Nyårs Löften!

I år har jag i stortsett endast ett enda nyårslöfte.
Det är att prata
ENDAST SVENSKA
hemma med barnen.
Det är svårt,
men det går framåt.
Elsa sa en hel, lång,
komplicerade mening på Svenska här om dagen.
HURRA!

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Merry Christmas and God Jul på er alla

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Backtracking

This spring we were lucky enough to have Sara come and take pictures of the girls. They turned out great. I have been meaning to post them here for, well, months. Due to a very un-traditional year in general I have postponed it. Enjoy these beautiful pictures of our greatest treasures in life:

Ella Pella and Kaja Baja

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School Days!

California trip in August to see Matt and Sarah in Sacramemto!

Going to school is definitely engulfing most of our family's time. Kajsa is a remarkably happy kindergartner. She does all her homework in one setting instead of spreading it out over the week as the schedule outlines because it's heaps of fun. Elsa is Miss.Smarty pants, she really does know just about everything. Well, everything a second grader should know (and then some). I seriously sat with her last week and taught her how to solve a simple algebraic equation. She totally ate it all up.
As for us older kids, we're doing alright so far. I am loving school, using my intellect on a daily basis and really stretching my mind is "heaps of fun."
The girls both go to The Blackfoot Community Center after school. There they have the opportunity to learn more, plus practice reading and as well as develop several other talents such as gymnastics, swimming, bowling, science, art....etc.
Although we have been super busy with school, there was a summer of lazyness which raced by in a blur. Here are a few "old" pics from the summer.
Hopefully this blog will survive and not be limited to yearly or semi-yearly updates, but I make no promises. Read more!

Babies!

Our big CONGRATS to the Blomquist and Ferrin families.

Mike and Leah had a beautiful baby girl July 2nd.
Ella Amara June Blomquist

Only a week later on July 10th,

Cole and Chelsea had a beautiful baby girl too!
Coraline Jo Ferrin

Welcome to the family sweet little girls :)

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Here are a few pics that Great grandma Ferrins
neighbor took while the girls were
over there
playing last year!

I just LOVE these and have meant to post them
for a long time.
Enjoy

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Pictures!

So here's what we've been up to :0)


We made two trips to Utah in three weeks!
Here is Elsa and Kajsa with their second cousins
(on Thad's side) Brea and Christian.
Happy kids!



The Pince family took us to the
Salt Lake wetlands.



We made a quick stop at the
Swedish Heritage Society's
Midsummer Festival.

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By request of Alex :)

Thad's famous Marabou chip cookies

1 1/2 C sugar

2 C brown sugar

2 C (400 g) real butter

4 eggs

6 C flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda (bikarbonat)

4 C chopped Marabou milk chocolate (600 g)

2 tsp vanilla

Cream butter, both sugars and eggs together. Add all dry ingredients, then chocolate. Mix well. Spoon the dough onto the cookie sheet. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes @ 190*c/375*F. Be carful to NOT overbake. Let cool on paper towels. (ICA's paper bags work great)

LYCKA TILL

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No internet at home sucks!

Soooooooooooo we had a rather untraditional spring in our household. It started with Thaddeus and I taking a relationship roller coaster ride.

Then it entailed a quick move to Rexburg, followed by a quick move back to Blackfoot. The girls and I found a cute little basement apartment on Center street down the road from great grandma and grandpa Ferrin.

I got a new job at the Blackfoot Community Center.

Elsa had a birthday, Happy birthday to you!

Kajsa, Elsa and I all came down with a HORRIBLE CASE OF STREP THROAT! This incident brought to light that Elsa is allergic to penicillin. (The pic from the collage was taken when they first started to appear and don’t do her justice, the reaction was intense)

Kajsa had a birthday, Happy birthday to you!

The relationship rollercoaster came to an end, Thaddeus moved in. Everyone sighed, especially me ahhhhhh!

Kajsa hit her tooth on the concrete in the back yard and now has a “blue” tooth as we like to call it…or

“Kajsa blåtand.”

I didn’t love my job at the Community Center and quit. Thaddeus finished the semester with another 4.0! woot woot

I started looking for a new job and realized I’m never going to find something that pays well without an education.

I had an epiphany, ready………..I have to get my education done. What am I waiting for? If I wait until Thaddeus is completely done with school and then start on my four or five year schooling I will be almost forty.

DEPRESSING!

I applied for the ISU fall semester and I’m waiting for an acceptance letter in the mail!

Excitement/Apprehension

Summer is finally here, Thaddeus is working a little here and there for Century High and Blackfoot High. It is just enough to pay the bills for the summer. The girls and I are spending our days at the library and at Jensen’s Grove in the sun until it will be time for all four of us (hopefully) to start school in the fall!

Yes, we will be living on loans, SCARY!

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Elsa's Masterpiece

INTO THE FUTURE!

Last Sunday I taught Elsa how to use the Macro on our camera. I sent her outside to get some pics. Kajsa, Elsa and I were only out there for maybe 10 or 15 minutes. She managed to capture all these cool pics. The thing in the middle is the tube slide in the back yard! It's one of those concrete tubes. The best part is that I told Elsa NOT to take that picture cause I thought it wouldn't turn out. That makes it so much cooler.
It was really HER art.
I recommended that she not waist time on the tree either.....but it looks sweet too. It was fun to see what she came up with. The eye is Kajsa's of course. I was amazed that she got such a clear shot of it. After she was done taking the pics I helped her put her collage together. She chose wich pictures she wanted and how she wanted them arranged. Then I showed her how to use the extra fun toys on picasa and of course she wanted to over expose it. I wanted her to do it in black and white :) But no kid is going to want to do that! It turned out AMAZING.
I was so proud of her. We burned the file to a CD and poped into walmart and developed it. I love how it only takes about 3 minutes to do that now a days!

The reason we made this collage was that her school was having an art/talent contest. You could write a song or a story or draw something or enter a photo. I figured that it would be easiest to do the photography section. Plus I knew Elsa was pretty good at it already.
The theme was "into the future". We were not thinking about the theme when we took the pictures but I think they matched the theme really well. We all went to the school and watched "Night at the Museum." We brought pillows and blankets and it was cozy. The school provided popcorn and drinks and cotton candy. Super fun idea.

Elsa won 1st place ($10.00) in the photography section. (I knew she would)
WAY TO GO ELSA!

At home showing off her prize and her art!

Recieving her prize and standing in front of everyone!

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