ummm....latest fashion trend??

Libby cant decide if she wants to go swimming or sledding?

This is where we found her playing...in the cupboard!

She fits perfectly!

It Has Been Awhile....

Hello Friends and family, it has been awhile. I guess I can blame it on being busy, but that isn't the greatest excuse. We have to update more often or else we will forget what has happened!

Since our last post, Libby has continued to grow. Now at almost 14 months, she has gotten this walking thing down pat. She even has figured out how to almost run (I wouldn't call it running yet, but a VERY fast walk). One of the more fun things she likes to do is dance. It started out as bopping to music, but now has moved onto stomping her foot and now this weekend, spinning around and moving her arms. It is really fun to watch and hard not to laugh, even though mom and dad try to join her. She probably thinks we are nuts!

The other thing she has started doing is bringing us a diaper when the one she has on needs to be changed. Is it too early to start potty training????

Denise and I were able to get away for a week. The week of our anniversary, we took a cruise in the Eastern Caribbean. Leaving from Port Canaveral, Florida, we made stops at Cocoa Cay (Bahamas), St. Thomas and St. Maartin on Royal Caribbeans Freedom of the Seas. Let me tell you, I was one that didn't think I would enjoy a cruise, being stuck on a boat and all the other arguments you hear against them. But Denise talked me into it and I LOVED IT! There is just so much to do on the ship that you can do as much or as little as you like. We are already talking about doing it again in a year.

Here are two pictures of our ship, the Freedom of the Seas. Right now, the Freedom class for Royal Caribbean is the largest cruise ship sailing, but in December, Royal Caribbean will break out the Oasis of the Seas. We did have some people tell us that we were starting out our cruising experiences right by going with the biggest and the best right out of port.

Here is the sign to Coco Cay, Royal Caribbeans private stop in the Bahamas. We decided to just rent some beach mats and lounge around on the beach an in the water. Unfortunately, I forgot to upload a picture of the actual island......

After a day at sea, our next stop was St. Thomas, where we decided to take an island tour with one of the local guides. We got to see the WHOLE island, the rich and high points along with the poor and low points. It is kind of amazing that there can be such a huge disparity on such a small piece of land. In the picture below, we are at an overlook that has Magen's Bay behind us (one of the top 10 beaches in the world).

The next day was a stop at St. Maartin, where we decided to take part in the America's Cup sailing regatta. There were 30 of us from the ship that were divided up into two team and we raced actual multi-million dollar boats that have participated in the America's Cup races. Our team ended up on True North from Canada, while the other team was on Stars and Stripes from the US. After a quick tutorial by our captain and his two helpers, we raced, and the Great White North prevailed! I was a grinder on the boat, while Denise was a relief grinder, and it was a workout. My shoulders were a little stiff the next day.

After two days at sea to get back to Port Canaveral, it was back to Minnesota and to Libby, who spent the week with Grandpa and Grandma Danielson.

So, enough about us, back to Libby. Below are some pictures of her in her Halloween Costume. We decided to take her outside and put her with one of the leaf piles and a pumpkin!

A couple of weekends ago, we made a quick little trip up to Fargo and on the way home, we decided to stop at a farm with a corn maze, pumpkin patch and petting zoo. Well, we pick a horrible day to stop as it was cold and rainy. And since it had been raining off and on for a couple of weeks now, that Red River Valley soil was very soupy. We did get a few pictures though.

Libby on a hay bale.

Libby petting "Baby Davy" the cow.

Libby looking at the goat, who looks like she wants Libby's stroller. Libby loved petting the goat and having her nibble at her hand.

And here is proof that Libby is not always the little angel that we like to make her out to be! One day at daycare, they decided to put her hair in "pig tails". Not only do we have the three that you can see, but there was one in the back also.

Both our jobs continue to go very well. Last week Denise had to spend three days in Denver doing some hardware upgrades to the network out there. This week, she will spend three day in Golden Valley, MN, doing the same upgrades as those two sites are paired together. Even though she is gone for a few days, it bodes very well for her future as this part of the network will be hers to watch over once she is fully trained. Her mentor keeps giving her more and more responsibility and she is loving it, finally having something to do again. And Libby survives very well, taking care of dad while mom is gone!

Well, that is about all from here for now. We will try to update a little more frequently here in the future. Until next time......

Troy, Denise and Elizabeth

We Have a Walker!

Wow, two posts in one week.....

Just a quick update for all the Libby fans out there that Libby took her first unassisted steps today. It was kind of humorous as I don't think she realized what she was doing. Some of the Sunday newspaper was on the floor and she figured out that she could make noise by stomping on it. Well, a stomp with one foot lead to a stomp with the other foot and so on until she had taken six to eight steps. It was once mom and dad reacted that she fell to the floor on her bottom. Denise and I then sat on the floor about ten feet apart and she proceeded to walk unassisted between us. One year and four days old!

Up next, serious baby proofing to do.......

We Have A One Year Old

Hello again everyone! It has been awhile and it has been a whirlwind since July 4th. We were expecting our weekends to kind of slow down, but that has not been the case.

Libby continues to grow and change every day. We now hear her say "ma ma" and "da da" and she babbles a lot. She loves music and "bops" to music, any music. Every time the Empire Carpet commercial comes on, she stops what she is doing and just watches the TV. When I pick her up from daycare after work, I have the 80's Hair Band station on my XM Radio and she will bop in her car seat on the way home. She is so close to walking and has tried to take a few steps unassisted, but ends up on her bottom. Good thing those diapers serve as some padding. She had her one year checkup today and came in at 22 1/2 pounds and just under 30" tall.



Over the past six weeks, Libby has gotten her first taste of a parade (and lollipop), firemen water fights and of the beach. She really seemed to enjoy both of them (slept through the water fights) and we hope to get to the beach again this weekend if it warms up enough. Weekends this summer have either been rainy or unseasonably cool, but this Labor Day weekend is suppose to get up into the 80s, so we will see.

Denise and I left Libby with a baby sitter from outside the family for the first time when we were visiting my sister Stacy, her husband Dave and their twins Abby and Maddy. Stacy and Dave had a neighbor girl and her friend watch Libby , Abby and Maddy one Friday night so we could head out on a St. Croix River Cruise. Denise and I were a little worried, but Libby was none the worse for wear and we are very glad we did it.

Finally, with Libby turning one, we had to have a birthday party for her. We got some decorations on the new deck and in the house, a DQ Ice Cream cake and had a small group of friends and family over. It was a fun time, but it is still hard to believe it has been a year ago that Elizabeth Rose joined our lives. We wouldn't trade it for anything, and yes, I mean that even at 4:00 in the morning when she refuses to go back to sleep.......




Now that summer is over, it doesn't look like our fall is going to slow down. Denise has gotten much more involved with Verizon operations. Her days have gotten much busier and she has been involved with upgrades at night. She will be going to Denver for a couple of days of upgrades and then will be in Minneapolis the next week for a couple of days to complete the upgrades. She is assigned to a network that has "hubs" in Minneapolis and Denver, so when hardware upgrades happen, she will more than likely have to travel.

My job continues to be busy. With the economy the way it is, we see our enrollment increasing for Medicaid and Medicare benefits. But the positive is that PrimeWest has been in the forefront of the "Public Health care Option" debate as an example of how things could be handled.

Denise and I also have a little fun planned as we will be taking a cruise this fall to the Eastern Caribbean. It will be a week away from Libby, but we are confident that she will have a load of fun with Grandpa and Grandma Danielson.

Also with fall comes the start of the college hockey season, and yes, we did renew our season tickets to Bemdiji State hockey. Next year, they will be members of the WCHA and they will have a brand new arena to play in, so the excitement is building (okay, for me at least it is).

Well, that is about all from here. I am going to leave you with some pictures from Libby's photoshoot celebrating her one year birthday (and a picture of her on Grandpa Danielson's bike). Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

Troy, Denise and Libby

Fourth Of July, 2009

How about this........ Two posts in a little over a week!

Denise and I figured we should get some of Libby's first ever Fourth of July pictures up!

For the Fourth, we were invited out to our friends Roger and Peggy's seasonal campsite on Pelican Lake between Ashby and Evansville. It is about 15 minutes from Garfield and is very wooded and back off any main roads, so it feels like you are away from everything!

The resort where Roger and Peggy's campsite is, has an annual 4th of July boat parade. Peggy and Denise brought along boxes of decorations. They decided to decorate the pontoon in red, white and blue, and Libby found this headpiece!

This is the second time we have been out to Roger and Peggy's site. The first time we were there, Libby didn't really know what to think of Roger. This time, we were out there a little late and it was time for Libby to go nite-nite. Unfortunately, she would not take her eyes off of Roger. Once we left the camper though, Denise was able to get her to sleep in minutes. Well, in the picture below, you can see she was having lots of fun with Roger. Hey Roger...whadda ya drinking??

Around 2:30, we headed towards the boat for the parade at 3:00. Of course, everyone knows with a little one you cannot pack light, so we needed the half hour to get everything loaded on the boat. Luckily, we took Libby's wagon with us, so we were able to haul a lot of the stuff in the wagon or on Roger and Peggy's golf cart. And yes, it all fit on the boat with lots of room to spare.

This was Libby's first ever boat ride. As you can see by the pictures below, she did not like the life vest at all (she does like hats though, so that is a plus). We had a zipper up one that fit her better, but was way more confining than this one. But, she hated that one with a passion. We were hoping to get Libby into the lake that weekend, but the swimming area at the campground had "the itch", so we didn't want Libby anywhere near that. During the parade though, we did see a nice "public" area that had a bunch of pontoons and boats pulled up on shore and lots of people swimming (and partying) so we may have to check that out next time.

Here is the boat we voted for first place. I would say we were second as a lot of the boats (27 in all) had no decorations what-so-ever. Ironically, these people have the seasonal site right next to Roger and Peggy. And yes, that is an giant inflatable Uncle Sam on the front of their pontoon. Guess where the valve was to inflate him? Yep.............. and one of the sisters took care of it without an airpump. Hmmm?!?!?!

Goofy hats and plenty of beverages were in order for the day. Obviously, I was following orders quite well!

Libby was a real trooper all day and really enjoys anything outside, including her first ever boat ride. But even for her, a few hours on the boat and in the sun was tiring. She did get a hold of Roger's "do-rag" for the next look! Is it patriotic to dress like and arab on the 4th of July???

The next day (Sunday) was a beautiful day to spend out in the yard. Again, Libby likes anything outside and loves the wind in her face. She absolutely loves her swing!

I decided to lay down in the shade and grass and rest up. Libby had other ideas though.....

Libby always seems to be on the wrong side of the door..........

Well, that is about all from here! Until next time!

Troy, Denise and Elizabeth