Lutefisk Lover!

Well, it's official... Avalon is Norwegian indeed. Not only did she have her first taste of Lutefisk this past week, she also couldn't get enough of it. On Tuesday night, we met up with my mom, grandma, aunt, and uncle to partake in the the Norwegian tradition of the Lutheran lutefisk dinner. I have been to several of these dinners before, but go mainly for the family time, not the fish!

Nana and Papa took Avalon for two nights this past week, so Mark and I were able to meet up with some friends of ours. We met their adorable 10 week old twin boys, who are nothing short of a miracle! They have been in the Mayo NICU since birth and are very tiny, but they are in extremely good hands. Speaking of Mayo Clinic, I can give a health update also. Yesterday, I went in for some brain and spine MRI's and received some wonderful news from my neurologist. The lesions (areas of demyelination) on my brain and spine have stayed the same size, which means that my condition is staying very stable. The worst case scenario would be if the lesions were increasing in size or if new lesions were appearing, and the best case scenario is stability in their size and shape. This was great news to hear!!! I am meeting with a Multiple Sclerosis specialist on November 6th, but other than that, there are no more doctor appointments for me in the near future. Yee Haw!!!!!!! And just to be clear, I am NOT DIAGNOSED with MS. The neurologists need to make sure to rule out any other conditions that may be mimicking MS. Although they suspect it is MS, I do not have a clinical diagnosis at this time. =) On a totally different note, below are some new pictures (some from Ava's 1 year portraits). Have a great weekend and love you all!

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Project time is ending...

Now that the days are cooling WAY down, our work time outside is coming to an end. It is bittersweet because we love being outside, but at the same time, we look forward to a season (or two) of rest from yard work. As of this afternoon, Mark has completely finished the lattice work project below our deck and it looks amazing! But now he's getting busy with his beer making hobby and is even going to visit a brewery up in the cities next weekend. He'll be going with Matt, our neighbor and fellow "zymurgist" (beer maker). Mark and Matt can talk about beer making as much as middle school girls can talk about boys... Avalon and I are still recooping from her big birthday party last weekend (pics to come later). Below are some pictures of what we worked on this summer. Happy Fall!

Avalon is one!

It's hard to believe that a year has come and gone. Honestly, it seems like just yesterday that Mark and I found out the big news that I was pregnant! God decided to send a little angel, Avalon Rose, down to us. It has been such a privilege being the parent of a child with a heart so big, a love so deep, a laugh so contagious, a smile so brilliant, and a joy that lights up the room. Man, does she have us wrapped around her finger or what??? I thank God for her every day and am amazed at how deep love can go... and even more amazed to think that Christ loves us all this deeply!

I posted Ava's first birthday pictures (and even a couple of videos) in the Smilebox below. A word to the wise: When you open the Smilebox, HIT THE "PAUSE" BUTTON AS SOON AS YOU SEE IT. Then you can just click the arrow to move through the pages at your own pace. Autoplay does not seem to work the best when videos are in the Smilebox. Enjoy!

Ava's First Birthday

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