August updates....under the wire

Well...I couldn't get more under the wire than Aug 31st but here I am trying to sneak in an August update all the same on the last day of the month. We are left scratching our heads wondering where summer snuck off too. Ugh. I am not ready for fall. I am not ready for cold. I feel like we've squandered summer. I also know that it is not true that we squandered it...we just haven't been able to do quite as much as we usually do with a new baby and a return to work after 6 months away and a new basement that is a tempting haven to hole up in and...and....and... We have had alot on our plate but now that it finally feels like we're getting into the swing of things we have to say goodbye to summer.

Don't get me wrong, there are some great things on the horizon. I'm thrilled that Greta starts preschool 2 weeks from today. I think she is going to LOVE preschool. Kids, a great teacher, new books, toys, things to learn...yeah, I'll be shocked if it isn't an instant love affair. Wes is getting to the next fun stage too. He's interested in sitting up and playing, so out comes the jumparoo & exersaucer. He's found his voice and his feet so our house is filled with squeals. Wes is also really interested in what we do at the dinner table...REALLY interested. I'd like to wait until 6 months like we did with Greta, but I don't know if he'll tolerate that. I plan to talk with his doctor about it at his (late) 4 month check up on Friday. Speaking of...if you can't tell by checking out the pictures, he's a chunkaroo. Around 20 lbs at 4 1/2 months. Start praying now that he's an early walker (for my sake!). I also like getting into the fall routine, so as unprepared for that as I feel at the moment, I know I will enjoy it when it arrives.

ENOUGH looking forward...let me fill you in on our August.

1) Camping trip. Our whole fam didn't get to go (ie mommy & Wes), but daddy & Greta packed up and went camping on the banks of the Mississippi with another daddy & his 2 girls. They hiked (a mile long hike to the water and the big girls did GREAT), they set up camp, they ate- s'mores were the highlight, and had a ball.

2) Canoeing- this last weekend Daddy, Grandpa, Greta & Mommy got to go on an afternoon canoe trip down the Minnehaha here in Minneapolis. It was a lot of fun, especially because Mommy & Gboo got to ride and didn't have to paddle! It was a beautiful day and very fun.

3) Visit from the Aasbos (or 2 of the 3 A's): last week we welcomed Mommy's friend Abby and her new baby Soren to Minneapolis. Soren is just 6 weeks younger than Wes but just about the same size! We did a little shopping, a little walking, and a lot of lounging and enjoying our boys. It was a gift.

4) Fam time: We've made amazing use of our basement...the carpeted floor is heavenly for play time with the munchkins. Our family has really enjoyed it this summer and I can only imagine how grateful we're going to be that it is finished this winter. Yay daddy....it made for a hard spring but we just live down here now. We have used it well during these hottest days of the summer. We haven't been complete hermits either. We manage to get walks in several nights a week...the wagon and our double stroller have been great for this. Other family members have also entertained us and our children which has been fantastic too.

We hope to have some video up for you soon. We're working on getting our new computers and our old video camera synched up so we can share some of our hilarity with you. So our life has been wonderful and full...but like everyone, we just wish we could squeeze a bit more from these sacred days. Pray for us as we enter this new season of the year and of our family. We have a few follow up doctor's appointments for Gboo (eye, immunologist) that we hope end with the same miraculous results as we have seen throughout this year. Please continue to pray for the Woo...he seems to be doing great, a thing we will never take for granted again! Blessings as the fall creeps up on you too!

More fun in July

July has been a busy month, but a really good one. We had a wild week of VBS in mid July (note picture of me as "Paul" and Wes giving the 'stache a go), which went really well but left us all feeling a bit disconnected as a family. We were all pooped and spent more time apart than we did together. So we've spent the last 2 weeks trying to take a little time together which has been great. Lots of walks and reading time. More family dinners & evening snuggling. Good stuff all the way around. LHUMC led worship at the bandshell which provided G a chance to dance- which she adored. We made a trip up to Grandpa's office for a treat. And as I type, Greta & Daddy are camping out in the backyard (in preparation for an upcoming camping trip with friends) together. Yay for a return of good family time. In the last month Wes has really beefed up. OH man. He is darling and I've taken to calling him my "chubby bubby." All 16.5 lbs of him. That's right. 3 1/2 months and 16 1/2 lbs. AWESOME. He's outpacing his sister (at this age) by about 3 lbs at this point. He's smiling up a storm now...especially at his big sissa. We're closing in on his laugh. If we could just get him sleeping well in his crib then we would be set....it WILL happen. But he continues to be a great little guy. There's more fun to come this week and next month...we'll share more pics soon. Hope your summer is going splendidly!

A week of water blessings

Hello friends & family,

We've just had a great week of fun & celebrations so we thought we'd check in with you to share our stories. Last week Granny & Gramps traveled up from Alabama to go even FARTHER north to the lakes of MN with our family. We spent several days swimming, golfing, & eating our way through the lovely Gull Lake area. It was a lovely retreat for the 6 of us. Greta had a big time swimming every morning and playing "bunny & crocodile" in the pool (it sounds much more macabre than it actually was). She also discovered gummy worms for the first time which was fun until it came time to eat "Sam"...her favorite worm. It was a bittersweet goodbye.

We came home and got busy getting ready for baby Wes' baptism. Trips to the farmers market broke up the household chores & cooking. Granny & mommy even found time for a little vampire entertainment (don't judge...we deserved some mindless entertainment by some handsome mythical characters!). We were blessed to have 3 pews full of family join us for Wes' baptism on Sunday. It was a magical day- the sermon, children's time & communion were all linked to baby W's baptism. Truly a blessing realized. Everybody came to our house for a 4th of July cookout-style meal where we recounted over and over again how our life is a lived testimony to God's grace & love. Big sister enjoyed the day too...dancing her way through the service, sitting on her Grandma's lap during church, making a meal of mostly mustard, and she got to stay up LATE and watch her first fireworks show. She was totally enamored with the display. Over and over again she'd say..."Oh Granny, watch! This one will be my favorite!" Perhaps our favorite Greta quote from the weekend is when our family began to arrive at our house for lunch after the baptism and she said..."Oh WOW! Look how big our family is getting!" I love how kids often comment on those little lived gifts that might go unnoticed amongst the busy-ness of a family gathering. The Preacher & I have been totally overwhelmed with the joy of it all. We hope these pictures give you a sense of how great this week has been!

Memorable Memorial Day Week

Well we survived the solo parent trip down to AL for Memorial Day. In fact, we more than survived it...we enjoyed it! Everyone (particularly the grandmas) was concerned that I had lost my mind when I proposed that I could travel alone with an active toddler and a 6 week old baby. There were lots of prep-talks with Greta before hand and she shocked us all by being a very attentive and calm little traveler and baby Wes was a natural. SHEW. That being said, I don't plan on going it alone again any time soon. Next trip south Daddy will definitely come with us! We missed him way too much.

Greta and cousin Evelyn fell right into their play rhythm effortlessly. They play together so well with only the occasional "who is in charge" struggle common to 3 year olds. It is really awesome. As usual, Granny & Gramps maximized the play opportunities with trips to the park, the pool, the princess party.... Yes, I said Princess Party. Our nieces Evelyn & Amelia have birthdays close to Memorial Day so we decided to celebrate their birthdays late/early so we could all be in on the fun. Evelyn loves to play princess so Granny created the ultimate Princess Birthday celebration for her. We all dressed up. All of us. It was quite the gas to see Uncle Dan dressed to impress as the King of the affair. The girls had a great time and made a great memory. In addition to all the great family time, some friends from Birmingham came up for a visit and brought their darling kiddos for a mini-reunion. I miss being close to so many of my friends and their families. It was lovely to have a morning to catch up and see how big their little people are getting.

It was a good visit. I found myself having "moments" everyday when I was overwhelmed with how fortunate we have been. Tearful, happy, relieved moments. This was a picture that seemed almost impossible in January. It was our first Haggstrom family gathering since our ordeal and you could almost feel our collective sigh of relief that it did indeed appear that our life might be "normal" again. That joy coupled with the safe arrival of Wes & my nieces' birthdays was almost too much happiness to contain under one roof. Friends stopped by to see for themselves & share in our joy. It was good...really good. Here are a few attempts to capture our fun week...