September 2, 2010
HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY OLIVER!!!!!

Can you believe my little man is ONE??! I have no idea where that
year went! It feels like last week when I was sitting on the couch
timing my contractions. I remember his labor was so much more
manageable than Noah's (Noah was in a bad position), and I kept
thinking I was in early labor. Right up until Steve made me go to
the hospital! Turns out I was 6cm dilated and Oliver made his
wonderful entry into this world just over an hour later! His life has
been a blessing, and a breeze since his birth! (Don't get me wrong,
natural childbirth is never EASY, we are speaking in relative terms!)

Since then, he has learned so much. He has become the sweetest
little guy. He walks, talks, climbs, plays Hot Wheels, loves Woody
from Toy Story, and thinks he can do anything that Noah can.
He graces us with smiles and hugs and kisses all day and can
always brighten our moments. He runs to the door screeching when Steve
pulls in the driveway, leaping into his arms as fast as he can so as
to beat Noah to Dad's embrace. He buries his head into your shoulder
and nuzzles in close, clenching your arms with his tiny little hands.
He is so precious.

He loves to swing, loves his bike, and LOVES baseball. His
favorite food group is nature, and takes to eating rocks, dirt, mulch,
and any other outdoor non-food item as if it were candy. He loves
bugs and animals and has no fear of anything. He is such a good boy.

When I see him peering over the windowsill when I pull out of the driveway,
 fingers and eyes the only visible parts, his hand reaching and waving, my
heart melts. He is so sweet.

Our baby. Little Oliver. We love you more than you can ever know.
There is nothing that can ever break the love between us. There is
nothing you could ever do to make us stop loving you. Since becoming
a mother, I have learned unconditional love. I have learned how
your child can break your heart in a million different ways. I have
felt how it feels to watch your heart go walking away from you, in
a tiny body, wobbly and fluffy.

I love you Oliver. WE love you Oliver. I know you won't remember
this day, but I will never forget the year you stole our hearts.

With a heart bursting with love,
xoxoxx
Mama





Oliver just awake on his 1st, having his fav breakfast of eggs, pb english muffin & raspberries, and lounging.




My sweet baby boy at just a few days old.



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August 20, 2010
Beautiful Summer Moments.

This summer has been FULL of great fun! We have filled our days with 
many ways to enjoy the outdoors, it has been so lovely. The boys have
learned truckloads from all our adventures! It is so nice to really take
advantage of the warm months. Especially considering how long our winters
are. Although we are sad to see the long days dwindling down, we are 
thankful for all the fun memories we have had this summer!

 
Noah riding the tractor with Grandpa (it is a little loud!)
      
Oliver turning into a big kid.

My three guys enjoying play time.

My sweet sweet Oliver. He LOVES his cowboy hat!




The boys conked out after our bike ride! Oliver, being cute.
\
That hat has really been a great investment! I love this little man!

Steve being the awesome Uncle he is! (can you tell he LOVES kids??)

Noah trying to figure out his new cousin.
    
ALL the cousins having a blast!

It is SO great that we are all having babies at the same time!

Handsome boy.

Ahhhh, one of the joys of summer! Fresh from the garden.


Summer, don't leave us yet!

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August 13, 2010
Introducing....

Zachary James! Our first nephew was born July 31st. He
was a whopping 9lbs and as healthy as a horse. YAY!
Not to mention as cute as a little red-haired button! (That
doesn't even make sense, ha) But yes, absolutely precious.
How awesome it is that the boys will now have a boy cousin
to play with! Not that they don't LOVE their 4 girl cousins.
Actually, they really enjoy playing with all their girly toys,
seeing as we have none in our house. It was pretty funny
watching them all fight over the Barbies!

Anyways, here is the newest blessing to our ever expanding
family! We realized, there has been a baby (or 2!) born every
single year starting in 2005! There are now 7 babies and 6 adults.
 I think you will agree, the Ekstrom siblings sure make adorable
little ones! I had just about a 10 minute photo session with
him, so it wasn't long, but managed to snatch a handful of
cute ones. I sure wish we lived closer so I could have a
hundred more!





















We love you baby Zachary!

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August 11, 2010
We Love the ADK!

A couple weekends ago, we packed up and headed out to one of
our favorite places to camp. The Adirondack Mountains! A favorite
spot is Old Forge and so we geared up and took the boys on a 3
night adventure! Now, before you get any crazy ideas, we are not
backpack campers. Especially not with a 2 year old and 11 month old!
But, we did sleep in a tent and all that. So, it was still roughing it enough.

My brother Jonah and his super sweet and lovely and kind girlfriend
Courtney joined us. We all had such a great time! We were SO nervous
at first because it was POURING on the drive. I mean, cats and dogs.
We thought for sure we were going to get rained out and end up in a
hotel. There was no way I was going to set up camp in pouring rain
and have everything be soaked AND have two babies. Nope nope!

Well, thankfully, as SOON as we pulled into Old Forge the rain cleared
right up! It was awesome. We were able to set up camp and get all
of our stuff situated dry! Not only that, but save for a few hours on
Saturday night after the boys were in bed, it was SUNNY and hot.
While it rained, the four of us sat around and enjoyed the company
under our canopy. It turned out to be such a lovely weekend. The boys
had an absolutely wonderful time and we all enjoyed being together.
Isn't that what family vacations are all about??

Oh, all the following photos are completely straight out of the
camera. No cropping or editing. There were just too many. So,
they could be better, but they will just have to be good enough!


Setting up camp. Like Oliver's seat? Ha. Hey, you make do when you are camping.
 
Every single fire was started with just a flint and wood that Jonah shaved! No paper or anything!
 
My boys and I after a very humid day. I love Noah's cheese smile!
 
This kid LOVES to swing!
 
My boys!

Look at that little man, such a sweetheart.
 
Noah trying out the backpack like daddy! (Oliver not amused)

Steve and his boys, enjoying the view.
 
Oliver lounging and Uncle Jonah relaxing.
 
My love and I. The boys trying to set up a trap Bear Grylls style (it was HILARIOUS when the squirrel precariously took every
single piece of food they left, except for the ONE that would have triggered it!).
 
Noah getting ready for his first canoe fishing ride!
 
It was SO beautiful out! Look at how cute Jonah and Courtney are, oh it makes me ill.
 
He was SUPER excited, Oliver was just ticked that he was being left out.
 
AGAIN with making me sick! No really, they are so sweet together.
 
My Noah baby patiently waiting for his ice cream cone.
 
MMmmmmmmmm!

Oh gosh. Can I just nibble on this baby??? Look at those teeth!
 
Our family shot at the lake!
 
Enjoying our evening by the fire. Chatting, popping popcorn, roasting marshmallows, and making s'mores!
 
Oliver lovin' on the animals Steve won him. Noah perched on a HUGE tree. My 3 FAVORITE guys on the planet.

He was being SO sweet with those stuffed animals, hugging them and such.

We went to Herkimer diamond mine and wacked some rocks. Noah REALLY liked that!
 
Oliver tried to get in on the fun. He really hates being left out!
 

What a wonderful trip! Really made us excited about our next
trip in September. Stop by again, I am working on another post
now. WAY too behind!

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