Kjell "reads" to little Bro

What a memory that boy has!  Noak has started to enjoy an old favorite book of Kjell's called "Poppleton".  Here's evidence that Kjell's been paying close attention when his parents have read "Poppleton" to him in the past.  Enjoy.

Kjell - 4 and Noak - 1 1/2

Family Fun 2010

To our lone, dedicated reader… Auntie Anna, this entry is for you! :)

We have had a very fun summer so far, but our long summer vacation seems to be half over already! We kicked off the summer with a trip to Astoria. We still need to find those pictures to share. Next we headed to Roseburg for Uncle Jon and Aunt Raiza’s wedding on the North Umpqua River. Some of Gram and Bop’s good friends, the Bartletts, loaned their cabin for the occasion. It was a beautiful setting and fun ceremony conducted by the Reverend James L. Peters. You might also notice the photo of the Rev. working the music for the reception with his cute sidekick and one of two very cute ring bearers, Kjell.

A mere week or so later, we headed out to Kona, Hawaii to spend some time with Gram and Bop. We had a great time. Noak and Kjell loved spotting geckos and playing in the sand. Kjell went “surfing” on a boogie board held tightly by Mom and Gram. We snorkeled and played in the water of the “keiki” or children’s “pool” at Sara and Bob’s favorite beach. Jamie and I also celebrated our 7th anniversary a little early with a night out on the town in Kona. It was a very fun time.

We’ll have several picture posts or a slide show, so maybe check out those entries soon.

Love to all of our friends and family far and near!

Spring photos

Just some quick updates and photos.  Noak is a full-fledged walker now (we'll try to post some video soon).  Here are pictures from Easter and the Ducks Spring Game (aka scrimmage - yes our family even goes to Ducks practices).

Kjell and Dad say goodbye to Mac Court

We weren't there when they opened McArthur Court 84 years ago, but Kjell and I were there to say goodbye to the venerable old stadium on Saturday night.  We watched a rare UO victory as the Ducks beat the WSU Cougars.  Kjell had a great time and his highlight was easily going onto the court after the game was over.  His second highlight was giving a "pound" to the Oregon Duck.  They touched knuckles and then "blew it up".  That gave Kjell a smile a mile wide.

Noak's First Cake

Noak's 1st Birthday Celebration

Noak's 1st birthday isn't until Thursday, but we took advantage of the three day weekend and had his celebration on Saturday. He had fun, but was a little intimidated by being the center of all the attention. Maija made a great cake that was inspired by Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar book. We were all impressed. Here are the photos:

There's always one favorite gift

Kjell and Noak had a great time at Christmas. Both boys had a wealth of wonderful gifts. We have tons of photos and will put together a slide show soon. But, there is always one gift that seems to stand out as the favorite out of all of the great gifts. For Kjell, that appears to be his Carolina Panthers football uniform. The only time he has changed out of it has been to sleep at night and a few hours ago when he changed into winter clothes to have a snow ball fight with Dad. He even fell asleep wearing the helmet and uniform in his carseat!

Thanksgiving and getting the tree

Halloween and Noak growing up

Kjell the Football Fan

After a brief scare, when Kjell claimed that he preferred the Beavers to the Ducks, Kjell is back on track and loving on some football. We play football at home every day. Our games consist of Kjell running laps of the house carrying the football and telling us when to cheer. It's pretty fun for him and pretty entertaining for his folks. As he's been watching Duck games on TV and in person and after attending one Willamette game, he has started to add to his list of plays. His favorite move is the "spin move" that we learned while in attendance at the Utah vs. Oregon game at Autzen stadium. I have a photo from the game below and a look at the spin move that inspired Kjell below the photo. Kjell was a total trooper at the game. I was hoping that he'd make it to halftime, but he watched the whole game. He told me to stand when everyone else stood so that he could see the game. Then, the next weekend, he was indignant that D'mitri was joining me for the game, rather than Kjell. I'm so proud.

Photos we took around the house ...

Here are a few photos documenting Kjell being 3 and Noak being 1/2. We took them in the living room with our home camera ;)

A Few More Summer Pics Out of Order

Summer Fun, Kjellisms, and Noak's New Tricks

Summer Fun , Kjellisms, and Noak's New Tricks

We've been having a great summer here in Salem. Kjell has been keeping us guessing and giggling with his new tactics of negotiating and his views about life and his future. He's also started having trouble falling asleep. So, he tries to convince us to sleep with him for, "lots of hours." He said, quite seriously the other day. "Mom, your bed is cold. My bed is cozy!"

As I was making breakfast this morning (french toast), Kjell told me that he wasn't up for such jobs when he grows up. He said with conviction, "I'll have my wife do that job Mom. It's messy!"

When I told him that he might have a hard time finding a wife if he expected her to do all the messy work in his family, he said they would "take turns."

I also asked him where he planned on meeting the future Mrs. Kjell Peters. He said that he would, "meet her on a team." I asked him if they would be on the team together. He said quite casually that they would not. She would "show up" at the end of his games when he plays for the Panthers. So, it's settled. Kjell will be working as an NFL player and supporting his old mom and dad in about 20 years. Sounds good to us!

Kjell is also trying to learn the value of a dollar lately. He has the goal of owning a gold Honda just like Daddy's when he is older. He told Jamie he doesn't want to wait to be grown up, but would rather buy one now with his piggy bank. Jamie explained he'd need to save up his money. So, he's been doing chores around the house to earn dimes. He's pretty motivated, so it may not be long before we need a bigger garage.

We had loads of fun on Noak's first camping trip too. Both boys had a really fun time and were troopers. They slept pretty well all told and were pretty adventurous. Kjell, Gram, Dad, and Bop went on few Geo Caches (hope I spelled that correctly), and Kjell used a magnifying glass to find bugs and look at some large plastic bugs that Gram had brought just in case real bugs were scarce at the campground. We'll add some pictures soon.

How Noak and our garden grow

Both our new babies - Noak and our garden - are both growing very quickly. We've already harvested lettuce, radishes and a strawberry from our garden. We're trying a new gardening technique, called "Square foot gardening". Grandpa Bob built our raised beds and got us all going. Also, Noak is now able to sit up in a high chair, and on one ocassion has actually rolled over. He's growing up so fast. Already 4 months!

Visit from Deez and Kjell's 3rd Birthday

We were very lucky to have a visit from our dear friend, Deanne Kissinger. She came to visit ALL THE WAY from England. Wow! I know that our boys are cute, but I never thought they'd pull the ladies over from across the pond.

Also, Kjell had his 3rd birthday on June 1st. It's hard to believe that he's already 3. We had multiple celebrations, one with his little friends from Salem, one with Grandma Penny/Grandma Judy, and another with Grandma Sara.

Some More Spring Break Pics