Mad Sending Bush Kanakas

December wishes

2011-12-29T10:26:00.002-07:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

May the new year bring you closer to your dreams.

Love,

Suzanna, Clemens, Maja, Elias and Britta

Wind

2011-12-02T08:47:00.001-07:00

Growing up the only time I remember there being really strong wind was visiting my grandparents in Truckee. It was usually in the winter time during big snow storms.
Now, whenever there are strong winds, especially at night when I am asleep, I subconsciously think that I will wake up to snow.
Not in Arizona.

I am sad when I wake up and there is none.

Internet-less

2011-11-02T13:53:00.002-06:00

We are moving this week.
To Arizona.
To a house.
That we bought.
In the country.
A little bit.
In the country enough to not have high speed internet.
We found out this week.

I'm not going to push it.
But maybe just wish for a 3G Ipad for Christmas.
Complete with 3G phone service.

I will be posting pictures before we leave.
Because baby just turned 1 month old!

First came the chicken.

2011-10-15T12:21:00.002-06:00

At least in our case.

Today we got our first egg from our chickens.

The winner. Our little red hen.

Big Brother

2011-10-07T11:53:00.000-06:00

In all our excitement (and exhaustion) leading up to the babies birth, I didn't post about little E's birthday!

All he wanted for his birthday was a big chocolate cake.

But he was pleasantly surprised to find out he got toys too!

Happy Birthday big brother!

Birth Story

2011-10-04T14:03:00.001-06:00

At around 1:30 AM on the 28th I awoke to contractions. This wasn't unusual since she had been giving me contractions at night for several weeks. I could tell as the hours past and I tried to go back to sleep that she was going to come today.

I lost my mucus plug at 7 and contacted my midwives (they assumed since I lost my mucus plug a few hours before my water broke with Elias- and he came quickly after that- they wanted to know). By 10 my contractions were irregular around 10 min. apart and getting stronger, but still only about 30-50 seconds long.

One of my midwives, Sara, came to check on me in the afternoon. I was dialated to a 4.

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful. My contractions were regular... all... afternoon...

In the evening after putting the babies to bed, everyone relaxed and I put on my Hypnobirthing scripts. I then felt I needed to do the Fear Release script. I honestly slept through most of it, but as soon as it was over the baby started doing dances in my belly and I had 4 contractions in 7 minutes. Things progressed nicely after that as the baby worked her way down. The baby's waters must have popped because I was leaking a little, but there was never a gush.. until later. It was quiet and peaceful in our house with the lights low. Clemens was an awesome help. I had a little back labor for a while and just his hand on my lower back would sooth it away. Around 11 pm I knew that she was trying to be born before midnight, but she didn't quite make it. I had tried to change positions once as my progression was getting the most intense, but my body didn't like it and I continued standing through my contractions.

I lost focus only once right before she came. Not in words, or even thought of 'I can't do this' but in my breath. It was almost stolen away, is how I can best think to describe it. Luckily I was aware enough with what was going on that I could calm down and keep breathing. I called that my transition, and I think that is why I have such a hard time with 'breathing' the baby down instead of pushing like they do in hypnobirthing. I am so tired of being in labor that I want the baby out as fast as I can! I said several prayers between the time of transition and when she was born, which may or may not have been out loud.

Just after midnight she came out. Her water really broke just before she was born. That was such a relief, and helped her come faster.

Oh, I was ever so thankful for my bed. I had done my most intense labor and even the birth standing up and my legs felt like I had run a marathon (and they continued to feel that way for the next 24 hours).

The placenta was born and we were able to get all comfortable and get to know our little baby!

Ah, home births.

She measured 9 lbs, 21 1/2 inches long and had a 14 inch head. At her 1 day checkup (and after being up all night nursing), she weighed the same as she did when she was born. Today she weighed 9 1/2 lbs. She is a professional nurser, and has been since she was born!

Meeting brother and sister.

2011-10-04T12:44:00.001-06:00

They love her already!

Arrival!

2011-10-04T12:05:00.000-06:00

Introducing our little Britta!

Britta Haltern

Born September 29th at 12:22 am

9 lbs and 21 1/2 inches long

Douglas House.

2011-09-17T16:19:00.001-06:00

Babies in the 'driveway'. yeah, that will be moved.

You can see the neighbor's blue round house.

We will share a driveway on the West side of the house with them.

Round house with porch. :)

Kitchen

Hall to M. Bedroom, has pantry in hall.

Living area, LOTs of light.

Bedroom #2

Bath #2

Living area, front door to porch.

M. Bath

M. Bedroom and Maja

Dining area, living area.

East over compacted soil caused by septic installation.

South East again over compacted soil.

Neighbor's artsy fartsy.

A little more of Little Man

2011-09-16T16:37:00.004-06:00

Ignore the mess, just look at the cuteness!

Getting smart with a straw bowl and a spork.

New helmets.

After swimming.

Aww.

Little Late for Little lady

2011-06-05T08:03:00.006-06:00

A back log of pictures for Great Grandmother!

My babies.

Swimming in the backyard as babies should.

Building 'Temples' with daddy.

Maja reading.

Lunch and a movie.

Princess Maja on her birthday.

Hiking in the desert behind our home.

Frohe Ostern

2011-04-24T07:24:00.010-06:00

Happy Easter!

In celebrating the death and Ressurection of the Savior

we have been talking a lot about death this week. Maja is fascinated by it.

It is interesting to learn about death and dying from the eyes of a child.

To them it is so pure, and natural.

I am thankful for my Savior,

that he fulfilled the plan that lets us live with our families forever.

With these lovelies.

Easter Morning

With daddy at the Easter Egg Hunt.

Bun

2011-03-31T20:28:00.003-06:00

Sorry about the lack of posts for the last couple months.

I've been trying to keep things together in my home,

and not think about the nausea and extreme lack of energy.

I have 2 babies to think about, and take care of.

Well, 2 and 1/3.

Suprize!

We have another bun in the oven!

The baby is due around September 24th.

Isn't this the most lovely newborn portrait?

Ethereal. I love it. From here.

2011-02-26T12:25:00.002-07:00

While reading a friend's blog today I realized that the pendulum has swung. She writes about being, not crazy-hecktic-depressed-bored, but being UNMOTIVATED as a mother of two small children. Unmotivated to keep the house clean, to go out and make a difference like we used to.

I felt like I was reading my own words!

Maybe that is what some of us feel, sometimes, as being mothers. There is no prestige, awards, or levels of accomplishment. There is the everyday.

diapers.cooking.crying.diapers.naps.cooking.diapers.crying.cooking.sleep

I mean, there are the wonders.

smiles.first words. first steps.giggles.I love you's.hugs.cuddles

Fabulous.

But no one notices what we put in everyday.

In reality, I think this is exacerbated by the lack of sleep, and lack of personal time. Really exacerbated.

That is why I feel my pendulum has finally swung the other way.

I am MOTIVATED again! I am getting sleep (mostly), and have found an outlet that I LOVE. It gets me out of the house, and around other people who are interested in the same things I am. It pushes me to be smarter, more social, more prepared. I don't feel badly about being away from my children (thank you for finally weaning little E).

So, for anyone that has been worried about me not being chipper in my postings this past year, now you know why. I love being a mother, I love my babies, I love having constructive me time. It makes me whole.

Incompatibility

2011-01-15T19:04:00.002-07:00

Blogging would be so much easier if I could update with my Ipad.

Home

2011-01-02T18:56:00.007-07:00

I feel so blessed to be able to stay home with my children.

Some days I feel even spoiled by it.

Today is one of those.

All around are mothers, single or married, who have to work full time and don't get to stay with their babies all day long. They have to trust their children to someone else's care while they try to provide for them.

I see so many of them struggle.

and I feel so petty in my complaints about how tired I am after a day with my children.

I pretty much have a rad life. Mainly because of this man.

The one running down the hill with our daughter.

He is amazing. Strong, brave, sacrificing, loving and completely devoted.

Yep, pretty amazing.

I love him.

Greetings from our family to yours!

2010-12-20T17:46:00.005-07:00

Merry Christmas!

"As now we reflect on the birth of our Savior", my mission president and his wife always start their Christmas letters with this (or very similar) sentence. It truly is a time to reflect and

remember Him; To learn and relearn His life and ministry; to build and rebuild our faith and testimony in Him.

I love spending the holiday season with my babies. I love the excitement and joy that comes in learning about "Baby Jesus", the angels (oh the beautiful angels!),

not to mention the sheep, cows and camels.

Little M is just old enough (2 1/2 years old) to remember the stories, who is who and some of the words to Christmas songs and hymns. In our church sacrament meeting, she came up and sang with me (with the choir), literally. She didn't know the words, but she stood up and when she wasn't dancing in circles, she sang. Luckily she is a favorite in our ward and several people came up and told me how they enjoyed it (the people who didn't like it haven't said anything so far).

{Little M in her Christmas Princess dress from Great-Grandmother (she L.O.V.E.S. it)}

Little E (16 months) is getting the tune to several Christmas songs

(including "fa-la-la-la-la la la la la). He loves the Christmas tree and helping redecorate it. He wants to (and has tried several times to) open the presents under the tree. He is full of mischief and love. He loves looking at the pictures as we read him the Christmas story and playing with our playmobil nativity.

{Little E showing off one of the hip, warm hats from the Hugo cousins!}

{Daddy reading Maja her favorite book of all time,"Salamander".}

We love this season, and look forward to someday living where we might have a white Christmas again. For now we will enjoy our mid-60 degree weather and hiking the sand hills behind our house.

We love you all! Happy Holidays!

Wouldn't you love reading in a canary yellow chair?

2010-12-01T19:30:00.003-07:00

There are two adorable canary yellow slip chairs at Goodwill today. $50 a pop. But wouldn't one just be adorable in my house!?!

It looks kind of like this, only it has smaller arms (not really arms), and is a MUCH more juicy yellow.

Oh yes, thankyou!

2010-11-25T18:57:00.002-07:00

Thanksgiving this year was a little sad. Well IT wasn't sad, I was sad. I miss my family terribly, and knowing that I won't see any of them for this holiday or the one to come (plus a little added female hormone) made me literally cry.

Since Clemens had to work, we had a Thanksgiving Brunch before he had to leave. It was a tasty Thanksgiving Turkey Sausage Stuffing Strata. Pretty much my own creation, inspired by many hours of searching for recipes on the internet. Oh, it was gluten free too. Udi's and Darn Good Bread ( a local company here in Las Cruces) make very good gluten free bread.

This afternoon my project has been to make a pumpkin pie. I never knew cooking could be so difficult until I had two little birdies at my ankles whenever the urge to cook something good comes. I started with them before dinner, and since the pastry had to rest, I finished it after the babies were down for the night.

Let me tell you, this is the BEST pie crust I have ever made. I had a little left over from rolling it out and popped it into the oven while the crust rested (again). Out it came and in a flash it was gone. Mmmmmm, so good. Who knew gluten free flours could make a pastry soooooo good.

In case you want the recipe, here it is. I adapted it from Gluten Free Girl and the Chef. Ih fact, since I am lazy, I will refer you to their instructions on how to make it.

2 oz. coconut flour

2 oz. corn flour

2 oz. potato starch

3 oz. sweet rice flour

1 teaspoon (plus a little) xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 oz. butter

2 oz. coconut oil

2 oz. shortening (I use expeller pressed palm oil)

3 oz. (1/2 cup + ) water

It is beautiful.

Fire

2010-11-16T18:42:00.003-07:00

It is that season again, even down here in the desert southwest. It is getting chilly. Before we turned on our heater for the season, we decided to utilize our handy fireplace.

You wouldn't believe what good kindling year-old christmas tree makes!

Aren't they cute?

Halloweenies

2010-11-02T13:07:00.001-06:00

This was us at our Ward's Trunk or Treat.

Can you guess what we are dressed as?

Gluten Free Cornbread (when you have NO gluten free flour)

2010-10-20T20:03:00.004-06:00

Today I was going to make a wonderful pot of beans... but it turned out I started too late. We were going to have to have the veggie-full sloppy joe mix from yesterday (it has beans too). BUT, Little E and I aren't eating gluten, I really, REALLY wanted something other than rice with it.

After searching high and low for gluten free corn bread recipes, I figured out that most use the ratio of 2 cups corn meal to 1 cup gluten free flour.

Hmmm. I don't have any gluten free flour.... but I DO have some cooked quinoa in the refrigerator. So I took the brazillian approach and mixed all the liquid ingredients in the blender and added the cooked quinoa. Presto, quinoa flour. Brilliant.

it. turned. out. so. good.

not kidding.

Here is the recipe. (Adapted from celiac.com)

2 cups cornmeal
1 cup cooked quinoa
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups buttermilk (or 2 cups milk, plus 2 tablespoons vinegar)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons butter

Blend together eggs and milk in blender. Add quinoa, coconut oil, maple syrup and salt. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and, stir into egg mixture. Put butter in a 10 inch cast iron skillet and heat in oven. Pour batter into hot skillet (Batter should sizzle). (Mine made enough for one cast iron skillet plus 6 muffins.)

Bake at 425F degrees for 30 minutes.

San Francisco with Daddy

2010-10-11T07:45:00.005-06:00

After Daddy came to California we took a day trip to San Francisco, went to Fisherman's Warf and the Aquarium at the Bay.

The Men, decked out.

We decided to take the Ferry from Vallejo to San Fran.

We didn't feel like battling SF traffic, parking AND two babies.

Just seeing their faces as they got to take their first boat ride made it worth it.

It was lovely.

Pulling into the Ferry Building.

After we toured, we rested (and honestly changed diapers) behind the Aquarium, Little E and Little M found another sea lion friend making noise among the boats.

Little M was so tired after our adventure that she fell asleep on the floor of the ferry.

Luckily she is cute and we were sitting next to very kind people (because little E cried almost the whole way- don't worry we took him outside, then he fell asleep too).

What we did for fun!

2010-10-08T18:32:00.002-06:00

Some may wonder what we did in California for 3 weeks!

These are a few of the things:

Hiking in the foothills.

Playing in the sprinklers.

Playing in the park (a lot).

Going to the Farmers Market.

Going swimming!

These along with adventrures with Grandpa to the mountains, visits from Uncle Dave then visits from cousins, we found ourselves pretty occupied!

The tinys loved every minute, Momma liked having some down time!

California LOVE

2010-10-06T18:16:00.002-06:00

Clemens was sent on a detail during August, so the babies and I went to California to visit family, and boy did we visit! We stayed nearly a month. Little M and E were able to meet family they had never seen before, and were able to really bond and be comfortable with Grandma, Grandpa, Great Grandma and Great Grandpa, oh, and Uncle Royce too.

Great Grandpa quickly became one of Little E's favorite people.

GG would take E's fingers and let him walk around

and around

and around the house,

until his little heart was contented.

Now that is the way to be friends with this boy.

They loved visiting Great Grandma after their baths

to give hugs and kisses and get their jammies on.

Uncle Dave came in from the islands and was an easy male roll model for E.

We miss you Dave!

Uncle Royce got the love too. By the end of our trip, this is what it looked like.

We could just hand Little E to him and off they would go.

Little E turned 1 year old during our visit! Such a big little man.

Taking Burklie home

2010-08-08T19:35:00.002-06:00

Burklie stayed with us for three weeks, at the end we drove up to meet her mom.

elias' new crawling techniques at the park in Durango.

the babuses.

July Review

2010-07-30T16:16:00.004-06:00

In July we drove up to Utah to visit family and pick up Burklie. It was a great trip (especially since we decided to not do anything, just visit, rest and play with kiddies).

Temple Trip

2010-06-26T12:00:00.004-06:00

Ah, I love our little family!

Albuquerque is wonderful. I love that the temple is so near to some of my favorite stores (Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Sunflower Market), plus has a distribution center, and a place to hang out with family, and even take a shower if you need to.

Maja's favorite part was being able to go inside the temple to eat lunch in the cafeteria.

She was so excited to see the temple.

Cupa do Mundo

2010-06-26T11:56:00.001-06:00

Minha fillinha ta pronta para o cupo do mundo. Vai Brasil!

Una camisetta que foi mi dado durante minha missao, tornou uma vestida pra Majinha.

Squeals Birthday Morning!!!

2010-05-18T20:24:00.002-06:00

Two Years Old

2010-05-14T13:39:00.003-06:00

A picture story of Little M's morning.

There is nothing like a birthday through the eyes of a 2 year old!

The beautiful Happy Birthday banner was made by Aunt Anna. Check out her stuff here.

Look at that happy face.

Happy Birthday my little girl!

sleep walker

2010-05-07T18:45:00.002-06:00

Lately we have been going on hikes with Little M and Little E in the baby backpack. Little M loves 'hiking the mountain'. We started hiking in the evening so that Little M would go to sleep without a fuss (worked great), but then the temperature shot up to the 90's. Being too hot to hike in the evenings we traded it for the mornings (which helps her take naps happily). Yesterday morning we arrived home with the baby like you see above.

so cute!

We got him to his bed and he continued his nap in peace.

More Back Yard Fun

2010-05-05T21:42:00.001-06:00

Easter Sundays

2010-04-12T13:56:00.002-06:00

My little modella.

Thank you Great-Grandmother for the beautiful dress. Little M ADORES it.

On Easter Little M was able to hunt for eggs in the back yard.

Please note, she is still in her p.j.'s.

She even invited ourneighbor Lupe to come over.

Pre-Easter Sunshine

2010-04-12T13:48:00.004-06:00

I love outsides.

I love outsides even more in the morning, but my mornings are filled for the month with Clemens schedule and him not starting work until noon.

This particular afternoon it was beautiful, and very, very bright. Little M was trying out her new chalk (thank you Target dollar isle) and Little E was trying to crawl to the dirt.

I love them.

Hopefully March winds will give way to April showers.

2010-04-02T20:06:00.004-06:00

What we've been up to:

Homemade beef bone broth, featuring some great local Grass-Fed beef bones.
Rotisserie chicken from the slow cooker, and chicken broth.
Tending to our seedlings in the garden.
Working on business ideas and/or plans.
Feeding little E solids, lot of 'em. He's a hungry boy.
Trying to get little M to take naps.
All-In-One cloth diaper making.
Baby showers, there have been several around these here parts.
FOOD STORAGE! It is coming, it is coming!

Good Morning Spring

2010-03-20T13:31:00.003-06:00

Today is the first day of Spring. To celebrate, we went to the Farmers Market to buy eggs and grass-fed beef.

This is my green-house this year.

My old milk crates that served as my nightstand in college, got wrapped in saran wrap and filled with peat pots, cans and recycled pots to start veggies.

I had to plant my squash and cucumbers earlier than planned, if you can tell, they are getting a little nutrient deficient. (they are dying in the garden already!!?!?) We also planted 3 tomatoes.

Little M and Little E both love to be outside.

It isn't hot here, but the sun is always brutal.

Little E needed a hat to keep the sun from burning his cute little bald head.

Doesn't he look so much like his Daddy?

Little M, on the other hand is working on trading her ivory skin for bronze (and hopefully not red!)

I love these kids! XOXO

Stop Circumcision

2010-03-15T13:08:00.002-06:00

My mom sent me this article from Dr. Northrup. I can't agree more.

Read it.

You'll be glad you did.

http://www.drnorthrup.com/news/news_article.php

Parenting 101

2010-03-04T20:07:00.002-07:00

Two Stories.

The first.

We went to the park today. After spending the morning in El Paso we were driving home and little M heard Clemens say something about park. She had no idea he was talking about parking a car, or was it an RV... She recognized park, and she wanted PARK! So to keep her little "I only took a 10 minute nap in the car" feelings from being hurt, we went to the park before we got home. While at the park there was another lady there with her 18 month old daughter. While Clemens was running around with little M, trying to get her to go down slides and chase him, this lady kept yelling at her daughter. She scolded her repeatedly for taking her shoes off (which were much too big for her and kept falling off on their own), and yelling at her for trying to climb up the slide instead of going up the stairs. I felt so bad for this little girl. Not that it made her upset, she must have been used to it, and was just enjoying being outside. It made me think that her mom probably doesn't let her color outside the lines either. It also made me ponder how we are creatively stimulated. If you want to try to climb up the slide, go ahead. Your little 18 month old legs probably won't get you very far (little M didn't get very far). If you want to color outside the lines GO AHEAD. I always wanted to be an artist when I was little, but I was so afraid of 'not doing it right'. I allowed myself no creative freedom. I thought if you did art, it had to be perfect. Oh, I am glad I got over that one. It took me a long time, mind you, but I did get over it.

How can we teach our children to be good, clean and obedient, while helping them to be creative, fun and adventurous?

Story 2.

I love it when people help you realize you are doing good. In Las Cruces, we have a program called 'Parents as Teachers', it is a program for parents of 0-3 year olds. An educator comes to your home and helps you know how to best help your child grow emotionally, socially, developmentally, etc. They bring a simple little activity and observe how you interact with your child, how the child interacts, and gives you ideas on what to do so your child can achieve their developmental milestones. They also do screenings for autism, eyesight, hearing, and developmental delays. AND they explain it all to you. Since I didn't take any Early Childhood Development courses in college, I find the help and ideas for activities wonderful!

Our Educator, pictured with little M blow is so sweet. Little M loves her as well. My favorite part of all the knowledge she has given me is in knowing that I am helping my children. She always makes it a point to show you how you are succeeding as a parent. Helping your child(ren) grow and become good people.

Fort Sheet

2010-02-23T13:26:00.003-07:00

Daddy playing blocks with the little ones.

This week little M and I made her first fort.

It was a huge success!

Both she and little E were enthralled by our tent.

To my Valentines

2010-02-14T16:14:00.002-07:00

We love you!

xoxo

Time flies

2010-02-12T19:01:00.002-07:00

I've been busy with the following

... him

her

them.

January Travels

2010-01-19T19:11:00.007-07:00

Okay, so this is one LONG photog. That's photo log of our trip to Utah. I have slacked on the postings since Christmas, so here I am making up for it.

You're welcome.

The scenery was beautiful as we drove into Utah. We miss you, Utah. We think you are beautiful. We could do without the millions of other people who love you as well as their cars, but maybe we can come to a compromise.

The Barn Rock. There is a little hole in the side of this rock that a rancher blasted out to use as a barn and store stuff. Pretty Sweet.
Scene from the front seat. Very sweet.

Mmmm, I forgot the name of this arch... Simon Arch? And the La Sals.

The Arches Boulders, right north of the entrance to Arches National Park.
Some of the beautiful scenery between Moab and Price. Usually the worst part of the drive, was covered in Snow and looked absolutely Antarctic.

We were listening to "Endurance" and it fit.

Another polar scene.
Polar sunset.
Look at how those usually dull cliffs gleam in the snow. It was an amazing transformation.

I love the two stripes.
Now up in Utah Valley. Bridal Veil Falls. We had to check out the ice. Three Climbers mixing it up.
There are four climbers in this photo of Stairway to Heaven. Can you see them?
Opi and Little E

Clemens and "Burkee" as little M calls her.

Maja was thrilled that she could meet "Baby Jaime" before we left.

Such cute cheeks!

Our vacation went way to fast. Next time we will take it slow and spend more time doing nothing with those we love. Not that we don't love all the friends we saw. Okay, we will schedule a lunch and if you want to see us you can come. That way you can show how much you love us! Ah ha ha ha ha (evil laugh).

We really do love you.

CA Christmas

2010-01-19T18:53:00.005-07:00

The weekend before Christmas we went to Palm Desert, to celebrate with my grandmother and father. Clemens got an extra day off to come and serve as our cheuffer. We had a wonderful trip. We stopped in Pheonix on the way out and were able to stay with my beautiful friend Kendra from BYU, who I hadn't seen in AGES. She gave us beds. The biggest relief when we got there was to see the GREEN. They live on a golf course. It was so refreshing. Maja was teething her molars and was mostly quiet until just after we ate and her medicine started kicking in. She loved playing with her cousins Sam and Henry.

A New Year

2010-01-01T12:24:00.003-07:00

"There is in every true woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity." -Washington Irving

Thank you for your story.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2009-12-29T14:16:00.002-07:00

We woke up this morning to glorious snow!

After Maja woke up we all got dressed and went out to discover our snowy new world.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T09:16:00.002-07:00

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas

2009-12-16T08:03:00.003-07:00

in our living room!

This is the first year we have had a real honest-to-goodness Christmas Tree. We are in love. Though we don't love it nearly as much as little M loves it.

We went down to Valley and bought a tree from, what looks to us, like the only streetside tree vendor in Las Cruces.

We like roadside tree vendors and want to keep them in business.

How sad will it be when we can only get a Christmas Tree at a big box store?

Last night Omi and Opi's Christmas present package came. When Maja was helping me unload it she thought the presents looked like ornaments and wanted to put them on the tree. "Ornament" she would say as she pressed them into the tree branches.

And, we do have another stocking coming from Grandma for Elias.

On another note. A sure way to get Elias to stop crying is to read him a book, preferably with very vivid pictures, like this one;

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see?

All thumbs

2009-12-07T13:18:00.004-07:00

Second Advent

2009-12-07T11:58:00.003-07:00

Already!?!

image via vintageprints

For second advent we let Maja stay up and watch the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional. It was wonderful. We turned it on via internet and watched by candle light.

I loved how President Eyring had tears in his eyes during his whole talk on the Savior.

You can see it here.

First Advent

2009-11-30T19:16:00.003-07:00

Advent is a holiday tradition that I heartily welcome in my home, among other German holiday traditions.

You celebrate the four Sundays before Christmas. Each Sunday night you light a candle, have treats and talk about Christmas. It can be a story, a scripture or a song. It makes the season that much more enjoyable to remember the reason for Christmas, not just on Christmas, but the whole season long.

On Saturday our power went out, so we were able to light all of our candles we brought out for the holidays, burned sensitive documents and listened to Christmas music. I brought us all into the holiday spirit.

Sunday we held our first advent night and read a little Christmas book and ate gingerbread. Maja enjoyed it most of all since it was past her bed time!

This photo is from this morning, you can see our advent wreath, some Christmas decorations, and Maja reading her little Christmas books in the big girl chair (along with dirty dishes and such!)

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T07:48:00.003-07:00

...Sigh...

I am so thankful for a house full of love.

For my adoring husband who works so hard for us and toward his dreams.

For beautiful children! I am in love with both of them, they are such amazing people (and they are only babies!), it is an honor to have them with us.

I am thankful for my Savior and the love and understanding we gain as we draw near unto him. I love having the Christmas bug early because it reminds me of him all day, everyday in significant ways.

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

Stats

2009-11-19T18:44:00.001-07:00

We took the lil'uns in for their checkups yesterday. Here are the results:

Maja- 18 months
Height, 33 inches
Weight, 26 lbs

Elias- 2 months
Height, 23 inches
Weight, 12.6 lbs

Silly Majas

2009-11-08T15:50:00.004-07:00

I love this girl. As she has grown her personality has come forth and she is the sweetest, loving and funniest girl. Here are a few pictures of Maja being her silly self.

Loving Daddies ear muffs.
Playing in the dryer. I saw this on Lex's blog last year with Liv and thought it would be so fun to try with Maja. She thought it was a big musical instrument.

Sitting in her wagon, reading.

Playing dress up with brothers blanket.

Big girl bed! This picture is of the first night of Maja sleeping in her big girl bed. She fell out and curled up on the floor and fell asleep again.

Since then she has slept every night in her bed, without falling out.

Now she takes all of her naps in her bed too! She is growing up so fast!

Smiles

2009-11-03T16:13:00.002-07:00

I had Clemens take some pictures of Elias the other day. He has started trying to talk to us during the day (and sometimes at night). He coos and goos and smiles.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T18:33:00.003-06:00

My little flower checking out one of our pumpkins.

Daddy holding the little bird.

Does this picture remind you of something? (Completely unintentional)

Maja is ready to go!

With her bumble bee in tow.

Mesilla Bosque State Park Photo Session

2009-10-30T15:55:00.006-06:00

Autumn

2009-10-12T17:45:00.004-06:00

Mr. Elias is 1 month old

Just try to tell me those aren't brown eyes.

Maja stomping leaves at the park!

She was so brave, she was climbing up steps and on the slides all by herself!

Fast and Furious

2009-09-16T12:06:00.008-06:00

Little Elias was born on Monday, September 14th 2009 at 6:14 pm.

Birth Story:

My labor started sometime in the the night of the 13th. I tried to ignore it the best I could, thinking it was probably false labor like I had with Maja (4 nights!). At around 5:30 am in the morning of the 14th I got up and decided to take a walk and see if the contractions would keep going. At this point they were about 10 minutes apart and lasted about 30 seconds, just strong enough that I couldn't sleep through them.

The contractions continued through the morning, easing up a bit around 10-noon. Around that time we went to Target to get diapers for Maja, and my contractions came back to the same as they were in the morning, though perhaps a little stronger. I remember having to think to myself, "Just keep walking, just keep walking" through the contractions.

When we got home Maja and I went swimming in our little pool, feeling to uncomfortable to play with Maja, I had Clemens put her down for a nap. Then I got in the shower. I felt badly using so much water, since my contractions were still 10 min apart. I got out and the contractions got random. 10 minutes, 4 minutes, 7 minutes, 10 minutes, 3 minutes. The length varied also from 40 seconds to 15 seconds. When I layed down to take a nap they seemed to regulate a little. At 4 pm Royce, Clemens and I sat down to watch The Best of Chris Farley. (I wanted to watch a comedy, Clemens convinced me to watch some of this before putting in Nacho Libre). My first contraction into it (they had gotten quite uncomfortable now), I heard a pop and my water broke. Luckily it wasn't a gush since I was on the bed! Clemens got me a towel and it was fine.

After my water broke we called the Midwives. I made Clemens call (which signaled my midwife to send someone immediately), and immediately my contractions were much stronger.

By the time my midwife got to our house I was in full active labor, and progressing really fast. Before I knew it I was transitioning (i.e. praying that my contractions wouldn't stay as strong as they were and get closer together, and swearing that for the next child I would be in a hospital with an epidural.) Luckily my contractions stayed about 3-4 min apart and were about 40-45 seconds long. They did get much stronger though. In an hour and 45 min I dialated from 6 cm and 80 % effaced to having a baby in my arms. Super fast and hard!

He came out healthy and strong, surprising everyone with how quickly it happened. I was happy to be more awake and alert than after the 26 hours of Maja's labor. We were all able to bond and be together all evening.

Elias is a little dear, and very much a little boy. He has the face of a Haltern, dark hair and with what I think are very brown eyes. He even smells like a boy. Maja loves him very much and is very sweet and soft with him. She does notice the change however and needs lots of love too.

Buy the Book

2009-09-11T16:23:00.004-06:00

Yes, it is now time for shameless spousal promotion.

Clemens first book is available for purchase!

Right now you can find it here. It will be available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble online and another site next quarter (they update books quarterly), whenever that happens to be. We are totally excited!

Check out the link to find out more about it, it is great (if I don't say so myself)!

Crib Bedding

2009-09-03T11:07:00.002-06:00

If I could re-do the babies nursery, I would definitly go for this crib bedding. It is by John Robshaw, his Parrot Floral Crib Set. I saw it first on One Kings Lane. Usually their emails host a plethora of extravagance that I could never afford, but this set is only $215 on their site. Much better than the $575 they are asking for on other sites.

I think it is absolutely adorable, eclectic and not so baby ish.

big babies

2009-08-28T15:54:00.002-06:00

Today I had a midwife appointment. Everything looks great, other than the fact that I am getting a cold. They say it won't last long even if I do get it, the blessings of pregnancy. The fun news though, is that they estimate our little 38 week bundle is

8 lbs already.

Visits

2009-08-22T12:59:00.005-06:00

Last week we invited Burklie and Omi down for a visit before school starts (since I am not supposed to fly- you can see why in the pictures). We had a great week, Clemens got 5 days off and we played and frolicked in the hot sun. Maja especially LOVED the visit. I don't think she has ever had so much fun at home before! Burklie and Maja bonded instantly and had lots of fun all week. Omi helped us out by making german waffles for us to freeze for after the baby comes (and kept our kitchen very clean- thank you!). We enjoyed their visit so much, we didn't want them to leave!

Countdown

2009-08-10T17:30:00.001-06:00

If you haven't noticed the timeline bar at the bottom of this page, go look.

Or I will just tell you. A month. That is all that is left until the new little one arrives!

To Stacy: Thank you so much!

2009-08-06T21:00:00.002-06:00

My friend Stacy had a give away from her etsy store Hart and Sew. She has the best style and her store specializes in vintage baby and toddler clothes and new-vintage baby and toddler clothes that SHE makes! They are adorable. This is a brand new romper with tags (vintage, of course) that says 24 months. I put it on Maja to send some pictures, and it fits her perfectly (18 month size body). That is probably why it still had tags! I love it though!

ever widening

2009-08-05T09:29:00.003-06:00

My third trimester has finally hit me.

I feel as though my hips have spread 2 inches overnight, throwing my lower back into convulsions. You can see it too, up until now I was holding all the baby out in front, now you can tell my hips are widening.

My favorite thing to do is sleep, though only for a few hours. Trying to sleep overnight is painful. This makes my afternoon naps ever more necessary. (Since Maja has decided to try the one nap a day method...)

And worse of all, I have started to retain water. Gaining 4 lbs in a week is not my idea of fun.

2009-07-31T13:50:00.002-06:00

I Y people who blog on weekends.

My husband rarely has Saturdays off, so it is just like another day of the week for me. It makes me sad when my favorite daily blogs go offline just because it is the weekend... but I understand. Truely I do, I just miss them.

Things I love

2009-07-26T20:05:00.003-06:00

Seeing little bottles next to my glasses in the kitchen cupboard.

The wicker chairs on my back patio that I painted aqua blue.

Spontaneous hugs from my baby, and when she runs up to me saying "Mamamama!".

Spontaneous hugs from my husband, and when he pets my head.

Rain in the desert.

Frozen ravioli.

Whoa.

2009-07-24T15:12:00.004-06:00

3 copies arrived, ready to be proof read and sent to the Library of Congress for copywriting.

Very exciting!

Las Cruces Farmers Market

2009-07-11T10:21:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the lack of pictures of produce, I wasn't shopping for produce this morning, but tomatos are in!
My favorite booth. The old man who comes with his walker, knee brace and oxygen tank to sell his handmade wooden toys. I want them all. Especially the big train.

This lady had a bunch of sewing goods and quilts for sale, and 40-50 quiet books. She had all sorts, $10 a piece. You can't find that many different kinds ANYWHERE.

New Mexico Soaps. LOVE them.

I would love to be able to buy handmade leather goods. There is just something about the smell of good leather.

Jewelry, turquoise.

The best art gallery downtown. They specialize in European classical artists, especially ones from Russia....

Local honey.

Dried chile peppers. Las Crucens are very proud of their chiles and their pecans. Period.

The Sprout Man.

Art. There are lots of artists, photographers and jewelers here that sell at the farmers market.

Beef. I want to make a big order. Maybe in a couple months.

Desert Rose, a calcite formation?

Mmmm, more pretty rocks.

The Corn Cart. This appeared a couple weeks ago. I haven't delved in, but people sure seem to like it!

Kuhn Farm. My go to place for veggies, plus they have about 100 varieties of homemade jams and jellies. I bought tomato pear jelly. It reminds me of Christmas.

S-IMMING!!!!

2009-07-03T20:32:00.004-06:00

Happy Fourth of JULY!!!
Yesterday we went to the POOL! YAY! I've been wanting to go swimming since I got pregnant. We finally made it yesterday with DADDY! Double YAY!

Maja had a blast. She hasn't been swimming since she was 5 months old, and she LOVED it. She kicked and splashed, went underwater and had Daddy throw her up in the air. She especially liked seeing all the other children playing in the water. She was all giggles and smiles.
We didn't take too many pictures, because I have learned that digital camera + water = no pictures, EVER AGAIN. So courtesy of our zoom lense, here are a couple.

Albuquerque, I finally learned how to spell you!

2009-06-26T10:16:00.007-06:00

On Tuesday we took the trek up to the Alburquerque Temple. It is a 3 hour drive from Las Cruces and our previous attempts were thwarted by sickness and fatigue. Clemens, in wanting to plan other fun trips knew he couldn't go anywhere until we had made the trip up. We loaded up the car with food, blankets and the baby and took off. We had planned on setting off right when Maja was due for her morning nap. It was a good idea... She ended up sleeping the last hour of the drive, nearly driving her poor mother mad with her crying.

We got to the temple at one and had a lovely lunch in the cafeteria. Then we let daddy go to a session and Maja and I set off to explore. Our plans were to find a park and play for a little while, then go to Whole Foods or Trader Joes (both within 3 miles- heaven!), but as we headed out to the car the wind was blowing furiously and there was a huge storm cloud headed our way. We decided to forego the park and head to Whole Foods. Luckily there was a Borders next door, so we stopped in there to change diapers and to get daddy Climbing Magazine (our Barnes and Nobel doesn't carry them). We walked through Whole Foods and took off to Trader Joes. At Trader Joes we bought their amazing honey whole wheat pretzels and some milk to snack on while we waited for daddy to finish.

When daddy was done, we traded off care of Maja and I was able to go through a session. We headed home around 6 pm. Maja slept maybe 20-30 min on the way home. Luckily her parents were in a much calmer state and were mainly concerned with her well being. When we got home around 9, Maja dove into bed and didn't move for the rest of the night.

PS- I LOVED the city! Albuquerque is a great place.

Table Garden

2009-06-22T10:18:00.002-06:00

I must admit, I have never been a fan of wax begonias. They always look so puny to me. I did, however buy some when I was making my neighbor a thank you pot for watering my garden while we were away. I knew she would keep them in her covered patio that gets only morning and very late afternoon sun, so they are one of the plants I picked up. I ended up having three left over from the 6 pack. I had my terra cotta pots ready to be planted with something, so I potted them up and put them on a platter on the table. To my surprise, I love them. Our table is right by a sliding glass door and with our clestory windows, they get morning and afternoon sun as well as indirect light all day long. They are so cute and dainty in the little pots, and are blossoming up a storm.

To my love:

2009-06-21T16:29:00.000-06:00

Happy Fathers Day!
In case you didn't know, Clemens is amazing. He is a wonderful husband and father.
He holds me when I am sad, makes me smile. Throws Maja up in the air and makes her squeal in delight. This picture is from the night Maja was born. One of the glorious things about home births is that after the baby is born you get to hold them forever. I was asleep long before they went to bed; he just cuddled her in his arm until she fell asleep and there she stayed.

at dinner

2009-06-19T19:17:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I made a video of Maja eating dinner with her new bib that Grandma made her. I thought it would just show her eating, but instead she decided to be funny and show just how good she thought her food was.

Sorry if the video shakes a little, I was trying to control my laughter.

Toddle Toddle Toddle

2009-06-12T11:34:00.003-06:00

The big news this week was that Maja took her first steps by herself. On the eventful day she actually walked a lot, but since then has been more cautious. She likes to walk between Clemens and I and sometimes will walk from mommy to her teddy bears.

Clemens noted yesterday, "She is a toddler. It is official. There she is walking and talking away."

This is her eating spagetti.

It's never to late to start.

2009-06-08T15:27:00.002-06:00

So, I have started to workout. I mean really work out.

"Isn't she, like, 7 months pregnant?" you ask.

Yes.

I have joined Curves. It is all Jaelynns fault. My adorable little designer friend who I worked with in Salt Lake was a Curves diehard. In fact she ended up managing one of the Curves in Orem, they loved her too. It just happens that there is one down the street.

I went in for my first workout this morning. They do a 2x circuit training in 30 minutes. I loved it. No monotony, it is airconditioned (a plus when it is 75 degrees at 7:00 in the morning and you are 7 months pregnant), they use hydraulic machines so you work out to your ability and I could actually feel my leg muscles. I could REALLY feel my leg muscles, showed me just how out of shape I really am. Hopefully it will all help when little #2 comes into the world, but even if not, It made me feel great.

Gabba Gabba

2009-06-08T09:27:00.002-06:00

Vroooom!

2009-06-08T07:44:00.003-06:00

Teddy Bears

2009-06-08T07:09:00.002-06:00

Maja loves her teddy bears. She could play with them for HOURS.

Quote of the Day

2009-06-05T17:15:00.002-06:00

"do the best you can with the time available to you."

Thank you, I needed that.

Bike Trailer

2009-05-30T14:59:00.002-06:00

Last week, while our car was in the shop, we decided to buy a bike trailer. For two reasons:
1. To tote around the newt.
2. To tote Clemens gear to and from work, which means he is going to be able to bike to work again!

He is excited to get more exercise and I am excited to not be trapped in the house all day. Life is good. We DID drop a couple grand fixing the trooper, which is thankfully done now.

Maja LOVED it!

Garden

2009-05-28T21:16:00.001-06:00

There is a new post on my garden here. Let me know if you can't read it, I am trying to fix the site.

New Pasta Dish

2009-05-27T11:20:00.004-06:00

So this week I made a FABULOUS pasta dish. I made it up, yep, all me. The downside of me making things up is that I don't measure, therefore the recipe is all 'abouts'.

The first was the awesome leftover pasta dish. We will call it Pork Tenderloin with balsamic pasta.

I pounded the pork tenderloin (pork was on super sale last week) and seasoned it with garlic salt, pepper and sage.
Cooked the tenderloin until it was rare, then cut into strips and finished cooking through.

Sauteed about a cup of sliced mushrooms together with a quarter of an onion also in slices. I also seasoned this with garlic salt and more sage(I love how mushrooms absorb salty goodness).

I mixed in about 2 cups leftover pasta (I had whole wheat pasta from a couple nights before), add about a 1/4 to a 1/2 cup chicken broth or water just so the pasta doesn't stick.

When at a boil add a couple swigs of good balsamic vinegar and let it cook down. This is the MOST important step. The balsamic vinegar gives it an amazing sauce.
Add a couple cups of spinach (chopped is probably better, I didn't though and it was great.)

When the spinach is cooked down it is done. It tasted like rice-a-roni, minus the rice, restaurant style.

This recipe was just enough for 2 and 1/4- Maja ate some too.

Memorial Day

2009-05-26T09:51:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, to celebrate Memorial Day, we went on a hike to Dripping Springs State Park. It was a 3 mile hike that made me feel very pregnant. It is South East of Las Cruces down University Ave. (WAY down University Ave.) There is also an old "Sanitorium" (AKA, tuburculosis camp), and an old resort from the 1800's. It would be a great place for a modern resort, the rock faces are gorgeous once you get into the little valley.

The hike in, resting for a drink under a big juniper.

The view down to the Mesilla Valley and La Cueva (the rock formation).

Cool rock faces.

Maja got out of her carrier and wanted to run everywhere, but we didn't bring her shoes (it was too hot!)

Daddy and Maja

The spring that comes out of a rock. The rock containment (now filled in) was built at the time of the resort as a resevoir. The water falls down the top rock face into the reservoir area then trickles down below.

Maja hypnotized by the water.

After our Hike we joined a couple families in our ward for a BBQ, it was a great day with LOTS of sun and lots of fun.

Hagen in the news

2009-05-22T11:13:00.001-06:00

Another article on Hagens art exhibit. This one has PICTURES!!! YAY!

http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/309291/17/

Noses

2009-05-22T09:06:00.002-06:00

This post is for Alexis. We were at the midwives on Wednesday and Maja discovered that her finger fits perfectly in her nostril. Here is a modest recreation. She knows it makes me laugh histerically so she does it often.

Art Show

2009-05-21T09:29:00.002-06:00

My Father-In-Law Hagen is having a showing of his artwork "Visionism" at the Orem Public Library RIGHT NOW! It is a mixture of traditional drawing, painting, and lithography with modern computer graphic manipulation. He and his former student (and computer master) Jared Harlow are presenting these 30 pieces and will be discussing them tonight at 7 pm. in the north wing of the Orem Library. The show runs until June 19th.

His website is www.visionism.com
There are a few articles about it in the local papers.
http://my.heraldextra.com/post/OremNews/blog/byu_professor_and_former_student_present_visionism_exhibit.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7, 2009

Visionism: The Art of Hagen Haltern and Jared Harlow
Orem Library hosts new Orem Arts Council Member
May 7, 2009--Orem, Utah--Orem artist Hagen Haltern, recent addition to the Orem Arts Council, will present a program about his work and artistic views Thursday, May 21, in the Orem Library Storytelling Wing at 7 p.m. The presentation, part of the Orem Arts Council Presents series, will highlight a display of works by Haltern and fellow artist Jared Harlow, which will be on display in the Library’s north wing from now until June 19. The series of works, entitled “Visionism,” contains 31 pieces, each of which began as a drawing, a collage, a photograph or a lithograph,but expanded into vibrant, detailed compositions through computer graphic manipulation.
“An artist works with imaginative vision - a sense of composition and principles of art such as color, shapes, lines, points, planes,”Haltern said. “You start with something small and it ignites your imagination to build on it.”
Haltern, who began teaching at Brigham Young University in 1977 after studying art in his homeland of Germany, was initially unfamiliar with the capabilities of graphic manipulation. A former student, Jared Harlow, showed him the extent of the computer’s abilities, and the two teamed up to create the “Visionism” collection. The collection was inspired by an address to BYU faculty and staff in 1967 by former president of the LDS church Spencer W. Kimball - “catch the total vision of our potential and dream dreams and see visions of the future” - as well by previous generations of artists, philosophers, theologians and astronauts. Studying and searching brought Haltern to his own artistic style and philosophy, appropriately titled“Visionism.”
In early 2009, Haltern received an invitation to join the Orem Arts Council, which he subsequently accepted. In this position, Haltern will help to promote the arts in Orem, giving arts groups and individuals agreater chance to display their talents, and connecting and enriching the public through the arts.
For more information about “Visionism” and the artists behind this collection, visit www.visionism.com. For information about the Orem ArtsCouncil and arts events in Orem, visit http://arts.orem.org.

Swirler

2009-05-20T18:10:00.003-06:00

Guarana {via Flicker}

When I was on my mission in Brazil, I really confused one of my companions. I have this little habit of swirling my drinks (especially soda) when I am drinking them. Soda especially, because I really don't like carbonation, and swirling lets the carbonation out. I never really noticed that I did this until right before I came home. I guess I did it all the time, because my companion, Jen, who had just been in Brazil for a few months stopped me one day and asked me if there was something wrong with the drinks here in Brazil. I was totally surprised, "Wrong? No, why do think anything is wrong?". Well, it was because she had noticed that I swirl my drinks all the time and she thought something was wrong with them. Opa!

I'm a swirler.

Ways to Irk a Pregnant Woman

2009-05-18T08:52:00.003-06:00

Paola posted this a little while ago, and I got a kick out of it. How true it is.

101 ways to IRK a pregnant woman...

Are you pregnant, have been pregnant, or known someone who is pregnant? If yes, then you're eligible to participate in this risk-free study (you were supposed to read that in your best infomercial voice).
Seriously though, I'm trying to make a list of sorts, and I'd like your help. I'd like to make a list of statements that completes this sentence:
If you want to IRK a pregnant woman, then you should...

Good times. Please help and add to it! The goal is to get to 101 (or more!)...
So, in the name of light-hearted pregnancy woes, I introduce to you my list (so far!)...

1. smell like a human. (Poor Jason. I can't stand the smell of him any more.)
2. hit the car breaks in anyway other than smoothly and slowly.
3. say "Oh wow! When are you due?" (translation: You're HUGE! When are you due?)
4. not follow her directions EXACTLY as she says.
5. ask her "What's wrong?". Go ahead. I dare you to ask her that one more time. (Answer: I'm still PREGNANT.)
6. interpret her pregnancy for her (i.e. It's not that bad or maybe you just need to...).
7. breath on her.
8. eat her last low-fat-chocolate-pudding snack that she's been saving all week.
9. point out that she's being unreasonable.
10. discuss whether she's having a "false alarm" or not when she has asked you to pull the car over (to puke). (Reality: It doesn't matter if it's a false alarm or not. The woman wants you to pull over.)
11. accidentally wake her up in the middle of the night by moving around (Problem: she probably has pregnancy insomnia and can't fall back asleep. EVER.)
12. ask her why she's so tired.
13. tell her how tired YOU are at the end of the day.
14. ask her (thus reminding her) "how much longer do you have?" every time you see her.
15. switch to a new cologne with out consulting her.
16. disobey her.
17. don't pay attention.
18. bring her home some ice cream (Are you crazy!? Are you trying to get me fat?! I already am stressed about loosing this baby weight! You know I'll eat the whole thing! How could you...?)
19. don't bring home ice cream or some other delicious treat... don't you realize how bad these cravings are?
20. in the middle of the night, wake up slowly when she jerks awake needing you to help her out of a major leg/foot cramp or charlie horse.
21. tell her how bad your back hurts...or your legs...or your head...or...
22. leave stuff on the floor so that she ends up picking it up (darn kids!)
23. have an opinion of your own that differs from hers.
24. rub her belly (this is actually okay to do to Paola {and Suzanna}, but not okay for many-a-preggie lady)
25. run into her and break her stride as she hobbles from one store aisle to the next.
26. forget to frequently tell her how great she looks.
27. stare at her belly.
28. stare or *even worse* verbally take note of how much food she's eating.
29. complain that her 3 (plus) pillows are hogging the bed. I'd like to see you try and get comfortable with that belly!
30. have her meet another woman who "never got morning sickness" and who just "loves" being pregnant.
31. tell her to calm down.

1 year

2009-05-15T08:52:00.007-06:00

Happy Birthday Maja! I can't believe that she is 1 year old already! I had great plans of a birthday party for her, but after planning for and going to Utah for a week, then coming back with a sick baby and then getting sick myself, it didn't happen. Luckily for us DADDY had his day off on the right day and we were able to play ALL DAY with him. Maja was extra happy all day long. She knew it was a special day. She loved all her presents, especially the Biene Girl PlayMobile and wagon from Omi and Opi, her balloons, and of course her new pool.

Maybe more than her presents, she liked all the treats she was able to eat!

Maja wasn't sure about the texture of the frosting at first.

But then decided to give it a try.

Mmmm, cake.

Result.

After the sugary messiness of celebrating, we decided to go for a swim in her new turtle. For those of you who are in colder climates, it was 92 degrees yesterday.

Maja midsplash. Yes, that is actually my belly.

Enjoying the water and the warmth.

These were some of her presents and her balloons.

Of course when she was opening her presents our camera's batteries ran out.

HAPPY GIRL!

skyped

2009-05-14T10:29:00.003-06:00

It has taken my in-laws months of persuasion, but today, Maja's birthday, we got hooked up.

We are skyped.

If you want to call us or video call us for free, internationally, or whatever, get it and we can talk. We already tryed it out this morning, and it works beautifully. Now we can talk to our family in England and France, and the US for that matter.

Let me know if you have it too!

Cargo Bikes

2009-05-12T17:13:00.003-06:00

I don't know where people find out about this stuff, but I am sure glad they do. Stacy posted this just a couple hours ago. Madsen Cycles is giving away 2 awesome MADSEN Cargo Bikes. I'm with Stacy on the likelyhood of me actually winning (slim to none on my part- I never win anything. Hey Vanessa, you should enter, then if you win, you can send me it- you win a lot!), but go check it out. They are pretty sweet.

Updates

2009-05-11T08:28:00.003-06:00

1. Maja decided that she wants to feed herself, and ONLY wants to feed herself. Don't even try to give her something on a spoon, oh, and she wants what is on your plate too.

2. My mixer broke. I need a new one ASAP. (if anyone wants to donate a KitchenAid, let me know)

3. I'm still sick. I feel like poo.

Made it... home again!

2009-05-05T19:30:00.005-06:00

Maja and I made it home. She got a fever last night and was tossing and turning in misery all night. Luckily we both went to bed early. Her fever broke by morning and she was ready to go. .. But she is still sick. LUCKILY, again, the sickness made her a complete doll through the airport and plane rides. She slept through both plane rides. Amazing. She is again asleep like the little angel that she is, happy to be home in her own bed, and just slightly congested.

Made it!

2009-04-30T10:56:00.003-06:00

Clemens and his girls.

We made it to Utah! What a grueling trip, but 13 hours later, we made it in just 1/2 an hour before Clemens interview. It was my first time traveling strictly by moonlight (in case you decide to try to calculate it, the night IS longer than 13 hours, we also drove by daylight, twilight, dawn and morning light). By the time you read this Clemens is most likely sleeping in our bed in New Mexico. He had to go home very early this morning so that he can rest and make it to work tomorrow :( We miss him. It is so much harder to be away from him now.

Hopefully we will be well distracted by family this weekend.

SO... if you are in Utah and want to play, let me know!

Burklie and Maja

This Week

2009-04-25T15:45:00.002-06:00

We have had 2 new developments this week.

1. Maja decided that it was okay to crawl to where she wants to go. So far it has gone the extent of her room to the living room several times. The last time she realized that the carpet in her room is much more comfortable than the rugs or tile in the living room and dining room so after she crawled out, she crawled back.

2. The little one in the belly decided to make his presence known and has been kicking up a storm. Clemens still can't feel it, I think the baby gets quiet when he is around, but in the car listening to music, or when Maja crys he goes into a kicking/rolling fit.

2009-04-24T08:42:00.000-06:00

There is an update on my garden HERE.

Reading

2009-04-23T09:33:00.001-06:00

Our little literary genious.

Biene Maja

2009-04-23T08:37:00.001-06:00