Happy thanksgiving !!

Happy Thanksgiving !! So thankful to be a family , to have all our family healthy and happy , to have a wonderful house , great friends and to love our jobs.. we are so thankful !!

Aran's best friend Matt, Jacci his wife and their two daughters Eleanor and alice came and joined us for thanksgiving . lilja loves the girls and they had a blast . however she is now in bed with a 102 fever ..

The girls and I had a nice hike to the river .. three girls and water  ..yep none of them were dry by the end of the hike 

Our weekly visit to Pip was monday.  oh my he is getting big. lilja just carries him around everywhere and he just relaxes . very cute ! 

7 years ago

7 years ago we became a family... after a failed adoption where we had met the mom at 6 months pregnant, went to the hospital and loved Jessi for one month. The adoption fell through. We lost a child and were heart broken. On veteran day 7 years ago we both were doing our own thing. We had huddled down, cried a lot and became a stronger couple through this. Aran was cutting wood and I had just asked him if I should hang the baby clothes back up or put them in storage .. a call came .. a birth mom had chosen us and would like to meet us. We were so excited, scared and aprehensive at the same time . We met jasmin that Saturday and just loved this soft spoken, sweet, funny girl. We knew she would fit in our family as we had decided on an open adoption. Luckily she loved us too..and we went to meet Lilja . That little girl with the curly head of hair captured our hearts instantly . The next day was the placement ceremony with jasmin. A very emotional ceremony on which we pledged to always be there for lilja as a triangular system. Birthparents to adoptive parent to lilja . Then we took Lilja home.. and had the first night as a family . Thank you jasmin for chosen us , we are indebted to you always . You made us a family !

Our first night as a family 

The picture lilja's cradle care mom took of lilja as I asked about her .  she said.. nicole, come get her, look she is smiling for you !! 

Last couple of weeks

Because I was still sick.. yes it has been pneumonia .. we did not do very much .. just laid low, got our wood and cleaned the house to de-germ it . Now aran is hunting and hopefully will bring some yummy deer meat home ..so it is just lilja and I for the next week.

We did go to a science fair and did some fun experiments . lilja loved it and I bet she will become a science girl ! here they added vinegar to baking soda to see what would happen.. that balloon blew up !!

Oh my is she getting big or what .. this year really "helping" daddy stack wood.

We won 1500 dollars from ashley furniture, so we got a leather  chair and a half. This is why... snuggled up watching TV together !! 

Gotta add some favorite pictures from Pip.. lilja just can' wait . she thinks we are going to pick him up December 16th   but we are actually getting him the 9th.. surprise lilja !!

Lilja is 7!!

Wow, lilja is 7 !! Really where has the time gone . She is such a smart little cookie, that knows what she wants, is so thoughtful and just the best little daughter around . We are so lucky to be her parents and we are so proud of her .. happy birthday peanut !!

After lilja's party this night we stopped by again to see Pip. He already got so much bigger but still a tiny pipsqueak.  

This year we went iceskating with 12 buddies and parents. It was so much fun. For some it was their first time, but everyone loved it . Lilja had to get used to it again. A little more timid this year than last year...when she just took off.. so we will go again soon .

Really all her great girlfriends and yes one boyfriend .. sigh...

Easton is really a great little kid.  He was such a sport coming as the only boy .. lilja loved skating with him 

Happy birthday to you !! It was an emoji themed birthday!

Oh how are we going to wait another 4 weeks !!

Hi Pip!!

A family who skates together, stays together 

Oh yes, that was almost a digger....

Halloween take two

Lilja had a really fun halloween party at her school. Just love her teacher and her kids in her class!! Then we first went trick or treating down town bayfield and later that evening we went around our neighborhood. Both were fun with different friends . Highlight of the night was being driven back home in the dark in the back of an open long bed truck .. with glow in the dark necklaces on.. scary, but fun !

Class party .. pin the ghost ,  halloween bingo and a spider hat makibg activity.. really fun! 

She was not allowed to have her mask on at school and her red lipstick faded.. still looking good thought . She wore the necklace I gave her .. so I would be close to her ..very sweet !

Good friends trick or treat together 

Kara and lilja 

Trying to balance looking fierce 

Yes, I dressed up too. Eventhough i was sick Lilja really wanted me to and when I saw her face light up when I walked into her room...I did good .. momma of the year award.

Trick or treat at night was so fun .. the girls just kept saying .. porch light !! Which meant they would have candy. I think we are candied out for the rest of the year