Anndddd... We're Back

Wow, it's been almost a full year since we last posted on our blog! So sorry to let you down, faithful readers. Things got very busy and crazy, and then things got very bad, and now things are... well, they are slowly getting better. I've wanted to resume posting for a while now, but it's taken some time to figure out what to write to summarize the last almost-year of our lives.

In short: we became parents, and suffered unimaginable loss. All on the same day.

Most of you reading know the whole story, but it didn't feel right to start blogging again without recognizing our boys, Asher & Evan. So we have created a page just to remember them and tell their story. You can find it in the links at the top of this page, or by clicking here.

I have good intentions to start blogging again regularly, so stay tuned. And please check out Jason's new blog The Grieving Father, where he shares more of our story, and provides resources for fathers affected by loss. We are beginning to heal, ever so slowly.

Holiday Recap, Part I

Well, I’ve been terrible about updating our blog lately, but that just means that we’ve had a full past few weeks. Now that Christmas and New Year’s are over and done (except for our upcoming Christmas visit to Newtown!) I hope to share some photos and highlights of our holidays.


Christmas was fantastic! We celebrated a record-breaking four times in four days (in four different locations). It was tiring, but fun. Here are the highlights of our Christmases so far:


Christmas Eve: We celebrated at Mom’s house, with Swedish meatballs and our favorite Christmas cookies. The food was delicious, as always. We also played the traditional game of Scrabble…. How I love Scrabble! It's a good thing my sisters are as obsessed with it as I am.


Christmas Day: It was a new experience for Jason and I to wake up in our own house on Christmas morning! We enjoyed cinnamon rolls and coffee, and watched the cat get high on his Christmas catnip. Later, Mom and the girls came over, and we had a relaxing afternoon. We crocheted several hats to send to newborns in developing countries, as part of the Knit One, Save One campaign. It was a cozy afternoon by the fire, and Theresa and Emily spent the night at our place.


Day After Christmas: Jason, Theresa, Emily, and I drove up to celebrate with Dad’s side of the family. We ate lots of food, saw lots of relatives, and sang “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” among other things. We also had a visit from Santa, who is kind enough to visit our family in person every year!


Saturday After Christmas: We spent the day celebrating with Dad and family. Jason and I went snowmobiling, which was a lot of fun… except the part where Jason ran out of gas and spent an hour stranded in the middle of a corn field! He was a little bit scarred from the experience, but made the most of it by singing and attempting to build a snowman.


That’s the latest on us. More to come soon!

Hey, look, an update!

So, I know we (meaning I, Becky) haven't updated our blog in FOREVER. But at this very moment, I am uploading all kinds of photos documenting the last month or so of our lives. It's taking a while, but soon you will see some of the fun things we've done so far this summer! It's been a busy one, full of house-ness, traveling, and get-togethers, and there's still plenty of it left!

Here are some photos of just some of the great stuff that's happened this summer:

Jason's birthday weekend at the cabin

Our weekend in Newtown

Mom, Theresa, Emily and spent a weekend together in Chicago

Enjoy!

Planes, Trains, and Snowmobiles

Last weekend we went up to Wadena to visit Dad, Loni, Eliah, and Danny, and what an exciting weekend we had! It was full of new experiences, and fun times with family. Here are the highlights:
• We flew in a 4-person airplane, and even got to fly it ourselves for a bit! Dad is working on his pilot's license, and the three of us and the flight instructor spent over an hour in the air on Saturday. Although I was terrified at first, it was fun! And if we are are ever on a plane and someone comes running out of the cockpit yelling "Can anyone fly a plane!?!?" we can say yes! Well, sort of... if it has a propeller in the front....
• Another new transportational experience: our first trip on snowmobiles! I am a bad Minnesotan for never having ridden one before, but I can finally say I have done it. Snowmobiles are great! I'm trying to convince Jason that we should get one, and I can ride it to work.
• This was a new one for Jason: watching a live hockey game. Danny's team creamed their opponents on Saturday, and Danny even scored two goals. We both really enjoyed watching 2nd and 3rd-graders on the ice!

Birthday

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Da-ad,
Happy Birthday to you!

Saintly City Cat Show

I'm going to a cat show this weekend with Mom and Grandma, to see all the best that the cat world has to offer. The show is part of the St. Paul Winter Carnival ("The Coolest Celebration on Earth!"). I was looking online to find some info about the show and I came across these pictures, which cannot go without being shared. This is the crowning of the winners of the cat show, done by the Winter Carnival royalty.




I sure am writing about cats a lot lately. :-)

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas....

This past Sunday we officially began our series of Christmas celebrations for the year. It was Jason’s first experience with a Niles family Christmas (and the uniqueness of them), so he was initiated during the “Human Christmas Tree” game. It was a great time for all.







On Sunday we ALSO purchased our Christmas gift to each other – a digital camera (you can probably guess that)! We expect our blog to be much more visually interesting from now on. I LOVE having a digital camera, because I don’t have to think twice about taking a picture and using up film, so I can afford to take more pictures like this:







And here’s a picture of an extremely handsome man, with our apartment in the background:




And our Christmas tree:




The holidays are crazy as usual, as we try to figure out who will be where on what day, and where WE will be, and what gifts to purchase, and how to work it all into our busy schedules. I’ve been struggling a little more than usual this year to not be overwhelmed with it all, and to remember the true purpose and meaning of Christmas. It seems like there is a constant threat (especially during the holidays, but also during the rest of the year) of being engulfed by the daily To Do lists, and getting carried away with the “whats” instead of focusing on the “whos.” Luckily I was able to just RELAX at our first (of 7 or 8) Christmas celebrations and spend time with family, and I hope that I can continue to focus on the people around me, and the Savior who was born for me, rather than how many Christmas cards are left to be sent out (they’re on their way, I promise!).

And if things ever get too out of control around here, I will just buy gift cards for everyone and call it a day.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Halloween!

Aren't they adorable???

BABIES!!!!!

Hi everyone! Here are some pictures of our new twin nephews, Cole and Tate. They are absolutely adorable! Thanks to Chelsea for the pictures!




The babies, only a day old!



The Johnson family: Natalie, Reid, Cole, and Tate.




Reid with his brand new sons.




Uncle Jason making faces at his nephew.




Me holding... I think that's Tate?




Cole and Tate, almost a week old!




Grandpa Daum and his new grandson.

What do you get when you take a yearbook, two babies, and Frodo and mix them all together?

How quickly time flies! After 3 weeks of time off at home, I am heading back to work at Walsworth tomorrow. I will still technically be part of the Art Department, but for the time being will do only Creative Services work. (Creative Services is the department Jason is in, the department I have wanted to be in, but there hasn't been a position open.) A position has opened up in Creative Services, and as soon as they get to all the formalities - paperwork, interviews, etc - I expect to be promoted to that department! The work I will be doing for now is kind of a temporary position, to 1) get me back to work sooner, and 2) help Creative Services get a jump on the 2007 covers. I'm excited to be moving forward in my career, and get into a more consistently creative position! We are still looking for jobs in the Twin Cities, and sticking to the plan to leave when one of us finds a position, but this will be a great change until that time comes. (And no more getting up at 5:30!)

Job searching has been slow, at times frustrating. We seem to be waiting on a lot of companies to look at our stuff. We know that the right job will come along at the right time, and are trusting that God knows exactly where we need to be, and when. But it's definitely not easy! We are so anxious and excited to get to the Cities and enjoy the art, culture, and expanded shopping opportunities (i.e. not just Walmart) that are there. Prayers for contentment during the rest of our time here would be great.

There is exciting stuff going on in our families lately! Natalie (Jason's sister) is having twins tomorrow! Yay! I am SOOO excited to be an aunt, and Jason is excited to be an uncle! We are both happy that we're here to be a part of that, and will enjoy playing with our new nephews! Emily (my sister) just left for college this past week, and seems to be enjoying it so far. Wahoo for college!

In other news, Lord of the Rings has overtaken our house. Jason is now the proud owner of the entire super-extended, multi-disc, hours-and-hours-and-hours of stuff to watch, all-the-Elijah-Wood-you-can-handle LOTR trilogy. Each of the three movies (which are extended from their 3-hour theater version into about 4 hours each) comes with several discs of "extras." He has made it through ALL of the 1st movie stuff, and we are currently digging into the second. I expect him to start dressing in a green cape and calling me his "Precious" any time now.

That's the latest on us, we'd love to hear from you!

-Becky

A Lovely Weekend in June

As promised... here are a few pictures from Emily's graduation weekend!

This one goes out to Theresa in the office of a Milwaukee river tour company...

Hello, friends. It's been a while - we promise to make an effort to update more often (especially if you promise to comment more often - it's a two-way street, folks).

This weekend we were up in Minnesota for Emily's graduation from Saint Paul Academy! We thought it would be rainy and cold for the outdoor ceremony, but the sun came out just in time. Good thing for all the girls in white summer dresses. Emily looked beautiful, of course, and the ceremony went well. I can't believe my little sister is done with high school - I'm so proud of her! I wish I had a picture to post here - maybe Theresa can help me out (hint, hint)?

We also got to see a lot of extended family this weekend, which was great. I have really missed everyone up there, especially since we hadn't had the opportunity to visit in such a long time. But no worries, we'll be up at least 3 more times this summer. Maybe more if our job search goes well and we are there to interview! Speaking of which, I want to thank everyone who has been praying for our future plans and guidance regarding where/when we are to go. We have felt a lot of clarity in the past few weeks, a welcome change from being overwhelmed by all the possibilities. Anxiousness is being replaced by excitement as we gain more confidence and direction about our life after Meadville. So thank you, and please continue to think of us as we continue to figure things out!

Hmmm.... that's about all that's new here. We have a busy couple of weeks ahead, and Jason starts traveling soon. The summer is going by so quickly!