23 Months!

I thought Søren has been waking up on the wrong side of the crib every morning this last week. I thought for sure, "here we go, we've entered the 'terrible two's'." And maybe we are, but this morning I discovered he is getting his two year molars. No wonder he has been so cranky and irritable. Why do teeth have to turn kids into complete monsters?!

He is not a complete monster though. :) Here is a video from last night at dinner. For those wondering, he's eating Skyline!

Christmas Letter

2009 Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas from the Bergstrom household! Wow, I can not believe another year has gone by...flown by! It has been a wonderful year filled with challenges and joys just like any other. Here is what has gone on in our lives in 2009

In March Sam stepped down from his job at Forever Granite. It was a step of faith, but we are so thankful we listened to the Lord and our hearts. Sam re-entered teaching for the rest of the school year and made a final decision that he would be done teaching for good. The summer and fall provided great jobs for Sam, one being an internship with our church on the worship team. Sam is in his element with this job. He loves playing guitar and has begun teaching guitar lessons as well. Sam is also now co-owner of PC Gauge Calibration West; a company he and a friend started which will take over PC Gauge Calibrations customers west of the Mississippi. It's an exciting, yet very busy time for Sam, but he is loving every minute of it.

If you have been following the blog you already know all about Søren. He is full of life these days and never slows down. He is really into cars, trucks and trains. He loves to help me cook and clean. Books are a must throughout the day and especially before bed. I am getting a glimpse of what it must be like to have a teenage boy because all Søren wants to do is to EAT! He is definitely a comedian and loves to laugh and dance. He shows his independence more and more each day and will be quick to remind me that he can do it! Søren isn't very affectionate, but that random "hugk", kiss or "wuv woo" just melts our hearts.

I am doing well, just trying to keep up with the boys. They definitely keep me on my toes. This last year I have fallen in love with photography all over again. I am working on making it a business and trying to take my time to do it right. I have focused on photographing families and children, but would love to dip my toes into the wedding industry. I have been involved in mom's group, 2 bible studies and a couples home group this fall and have loved what I have been learning about the Lord.

This Christmas season has been especially meaningful to me this year for some reason. I usually don't like Christmas songs and I tend to be a scrooge about the pagan aspect of Christmas. But this year the Lord has really been speaking to me through Christmas songs. Maybe that sounds silly, but i don't know how often I ever really stopped and listened to the lyrics. People around the world are singing the story of Jesus, even those that don't like to say Merry Christmas. :)

We hope you have a blessed holiday.

We are so thankful for all of you.

Merry Christmas!

22 months!

Two more posts and I won't be posting every month about Søren's life. Promise. That being said, I hope to make a blog scrapbook at some point. This has been a great reference and time of reflection for me.

Søren has had another explosion of language these last two weeks. He pretty much has a word for everything now, but I still feel like an interpreter most days. My new favorite word has to be "pinecone." It sounds something like "pi-koh-nuh-ha". He still says "la-bla-la-bla-la" for blueberry.

*He is really into lights. Its perfect with all of the homes decorated right now.

*He is starting to pretend play. He'll feed me cookies out of a book, cook with bowls and spatulas (he is currently making me a football sandwich.)

*He'll have little conversations as he's playing with his cars, trucks and trains.

*He kicks everything (except for people, thankfully.) 5 minutes ago I had to tell him to stop kicking the Christmas Tree. Maybe he'll be a soccer player like his mommy. :)

*He loves riding the "doo-der" (scooter) with grandpa.

*He is beginning to really show his independence. He'll tell me which clothes he wants to wear and what type of food he wants to eat.

*He has learned his shapes. Triangle, Square, Circle, Rectangle, Hexagon, Oval, Star and Heart. He'll point them all out to you. Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but I have my iPhone to thank for this one. I have an ap that teaches his shapes and gives him stickers.

*He's told me he's had to pee and then actually peed in the toilet. But, I think we're still a long way off from being completely potty-trained.

*He'll ask for a baby wipe and walk around a clean anything he thinks is dirty.

I think that's all for now.

Here is a video of Søren watching the Ellen show and singing along with the Opera Singer.

Holidays

We spent our Thanksgiving in Chicago at my brother's house. It was so great to have the whole family together, well we at least all overlapped long enough to get a Christmas card picture taken.

When we have not been in Chicago for Thanksgiving, tradition has been that we head up to the mountains to cut down our own christmas tree. The last two years we have gone to a U-cut tree farm. Not quite the same (especially price wise...mountain trees are much much cheaper).

Here are some pictures.

It snowed!

The infamous "Sam throwing Soren" in the air picture

Unlce Ethan taught Soren how to catch the ball

Intense piano playing

Yummy turkey!

Sarah's homemade rolls were SO good!

Grandpa reading to Soren

Sarah and Soren

At the Shedd Aquarium

Grandma and Soren

Just flippin' some eggs in the tent at the Aquarium

Photography Workshop

I spent this last weekend at a photography workshop for women hosted by Me Ra Koh and her husband Brian. The range of skill varied a bit within the group, but even the stuff I already knew was a good refresher. I learned a lot about the business side, editing, lighting, using your flash and metering. I have been shooting in manual for a while and never knew about metering. Taking pictures is going to be much easier now with this knowledge!

The other women in the group were wonderful. They were so open, honest and vulnerable which helped me tremendously. Me Ra has an amazing gift of making women feel empowered. It was so great to be able to get one-on-one help from someone whose skill level is at the top.

We had family models come in for us one afternoon. This was one of my favorite images.

21 months

Søren is 21 months today. He has been nothing but a comedian lately. I think most kids do something funny unintentionally, people laugh, kid sees reaction and does it again and again.

Søren seems to know what is funny beforehand. I don't know how to explain it. He does this eye thing too. It's almost like a pause at the right time or the punch line to the joke.

His vocabulary is getting too large to keep track of. He is really, really into books lately. I think I read the same 6 stories to him at least 5 times a day. I can recite "Trumpety Humpety" if you want me to. :)

He is my helper around the house. He loves to sweep with his little broom, throw clothes in the washer, carry the laundry from the dryer and we are working on picking up toys at the end of the day.

Søren does not sit still, ever! He is constantly on the move and I have a good feeling he is going to be one of those kids that asks "why" about everything.

Hunka Chunka Chewy

Yesterday was the first time I really let Søren help me in the kitchen. It's taken me this long because I've been too paranoid he'll fall of the counter or grab a knife. I prepared things as best I could, meaning that I moved all sharp objects out of the way and got all ingredients out first, so I wouldn't be running around the kitchen. I told myself I wouldn't worry about the mess or care if he ate some chocolate chips. I put on my apron, and he too wanted to wear one. (I only have a little girly apron, I think I'll have to make him a masculine one.) We had so much fun! I'll have to do this with him more often, for sure. We made the "Hunka Chunka Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies" from the cookbook Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey Treats for Kids.