Impromptu photo shoot

Evelyne

Grace

Walburg

09~06~2010

Riley

James

Walburg

05~01~2009

We

are

starting

to

move!

A

corner

of

Evy's

Room

Right

now

she

is

definitely

a

mommas

girl

My

favorite

shot

of

her

so

far...

she

spends

a

lot

of

time

watching

us

Precious

baby

features

Her

smile

lights

up

my

heart

Can

you

tell?

Pretty

Baby

Blue-Eyes

She is getting so big. It makes me want to cry when I think about it but at the same time I am excited to see the person who she is becoming. So far, she just has the best personality ever. But I'm guessing I will always feel that way. She is very smiley. Whenever we are out somewhere and a stranger stops to smile at her and say hi she seriously always smiles back. It's really cute too because she looks at you and once you make eye contact and smile her she gives you a really big grin. It melts my heart!

I love the way her foot is falling here!

So. You know how there are always a few big projects in the back of your mind that you want to get to but are really hard to find the time to do? I do. I have a lot of them. Like organizing all my recipes. And going through our sheet music and organising it and throwing all the stuff we don't need or use away. Like cleaning out my closet. Printing off those pictures. Planning that vacation. Reading that book. And that book. Maybe you aren't like that but I am.

The funny thing is that they are all things that I want to do but just don't have the time. Two of those things that were really big was cleaning out the office area and organizing our bookshelf.

If you have ever been to our house you know what I am talking about. We have this big, beautiful book shelf in our living room that I really love and it is covered in books. The problem is (was... ;)) that they were really mixed up. See example below.

We have:

1. American Girls children's books

2. A history book called American Courage

3. The Volleyball Coaching Bible

4. Lakeside Living (a gorgeous picture book)

5. The classic Anne of Green Gables

6. The Perfect Storm (fiction)

7. And four cute little board books for baby

That was just one little shelf!

So here we are making piles, restacking, and eliminating unneeded ones.

Well, this isn't the best picture but you can see that everything has a place, and notice the empty swing, the baby is napping. Check! Contented Sigh :)

I also have spent a lot of time reorganizing and redecorating the loft/office area so pictures to follow with that.

The adventures of an almost six month old

Once upon a time there was a beautiful, happy baby girl...

Sometimes she spit up. Sometimes she spit up all over mommy.

She was really good at grabbing her toes,

And sucking her fingers.
In fact, she could win a prize for baby who sucks her thumb the most.

Her laugh was the sound of magic in her mommy's ears!

She was extremely smart and witty and could read a whole book in one sitting.

Sometimes, she even rolled over because her books were so exciting.

One day, an evil Mario brother tried to ger her to hug him.

Princess Evy was not a happy camper.

So she grabbed the evil Mario and threw him to the ground.

As her reward, the King (her father) gave her the ability to smile with an

open-mouth, a very special family trait.

She then spent the rest of her day eating with her twin cousins while the court jester Riley longingly looked on, hoping a scrap or two would fall from their table.

No such luck Riley-boy!



And they lived happily ever after until it was time to go to bed :)

This and That

I hope everyone had a great Valentines weekend. I mean really, it made more sense to celebrate over the weekend and enjoy the holiday for a few days, right?

I love my husband, so much. And there are so many wonderful qualities about him. He is a super hard worker, very patient, always affirming to me (which I need to work on being with him...) Early on in our dating relationship I learned that gift-giving wasn't really his specialty- which is totally fine. I remember getting advice from someone that I just need to deal with it and just out right give him ideas.

So for Valentines Day I said I wanted a cupcake. Not just any cupcake but a pretty, yummy, fancy-dancy one.

So on Saturday we had lunch at Cupcake off of University in Minneapolis. I loved it and I want to go back soon! We also walked around the art museum for the first time, which I thought was really fun and a great place to go during these long, Minnesota winters.

Um, yea I made the hat. And yes, my neighbor Sam was there

showing me how, step by step! But still...

Here we are at the Art Museum. It was so fun to go walk around! Evy was talking the whole time and it was so funny! If there was one thing I had to say about her personality so far it would be that she is very verbal... hmm... I wonder where she gets that from...

Alex just had to take this picture. Of a woman.

On a new note, Evy started rice cereal! Yay? I think I'm happy about it but I'm kind of sad too because I don't want her to change too fast. I really am loving every minute of motherhood. She is SUCH a good baby and she is so fun and talkative. I still look back at my life before having Evelyne and yes, there were wonderful things, but nothing compares to the joy that I get from her!

We are enjoying the warmer weather- it has been in the 40's and I never wear a jacket anymore and feel like I should be in short sleeves all the time! Is anyone else desperate for a trip to the Caribbean?

Just a little treat to end your night with happy dreams...

Sunday Funday Runday!!!

I'm kind of dorky. I am okay with that. There is something that I have wanted to do for SO LONG. Run a 5k. Last year it was one of my goals, but then 3 days later, I found out I was pregnant and that kind of went out the window. It is one of my goals this year (which by the way, I am still working on all of them and doing fairly well) that I really want to accomplish before summer. I am also a very social person. I also hate making myself exercise. Once I get out there, great, but getting out there is the hard part. To some, actually most, this probably seems pathetic, but this is lifelong enemy that I desperately want to conquer.

Answer: Sunday Funday Runday!

If I invite a bunch of people that are depending on me to be there and host a 5k, I cannot let them down, hence, the public event.

Also,

1. It is kicking off summer!
   


2. At gorgeous Lake Calhoun!
   


3. Any and all are invited
   


4. It is the day before my birthday
   


5. I want to make t shirts for people to buy
   


6. I want to get sponsors
   


7. I want to blog about this journey
   


8. I will be so healthy and have more energy
   


9. It promotes family activity
   


10. It promotes healthy living
    


11. I want to give resources that give people
    
    

    ideas of fun places to go and be active and
    

    explore and spend quality time together in MN
    



12. The more I talk about it the more fun it sounds
    


13. I think the title is very dorky and kind of catchy.
    

What do you think? Should I really take this idea and run with it? (Pardon the pun) Please let me know your honest thoughts, you can even leave a comment anonymously and I will never know!

Don't you want to run on that sidewalk thingy?!?!

Back to Normal

Wow. The last 2 weeks have just been crazy! I wanted to blog so many times but I had to be responsible and take care of my family and do my work. Thankfully, the craziness has passed and I am thankful to be "back to normal"

When Evy was finally starting to feel better we had our good friends Adam and Kirsten come and visit. They stayed from Wednesday to Friday and like always, we had a lot of fun together. We like to try new places to eat, or make something new and interesting together, and we love to play:

Ticket to Ride

If you have never played it, it is addicting and fun and you want to keep playing it over and over again. It's one of those games. :)

Oh, and did I mention we love coffee? There is always a lot of coffee involved when we get together, here is Kirsten and Evy at Caribou. Which reminds me, Adam and Kirsten first went to Stillwater, MN and stayed at the Anne Bean Mansion, an awesome bed and breakfast that Alex and I have been to and also had our brother and sister in law stay at. Bed and Breakfasts are my favorite short get away option- there are a lot of fun places to go in Minnesota.

On Thursday night Kirsten and I made a chicken and artichoke fettuccine with asparagus and a few other things. It was delicious and we decided to make it a valentines special dinner with candles and the works :)

We had a great time with them and it was nice to have friends over for a few days. But Friday morning Alex started to feel stomach pains. By Friday afternoon they were gone but Saturday morning, after playing basketball, the pain started coming back and wouldn't go away, in fact, it kept getting worse. On to webmd we go, and discover that he very clearly had appendicitis.

It ended up being a very long and unexpected weekend, disappointing, but we really have so many things to be thankful for. We caught it fast enough so that it didn't burst, he was able to be home before the weekend was over and back to work by Thursday, his insurance is covering practically everything, and he is healing quickly and feeling better and better every day.

So here is a little taste of the last week for us:

lots of movies, and wii, and "honey can you bring me... :)"

PILES of laundry...

But lots of boys to be put to work (don't worry, Alex didn't really do that much and the movement was good for him... I'm serious!)

There was also some precious Daddy and daughter time which was so fun to watch.

We are working on sitting up and she is getting better and better at it. It has been so fun to see how Evy is growing and changing all the time.

Evelyne was especially happy at this moment in the day and she kept saying "da da da da" it was so fun and so we called Daddy at work and put him on speaker phone so he could hear her.

I am thankful for a new week and hopeful that there wont be anymore sickness for a long time!!!

And tomorrow I will be posting about something that I am looking forward to. It has to do with May 15th, 2011 and Lake Calhoun and a lot of work! hmmm...

As I write this my precious baby is asleep on our bed. It was a long night. Evelyne had her first fever and I think she just broke it finally. Hopefully it is gone for good. There is nothing worse than a little baby who is sick.

We have been up on and off all night. As I sat there rocking my baby to sleep I had lots of time to think. I remember the day I gave birth to her quite often. I play all the memories through my head. I don't remember the pain. All of that fades to the background compared to the feeling of elation I had when I saw her for the first time. How she made my life feel more complete than it ever had before. The look of pure joy on Alex's face when he first saw her. I don't realize how much I think of that day when she came, but as hard as that day was, it was at the same time the most amazing day ever and the pain just fades to the background.

As my hand rested on her body I remembered other things as well.

I can still feel my mother's cool hand on me when I had a fever. I remember the feeling of safety and comfort knowing she was taking care of me. Sometimes I miss that so much I ache. I know grown women don't all depend on their mothers for comfort. Some do, and I think that is good. But missing that and knowing that I can't have her makes it hurt more.

Now I get to be that for my daughter. At times it is an overwhelming feeling knowing that I am that person in her life. Today was a big step for me in the journey of motherhood. I was responsible for my daughters comfort and care. I was the only one that she wanted to be held by as we fought through the fever. To some it may seem unimportant. But for me, it was huge. Someday, I will be older than my mother was when she passed away, and I will be treading new territory as I go through this life.

I guess what I am trying to say is, I am now in the role that I knew my mother as, and it overwhelms me with memories and loss. I can now understand her in a different way, how she must have felt when she was so sick and couldn't take care of us. The feeling of hopelessness when she knew she was going to die.

I realize what an honor it is to be that person for little Evelyne. I miss having that person for me. I think about little children who never got that cooling touch of comfort from someone that loved them, and I want to be that for them. I pray that God will give me eyes to see the need. So many are hurting and need that comfort of knowing someone is there who loves them.

If you feel like that today, will you claim these verses?

Isaiah 54:10 "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing LOVE for you will not be shaken or my covenant of peace be removed." says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Matthew 1:25-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you REST. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

And this is a promise that I claim often:

Revelation 21:4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be NO MORE death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

There is something that I always come back to when I think about my life and

how God has brought me through many joys and trials in the past 23 years.

He has ALWAYS been faithful. ALWAYS.

I think I want that on my gravestone.