TEAM KRASEAN

New Years Eve

2011-12-31T20:54:00.001-06:00

We headed to Grand Rapids to bring in the New Year at the cabin. Our typical wintertime activity up there is sledding, but there wasn't much snow. Anja and Elsa still made their way down the grass/snow mix and loved it! We also cleared a rink and the kids all had a great time on skates.

A Merry, Merry Christmas to You

2011-12-23T16:10:00.000-06:00

From all of the members of Team Krasean, we wish you a happy Christmas and restful New Year! We are thankful for all of your readers who take an interest in our lives.

Star of the Week

2011-12-11T14:42:00.001-06:00

Gus is Star of the Week at school this week. He had to complete a poster all about himself and here is what he wrote (fill in the blank):

I am 7 years old.
My favorite color is light blue.
My favorite animal is polar bear.
My favorite food is pizza.
Ponsford is my favorite place.
When I grow up, I want to be a baseball player.
My favorite thing to do is play baseball.
If I had one wish, I would wish for a dog.

He brought home a special backpack with a {not-so} scary monster, a book, an estimation jar to fill, and a journal to write about his adventures with the {not-so} scary monster. It will be a fun week for Gus at school!

Disco Mania

2011-12-11T13:41:00.002-06:00

Check out this video of the kids. It makes me laugh every time I see it. The giggling you hear is Anja as she watched it. You can create videos like these on the Jib-Jab site.

Christmas Tree

2011-12-03T21:37:00.001-06:00

We headed back to the Richfield Farmer's Market this year to pick out a Christmas tree. It didn't take long for us all to agree on the perfect tree. Christmas traditions are fun!

Pastor Johan

2011-12-01T09:11:00.000-06:00

Who knows what Johan will be when he grows up? We shall see, but he does seem to think about spiritual things much of the time. Here are a few cute things the has said lately.

He prayed the other night and said, "Thank you for the sun. Not for the sun in the sky, but for the Son the Father gave."

This morning, Anja asked Johan, "Is Baby Jesus a town?" Johan replied, "No, He is the Way."

I am thankful for our all of his teachers (pre-school, BSF, Sunday School, and family) that are helping him learn about God. We'll see if he follows his uncle's path of pastor someday! Who knows? :)

Krasean Christmas Tree

2011-11-27T22:03:00.000-06:00

We headed to the Stacy Tree Farm to get the Krasean Christmas Tree. It was a lovely day and we all had fun walking around the farm. The kids even got to pet some animals and have a chat with Santa.

The Zipline

2011-10-26T22:24:00.002-05:00

Kip has been working hard to build this zipline at his Ponford hunting property. The kids had a great time experiencing it this past weekend. Weeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Fall Weekend at the Cabin

2011-10-09T21:31:00.000-05:00

I'm finally posting to the blog again - it has been a long time! We had a great fall weekend at the cabin. The kids helped MorMor rake, watched Papa work on projects and played outside a ton. I even caught a picture of the sunrise - thanks to my early bird, Gus!

Garden Vegetables

2011-09-05T21:22:00.000-05:00

I've been so busy lately that I neglected to check the garden on a regular basis. Today, I was amazed at the bounty of food we have growing in our garden. Dinner was great - fresh green beans, zuchinni on the grill, and salad with tomatoes (steak not pictured). I still have to figure out what to do with all of these tomatoes! Salsa and sauce will need to be made tomorrow.

Happy 5th Birthday, Jo-Mauer!

2011-08-28T22:26:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to a very sweet 5 year old boy. His name is Johan, but his obsession with wanting to be a catcher has helped us to create his nickname of Jo-Mauer (Yo-Mauer would probably be the better way to spell it, I suppose). For his birthday, he received the full set of catcher's gear and he LOVES it! He told his Gramma that he never really believed he would get the set. You can see him in action in the photos below. We are so thankful for this little guy who is growing up so quickly. It is hard to believe he is already 5!

P.S. The set is for ages 8-14, so it should last him a little while.

Coming Soon! Yellow House for Sale!

2011-08-22T22:11:00.000-05:00

Next Monday, we are putting our house on the market. Yikes! We have loved our house so much these last 9 years! It is a great house and we have so many wonderful memories here, but as many of you know, it has just 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. And, although the kids love sharing a bedroom now, there may come a time where they want a bit more space. There have also been a few times where an extra toilet would have come in handy! It is a bit of a leap of faith because we don't have a new house picked out yet. Will we find a different house that we love as much? We really hope so! By the way, if you know anyone who wants a great house in the Bancroft neighborhood of Minneapolis, send them our way!

A great last day

2011-08-18T22:46:00.000-05:00

Today was the last day of summer break and we had a great day. After breakfast, Kip and I played one last game of summertime cards at the table. Then, we all headed out for a hike at Minnehaha Park. We hiked to the Mississippi, stopping first to wade in the creek for a bit. We hung out at home during the afternoon and got some work done on the house while the kids built a house for their stuffed animals out of wood. To end the day, Kip and Johan headed downtown for the Twins game. Gus, Anja, and I went out for a long bike ride. We made it to the Ramgren house, but they were at Lars' t-ball game. On the way home, we stopped for ice cream at the Grand Old Creamery. Gus did great on the bike and Anja tolerated the Burley for the most part. It was a great day to end a fabulous summer. Tomorrow, it is back to work!

T.C. Bear plays T-ball

2011-08-14T22:38:00.001-05:00

Gus and Johan had a great season of t-ball and 4-pitch this summer. The second to the last week of games, Longfellow park held its annual corn feed during the games. There was a lot of action at the park, including T.C. Bear! T.C. came around and played with the kids. He gave Johan some special attention. T.C. was fielding when Johan hit the ball off of the tee straight into T.C.'s mouth (pictured above). Later, when Johan made it around the bases, T.C. tried to tag Johan out at home. Johan told me several times that night that his was "SAFE" at home despite T.C.'s efforts! :) T.C. came back later during Gus's game and he pitched to Gus who got a hit off of his pitch. The whole night was great fun and the kids loved it!

Moving Day for the Tripp Family

2011-08-04T23:03:00.000-05:00

Today was moving day for the Tripp family. As some of you know, Tami Tripp has been my neighbor and friend for the past 6 years. Shortly after Gus was born, I would drive by the corner house on 12th Avenue and think that I was living a parallel life as the woman in the house. I would see cloth diapers on the line and a stroller in the backyard. My mom actually met Tami first when she was on a walk in the neighborhood. Not long after that time, I met Tami. She had just one little guy at the time, Charlie, who was probably about 1 year old at the time. We started having playdates and over time, our friendship grew. Then it was time for us to both be pregnant and both have little boys named Johan and Sam (2006). A few years later, our paths diverged a bit when I had a baby girl, Anja, and she has a boy, Ben (2008).

Over the years, we have spent much time hanging out in our homes, chatting, and letting the kids play. I can't count the cups of flour, minutes of last second babysitting, the phone calls to check in, or the impromptu playdates that have been so frequent these last years. Tami is the type of friend that I can always count on. She is loyal and caring and thoughtful. I have been so blessed to have her in my life. We are going to totally MISS having them live so close, but we know we will still see them often! Today, I feel sad that they'll be a bit farther away, but mostly I feel grateful that it was this neighborhood that brought us together.

Congratulations to the Tripp family on their new home! We love you all!

Anja, the Daredevil

2011-07-08T08:03:00.000-05:00

At the Forest Lake carnival, Anja was really enjoying all of the little kid rides. Her cousin decided she wanted to go on the mini-rollercoaster. Anja really wanted to go and was very sad to find out that she was too short to get on it (left picture above). Moments later, Kip read the part that said, "unless accompanied by an adult." He told Anja she could go and she was ecstatic (right picture above). Short video of the ride coming soon.

The 4th of July

2011-07-08T07:53:00.001-05:00

We had a great time in Forest Lake celebrating the 4th of July with the Kraseans. We spent the third relaxing, swimming, and eating s'mores. On the 4th, we headed to the parade in the morning. The kids loved the candy, of course. Johan was also eaten by a Chinese dragon, which was pretty funny. After spending the day in the lake and doing the slip n' slide, we headed to town for the carnival. The kids enjoyed going on rides. Here are some pictures of the weekend, but you can check out more in my flickr album, if you want!

S'mores on the 3rd

2011-07-07T07:55:00.000-05:00

The Krasean cousins enjoyed eating s'mores together in the boat on July 3rd. Anja was already sleeping at the time (poor thing, but she needed it)! We are so blessed that these cousins have so much fun together.

Kepler is BACK!

2011-06-23T22:55:00.000-05:00

My dear friend, Julie {Kepler} Lamm, is back in my life and I am thrilled! Julie and I went to North Park together and always had a lot of fun. We had the crazy idea of joining the NPC Women's Basketball team our sophomore year (to get the free shoes and trip to San Diego). We also played soccer together and had many other fun adventures during our college years. Julie and her family have moved several times since college, but she is now living in Green Bay and she has been to Minneapolis several times. It has been wonderful to get to know her family and spend time together again! We hope to go camping with all 8 children (5 Lamms+3 Kraseans). Now, that will be an adventure! :)

Minnehaha Falls Hike

2011-06-16T20:50:00.000-05:00

The first day of summer break, we took a family hike at Minnehaha Falls. It was wonderful to explore the creek, falls, and the Mississippi river as well! The kids enjoyed throwing stones into the river and checking out the sandstone cliffs. We had the backpack ready for Anja, but she barely used it. She wanted to do it all herself and seemed to really enjoy all of it. We can't wait to go back again. It was a great way to kick off summer break!

An oldie, but goodie about Obama

2011-06-16T08:18:00.001-05:00

I'm going through old pictures and videos. I can't believe how much Gus and Johan have grown up since this video. Enjoy!

Zeke turns 2!

2011-06-09T22:03:00.000-05:00

We were able to celebrate Zeke's 2nd birthday with him last week. He loved being the center of the party. The theme was bugs and you can see how creative my sister is with parties. The first activity was the kids untangling a giant spider web created with colored yarn. Each kid followed their own color of yarn until they found their prize. It was fun to celebrate with our family and church family!

The Dowling Carnival

2011-06-03T22:29:00.000-05:00

I took Gus and Anja to the Dowling Carnival. I think these photos pretty much sum up the evening! :)

A New Swing

2011-05-30T22:35:00.000-05:00

Kip has been to his property up north a few times this spring. He's been working on a zip line on his property. The seat of his zip line made it back to Minneapolis and he decided to put a swing in the backyard. The kids and their friends think it is great. It holds adults, too, so come on over for a swing sometime. Gus is pictured here with one of our neighbors, Ray. I recognize the picture of me is very corny - it is fun, though, seriously!

Arty Pants

2011-05-27T22:23:00.002-05:00

We headed to the Walker Art Center for their Tuesday morning Arty Pants event with the Hokanson crew. We were able to catch a viewing of an animated "Gruffalo," work on projects, eat lunch, and even play outdoors a bit. The kids enjoyed working on making jungle projects. The colored tape was the most exciting supply, especially for Johan!

Community Covenant Choir Concert

2011-05-25T22:26:00.000-05:00

We had a choir concert on Sunday evening. It was wonderful to hear the great music of our three gospel choirs - children, teen and adult. Our choir director, Miss Robin, is amazing and we are so blessed by the music at our church. It was special to come together shortly after a terrible tornado swept through north Minneapolis. One of the soloists did not come as he was helping his neighbors. One of our teens had damage to her home, but she came out to praise God even in a difficult time. We are so thankful for our church family.

Charlie's Party

2011-05-25T21:41:00.000-05:00

Charlie turned 7 years old a few days ago. Charlie and Gus have been friends since they were about 2 years old. They see each other a bit less because they are both now in school, but when they are together they have a great time. The party-goers made rockets and sent them flying. Johan was at the party as well and had a great time. Happy Birthday, Charlie!

Gus sings a solo

2011-05-23T17:51:00.000-05:00

Gus sang his first solo at church on Sunday. Actually, it was supposed to be a duet, but the other child was not there. He did great! The camera is a little shaky because I was a bit nervous and also trying to use some actions to remind Gus of the words.

Walk for Talk for our friend Sammy

2011-05-16T21:17:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, we headed out in the rain to walk with our friend, Sammy. Sammy attends Northern Voices, a school for children with hearing loss. We were so happy to be there to support this little guy and his family. The rain held off and it was a great day for a walk. Gus walked the entire 5K, Anja rode in the Burley, and Johan did a little of both.

A few more from Nordeast

2011-05-14T16:46:00.001-05:00

Train Tracks

2011-05-14T16:44:00.000-05:00

I headed to Northeast Minneapolis with my friend, Tami. We took pictures of the kids while exploring a new area. Johan and Sam had a great time running on the tracks together. They are such great buddies! As you can see, they stopped for a moment for a photo and off they went!

Pictures of Team Krasean by Life as it is

2011-05-14T16:39:00.000-05:00

Our family was so fortunate to have won a giveaway of a photography session by Wynona Grey. She is so talented and we love the pictures. Click here to see them on her blog.

Johan - Yay for Spring

2011-05-13T12:35:00.000-05:00

Johan is so happy that the grass and leaves are turning green. We still have had some rainy days, but it is getting more fun to pick Gus up at the bus stop. Being outdoors more is such a treat for all of us.

Mother's Day - Lindquist Style

2011-05-13T12:30:00.000-05:00

We got to enjoy some time with Mor Mor on Mother's Day as well. The kids had so much fun playing together. We even found a moment to get a picture of my mom with all 6 of her grandkids!

Mother's Day - Krasean Style

2011-05-08T08:53:00.002-05:00

We celebrated Mother's Day with Kip's family on Saturday. It was a gorgeous day to be outside and hang out with family. We played a lot of baseball and soccer in the yard. The kids had so much fun together. We are thankful for Gramma and our aunts who are all special "moms" in our lives.

Easter

2011-05-01T16:19:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Easter with the Krasean family this year. Before getting there, we had a wonderful service at church with lots of inspiring music and a great message. The kids had a great time with the Easter egg hunt. Brendan and Anja were big enough this time around to really enjoy searching for the eggs. Gus and Johan loved playing baseball with their uncle Patrick who seems to have endless energy to pitch and play baseball with our boys. It was a great day to be with family.

i heart faces - soft & sweet

2011-04-30T23:06:00.001-05:00

Easter provided a great opportunity for Anja and Gramma to have some cuddle time. We are so thankful to be so close to our family! Look at all that love!

Visit www.iheartfaces.com to see more soft and sweet photos.

Earth Day Auditorium at Dowling

2011-04-21T21:50:00.001-05:00

Gus celebrated Earth Day with his school today. The students performed at a school auditorium. His class sang a song and they were dressed in their tree vests, which they made with their environmental teacher. The vests had bark, leaf etchings, and roots. I put together the slideshow for the auditorium. I have really enjoyed working with the other Green Team members at Dowling. They are a wonderful group of people!

You can check out Gus and his classmates singing in the video below:

Gus rides a BIKE!

2011-04-18T22:42:00.000-05:00

Gus learned how to ride a bike today! We've been practicing a few times this spring, but today it really clicked. We've reached another milestone with our big guy! I think we are going to be doing a lot of biking this summer because he is really enjoying it. Yay, Gus!

i heart faces - wind

2011-04-17T23:12:00.000-05:00

Oh, how this photo makes me long for summer! We took a special trip last summer across Sugar Lake and through a channel and over to Little Lake. It was a trip that we took many times with my grandpa in his fishing boat (pictured here) to catch some sunfish. My dad got the boat motor running again and off we went. On the way back, my son sat in the front of the boat with his face in the wind as the boat raced forward! It was very special to bring my kids on the same adventure I had experienced as a child. Looking forward to more Little Lake trips this summer!

Check out other windy photos at www.iheartfaces.com

Dress Up!

2011-04-17T13:46:00.000-05:00

I scored a few costumes at a nearby garage sale last week. The kids have been enjoying playing. Gus has always loved his tiger costume, so he was excited to get it out. The boys even got out the firefighter walkie talkies that they received as a gift from Uncle Rico several years ago!

Planting for the garden

2011-04-17T13:43:00.000-05:00

Anja and Johan helped me plant some seeds several weeks ago for our garden. We planted sugar snap peas, cucumbers, green onions, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini squash, beans and lettuce. As you can see from the pictures, the plants are growing like crazy. We are getting so excited for warmer days and nights so we can get these plants put into our raised garden bed that we built last year.

Workers

2011-04-12T21:59:00.000-05:00

Our neighbor had someone from Home Depot out on Saturday morning. He gave the boys work aprons and they were looking for projects to do all morning. Gus ended up with a very basic wooden boat and Johan a wooden flag for the fort. I wish I could say it was a perfect day, but there were some frustrations and tears throughout the project journey. No matter what, they sure look like happy brothers in this picture! :)

Anja and Grampa

2011-04-02T22:44:00.001-05:00

Anja and Grampa enjoyed the outdoors today. They rocked on this bench looking out at the lake. They held hands for this picture, so I said to Anja, "Is Grampa your buddy?" She replied, "We're princesses!" I'm not sure Grampa wants that title, but it was adorable.

On the way home, she had another timely comment. I was upset with Gus about his misbehavior as we left Forest Lake. I told him that he made me look like a fool (maybe not a shining moment for me, but...). Anja immediately responded saying, "Your not a FOOL, you're Mama. Just Mama." We all laughed and the tension was removed. Love that Anja!

Cutie!

2011-04-01T22:22:00.001-05:00

My friend Mo often calls Anja a "cutie." Anja knows that is her nickname at Mo's house and she loves it. We think she's a cutie over here as well!

Fat lips

2011-04-01T22:19:00.000-05:00

Gus took a stick in the mouth on the playground on Wednesday. He had to go to the nurse's office (for the first time) and I picked him up there since it was almost the end of the school day. The nurse suggested popsicles, which eased the pain! He's been a good sport about the whole thing and his lips have improved a lot since Wednesday.

More Foosball

2011-04-01T22:14:00.000-05:00

The fun continues! Gus and Johan are still playing lots of foosball. Kip/Johan v. Sonja/Gus has become a regular match. Kip and I are also still playing a lot. We are usually a pretty even match, although he won one game 10-1! Some of you know me well enough to know that my competitive side came out!! :)

I heart faces - slice of life

2011-03-26T23:19:00.000-05:00

Our boys have spent a great deal of their spring break playing foosball on this table. My husband actually chose it at a white elephant party (where people bring used "junk" and give as gifts - is this a Minnesota thing??). Anyway, we've stored it for years and brought it out at just the right time! Truth be told, my husband and I have also played a lot of games - it's really fun and a slice of our life from this past week.

Head over to www.iheartfaces.com for other great entries this week!

Johan's Bear Story

2011-03-20T18:37:00.000-05:00

Johan wrote this bear story at preschool. The teacher wrote it down and the kids love it when I read it. They find it hilarious! :) We took a few photos today to complete the story.

Kieran's - a tradition

2011-03-18T08:56:00.001-05:00

We headed out to Kieran's Irish Pub on St. Patrick's Day with our good friends, Jon and Jenny. We faced the crowds at Kieran's again this year in order to hear some Irish music and enjoy the festive atmosphere with friends. Somehow, we always manage to find a table and eat fish and chips! We are thankful for these fun friends!

Irish Kiddos

2011-03-17T08:44:00.000-05:00

I tried to take a few pictures of all three kids on St. Patrick's day. It is so tough to get them all to look at them same time, but oh well! It sure was lovely to be walking around with green shirts and no jackets!

Math matters!!!

2011-03-09T20:40:00.000-06:00

We were in the van on the way home from church last Sunday and Gus asked us, "Why does it matter if I learn math?" What??!? Kip stopped the car (not really), but we did look at each other amazed that our son who is in Kindergarten is asking the question we have both heard from so many high school students over the years. We immediately chimed in with our arsenal of answers as to why math is so important. If the conversation were recorded, I'm sure you would all be laughing. At some point, Gus won't ask us anymore because he won't want to deal with long-winded answers from a couple of math geeks!

Anja's 1st Haircut

2011-03-07T20:40:00.000-06:00

Anja, Johan and I headed to Kid's Hair last week for Anja's very first haircut. Anja did great! She happily sat in the chair, got her hair wet, and let the hairstylist brush, cut, dry, and even curl her hair! She looked absolutely adorable with curly locks. Of course, I was happily snapping pictures of the entire event. Unfortunately, a few days later I deleted every picture on my memory card thinking I had already downloaded the photos from this event. What a bummer! We might just need to document Anja's 2nd haircut!

My Two Front Teeth

2011-03-06T07:57:00.000-06:00

After quite some time (maybe a month) of having one top tooth in the middle of his mouth, Gus finally lost the second top tooth. He really didn't give me much time to get a picture without his front teeth since his grown-up teeth are already coming in! Here's the best one that I have of his missing teeth. He's growing up so quickly! :)

Papa's 70th at the Depot

2011-03-06T07:52:00.000-06:00

We celebrated my dad's 70th birthday downtown at the Depot. We all got to enjoy some swimming and a fun night away from home! The kids LOVED the swimming and were thoroughly tired by the end of the night. In fact, after swimming the following morning, Anja and Johan fell asleep on the 10 minute car ride home! It was a great way to be together as a family and celebrate Papa! Thank you, Papa and MorMor for a fun weekend!

My dad turns 70!

2011-02-28T07:00:00.000-06:00

My dad has an important birthday today! My mom's friend made this clever magazine cover for him to celebrate. We are so thankful for my dad! We love spending time with Papa. We had a fun family birthday party downtown on Friday (pictures later). Here are a few pictures of him from the past year.

Eric Carle Style Art

2011-02-27T21:00:00.000-06:00

Gus is learning about the author Eric Carle in his art class. This weekend he made his own Carle-style picture, complete with a bear, mountain, apple tree and butterfly.

i heart faces - anything but a face

2011-02-27T17:03:00.000-06:00

I took this picture on Sunday because it was a big day in our family - the first game of spring training for the Minnesota Twins. My husband and our two boys can't wait for baseball and all of the fun it will bring this spring and summer. I'm excited for baseball too, but probably more for the warmer weather that comes along with it!

Enjoy other non-face pictures at www.iheartfaces.com.

Dad and Daughter

2011-02-24T09:19:00.000-06:00

Aren't these two quite the pair? I love seeing Anja play and cuddle with her dad. It is so sweet!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-13T21:29:00.004-06:00

We had fun putting our Valentine's together this year. The kids posed with headphones and we put our photo cards together. It was a lot of fun. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

i heart faces - RED

2011-02-13T20:45:00.003-06:00

The theme this week at i heart faces is red. Here's a new photo of my little red riding hood! The idea this week is to celebrate Valentine's Day, so here's to a girl I LOVE! The second goal was to publicize Go Red for Women, which is a movement to fight heart disease in women.

Check out other red photos at www.iheartfaces.com

Life from Gus' World

2011-02-11T20:35:00.007-06:00

Gus has been enjoying using my point and shoot camera. Here are some of my favorites that he has taken. It gives you an idea of his world!

New music - great lyrics!

2011-02-09T21:39:00.003-06:00

I thought I'd share that I purchased this CD and another one from the same group recently. I really want to memorize more scripture myself and I also want my kids to learn more verses. For me, the best way to memorize is through song. I found Seeds Family Worship from another blog entry and we have been enjoying the music! You can actually listen to this CD from their website.

i heart faces - heart

2011-02-06T09:38:00.000-06:00

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you saw this picture posted a few weeks ago, but it fit the heart theme at i heart faces so perfectly, I had to post again. Happy almost Valentine's Day, everyone!

Check out other heart photos at www.iheartfaces.com

A Warmer Bus stop pick up

2011-02-04T23:36:00.002-06:00

It was so nice to head out to the bus stop today in 35 degree weather. It is amazing how warm that feels after so many cold days lately. I've been pulling the kids in a sled lately (Kip's idea), but there was much more pavement today. We'll have to have everyone walking again soon, which takes longer. Looking forward to more warm days! Here are a few pictures with our bus stop friends.

Happy Groundhog Day

2011-02-02T20:35:00.002-06:00

Gus learned about Groundhog day at school and brought home this crown, which Johan and Anja were happy to model! Shadow or no shadow, there is still a lot of winter left and I for one am pretty tired of it. Anyone else?

Snowshoeing at Dowling

2011-01-29T22:10:00.002-06:00

Gus' class went snowshoeing on Friday. It was a warm day and it was fun to be outside and explore the Dowling school grounds. We even got to stop by the principal's office! Mr. Rossow popped out of his window to say hello. The kids enjoyed hot chocolate after the hike and only 5 of the students spilled! Listed below, you will see a list showing what that students liked about snowshoeing.

He's back

2011-01-24T22:53:00.004-06:00

Kip had some fun with the clippers and now he's back to his usual look! He enjoyed having hair for a while and was really hoping for a ponytail, but he gave up. We all enjoyed seeing how he looked with hair! Here's one more "before" just for fun!

i heart faces: January 24 - Innocent Wonder

2011-01-22T22:50:00.009-06:00

Innocent wonder....I went back to a favorite from last spring for this theme. It is hard to believe she is now 2-1/2 years old!

If you are "wondering" how others interpret this theme, head over to www.iheartfaces.com

Anja at 2.5

2011-01-21T12:24:00.004-06:00

I headed to the Walker with Andrea to take some pictures of Anja in some clothes Andrea designed. It was so much fun and Anja loved the attention. It was a great afternoon!

i heart faces - week 3: Winter Wonderland

2011-01-16T23:10:00.002-06:00

I took this photo of my boys after our first Minnesota snow. It was my favorite type of snow that sticks to the trees and makes everything white and beautiful. Since that time, our total is up to 52 inches this winter (and, that's a lot of snow!). When you live in Minnesota, you have to embrace the snow or you go absolutely crazy. So far, we've gone sledding, skiing, skating and of course we spend lots of time shoveling! We're trying to make the most out of these winter months....even if the predicted high temperature for Wednesday is 6 degrees. Brrrr.....!

Check out the other winter wonderland photos at www.iheartfaces.com

The Science Museum

2011-01-15T23:05:00.003-06:00

We headed to the Science Museum today with my parents and nieces/nephew. We got to see the Rainforest show at the Omni. The kids enjoyed seeing the dinosaurs and checking out all of the cool stuff at the exhibits. Tons o' fun! I love the picture of my dad on the phone with the kids. My parents are such great sports!

Sweet Girl

2011-01-15T21:12:00.001-06:00

I have the privilege of taking care of my friend's daughter every Thursday. Anja is with her crew on Mondays, so they spend lot of time together. At first, she struggled because she missed her mom so much, but now she has settled in with us. She has such a sweet smile. I took this picture of her in the snow last Thursday.

Downhill skiing with Gus

2011-01-11T22:02:00.006-06:00

My dad organized a ski outing for Gus and Addy and I was the fortunate "chaperone." We had a great time. Both Gus and Addy did amazingly well and they both enjoyed the afternoon. My dad and I were able to go out on some steeper slopes while Gus and Addy took lessons. It went so well they are headed back to Welch Village sometime soon. My sister gets to go along for the second round!

The Bus Stop

2011-01-10T21:36:00.002-06:00

We have a great group of neighborhood kids that we get to hang out at the bus stop with each morning. They all seem to really enjoy each other and they are very nice to Gus, Johan and Anja.

i heart faces - week 2: Smiles

2011-01-09T21:50:00.004-06:00

The theme for this week is smiles - smiles that bring you joy. I found this photo in my folders from this past summer. This photo was taken at the cabin this past summer when Anja turned 2 years old. She does indeed bring our whole family so much JOY!

Check out all of the other SMILES this week at www.iheartfaces.com

Anja sings

2011-01-08T23:18:00.003-06:00

Anja spends a lot of time singing around the house. You can get a sampling of two of her favorites here (Baa, Baa, Black Sheep and Twinkle, Twinkle). Just the other day, Anja was singing "Go Tell it on the Mountain." She sings with a smile!

Heathly Christmas.....Sick January

2011-01-07T08:48:00.002-06:00

We are so thankful for a healthy Christmas this year. We had missed the last two Christmas eves with my extended family. The above video shows all of the cousins (Sarah's kids and Becky's kids) from Christmas eve this year. I had a great time with my aunts, uncle, parents and cousins and the kids had a blast together.

Since that time, we've had a lot of coughs and colds. Earlier this week, Anja got a double ear infection (which was the first ear infection in our family). Last night, Gus got a stomach bug -- the one we wanted to avoid at Christmas. He's already feeling a little better and hopefully the rest of us won't get it. But, I know I'm going to be feeling green until this passes.

i heart faces - week 1: best face photo 2010

2011-01-02T20:58:00.000-06:00

I chose this photo of my niece for my favorite photo. She is so sweet and fearless on a sled! Look out! I love this little girl. :)

Check out (and vote for) your favorite face photos on www.iheartfaces.com

Grand Rapids Snow

2011-01-01T22:51:00.003-06:00

We spent New Years at the cabin with my folks and my sister's family. We did lots of sledding on the cabin hill. The kids loved it and they had a blast being together. Here are some B&W pictures of the fun times in the snow.

Christmas Day

2010-12-25T23:06:00.000-06:00

We spend Christmas day in Forest Lake with Kip's family. The kids became "elves" and helped "Santa" pass out the gifts. They loved their new green hats. After presents and pancakes, the troops headed out for some sledding. Anja didn't last too long, but the older cousins had a great time. Kip and his brothers have a lot of fun as well! The picture at the bottom shows Gramma Pat opening a present from Gus as the grandkids watched.

Sledding

2010-12-23T23:20:00.003-06:00

We had a great time sledding today. The kids absolutely love it!

Dowling Recess

2010-12-21T21:43:00.003-06:00

So, when Kip and I toured schools last year, we loved Dowling! It looked like an amazing school with great teachers and an environmental focus. Somehow, the stick forts were one of the things that really caught our attention. We'd talk about how cool it is that kids build stick forts during recess. I got to witness Gus playing in one of the stick fort during recess a few weeks ago. He is having a great year and making some really nice friends.

Backyard Hockey

2010-12-21T21:26:00.002-06:00

Our friends invited our family over to skate on their backyard ice rink (well, the kids at least). We have been thinking about building a backyard rink for the boys, so it was fun to check theirs out. The kids loved each other and had fun trying to play hockey. I'm not sure the rink will happen for us this year. The picture was taken th evening before we got 17 inches of snow. Our backyard isn't as level now - lots of snow piles!

Snow Fun

2010-12-17T23:02:00.002-06:00

Remember that 16 inches of snow we got last week! Here's a few pictures from the day it fell (Saturday, December 11). The boys (all 3) had a blast playing in the snow, building a fort, sledding, and snowboarding (down our very small mound of snow!)

Lucia Day in Ms. Kujat's class

2010-12-13T13:32:00.003-06:00

Ms. Kujat taught Gus's class about Lucia day in Sweden. I offered to come in and help since I've been celebrating Lucia at Bethlehem Covenant since I was very small! Gus and his friend "woke" up all of the students with a gentle touch from the Star Boy and a peppakakor cookie from Lucia. All of the students made either a Lucia crown or a Star hat and wand. It was a wonderful celebration!

A Sweet Girl at Christmastime

2010-12-06T23:11:00.001-06:00

I just love this picture of Anja looking out the window. It was taken near the Christmas tree at Gramma's house. It really is fun to celebrate this season with children who love all of it - the tree, the lights, the birth of baby Jesus, the Christmas cookies! (Note: Gramma's cookie in her right hand might be the reason for the big smile!)

i heart faces - week 49: self-portrait

2010-12-05T21:07:00.003-06:00

So, I decided it would be fun to take a self-portrait that shared something about myself. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE broomball. That's it. I can hardly wait for January so I can hit the ice and try to score some goals. I play on three teams and I must say that this sport is what gets me through the long Minnesota winter months. Kudos to my husband who hangs with our three kiddos while I'm out on the ice!

Can't wait to see all of the people who take pictures for www.iheartfaces.com. We are usually the folks behind the camera!! :)

Getting our Christmas Tree

2010-12-04T21:36:00.003-06:00

I'm enjoying the sweet smell of a fresh cut evergreen as I write this post - I love Christmas! We headed over to the Richfield Farmer's Market to get our tree this year. It didn't take too long for Kip and the kids to find the perfect tree.

Hockey

2010-11-30T22:59:00.000-06:00

The kids LOVED playing boot hockey on Forest Lake the day after Thanksgiving. They were outside for hours on the ice. Their uncles and cousin joined in on the fun! The kids are now hoping for some hockey sticks for Christmas! :)

Getting the Krasean Christmas Tree

2010-11-28T20:50:00.003-06:00

We spent the day on Friday in Forest Lake. We had a great morning hunting for the perfect tree. It was cold, but the kids had a great time running around the tree farm. Anja needed to be carried much of the time, but it is fun to see the bigger cousins being silly and having fun outdoors.

i heart faces - week 48: Scenic B&W

2010-11-28T20:40:00.004-06:00

We had a wonderful and fluffy snow a few weeks ago. I took this picture of my son enjoying the snowflakes and frosty trees. It is sometimes difficult to get a genuine smile from this four year old, so I really love this picture for that reason. Also, I don't have any mountains or oceans here in Minnesota for scenery, so the snow will have to do! :)

Head on over to www.iheartfaces.com to see more B&W scenic portraits!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-26T21:40:00.002-06:00

We had fun making these edible turkeys on Thanksgiving day before heading to my parent's house for our Thanksgiving dinner. Gus had made them at school and he really wanted Johan and Anja to be able to try the "recipe."

We had a great day relaxing and spending time with our family and extended family as well. We are thankful for so much this year - good health, loving family and friends, great school for Gus, terrific neighbors and a loving church family. Gus told us he was thankful for fruits, vegetables, mom and dad. Johan was thankful for many named family members (the list was quite long). Anja was thankful for Elsa and Addy! We are blessed! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving as well!

Ice Skating

2010-11-19T14:27:00.002-06:00

We've been taking ice skating lessons for the past few Saturdays. It has been a great time and I can't believe how much the boys have learned (never skated before these lessons). As you can see, it hasn't been without some frustration, but it has been fun overall. The kids have some friends from school there as well. Here Gus is pictured with his friend, Sophia.

i heart faces - week 46: silhouettes

2010-11-14T07:45:00.002-06:00

I took this picture of my son last week when we were having warm November weather for Minnesota standards. (We got 7 inches of snow yesterday, which you can see here.) Anyway, he was swinging and singing at the top of his lungs, "Oh, the blood of Jesus," which is a song from our church children's choir. It was beautiful outside and the setting was so peaceful - hard to believe this photo was taken about 2 miles from downtown Minneapolis!

The First Snow of the Season

2010-11-13T22:44:00.004-06:00

We really got to enjoy the first snow today. Lots of playing outside and the kids built a snowman with a little help from Kip. They wanted a banana for the mouth (smile), so I just went with it!

Halloween

2010-11-12T22:55:00.003-06:00

We had a great time on Halloween this year. The day was filled with friends, fun and lots of candy! We headed to the Janzen house for a party where we saw lots of great costumes including Jack the little tiger to match Gus. Sammy the police man was also there. Doesn't he look official!

We visited Mor Mor and Papa who were generously giving out full size treats! I can still remember the houses that gave our full candy bars when I was young.

Next stop was Heather's house where we bumped into all of the cousins.

Finally, trick or treating in the neighborhood. We started at Jolynn's house.

Next, we toured the neighborhood with the Tripp boys! It was a great day for all of us.

Boys will be boys

2010-11-09T19:40:00.002-06:00

Here is Johan charging down the cabin driveway with his "sword" and "shield." Gus is not very far behind taking his four-wheeler driving very seriously. I love my boys!

i heart faces - week 45: orange

2010-11-07T21:24:00.002-06:00

The theme this week is orange and I thought of this picture of my niece. I actually bought a two-liter of Orange Crush pop to try and get a photo for this theme. But in the end, I ran out of time to take a picture and I didn't really want my kids to drink it anyway. It will be fun to see what other people come up with this week because orange is a more difficult theme (at least for me).

For other orange photos, go to www.iheartfaces.com

Four Wheeler Fun!

2010-11-05T21:26:00.003-05:00

It was the Wednesday of MEA weekend and we headed down the alley on our daily walk to the bus stop. Johan, Anja and I spotted a four wheeler that was set out for the garbage. The sign on it read, "I work. Need batteries." I figured the batteries for this thing would be expensive, but I was imagining the kids riding it at the cabin, so we brought it home to ask dad! Anyway, we brought it to the cabin and got it running. As you can see from the pictures, it was worth the battery splurge!