FROGS!

While we were at the cabin, we took Gus and Addy to Pit Lake to find some frogs. Our neighbors from the cabin (and Minneapolis) told us about the location. Gus was his typical self - observing the other kids hold and catch the frogs. Then, after some time on his own in the water, he came to me holding a frog that he had caught! We had a great time and it was fun to see a new part of Grand Rapids.

The Cabin

We had a great week at the cabin. We were there with the rest of my family for the first few days. 6 kids under 5 years old - CRAZY! Gus (almost 5), Addy (almost 4), Johan (almost 3), Elsa (just 2), Anja (just one), Zeke (just born - well, 6 weeks ago). The kids had a great time playing together. It was fun for the whole family to be together. Here are my 3 favorite pictures of Gus, Johan and Anja from the week.

The Lost Forty

Here is one of our summer adventures....

The Lost Forty is an area of virgin woods found in northern Minnesota. In the 1880's when Minnesota was being logged, the surveyors goofed and 40 acres of the land were left uncut. This area of forest is now part of Chippewa National Forest. Pretty much the rest of Minnesota forests have been cut at some point. The lost forty has some trees that are 400 years old. The trees are mostly red and white pines and they are beautiful. (They are no where near as big as redwoods, but it was still cool!!)

We drove 1.5 hours from the cabin to see this unique place. There is a one mile trail that guides visitors through these woods and explains the various types of pines. The boys completely enjoyed the hiking and Anja was happy on my back. I think Kip had the most fun - he has been wanting to go see the Lost Forty for some years now!!

Here are some pictures from the hike! Enjoy!

i heart faces - week 29: at the beach

The next Michael Phelps!! Ha ha! My son has spent a lot of time in the water this summer and he has become much more comfortable swimming on his own. He loves his goggles! I love this picture of him enjoying the water.

Head on over to http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ to check out all of the other beach entries this week.

Anja is ONE!

BIRTHDAY GIRL
(photos by Sarah Swanson)

A year ago this evening, I was in the hospital holding my new baby girl! It was such a surprise to have a girl and I have really tried to savor each baby stage. Anja is a joy to be around. We often hear from others that she is the happiest baby. She smiles a bunch and really likes to be around people.

Anja is a busy crawler and loves to follow her brothers around when they play. They sometimes call her "the Monster" because she tries to destroy their "projects." At the same time, I hear the boys saying, "I love you, Anja Patricia" and giving her lots of hugs. They adore their baby sister.

I am really enjoying watching Anja's personality start to come out more and more. She is a very sweet girl. Happy Birthday, Anja P!

i heart faces - week 28: feet

I took engagement pictures for my friends, Mike and Maren. They were very creative and asked me to take this shot. I am really happy with the way it turned out -- looks something like an album cover. These friends have been very encouraging to me about my photography, which is much appreciated.

Head on over to http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ to check out all of the other feet photos this week.

i heart faces - week 27: sports in action

This photo won 8th place in the i heart faces contest. Woo hoo!
Click here to see the other "sports in action" winners.

The theme for this week at i heart faces is "Sports in Action." I took this picture of my friend, Jason, at his son's birthday party. He was playing basketball with the boys and I happened to take this shot of him dunking. When I saw the image, I was amazed that he was looking at the camera! I guess he was aware that I was taking the picture, huh?

Be sure to head on over to www.iheartfaces.com to check out all of the other sports shots this week.

End of the day

The boys have been singing this song for a little while now. It was written by Johan and spiced up by Gus (mini banjo) and Anja (shaker). The lyrics lack sophistication, but they are quite practical. We're enjoying our little band over here!!

Parade Favorites - i heart faces

We love going to the 4th of July parade in my husband's hometown. It feels like a small town parade with lots of marching bands, fire trucks, clowns, flags and candy! I love that my boys had their ears covered for a good portion of the parade - I guess they thought the marching bands were too loud! Happy 4th of July everyone!

4th of July

We had another great fourth of July in Forest Lake! We enjoyed our time and Gramma and Grampa's place. The kids LOVED the parade (read: 3 hours of constant candy and too loud at times). They loved playing at the beach with their cousins and friends. Gus tried to stay up for fireworks and it sort of worked. He fell asleep for the last 5 minutes and I could hardly believe that he didn't wake up at the "grand finale" noise - he was out! Johan really enjoyed the rides at the fair in town. He had a big grin on his face as he rode around driving a car. Anja loved being pushed in her cousin's "car." Adele was a great helper with Anja and pushed her around all over the place. It was a very enjoyable weekend. Yay, America!

Hawk Time

For the past two years, Gus has headed to the Forest Lake Parade sporting a mohawk. Kip gave haircuts today in our "fort" and the boys did really well. Gus looks a little tough here, but trust me, he was giddy with excitement about his new mohawk. Here we come Forest Lake...

Raspberries

We are just starting to enjoy the raspberries that grow in our backyard. The boys take great pleasure in picking and eating the ripe ones. Isn't Johan sweet? I just love his chubby little hands and the way he so easily smiles.