our Christmas letter

Greetings friends and family!

We hope and pray this letter finds you well and dwelling in the Spirit of this Season. Our last year has been full of growth - in many areas.

Spring

In April, we had to remove a couple of trees in our back yard. So, of course we redesigned and landscaped everything. Slowly but surely we’re fixing up our house bit by bit. Other projects this year included new basement windows, a play room for Johan, a new sewer line, a new fence, and a front yard facelift.

Summer

This summer we spent every possible moment outdoors - including some great swimming and camping trips. Bernard and Angie were glad to discover Johan loved to be outside and in nature as much as they do. Thanks to Bernard, Johan is close to swimming on his own. June also marked a year for Bernard working as an IT Support Specialist at Knutson Construction. Bernard loves his job and is increasing his knowledge and delving into new areas.

Autumn

Our fall was spent at the farmer’s market, orchards, and in the garden. As a result of the abundance of cheap and free produce, we tried our hand at canning and preserving. Angie took the lead on this and had a lot of fun. She can hardly wait until next year to do more canning!

Winter

Snow is already upon us here in Minne-snow-ta. Johan has been great at helping his dad shovel the driveway and build huge snowmen. We just bought Johan some ice skates and are excited to experience outdoor winter fun as a family - skating, sledding, and skiing.

Johan

We should also mention that Johan is now a full-fledged toddler and is living it to the fullest! He’s 19 months old with boundless energy and endless curiosity. Johan has several hundred words (no exaggeration - he’s quite the talker). He loves music and claps, dances, sings, and drums along. We are constantly amazed at his intelligence and ability to learn new concepts. It goes without saying that he is keeping us on our mental and physical toes!

The year 2010 has been one of growth for us. Our son is growing, our house is becoming more and more a home, our marriage is being strengthened, and God is leading us to a deeper understanding of His will for our family. We pray the Lord will bless you in this Season of focus on His Son, Jesus. Merry Christmas!

Love,

Bernard, Angie & Johan Welmers

yes, we are alive!

Where has the time gone? Seems like the late summer and fall just flew by. Now the first snow is here and it's time to slow down and breathe a little (at least I hope!). Since there's no way I could share the numerous events and details of the last three months, let me give you some highlights and bring you up to speed:

• our camera broke. :( then we were given a new one! :) thus, the lack of pictures and blog posts lately.
• our garden did great this year, and we scored some amazing deals at the market and orchards. So, we started canning...an adventure and lots of fun! I'm excited to have "free" and fresher food all winter!
• we had family photos taken BUT you have to wait until Christmas to see them! they will be in our Christmas cards.
• Johan is talking up a storm! Some of his favorite words are more, almost, cracker, apple, oval, glasses, hat, and any and all animal noises he can remember.
• Johan's feet are even busier than his mouth! He has so much energy we've jokingly said we are going to get him a hamster wheel to power the house. Needless to say, when he goes to bed at night, Bernard and I collapse in exhaustion...but it's a happy exhaustion. We love our boy and are so proud of him!

I'll take pity on those of you asking for pictures! Here's a sneak peek at our family photo shoot:

july - we can't get enough of you

the month of july was full of all that summer should be - road trips, a parade, visiting with family, laying in the sun, swimming, long morning walks, camping, swinging in a hammock, and grilling out for nearly every meal.
bliss.
even better this year was introducing Johan to all the summer fun. he soaked it up.
every. last. drop.
july, we'll miss you. come again soon.

Eating at the Sandwich Shoppe in Nashville, Indiana - one of Angie's favorites

WEEEEE!

Johan loves the water, and thanks to Bernard, is close to swimming on his own.

Thanks to my sister, Amy, for snapping these next two shots.
Johan loving on his cousin Gabe. (come on, get up and follow me!) :)

Johan's "i know i'm cute" face.
yes you are, buddy. yes you are.

family visit

This month Bernard's dad came to visit...all the way from Holland. He was here for a week, and we had a great time together. We spent time talking, playing with Johan, eating, and playing games. It was really great to see Johan and his Opa interact. By the end of Op's visit, Johan was saying "Pa, Pa." :)As an early Father's Day present, I treated all of us to a ferry ride from St. Paul to Bloomington on the Mississippi River. It was a lot of fun and we learned some things, too!

summer camping

Memorial weekend we set off on a camping adventure with two other couples, a full car, and a one year old boy. It had been two years since we've camped and we've obviously never taken a baby with us.

We spent the three days sitting around a fire, roasting s'mores, talking, watching Johan eat dirt and sticks, taking walks, wading in a lake, and spending time relaxing with friends. The only down side was deciding to leave early to avoid a big storm. We made it out just in time.
Johan definitely enjoyed camping! He hardly slept he was so excited to be outside for days on end! Needless to say, Bernard and I needed some recovery time when we came back home.

All around, it was a great time! We're looking forward to more camping trips this summer.

Johan, don't you think that watermelon is a little big for you?

YUM! That was good, Mom!

Bernard & Johan in our favorite way to carry Johan around - the backpack.

Johan has found a great attachment to anything electronic, including my cell phone and the camera. Like Father like son.

happy birthday!

Somehow time passed without me noticing. I was caught up in the everyday - feeding, diaper changes, naps, cleaning house, and cuddles. Now my baby is a year old - a whole year! I don't wish the early days back, but it does make me a little teary remembering them. To go from this...















To this...




















in only a year. Our little monkey is growing up!

We had a nice party complete with a banana chocolate monkey cake and lots of friends. Johan loved the cake (I think he had three pieces!).

Now, on to the journey of toddler-hood...

funny moment

Ever have one of those moments when you wish you had a video camera so you could capture a moment and watch it again and again? I had one of those moments recently. Here's the story:
One sunny, busy Tuesday, Johan and I were in the car driving home from picking up some groceries. I had placed the groceries in the backseat as usual. Since Johan has been exploring everything he can get his little hands on, I intentionally put the bread and crinkly chip bags on the other side of the car. Instead, I put the bag with frozen meat in it near his seat, thinking he couldn't possibly rip the package or chew on it. Worst case scenario (or so I thought), I would wash his hands when we got home if he touched the frozen ground beef.
So, there we are driving along, singing to the music, rushing home to make dinner and welcome Bernard. Out of nowhere I hear Johan crying, screaming at the top of his lungs. Compassionately, I say something like, "It's ok, Johan, we'll be home soon, and you can have a snack while Mommy makes dinner."
Naturally, he quiets down...for a few seconds. Then the banshee wail starts again.
"Johan, what is gong on back there?"
He keeps this up for a couple miles, and I can't figure out what's happening. Finally, we get to a red light and I turn around to see what could possibly be making him this upset.
As I watch, Johan looks at the frozen meat, reaches out a little finger and gently places it on the package. His face contorts and he screams at the top of his lungs as if to say, "It's cold! It hurts!"
Chocking back a laugh, I tell him to stop touching it and his finger won't hurt: "No touch, Johan, don't touch."
He pulls his finger away, looks at me, then seems to be irresistibly drawn back to that frozen package.
For the 10 minutes it took us to arrive at home, he kept up the touching and screaming. Me? I couldn't help it: I laughed, hysterically.
Once we arrived home and washed Johan's cold little fingers, his world became a lot happier. I have to say, mine did too.

spring - moving and cruising

The weather has been unusually (and wonderfully!) warm the past month here in Minnesota. So, I've neglected blogging and have been been out enjoying the days with Johan.
Johan has changed so much in the past month! His personality shines through more and more each day. He's very happy and inquisitive - which keeps me on my toes! Johan also (finally!) started crawling a few weeks ago. We thought he would skip it completely and just walk, but he proved us wrong. He now follows me around the house and is into everything!
Spring in the Welmers house also means more remodeling and changing the house and yard to better suit our needs. So, this year we are completely changing around the whole yard. We are making the back yard more child friendly and adding some landscaping to the front, using materials we are moving from the back. It's a lot of work but my mind is spinning with the possibilities this will create for us. And, it gives me another chance to be creative! :) I'll post pictures of the progress and hopefully the finished product in the weeks to come.
For now, here are some pics and a video of the last month with Johan, the mover:


Johan, the Minnesotan, in his flannel shirt.


Johan's first time crawling


Easter & Johan's first suit

fun freezing february

February is full here at the Welmers' house. We have Bernard's birthday, Valentine's Day, and Angie's birthday all in four days. So, we went big this year! We had our first official babysitter for Johan and went out for a nice dinner - it was great!
I (Angie) also managed to pull off a surprise party for Bernard. We met several good friends and their kids at a nearby sledding hill, and Bernard spent the afternoon in snowy bliss. Johan loved the snow and sledding! Even when he got cold, he never complained and kept that cute grin on his face. He's definitly his father's son!
Here is a picture of the day (sorry there aren't more - my camera ran out of batteries!):

oh the joys

Not a whole lot new is happening with the Welmers (and we kind of like it that way!). But, I had to blog this story because I think it's hilarious.

Johan was down for a nap one day recently, but in the middle of his nap he woke up. Usually he just puts himself back to sleep after a few minutes, but this time was different. I could hear him babbling and playing in his crib, hitting his paci against the crib slats (yes, I  know, a born drummer). After several times of me going in to tuck him back in and say "ni-night," he still wouldn't sleep. So, I put on my best stern Mommy look and barged in the door. When I leaned over the crib with my brows lowered, Johan calmly looked up, extended his arm, handed me the pacifier, and grinned impishly, as if to say - "here you go, Mommy, isn't this a fun game?"

Needless to say I lost my stern look as it took all my control not to howl with laughter! I'm stealing myself for a lifetime of moments like these. Oh, the joys of parenting! :)

Johan's new "hat" - the little imp!

UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

Sorry for the mess. Thanks for stopping by - we'll have it cleaned up soon!

all I want for Christmas...

...is my two front teeth. Remember that song? Well, Johan almost made it. His first tooth pushed through on December 27th, his second one yesterday. It's nice to have my sweet happy giggling boy back after a couple weeks of the crankies. Not looking forward to the rest of these teeth coming in...

Johan loved his first Christmas! He really got a kick out of all the tissue paper, throwing it around, and squealing. He even unwrapped a few gifts with only a little help.

During this month, Bernard had a few days off work so we were able to have some time off together as a family. It was wonderful! Here are a few pics of the last couple weeks...