Hi Mom, Dad and Jacob!

Hey Dad and Mom, this is Jonathan. I miss you!

and this is Amelia and I miss you too!

Sophie, here! Love you Mom and Dad!

We had pizza and movie night with the Olmsteads last night... we watched A Little Princess; a couple of us thought it was really scary, but Mr. Mark and Mrs. Olmstead told us that it was ok because it has a very happy ending!

Talia read us a story today about a bunny rabbit. It was fun!

I played memory with Mrs. Olmstead, Behn and Tovala... I didn't quite win, but I was close!

We helped Talia and Sylvia make Oat Bars for snack time... Sylvia is soo funny, she wanted to lick the bowl out before we were done!

Mrs. Olmstead let us make a fort under the table with Behn, Tovala, Asher and Sylvia... then we played hide and seek!

It was pretty cozy in the fort.

This evening before we went to bed Mr. Mark read from a book called Tales of the Restoration... it is a good book! (this is Jonathan) I told Yetta that it was about a King in a forest! :)

We are all working on being part of a really cool club called "The Clean Plate Club". Sometimes it is hard to make it into the club, but we are trying really hard and Mr. Mark says we are doing a good job!

We can't wait to see you tomorrow Daddy, Mommy and Jacob!!

Sunday: with plenty of snow and food!

We woke up to lots of beautiful snow falling!! (this is looking out my bedroom window)

Before church, Mom and Dad made a wonderful breakfast of omelets and sweet rolls - I would put a picture of our sweet rolls on here, but that would not be nice because they look so good and there are not any left. :) After church (and a nap) we made some more food! We decided to go Danish today, so we had Frickadellers, Varm Kalstuvning, Kartoffelpletters..... and in English: something like Danish Meatballs, Hot Slaw, and Potato Pancakes ( w/Horseradish sauce). It took about 2 1/2 hours to prepare and almost 1/2 hour to eat! :D

Painting.

Yesterday we did some painting!! Heidi, Liesel, Hannah and I had a great time painting all kinds of crazy colored walls... pink and yellow - that was the best! (no, they are not walls in our home!) ;)

We had a fun time and the walls look a whole lot better!

Recycled Candles.

Throughout the past week Noah, Seth and Behn have taken all of the left over wax from old candles and making new candles! This is the one they made for me!

They even made their own wicks!

Green Eggs and Ham anyone?

After lunch one day last week Mom had sent the three little ones in to her room and she was going to come in and read them a story before naps.... this is what they were doing when she got there. Tovala was reading to Asher and Sylvia. :)

a mouse in the house.

My cousin Heidi and her mom, Aunt Merry are here for a couple of weeks. It has been fun spending some time with them! A few days ago, Heidi spent a day with us.... and we ran across a mouse.... so she and Joel caught it! :)

He was a fat and lazy little guy... we threw him out in the snow about 20 feet from the house... None of us had the guts to cut off his head or step on him or anything like that, instead we let him freeze.

Last Days.

On Saturday morning we went cross country skiing for a short way up the river (no worries, we were very close the the edge and it was very safe!). We all decided that after staying up most of the night before, cross country skiing was hard work!

Later in the day, on the way to Grandpa's and Grandma's, one of the car loads stopped in Stillwater for a very short coffee break.

and brief walk - probably 1 block or so. :)

Then we went to Grandpa Don's and Grandma Polly's for a wonderful dinner!!!

It was a nice relaxing evening.

Where's Waldo? :)

Then we went in the steam room and played outside in the snow.

it was cold.

We played a game of bean bag toss... girls against the boys - the boys won.

It was a very nice evening!!
Thank you Grandpa Don and Grandma Polly for such a nice night!


This morning we said good bye to Byron and Nina... It was a very nice time, we enjoyed it immensely! Can't wait until next time!

Friday.

Yesterday was a relaxing day. We stayed at home for the most part, other then Dad and Mom who had a couple of meetings to go to and their date day. We played a lot of Foosball and Ping Pong, puzzles, and card games. After lunch Nina and I went down town and had Chai Lattes at the coffee shop.

At 9:30 p.m. we left and went to Trollhaugen to spend the night skiing.

Again, Nina caught on very quickly. She went on Black Diamond several times throughout the evening.

We met a bunch of friends and played Cops and Robbers for the first part of the evening... and then spent the rest of the night just skiing.

I only had my camera with me while I was skiing with Nina and Byron, so I don't have pictures of anyone else.

It was a fun night... and I think everyone came home with their fingers and toes still attached to the feet and hands... despite the cold.

more fun.

This morning, after breakfast and after Joel had his ortho. appointment, we went to Osceola... first we walked down by the water fall-

-which is frozen.

It was a little chilly so we quickly made our way to the bowling alley...

where we had a very fun time.

It was fun to get a 1st for Byron as well as Nina this time!! :) :)
and even though it was Byron's 1st time bowling, he won!

and Nina was a natural! :)

It was Talia's 1st time bowling as well.

This afternoon, after the kids had their naps, we went ice skating!

We started out with a game of soccer on ice and then it turned into something like football, maybe. ;)

Nina was a natural at skating too! She was doing just as well as any of us!

After ice skating we came home and enjoyed some of Auntie Kims Swiss Mocha, which was very tasty!! For dinner we had our "Sweet" Swedish Meatballs. Actually, they are not really sweet.... I just like to call them "Sweetish". ;)

Right now I am sitting in the upstairs living room watching a game of ping pong between Eli and Byron and a game of Foosball between Joel and Nina and Hannah.

1st Day of 1sts... :)

Well, I think the 1st 1st was probably the snow (for Nina). This morning after breakfast we - everyone in the picture, plus me - went out for a hike in the snow!

Nina got her 1st experience of trudging through the snow all bundled up in winter clothes! :)

We had a fun time. We made several snow angels. that is another 1st for Nina!! :) :)

It was a beautiful day for a hike, we are thankful that it warmed up this week.

Madeline, Nina's scarf is very pretty!!!

and Hannah....

we actually buried her on the lake... it was a sad day. :(

(until she warmed up the rest of the way from the thick layer of snow.

Here is a friendly goose that we met.... I think he was pretty cold, because he was content sitting there - letting us get very close.

After the kids' naps we went sledding! Yay!! Another 1st for Nina!! :)

After sledding we played king of the mountain(of snow).

It was a fun day!!! Lots of snow!

Thank you Uncle Rod and Aunt Kim (and family) for letting us borrow Byron and Nina for a few days!

Byron and Nina.

Last night Byron and Nina got in!! Joel and I ended up picking them up from the airport and then meeting Dad and Mom at the Mall of America...

Dad and Mom were having dinner with some friends, so we wandered through the mall for a while. We went on a ride - just for the Mall of America experience. Then we had dinner.

and found a new car for Joel. ;) We are very happy to have them here - and looking forward to the week of "1sts"!!! :)

Skating.

Yesterday we all went out ice skating!!! It was VERY cold... a whole 0 degrees.

we had a fun time... (a short fun time)

We practiced our skating... some of us with boots.

Dad looking down on Eli and Joel wrestling...

Even though it was so cold we had a lot of fun!! We played on the rink for a short time and then went home and had hot cocoa!

-a very nice afternoon-

Sledding.

We got to go sledding on Friday...

...the annual "Dad and Abram wrestling match in the snow".

Lots of races....

Lots of snow ball fights...


Lots of "sled surfing"... Abram, Seth, and Joel had it down the best!

Lots of fun!

So nice to have them home!