Writings on the Wall...

I wrote this a few years ago... Probably when I was pregnant...or someone close to me was pregnant... You know, the hormones, they're infectious and make us do all kinds of funny things... Anyway. I found it today in my "abandoned" pile of writing projects and thought, "what the heck?! Why not share this?". It's certainly not a masterpiece. Or grammatically correct. They are simply words. Words placed together, that to me, are powerful, meaningful and poured out from a place of sincerity and humility. It is for all the Moms out there... and even though in the grand picture, I'm still just a Rookie on this job, I've come to know and understand a lot in these nine years.. and the wonderful thing is, there is so much more to experience and learn. ---

A Mom is a most amazing creature...

A Mom has unconditional love

A Mom finds patience

A Mom is gracious

A Mom shares in the wonder of a new discovery...no matter how great or small

A Mom teaches -- A Mom learns

A Mom understands

A Mom has an unending stream of support and guidance

A Mom knows joy...and heartache

A Mom is strong

A Mom carries an unbreakable bond

A Mom has faith in her values...and wraps them around her child everyday

A Mom is courageous

A Mom is fierce

A Mom brings comfort and warmth

A Mom can turn sadness into a smile

A Mom is magical

A Mom is forgiving

A Mom is a safe place to fall

A Mom is beautiful

Being a Mom is such a precious gift. And although difficult at times, (more often than not!) the love and life you experience with your child is worth every effort, every tear, every minute.

May all you amazing Mothers out there be blessed with a lifetime of love, happiness, and strength. Enjoy each day and cherish the memories you make and moments you share.

And Thank You to my Mom for being you...

Now I know my....

I couldn't resist sharing this video! Maija has been working on learning her alphabet for quite sometime... Mommy, Daddy, Caleb & Brady have all been a part of the teaching process. Recently, she must have experienced a "light bulb" moment! (always fun to watch and experience!) All of a sudden she just started putting it all together. And it is so much fun to hear her now constantly break into song, usually very loud. Along with the ABC's, she's getting pretty good at 'Twinkle, twinkle little star', and has her own version of 'Itsy Bitsy'. Enjoy!!

*minor disclaimer before you start this video... Please ignore the presence of the Mommy voice helping along towards the end. It's loud and not soothing to the ear.*

"Oops! I did it again."

Yeah. Hi. This is me. The procrastinator supreme. The one who, time and time again, vows to do a better job at updating the blog. Yep. This is me. Playing catch up again. Maybe there aren't a lot of "faithful" Saari Blog followers anyway, but this is me, apologizing....again.

Sooooo. What have we been up to the past (umm, wow) TWO months you ask? Hmm. Well. The following is a quick list to kind of bring you "up to speed"... I will (hopefully) elaborate further on some of the subjects within the near future. Hopefully with more pictures.


--Mini family retreat: Traveled to Brainerd before school started. Stayed in a way fun "kids suite"...played extensively in the indoor water park & arcade. Pirate mini golf. Food, treats, fun, fun, fun.


--School: Caleb the 4th grader. Brady the Kindergartner. Had conferences with both teachers. Both boys are doing very well and are enjoying their school year thus far!


--Adios Moorhead for Uncle Matt: Uncle Matt got a promotion with Menard's, and moved to St. Cloud. We miss him a lot!!

--Girls Weekend: This Momma took a road trip with Charity. What did we do? Put a few hundred miles on the red zoomer. Visited friends & family. Ate well. Oh, and got tattoos. Yep. We sure did!

--Noah's 1st Birthday: Attended Noah's first birthday party. Pizza & cake. Kids had fun playing games. Good pictures!

--Brady's 6th Birthday: Pinata, presents, cake! Fun day! Hard to believe he is now 6 years old...




--Halloween: Grandma & Grandpa O. came to Moorhead. We ate spooky food, drank slime, ate dirt. Went trick-or-treating. Caleb was Adrian Peterson. Brady was Snake Eyes G.I. Joe, and Maija was a ladybug. Fun day!

--Football: Caleb and Uncle David attended two NDSU games at the Fargodome. The Bison won both games. Caleb and Uncle David believe they had something to do with said wins.

--Hunting: No, not me. Our Daddy. He has traveled up North to his Grandma's to try his luck two weekends in a row... so far nothing...except a warning ticket from the highway patrol for "failure to stop at a stop sign". (ha, ha)

--ABC's: Maija has learned to sing the alphabet! Very exciting! Very cute!

--Daily Life: Busy.

So, I think that pretty much wraps it up.

Let's play 'catch up' again!

So. Today was the first official day of school for Brady. He was on the bus at 12:20. Maija was down for a nap about 12:45. And this Momma was lost. "What do I do with myself now?!?", I thought. Well. I made "Happy Back-to-School" cupcakes for the boys. And then decided I was WAY behind on the ol' blog, so that's what I should be working on.

Fast forward about 2 hrs... and Maija is now awake. I got ONE post done (Caleb's birthday). I'm still working on a few more to get caught up! The clock now says 3:00, which means Brady should be rolling back in shortly and Caleb will follow soon after. My quiet afternoon was splendid, but went by a little too fast to get much accomplished! Maybe tomorrow!

Monica's Wedding!

JULY 17, 2010!! The big day had finally arrived for Monica and Joseph! We were all SO excited to share in their special day and celebrate the beginning of their new life as husband and wife!

With everything planned, decorated and organized...

it was finally time to GET READY!

We all know that part, "takes a village"....

Here she is!

The already gorgeous Bride-to-be,

getting all dolled up!

Love you, Charity :)

Always ready to get the "good shots"...

this time I was able to catch Manda

on the other sideof the camera! :)

The veil!

A Bride's work is never done...

The trusty phone kept on ringing,

finishing those last minute details!

Hair? Check!

Veil? Check!

"Goin' to the chapel and we're

gonna get maaarrrrriiied"

Here's Charity rocking her

AWESOME side pony!

Fabulous!

Ready to ROLL!

(You didn't actually think I'd put

a 'before & after' shot of myself on here?!?)

Last minute finishing touches before pictures!

(Again, it takes a village!)

Love it!

Joseph's Mom handmade all the jewelry!

Unfortunately...as I was a tad busy, and the husband's (Matt & Ben!) did not attend... I didn't get any pictures from the ceremony. Manda got some fantastic shots though, so you'll have to refer to her if you'd like to see them!

The Reception

Most of the girls! Ready to CELEBRATE!

Our awesome ride back to the reception hall!

NEWLYWEDS!!!

Mr. & Mrs. Swanson's first dance!

Insert "Mission Impossible" theme here!

Joseph was not shy about

getting that garter!

Thankfully, no one was injured

in the tossing of the bouquet! :)

Thank you to Monica and Joseph for allowing me to be a part of your special day! It was such a fun, love-filled celebration! We wish you both nothing but the best in all the years ahead! Congrats!!!

Caleb turns 9!

Caleb's ninth birthday... yes waaaaaay back in July... was a super fun day! Grandma and Grandpa O. made it back from their trip to Alaska, just in time to stop in Moorhead for the big event! There was baseball, birthday shopping, a trip to pizza ranch, presents, cake and dinner ala grill! It's so hard to believe that this once "tiny" (I use that term in it's loosest form!) baby has now grown into this big boy. It has all gone by way to quickly.

Uncle Matt always picks the good cards!

And hey! A fav present! $$!

Super cool scale model race car from

Grandma & Grandpa B.

#1 on the extensive wish list!

ROLLERBLADES!

Showing off some of the loot!

Cake!
(I realize my cake decorating skills
are lacking... but Caleb liked
it, so that's what counts! Right?!)


This was one of my favorite pics
from the birthday celebration!



The BIRTHDAY BOY!
Happy 9th, Caleb! We love you!

Holiday at Home

Well. Our 4th of July was quiet. No travels. No big hoopla. It was quite nice! The guys got up early and got in 18. We spent the day playing. Had a lovely bbq dinner. Shot off some fun "fireworks" with the assistance of Uncle Matt. Played basketball until it was time for the real fireworks show. And ended the night relaxing by a toasty fire with our favorite neighbors. Perfect!

I wish I had more pictures of our day... I did get some fun shots of the boys playing basketball!