The Cold Months

As we bundle up and hunker down for the winter our outdoor activities require much more clothing, our meals turn to hot soups and hot coffee (lots of hot coffee), Advent candles are lit at the dinner table, and twinkle lights decorate the house. Elliott is now sleeping most of the night in his own room and Emma is as tumbly and precocious as ever.

The Brownie Sessions

When Emma wakes up from her mid-day naps Michelle loves to have a small snack waiting for her at the dining room table.  One sleepy afternoon soon after Elliott was born Emma came toddling out of her room to find a fresh-baked brownie and a glass of milk.  What follows are my three favorite pictures out of about two dozen in which the Little Miss shows us what a big girl she is growing up to be.

Sleepy Days

Elliott Daniel

Welcome Elliott Daniel!  After 32 hours of labor which included two sleepless nights, we witnessed the amazing miracle of childbirth when, with a whisper and a cry, our son slipped into this world.  We may write more about the birth story later but for now here are some early pictures of our boy and his new family.

Only 22 minutes old, Elliott takes comfort from his Papa.

Proud and weary parents soak up the reality of a new life created by love.

It is deeply symbolic to struggle through the pain of labor and birth in the dark of the night, only to greet the morning light with peace and new life. 

Proud Big Sister meets her brother for the first time.

Tjelle, meet Bean

This looks to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Real babies are heavier and wiggle more than dolls.

Sweetness

The Little Mister fits right into the family like a missing puzzle piece.

Big Four Ice Caves

Last Saturday Emma and Papa hiked up to the Big Four Ice Caves near Granite Falls with Mor Mor, Grandpa Dave and cousins Spencer and Bethany.  The trail up was about a mile long through trees and over bridges and Emma hiked nearly the whole thing by herself.  I kept asking her if she wanted to ride in the backpack and her answer was invariably, "No.  I want to walk."  She even scrambled up a steep section of trail over boulders and loose rocks.  The caves were still small but the air was hot, the snow was cold, and we had a great time skiing on our feet and throwing snowballs.

 

Snow in July!?!?

Ordinary lunch is a gourmet meal on the trail.

Proud Papa

Hangin' with the cousins

Spring

The first harvest from our garden.

Believe it or not this is our backyard.  We call it The Meadow.

Emma's Second

Who can believe Emma Tjelle is two already!  Actually I can... I finished reading her stories an hour ago and she is still choosing to play in her room rather than settle down for her afternoon nap!  The party was so much fun and we are grateful for all who were able to celebrate with us.  Here are some of our favorite pictures from the day.  Emma is really settling into herself and it is so much fun to see her take such delight in being celebrated and loved.

The Birthday Girl

Everybody is helping to open the art easel from Auntie Britta, Spencer and Bethany!

Emma's best friend, Abby

Some great Papa and Emma shots!

Practicing the Big Sister role

CAKE!

Big girls get to go down the big kid slide.

My favorite shot of the day... Emma singing Happy Birthday with everyone to herself!

 

...and the video!

Anyone still out there?

Did you notice that we haven't had a solid entry since Emma began walking?  It has been a wonderful year as we have watched Emma Tjelle grow and talk and love.  She is so fun at this stage and we are relishing this time we have with her as we get ready for "Baby Bean" to join us this summer.  I have "de-activated" my Facebook account and plan to update this blog often, so for those of you that thought we had abandoned the blog... we're back!