The Howe family and the Lucius family:
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
More pics from the Larsen get-together
Here are some more pics of Annikka from the reunion in Chetek:
Here is Annikka stacking the Ohio State cups my team-mates and I "won" inthe 18-hole golf lesson I received from Alecia the scramble golf tournament that Alecia set up:
Annikka and her second cousins on the Larsen side (all of whom are the great-grandchildren of Clifford and Evelyn Larsen):
Annikka, looking pretty comfortable with Papa:
Again, if you have any pics you can spare, lay 'em on me.
Here is Annikka stacking the Ohio State cups my team-mates and I "won" in
Annikka and her second cousins on the Larsen side (all of whom are the great-grandchildren of Clifford and Evelyn Larsen):
Annikka, looking pretty comfortable with Papa:
Again, if you have any pics you can spare, lay 'em on me.
We're Back.
We're back from our trip to the Midwest, and I'm trying to piece together some pictures to post. Our camera died on the trip, so it's going to take a me a little bit of effort compile other people's pictures from the wedding and the family reunion. I'll post what I have when I get it. If you have anything you can share with us, please let me know.
It was a great time. Very relaxing, and very fun for all of us, especially Annikka. Rachel's wedding was wonderful. Jerod is a great guy, and it was fun to meet his family. It was nice to get a glimpse of the life that Rachel and Jerod are putting together, and it's good to know that Annikka has a great new uncle.
And it was exciting to see so many of our friends and family again. It's been way too long in most cases.
It was also fun to spend some time in the Twin Cities. Touring the old neighborhoods (Seward, Cedar-Riverside, Nokomis) was great, almost enough to make you homesick. But as Dana and I are quick to remember, the winters suck and KARE 11 is the most annoying news team on the PLANET, so we'll probaly just stay in totally awesome Oregon.
The Larsen family reunion in Chetek, Wisconsin, was a blast. Annikka spent most of her time being carted around by random family members, distant and immediate. She loved that, and she loved meeting the three other Larsen babies around her age.
That's Annikka on the far left (taking after her parents -- ha ha -- "far left," get it?).
More to come. "Before We Go" (copyright KARE 11 News), however, here is Oregon State's new basketball coach, Craig Robinson, speaking at the Democratic National Convention. Check out the 3:00 min mark for a shout-out to the Beavers.
It was a great time. Very relaxing, and very fun for all of us, especially Annikka. Rachel's wedding was wonderful. Jerod is a great guy, and it was fun to meet his family. It was nice to get a glimpse of the life that Rachel and Jerod are putting together, and it's good to know that Annikka has a great new uncle.
And it was exciting to see so many of our friends and family again. It's been way too long in most cases.
It was also fun to spend some time in the Twin Cities. Touring the old neighborhoods (Seward, Cedar-Riverside, Nokomis) was great, almost enough to make you homesick. But as Dana and I are quick to remember, the winters suck and KARE 11 is the most annoying news team on the PLANET, so we'll probaly just stay in totally awesome Oregon.
The Larsen family reunion in Chetek, Wisconsin, was a blast. Annikka spent most of her time being carted around by random family members, distant and immediate. She loved that, and she loved meeting the three other Larsen babies around her age.
That's Annikka on the far left (taking after her parents -- ha ha -- "far left," get it?).
More to come. "Before We Go" (copyright KARE 11 News), however, here is Oregon State's new basketball coach, Craig Robinson, speaking at the Democratic National Convention. Check out the 3:00 min mark for a shout-out to the Beavers.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Minneapolis, here we come.
Evening, all.
Dana and I are getting ready to leave tomorrow morning (at 5:40 in the am) for the mini apple. We're eager to see everyone and excited for everyone to spend some time with Annikka.
Annikka has been crawling a LOT since the last update. It's fun(ny) to watch. She gets around, but she holds her left leg crooked the whole time. She's not real graceful, yet.
Here is a fun video that Dana recorded tonight of Annikka playing with Oliver. We didn't have time to get the video camera, so she took it on our digital camera. Hence the grainy footage. Enjoy.
I've got to go clean the cat box, write out some instructions to the lady who'll be taking care of the cats, and pack my dress-up clothes.
See you all soon.
Dana and I are getting ready to leave tomorrow morning (at 5:40 in the am) for the mini apple. We're eager to see everyone and excited for everyone to spend some time with Annikka.
Annikka has been crawling a LOT since the last update. It's fun(ny) to watch. She gets around, but she holds her left leg crooked the whole time. She's not real graceful, yet.
Here is a fun video that Dana recorded tonight of Annikka playing with Oliver. We didn't have time to get the video camera, so she took it on our digital camera. Hence the grainy footage. Enjoy.
I've got to go clean the cat box, write out some instructions to the lady who'll be taking care of the cats, and pack my dress-up clothes.
See you all soon.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Baby Says "Hi," Crawls, Goes to Bed.
CORVALLIS - Annikka crawled for the first time tonight. She doesn't have it mastered, but she'll be moving around on her own pretty soon, if not tomorrow. The days of stationary Annikka are probably over, which means we have to stop leaving her on the bed while we go shopping.
Dana and I are happy to see that Annikka is moving around, but at the same time we're concerned because we don't have any baby-gates or anything, and the house is definitely not baby-proofed. Careful, Annikka!
Also, Annikka has spoken. Her first word is "hi." She's been saying it for a number of weeks now, but I didn't think she knew what it meant, so I wasn't sure it qualified as a first word. But when I said that to her day care workers, they looked at me like I was nuts (not unusual). According to them, Annikka knows what "hi" means and she knows how to use it. Apparently she says it to everyone who comes in the door.
And according to Dana, Annikka says "hi" to the empty hallway every morning when she arrives at day care, and she says hi to everyone she sees at the grocery store. Annikka also said it to Grandma and Grandpa today when they came to visit.
So anyhoo, big news here. Our kid is moving around, and she's starting to talk. Pretty cool.
See everyone soon! Here are some pics to tide you over:
Dana and I are happy to see that Annikka is moving around, but at the same time we're concerned because we don't have any baby-gates or anything, and the house is definitely not baby-proofed. Careful, Annikka!
Also, Annikka has spoken. Her first word is "hi." She's been saying it for a number of weeks now, but I didn't think she knew what it meant, so I wasn't sure it qualified as a first word. But when I said that to her day care workers, they looked at me like I was nuts (not unusual). According to them, Annikka knows what "hi" means and she knows how to use it. Apparently she says it to everyone who comes in the door.
And according to Dana, Annikka says "hi" to the empty hallway every morning when she arrives at day care, and she says hi to everyone she sees at the grocery store. Annikka also said it to Grandma and Grandpa today when they came to visit.
So anyhoo, big news here. Our kid is moving around, and she's starting to talk. Pretty cool.
See everyone soon! Here are some pics to tide you over:
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Videos, per your request.
This first piece captures Annikka's fascination with all things feline:
Anani (the cat) wasn't in a very playful mood. Usually Anani is a sucker for play-time, and she'll jump at anything long and string-like, in which case Annikka goes NUTS! We'll try to get that on camera. This was a relatively mild reaction.
This next selection shows Annikka falling in love with herself in front of the mirror.
See you all soon!
Anani (the cat) wasn't in a very playful mood. Usually Anani is a sucker for play-time, and she'll jump at anything long and string-like, in which case Annikka goes NUTS! We'll try to get that on camera. This was a relatively mild reaction.
This next selection shows Annikka falling in love with herself in front of the mirror.
See you all soon!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
9 month review
Annikka had her nine month doctor's visit today. According to Dr. Wong, everything is going well.
Notable findings:
We were surprised to learn that she weighs only 19 lbs, 6 oz. She sure seems bigger than that. Turns out, her weight quite normal. Her height, at 27 3/4" is pretty normal, too. In fact, most everything about Annikka is in the 60th to 70th percentile.
Except her head that is, which is in the 90TH PERCENTILE (!!!) That's no joke. The girl's got a big head.
Cute, too.
Monday night Dana and I went down to Eugene to watch Garrison Keillor perform at the Oregon Bach Festival. He made fun of Minnesota Lutherans pretty much the entire show, which was fun. Dana and I think it's sad that Annikka probably won't appreciate those jokes like we do, if she even finds them funny.
We went with my parents and the rest of the Southern Willamette Valley University of Minnesota Alumni Association. It was pretty fun to be around some Minnesotans again.
We hired a babysitter to look after Annikka, which was a first for us (if you don't count the times my parents have looked after her). We hired a lady (are 21 year olds ladies?) from Annikka's day care that Annikka knows well.
It turned out to be a breeze; Annikka ate her dinner without fussing, and she went to bed quickly.
And the best part? The night out only cost us $97! ($70 for the sitter's time, $20 for her to buy some dinner, and $7 for the gas!) At that price, we can afford to go out one at least once a year. Geez. (I'm kidding, our sitter is great ... the peace of mind is worth it.)
This weekend, Annikka had a play date with some of her friends.
That's Zane above on the left (you remember him) and his mother Kellee (pictured above). Jessica ("Jessi") is in the middle (you remember her -- she's really grown, huh?). Her mother Kirstin (Gustavus grad) is pictured above in the bright blue shirt.
The cuties played while the moms talked shop and I played catch with Zane's dad in the park.
I think everyone had a good time.
Talk to you soon, everyone. We have some video of Annikka laughing, and I'm trying to nab some video of her clapping her hands (ridiculously cute). I'll try to post them soon.
Notable findings:
We were surprised to learn that she weighs only 19 lbs, 6 oz. She sure seems bigger than that. Turns out, her weight quite normal. Her height, at 27 3/4" is pretty normal, too. In fact, most everything about Annikka is in the 60th to 70th percentile.
Except her head that is, which is in the 90TH PERCENTILE (!!!) That's no joke. The girl's got a big head.
Cute, too.
Monday night Dana and I went down to Eugene to watch Garrison Keillor perform at the Oregon Bach Festival. He made fun of Minnesota Lutherans pretty much the entire show, which was fun. Dana and I think it's sad that Annikka probably won't appreciate those jokes like we do, if she even finds them funny.
We went with my parents and the rest of the Southern Willamette Valley University of Minnesota Alumni Association. It was pretty fun to be around some Minnesotans again.
We hired a babysitter to look after Annikka, which was a first for us (if you don't count the times my parents have looked after her). We hired a lady (are 21 year olds ladies?) from Annikka's day care that Annikka knows well.
It turned out to be a breeze; Annikka ate her dinner without fussing, and she went to bed quickly.
And the best part? The night out only cost us $97! ($70 for the sitter's time, $20 for her to buy some dinner, and $7 for the gas!) At that price, we can afford to go out one at least once a year. Geez. (I'm kidding, our sitter is great ... the peace of mind is worth it.)
This weekend, Annikka had a play date with some of her friends.
That's Zane above on the left (you remember him) and his mother Kellee (pictured above). Jessica ("Jessi") is in the middle (you remember her -- she's really grown, huh?). Her mother Kirstin (Gustavus grad) is pictured above in the bright blue shirt.
The cuties played while the moms talked shop and I played catch with Zane's dad in the park.
I think everyone had a good time.
Talk to you soon, everyone. We have some video of Annikka laughing, and I'm trying to nab some video of her clapping her hands (ridiculously cute). I'll try to post them soon.
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