Brrr...

Hi everyone,
I hope you all enjoyed your weekend. Eva & I went to the Women's Hockey game on Friday night. They played against the University of North Dakota (my alma mater). We stayed for two full periods. This is a good progression towards staying for the entire game. I don't want to push her limits on staying too long. She really enjoys going.
We also went to the BSU Women's Basketball & the very beginning of the Men's Basketball game on Saturday night. Eva was so funny during the games. For example, whenever there was a song playing that she could dance to, she would. She also claps her hands & cheers with everyone. She also smiles at strangers. She's definately not shy.
Anyway..tomorrow (Monday) it's supposed to get to -40 windchill. Maybe school will be cancelled. We'll see. Christmas is coming soon! Yeah! I can't wait to spend time with Eric & with my family. Have a great week.

Eva & her kitty

Eva & her kitty ("Brita" - I think that's what we'll call her now) 12-7-08

Hi everyone,
So..who do you think Eva looks like more?? Me or Eric? You should see Eric's baby pics, Eva looks a lot like him. I just got some really cute pictures taken of Eva at Sears. If you want to see them online, please send myself or Eric an e-mail.
I didn't realize how long it has been since I last wrote. Time sure flies by when you are busy. Eva & I had a pretty relaxing weekend here in Bemidji. We went to the Men's Hockey game on Friday night. Eva likes to go to those games. It was so cold out on Saturday (-15 windchill) that we stayed indoors all day. It was too cold to go anywhere. There was another Hockey game, but we didn't go. I took Eva to the park on Sunday. There was one other kid there, probably because it was so cold out. We were bundled up really well..but my fingers went numb & Eva's cheeks turned bring red (she was wearing a scarf) within five minutes. So, we left & went to Target & got a few things. We did have some fun indoors...we played with playdough, colored, danced to music, read stories, & watched "Annie Brocoli" to get her French lessons.
That's all for now. I hope all is well with you & have a great week.


How sweet!


Picture of Lake Bemidji after first big snowfall. 12-7-08

New addition..

Hey everyone,
Well, this is kind of a funny story..umm..I adopted a cat on Friday. Actually, I went to the Humane Society over my lunch hour to follow-up with my volunteer application. I saw the cat that I eventually adopted & just couldn't get over how pretty & sweet she was. She feels so incredibly soft when you pet her. She also reminds me A LOT of the cat we adored that died last spring. Anyway, this cat was born a day before I started working at Bemidji State (8/3/08). She's part calico (her mom was in the humane society as well) & part burmese mix (very social & friendly). She was never outdoors & was originally with a foster family that had kids until she was old enough to place for adoption. I'm so happy that I got her. Eva loves her as well. She's current on all her shots & she's spayed.

She is very friendly in a non-annoying way. If I'm laying down, this cat will jump & lay on my stomach or lap and purr. I've only had her for a few days. Hopefully, we'll have this one for a long time. Just one cat, no more. Enough about the cat..I just need to think of a name..

Hi kitty..

Eva's smile

Look at that smile!! 11-15-08

Hey everyone,
I haven't updated this blog in a few weeks. I've been pretty busy. So, here's the latest...
Eva & I spent the weekend here in Bemidji. We went to the BSU Women's Hockey game on both Friday & Saturday nights. They played against the U of MN. They lost, but they didn't give up. I think it's so awesome that women now have more opportunities to play hockey. I think it's such a fun sport & I wish I would've had the chance to play. It's never to late...
Eva & I also went to a park that's right off the lake. I took the sled (there's barely enough snow) & we had a great time. There wasn't anybody at the park. I really had Eva bundled up because it was pretty cold out. Friday night, we had a movie night & I rented The Bee Movie. I thought it was pretty good. Jerry Seinfeld was the main character (I really like his sense of humor, this is a cute movie to watch with kids).
I'll keep you posted.

Eric's in town!

Hi everyone!
I hope you all had a good weekend. Everything is going great here...Eric's in town! Eva & I really missed him. I drove to the airport on Saturday at 11:00am to pick him up in Fargo. Eva fell asleep for the majority of the ride. I bought her a little Einstein piano at Walmart prior to the trip due to the fact that a round-trip drive to & from Fargo is about 6 hours. She ended up playing with it a little on the ride back. Anyway, when Eva & I arrived at the airport, she was so happy to see her "papa". She threw open her arms & said "hug hug". She was so happy & didn't want him to go out of her sight. I didn't either..
So, I thought you'd like to see pics of Eva & her papa. There will be more to come. Eric is staying until next weekend. I'll keep you posted on everything.


Eva & papa at the Fargo airport. 10-25-08


Eva & her new Dora puppet. She loves Dora the Explorer. Papa gave her all kinds of presents. 10-25-08

Eva loves her new magnets that papa gave her. 10-25-08

Eva & papa having breakfast. 10-26-08

Eva got a bigger bed today!! She loves it. What a big girl! We still have to set up the lower half of her bed as well as get a bedrail. I had fun shopping for her bedding. It's a princess theme..I thought Eva would like it. 10-26-08

See my cool Dora toothbrush! I'm done now..10-19-08

Updates from Bemidji

Hi everyone,
I hope you all had a great weekend. Eva & I stayed in Bemidji. My dad came up for the day on Saturday. That was such a great help. I had a lot of events to go to for my job. So, it worked out really well to have him here. I loved that he got to spend some good quality time with her. Eva loves her "geempa". Saturday was a busy day, I went to the football tailgate for a bit, football game, soccer game, & then hung out with my dad & Eva for the remainder of the day. The pics below were taken today. Eva & I went to the park right by campus. This park is pretty big & is right off Lake Bemidji. There are swings & a large playset. Eva was very social & hung out with another little boy who was playing (21 months). The father of this boy was a former hockey player at BSU & had a lot in common with Eric. So, maybe I found another family to hang out with. That's my whole thing that I need right now is just to find my niche. Now that things have settled down more at the office, I can focus on establishing a good social life here. Enjoy these pics.


Grandpa & I carved this pumpkin together. I wonder what's inside? 10-18-08


Should I get closer?


I can make a face like the pumpkin.

Kiss the pumpkin.

She's so little here..how cute.


Eva likes riding this boat.


Eva spotted a man walking a group of dogs..she got to pet them. She loves dogs. Once we settle into a house, we'll get one. Eric & I want to get a golden lab. 10-19-08

Eva is a little tired here.

Moved to Bemidji!!

Hi everyone,
Well, it's been awhile..I know. A lot has changed for our family since I last wrote in July. I got a new job at Bemidji State University as the Associate Director of Athletics/SWA. This was a good career move for me in many ways. It's also a great move to be closer to family. However, this is a huge adjustment & I'm really trying to do my best. We'll see how things go..Eva & I are liviing in an apartment close to campus. It's a month-t0-month rental. This apartment works good for us now. It's a good time to save..
On another note..Eva turned 2 yrs. old on August 14th. She is such a little personality. She can really say a lot of words now (she does know some French - but she needs to hear it more often).
Since the move to Bemidji, she has really gotten attached to her Grandma & Grandpa. She calls them "gee-ma & gee-pa". It's so cute. She is going back to her original daycare a week from now. There's too much to write & I'm tired now. But, I thought I'd put a few pictures of Eva on the blog since it's been so long. I plan on updating this blog weekly from this point on (now that I have internet!). Have a great week!


This is a pretty dress. I may want to wear it more often than just for Halloween!


I'm a little princess! 10-5-08


Is there any candy in here? 10-5-08

Hmmm...what to color next. You should see all of my drawings! 10-4-08

Grandpa & me eating a little steak. Yummy!! Yummy!! 10-4-08

Eva's first haircut

Hi everyone,
It's been awhile since I last wrote. We've been really busy lately. I just went to Bemidji for a job interview at the university. I should find out within the next few days if I got it or not. We'll see..I brought Eva to get her first haircut today. She really needed one because she always pulled out her barrette's, etc. whenever I tried to keep her hair out of her face. On another note..she may be the future golfer just like her papa. Eric bought her a toy golf set & she loves to play around with it. Anyway, I could write more but I'm a little tired. So, enjoy these pictures & I'll keep you posted on everything.


Eva the golfer! Look at how she's holding the club, pretty good for a 22 month old.


Eva's getting ready for her first haircut. July 2, 2008


Eva's getting styled!


Eva loves papa's pancakes (mommy does too!)

Eva at Prospect Lake

Hi everyone,
Can you tell we love our daughter? We always have a picture to share of her. Anyway, I took a few pictures of her when we went to Prospect Lake on Father's Day. Prospect Lake is in Colorado Springs. It's not very big, but some people fish & swim in it. For some reason, Eva has enjoyed doing partial head stands. Actually, I used the video camera from my parents to capture Eva dancing & doing a partial head stand. I don't know how to upload it to our home computer, but I'll figure it out sometime soon & post it on our video channel.


Is Eva going to be a gymnast?..hmm. It doesn't come from her mom.


Eva by prospect lake on Father's Day.


She didn't care that she didn't have her swim suit on. Actually, the water wasn't that warm. She's a true northern girl.

Happy Father's Day!

Hi everyone,
Well, Eric & I planned to have a night out tonight. But, after a long day of playing outside, Eva fell asleep really early. I didn't want to disturb her because she really needs her sleep. I'd rather have her be happy for father's day tomorrow. We had a babysitter lined up & everything. Oh well..there will be other nights. I went to a couple of garage sales this morning. I tell you, there is nothing wrong with getting used baby stuff for pennies on the dollar. And, I only get stuff in good condition. I got Eva a tricycle & a fisher price stackable legos w/characters. She loved it. I took a few cute pictures. This afternoon, we went to the America the Beautiful Park that's located in downtown C.Springs. This park has a large water fountain that kids can walk around & play in the water. You can see pictures of this park & the fountain if you google it online. After that..we went to one of Eric's patient's daughter's birthday party. The party was hosted at a store in the mall. This store sold just baby dolls & accessories. There was a back room set up for little girls & had dresses they could play dress-up & a table where they could do little activities. It was VERY CUTE!! We are planning on going behind Pikes Peak at one of the lakes (crystal lake?) tomorrow for father's day. Eric wants to go fly-fishing & I'd like to go for a hike. Eva loves to be outside, so I'm sure she'd have fun too. Enjoy these pictures.


All eyes on Eva. The birthday girl is the one in the hat. How cute are these girls!


Eva's making sure that her doll is o.k. (still at B-Day party in store)


I guess Eva likes cupcakes!


Eva got to play dress up.

She's a little fairy.

Guess which one is Eva..the girls took their dolls for a stroller ride around the mall.

Eva's a little princess.

Eva & her new tricycle!

Eric pushing Eva on her new tricycle! This tricycle is pretty cool because the seat adjusts. Also, it can be converted into a rocker.

Misha had her kittens!

Everyone,
Our newly adopted cat "Misha" had her kittens last Tuesday night! I originally guessed that she would have four or five. But, she had six! She has three almost all black. Two are orange with a little while & the other is gray like Misha. This has been quite an interesting story. As you know, we lost our other cat "Jolie" to a fox back in April. I was missing having a cat around & browsing the humane website for fun. I spotted Misha & just fell in love with how sweet she looked & felt so strongly to get her. I definately thought it was kind of soon, but I spoke with Eric about it & he said go ahead. Actually, I went to the humane society right after the plane landed in C.Springs from my trip to Minnesota. I didn't realize how sick Misha was when I adopted her. To make a long story short, she had to stay overnight in the vet hospital for two nights. She was on massive doses on antibiotics. I'll finish the story later. It's Father's Day weekend & Eric's ready to play "nine". Enjoy this recent picture of Eva. She's such a doll..


La petite Eva just posing for the camera. I guess she's used to getting her picture taken..6-8-08

New pictures

Hi Everyone,
Well, no news yet as to if I've been accepted to the MBA program at UCCS for this summer term. Classes start next Monday. I knew the admissions committee met this past Tuesday. But, I never received any type of notification in the mail,etc. I'm going to call tomorrow. We did have a showing today. I'm actually thinking that we may drop our listing for a few reasons. Eric & I are going to try to figure out the best place to raise Eva and make a good living. We just aren't accomplishing our goals here & would rather be closer to family. I really miss my family!! We'll see what happens. I applied for a job at Bemidji State University. They will start the review of applications next Monday. I haven't seen any other good job opportunities lately. I'll keep you posted. The latest with Eva...I'm really working with her to try to put two words together. She can say a lot of words by themselves. Now, she can say "All done". She does speak a lot of English followed by French or vice versa. Eric has been really good about speaking to her only in French. I think I'm picking up a lot. I think it's awesome for Eva!! Anyway, I'm tired & decided to post some cute pictures that you may not have seen before that were taken over the past few months. I hope all these pictures don't crash your computer.


Eva loves strawberries! We were out relaxing at the Red Rock Hotel pool in Las Vegas, NV May 2008


Eva & Grandma outside in Minnesota. Eva liked to be pushed on the bike, but she couldn't quite reach the pedals. She will soon.



This is the first time I painted Eva's toenails. I was in the Mesquite condo painting my toes & Eva came in & wanted her's done too. How cute are her toes! This picture was taken at the Red Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, NV May 2008


Red Rock Hotel pool. Eric & Eva are in the bottom left of the picture. We spent two nights here (Eric got a really good deal from one of his patient's son who is a manager there). The pool was awesome. I'd highly recommend staying here.


Eric & Eva outside the Casablanca Hotel & Casino in Mesquite, NV

I can fill Grandpa's shoes. Eva loves putting on other people's shoes. She can put on her own shoes now. She just needs to remember to put her socks on first (she can say "socks" & "shoes").

This is the perfect place to go to relax & forget about everything. Just thought I'd post this in case you were interested in seeing the area of Mesquite.

Eva & Mom by waterfall at Casablanca Hotel & Casino in Mesquite, NV. I really like this picture of us. It seems like we are both in a deep concentration. May 2008

Isn't Eva's hair getting long? She let's me put it up now though. Eva just loves Misha..by the way, we are going to have a full house soon because she's going to have her kittens probably within the next few weeks.

I just love this picture & had to post it even though it was taken a few months ago. Eva & Grandpa out on the property in MN. He just loved spending time with her & Eva enjoyed every minute of it!