Day 293: Kristie and Josh wedding and La Crosse

We enjoyed some toddler-free time in La Crosse before going to see our friends Kristie and Josh get married in the afternoon. Kristie is an old friend from The Rock, and we managed to meet Josh when we went for a visit to California last summer. We had a great time visiting with a bunch of old friends from The Rock, including some from the church plant in Los Angeles called Kairos.

Day 230: Swing again

Zaria finally allowed us to put her in the swing today. She's been reluctant to go in any swing so far this spring, which I've been sad about since she loved to go in the swings last summer and fall. So after looking at it for two days and only wanting to push it, she finally decided it was OK to sit in and swing. We were then able to have all three girls swing since there's a baby swing on the bigger set as well. I turned the one Zaria's in 180 degrees so she could see her cousins.

We also had a chance to visit Renee and Kurt's new church and hear a great message about forgiveness. I didn't realize it until later, but it was also Passover today, but nothing was mentioned about that at church. They did have a great kids' program, so I could see why they chose as they did.

Day 81: Thanksgiving apples

I made some apple crisp again for Thanksgiving (after all those nice apples I got from Jenn), and spent time with my dad's side of the family today playing Apples to Apples. Zaria wanted to play as well, and was a bit of a star as the youngest family member present. We actually brought Jamin's dad with as well, so spent some time with the in-laws on our way home dropping him off.

My uncle Tim also gave us a tour of their church remodel, and it felt like we were looking at Extreme Makeovers Church Edition. It was really nice, done with a lot of volunteer work, and I think they tripled their previous space with the addition. Jamin took this photo, but it's a great group shot of us playing.

Day 80: Dave's birthday

I won't say how old he is, but it was my stepdad Dave's birthday today. I went to his and my mom's church for their Thanksgiving Eve service, BPEFC. I went there through junior high and high school, so there are still many familiar faces there. It was a little far from our house, so I've found closer places since then. I took Mom and Dave bowling after the service, but it was sort of late so we only played one game so I could get Zaria to bed.

Day 77: Nils' dedication

We enjoyed spending time with our friends at Nils' dedication today. Here you see Anders, Anna, Nils (in Anna's lap), Lena (who had a birthday today), Lars, and Jenn. I think you might see the top of Maria's head, next to Jenn. So we didn't do any babysitting for A & A's older son Emil tonight, but had a great time hanging out with the family after church. We also saw some familiar faces from a different church Jamin and I had been to in St. Louis Park.