluth - I don't think I'd like to live in that city, but I really enjoy driving through and seeing the lake and ships...

The retreat was a little harder with a baby! I'm going to have to get used to this getting up and walking out thing :) She did pretty well on the drive though except for the last three hours of the way home - enough is enough!

Overall, we had fun!

Then, after getting home Saturday night, and having a busy Sunday, Aaron took off Monday afternoon for TN - and he got home Thursday night - and it's a 20 hour drive both ways! His brother bought an outdoor boiler from a company here in Warroad, so Aaron deliverd that and picked up some things his parents had given us. Then on Saturday we went to Grand Rapids, and Monday we went to Grand Forks, with Sunday in between...but the Lord kept us safe and we're not planning any more big trips for at least a little while :)

This is our second Valentine's Day together :) At the last minute, we decided to go to the Valentine's banquet at Mom and Dad's church - very nice.
On Sunday evening, we did a Valentine's banquet at our church - some of the ladies did a great job decorating, we had a potluck style meal, and Aaron did a game and a devotional. We had a couple visitors and everything went well.

Here's a couple more pictures of Esther - she's growing fast and is getting more active and alert all the time!
She's just started sucking on her fingers - but her whole hand or thumb will work as well :)

January 4 - Esther

Hope you all had a wonderful Janurary! Here's Esther wearing her "I Love Daddy" sleeper.
Esther with some more of her grandparents -
Esther and Great Grandpa -
Esther and Great Grandma -

Jaunuary 3 - A Birth and an Anniversary

My sister-in-law had a baby boy - Jeriah Alvin (Alvin is my mom's dad's middle name) - we went over and saw him and he's very cute - and looks very tiny next to Esther :)

On our anniversary we got our wedding cake out of the freezer - it tasted pretty fresh and this time we had time to eat all we wanted :)

I couldn't decide which frost pictures to post...

January 2 - Frost

We got up the other day and there was a beautiful frost out - Aaron took a bunch of pictures, so I'm going to post a bunch - you'll have to use your imagination a little though, because pictures just can't quite capture the beauty of God's winter.
The view from out kitchen window -

January 1 - Sledding and Squash

On Saturday our Sunday school kids (and some adults) went sledding at our local hill - it was pretty cold, but not too bad and a fresh layer of snow made for great sledding! This is the view from the top of the hill -

and this is the view from the bottom of the hill. It's a long walk up!

They got a fire going in the lodge there and we drank hot chocolate and ate cookies.

We recently finished our butternut squash from last summer, and here Aaron's cooking up the acorn squash. We've also been working on the buttercup squash!

I keep trying to get pictures of Esther smiling....

Esther and Esther

Esther and her cousin Esther (3 years old) - I know this doesn't look safe, but I was right there!

Isaac and Esther - he says babies are like calves - his pets!

Miriam and Esther -

"Mommy" and Esther :)

Abby and Esther - I'm trying to get pictures of her with other relatives too...

Esther in TN

Esther and two of her older cousins -
Our family again! We went over to Aaron's grandmother's one night and took some pictures.
Four generations - Aaron, his grandma, Esther, and Aaron's mom.
Esther and her Great-Grandma -
Esther with Grandpa and Grandma S. - They all enjoyed her down there and offered to keep her, but we didn't agree :)