ZAIDA & BJORN

here are a few pics of zaida and bjorn at ben & olivia's house in maple grove. we went over for a brief visit while we were in minneapolis a few weeks ago. bjorn was so cute with zaida, he kept rocking her in her carseat. maybe the next time we see them zaida will be able to play instead of just sitting there lookin cute!

SURFER BABY...CHILD PRODIGY!

you didn't know our girl had skillz!?! yes, our 3 1/2 month old can surf. her daddy taught her just a few weeks ago. eric was very impressed since he didn't learn to surf until his 20's. we obviously have a child prodigy on our hands here... but really, it's not surprise.

BEFORE & AFTER!

we (we meaning eric and his parents) just finished our latest home improvement project. we have a back porch "solarium" type room that was basically wasted space. it had nasty shingled walls and a dark wood celing. we decided to rip out the shingles, put up drywall, new floors, paint the ceiling, etc. we're in the process of adding a table so that we can eat out there and enjoy the view of our back yard. it was an insane amount of work, it's always more than you think it's going to be, but it has been well worth it!! it looks great, and we were able to do it pretty inexpensively. eric's parents are great "do-it-yourselfers" and they were able to help us out with their expertise. it's great to have people who know what they're doing around, although it means that they get roped into doing a lot of work. it's kind of like in college when you have a truck, and suddenly you're everyone's best friend because you can help them move. that's why i drove a celebrity eurosport in college. don't be jealous. :)

THAT MOMENT...

eric and i were talking the other day about zaida's birth, and i asked him if he had one moment that stuck out from the others as "that moment". (we had 14 hours in the car together, so we had some time.) he said it was when he was in the nursery with zaida and he looked out at holly and my dad watching from the other side of the glass, and it just hit him, "i'm a dad, and this is my baby!" how cool!

my moment was right after she made her way into the world and they plopped her on my chest. it was the first time that i saw this little being who had been living inside me for the past nine months. i'll spare you the pic of this, but it was one of the most amazing moments of my life.

the pic above is my friend carolyn who i taught with in florida. she and her husband have desired to become parents for years, and after months of ups and downs... their prayers have been answered. they are the now the proud parents of a little boy. when she sent this picture, i knew this was her moment-- the first time she held her son in her arms. whether your baby grows in your belly, or someone else's, God has a plan for every little baby, and am so happy that carolyn and her husband have been connected to their little man. congrats to them!!