Overdue

Little Helper

Kaleb has been enjoying "helping" Derek work on the new garage...it takes us twice as long to get anything done, but he's sure entertaining!!

Sorry it's sideways...couldn't figure out how to flip it...

A taste of Summer

Summer's Flying By! We've been enjoying our days...

Here's a little taste of what we've been up to:

Eating Dirt in the garden

Eating Cake at his 1st birthday party

Eating Sand at our 1st trip to the beach


We've enjoyed visits from family & friends, started back to work part time(Jo), started at day care (Kaleb - and loving it!)...and summer's only 1/2 done!

Lots more fun to come! Enjoy your days!

Milestones

It's been a very productive week at our house...

I fulfilled a longtime goal this past weekend by running in the Manitoba Marathon. I completed the half marathon, which is 13 miles. It was a really amazing to be a part of an event like that - I ran with 13,000 other people! What a great experience - and crossing the finish line was a pretty fabulous feeling!!
...and our little monkey took his first steps!! He's still crawling, but is very proud of himself and will gladly "perform" as long as there's lots of praise & hugs at the other end!!

Happy Birthday Kaleb!!

WOW! It's hard to believe that it was 1 year ago today that we welcomed Kaleb into our family! How life has changed! Our year has been full of lots of laughs, noise, love and fun. We have even managed lots of sleep - thank goodness that Kaleb enjoys to sleep in as much as his mom!!

Happy Birthday Kaleb - we love you!!

Then...



















...and Now!

Our House

Here's a look at the sights and sounds around our house...

I think he gets his chatty nature from his dad...



Move over uncle doug...there's a new musician in the family!

Smile

Yesterday while I was running someone who drove by gave me a big thumbs up & another person gave me a big encouraging wave (thanks!)...it was the boost i needed...sometimes the little things mean alot - so don't forget to share joy with someone today!

It's Official!

Okay...I'm putting this on our blog to make it official - lots of people to keep me accountable!!

I've started running again, after about 2 years (yikes!!) - and my goal is to run a half marathon on father's day in winnipeg (gulp!). I've begun my training and at this point 13 miles seems almost impossible...

Ever get tired of the songs you work out too? My ipod needs a boost...so here's the question of the hour: what's your favorite tune(s) to work out to...send me your input and while i run i'll think of you when your song comes on (tear!) - you can be my motivation?! whatever works, right!

And we're off...

It's so cold! A great day to stay inside and catch up on things long overdue...like blogging!

We've finally kicked the colds and flus at our house - yeah!!! it sucks being mom when everyone else is sick. I've done a lot of laundry and mopped my floor 100 times this week. Almost made me want to be sick so Derek and Kaleb could take care of me for a change...almost!

I have started working at the church 2 mornings a week, and i'm actually really enjoying it (if I sound surprised it's because i am!) I get to bring Kaleb along and he naps and plays while I do my thing. Derek just finished making some big work decisions and has decided to stay put for now - glad it was him not me!

Kaleb's off and running...he seems to be doing everything at once - eating cheerios, crawling, crawling up on stuff, doing the stairs! I'm definately not ready for him to walk - I can hardly keep up with him now!

Life doesn't sound overly exciting right now...but it certainly is enjoyable!!


Photo Collage by Dundoo - MySpace Editor

So long 2007

I'm posting our Christmas letter that we sent out. Hope we don't bore you with our exciting life! Sorry if it's a repeat:

Dear friends & family,

As I sit to write this letter, I realize how full and exciting this year has been…and time flies when you’re having fun!! Here are the highlights:

We traveled to Mexico in March with a group from Killarney. Our work allowed us to share the hope and love of Jesus with many people, which was exciting. It was also good to connect with friends. We can’t decide if our trip helped or hindered our “homesickness” – sometimes we feel very lonely for Mexico!

The long wait is over! Our first child, Kaleb Derek Friesen, made his arrival on June 5^th. The cord was wrapped around his neck, causing distress and leading to an emergency c-section. The recovery process after surgery was definitely longer, but the result – a beautiful baby boy was the same, so we are very thankful!

Kaleb is now six months old, and he’s getting so big!! He is a wonderful, happy and relaxed baby. He sleeps right through the night, so we haven’t had the joyful experience of sleepless nights yet. I’m sure our time will come!! It looks like he’s going to be a little social butterfly, as he loves being around other people – he must get that from his dad!

We received lots of teasing about the fact that the arrival of our first child would cause our life to come to an abrupt halt. Life has definitely changed, but it’s a great change, and we still have lots of life to live - with another little person to enjoy it with!

Derek is still working as a mechanic at John Deere. He received his master technician certificate this year; He thinks it’s nerdy, but I think it’s a big achievement. When I asked Derek what we should include in our letter, he said “Kaleb and my deer” – so I must mention his accomplishments. He spent a lot of time hunting this year, and managed to get a very large buck. I’m happy as long as he’s happy…and as long as it doesn’t end up on my wall!

I am enjoying my time at home with Kaleb. I’m not sure how moms with more than one child do it, because just getting a shower feels like an accomplishment some days!! I will be working part time at our church after Christmas, doing secretarial work. It’s just a few hours a week and I can bring Kaleb along.

We wish you hope, joy, love and peace this Christmas season and throughout 2008. God Bless you!!

Derek, Johanna & Kaleb