swimming fun

We had a great time today in the Minnesota heat and humidity at our friend Isabelle's house. She has a pool! And we loved every minute of it. Kate and Annika played in the pool for three hours. Needless to say....they both came home and fell asleep.

Summertime fun definitely means swimming fun. Thanks for having us over Isabelle!

god is good

"Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good." Psalm 135:3

This year for Father's Day the girls and I bought Jason an "old" sign that says, "God is good, all the Time." I found it while browsing through the Dayspring website. Which connected me with this really cool blog, (click here). I love the old fashioned, vintage feel of this brand-new piece of art. Plus it makes me think of the song written by Minnesotan Don Moen. It's one of those catchy tunes that gets into your head. Plus it's a great reminder when you are having one of THOSE kinda days.

This sign is now sitting in our kitchen, reminding me every day that God is good. Even when I may question His works and His plans, I need to remember, without any doubt....He is good, all the time. It's not my time, it's God's time.

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." Romans 8:28

the north shore {june}

It's an annual event. Father's Day on the North Shore of Minnesota. For the past six years Jason has run either Grandma's Marathon or the Gary Bjorklund Half-Marathon and it has always been out of the ordinary hot in Duluth. Surprisingly this weekend the weather was very Duluth-like. Foggy. Cold. Windy. Gray. Blah.

But we still had fun.

Time with our cousins Jack and Andrew, hikes to the top of Grandma and Grandpa's land, Lake Superior, yummy food, campfires and lots of playing, snuggling and enjoying each other's company.

We had a great last visit with Marc, Tina, Andrew and Jack before they leave the Midwest in July for their new adventure in California. We can't wait to visit them in Fairfield, not too far from Napa Valley.

{preschool graduation}

Last night Kate and Annika graduated from preschool!

I'm still in shock. I don't think it has really set in that I am the mother of five year olds....soon to be kindergarteners.

Wasn't I just dropping my sweet, bald, chunky little one and a half year old daughters at daycare and crying my eyes out as I walked back to my truck heading to work for the first time since giving birth to my twins? That wasn't that long ago? Right?

I can't even imagine that my daily drop-offs at Kati's Toastie Tots Daycare are done. I know that it hasn't even set in yet? I know that Kate and Annika are all set for kindergarten, but I know that they don't quite get it yet. Preschool is done. They are big girls now.

Last week, as we were getting ready in the bathroom Annika says to me, "I can't believe daycare will be done on Friday and then on Monday I get to go to kindergarten!"

Oh dear.

I quickly reminded her that summer vacation is here and all the teachers need to take a little break before their new friends arrive for a new year. That Mrs. Bortel (their kindergarten teacher) needs to rest up for the next school year.

Annika quickly said, "Why?"

Oh dear.

So, thank you to Miss Kati. Our teacher, second momma, loving, caring, wonderful blessing from God. We will miss you.

Train a child in the way she should go, and when she is old she will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

prayers

O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139: 1-4, 13-16

Prayers for two very special people whom I love. We are family though not through blood, but through God's family of believers. I pray that your wish and prayer comes true and that you are truly blessed beyond measure!

a fairy garden party {kate and annika turn 5}

Today we spent the day with some sweet little fairies. Two of those fairies were our little Kate and Annika, who aren't that little anymore. They just turned 5 years old.

Our home turned into a fairy garden. It was so fun finding all sorts of glittery, flowery, butterfly things to decorate with. I found most of the ideas here.

We had a scavenger hunt looking for fun fairy things. Feathers, gems, pixie dust, magic wands.

We played fairy freeze and even daddy was acting like a fairy.

We made fairy headbands, colored fairy pictures, opened presents and ate delicious flower cupcakes.

Kate and Annika loved having all of their friends over.

Simply put, it was a great day.

kate's surgery

Last Monday Kate had her tonsils and adenoids taken out at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis. She was very excited to be just like her "little" sister Annika (who had hers taken out last spring). We arrived at 6 a.m. on Monday morning and we were the first surgery scheduled for the day with Dr. Soumekh. Kate wanted momma to come back with her when she went to sleep. Kate did a much better job than momma....I lost it! As soon as she was starting to fall asleep her eyes started doing all these funny things and she started arching her back and I just started crying like crazy. Of course the nurses and doctors were great and assured me that this was completely normal, but it really freaked me out. Then as the doctors were getting started I was walked out of the room- were I got to sit all by myself and wait for the next hour and a half as Kate finished up with the surgery and went to the recovery room.

When Kate came back to our room she was tired. Unlike her sister Kate slept for two more hours and woke up asking for an orange popsicle. She ate two more popsicles and was doing so well that we were checked out before noon. Crazy! We spent the rest of the day watching movies at home, napping and eating lots of popsicles and "soft" foods.

Her recovery went really well all week long. Grandma Bakke came to stay with us and watch both Kate and Annika for the rest of the week. Now we are on spring break and I wouldn't even know that Kate had major surgery just a week ago. We love that our little girl can breathe more normally and is sleeping so much more soundly.