Memorial Day on Leech Lake

Owen resting with Daddy-oh so cute.
Jim and Jeff's walleye!
Susie and Chase at the cabin
Owen feeding Jeff his shoe
Here we are outside the Chase Hotel in Walker
Grandpa is teaching Chase "So Big"
The Berger's and Grandpa Mosser at the nursing home
Great Grandpa Mosser
Jim's hunting cabin
The Berger's including Great Grandma
At the hunting Cabin
Grandpa with his boys
Let's go for a ride!
Grandma snuggling with Owen
Jim with Chase and Owen as his seamen.
Susie, Owen, Jeff and Chase
Chase boy loving his attention.
Chasey in his bath
oOwen lounging on the grass.
Chase, Owen and myself playing with the Goofy Golf posts
Chase found his first dandelion. He loves plants.
Sandy, Chase, Jim, Jeff and Owen on the dock. Jeff was helping set up the dock.
Jeff and the boys in Leech Lake. Burr
Susie, Chase, Jeff and Owen
We had a fabulous long weekend "Up North" at Jim and Sandy's house on Leech Lake. The boys were wonderful, as usual, and explored to their hearts' content. The drive is about 4 hours and they were entertained by their new DVD player. They giggled at the animals they saw on the videos and napped some too. Friday we went for a pontoon ride and Chase and Owen wore their new life jackets. We explored the grass and Chase played on the beach in the sand. He decided to pull himself into the water and splashed around. He was so sandy and wet so we gave him a little bath outside in a wash basin. It was adorable watching him giggle, smile and ham it up. That night Jeff and I had a date night and were gone for a whole 1 1/2 hours. We don't know what to do with ourselves anymore. :) We had great Mexican food in Walker.

Saturday was a road trip day. We left early in the morning to visit places and people I had never seen. We went to Jim's hunting cabin outside Fosston, MN. What a beautiful sight. His land is gorgeous-covered with trees. His cabin was so cute and cozy inside with all the necessities. I even got to use the outhouse while we were there. Jeff took me on a 4 wheeler ride of the land and I saw trails, deer stands and luckily no bears. The boys wanted so badly to get down and explore but resigned themselves to being carried. After this we went to McIntosh, where Sandy grew up. Then on to Erskine where we visited Jim's Mom. We had lunch at the famed Ness Cafe and visited 2 of Jim's uncles. We then went to see Sandy's Dad, whom I had never met. He sure was excited to see us and loved the boys. The boys crashed on the car ride home and so did I!

Sunday was a lounging day. Sandy and I took the babies to town to shop and get some groceries. We stopped by the Chase Hotel for a picture with Chase. We ate wonderful food all weekend and next time we are up there we will eat the fish Jeff and Jim caught! Yum yum. What a great way to start off the summer. Lots of fun and nice weather.

It's Only Fair-The Many Faces of Owen

I have to be fair. Looking back at my past posts I realized I haven't blogged about Owen much recently. He is a mover and a shaker. He doesn't sit still, loves to crawl as fast as he can and pull himself up and let himself down, over and over. He loves to explore his new motor skills and loves his Daddy best. He cuddles and is such a strong boy.

The Many Faces of Chase

We Call Him Fang

Chase has 3 teeth. Two on the bottom and one on the, affectionately called "The Fang". I love this picture as it shows Chase's fang.

This or That- 50/50 - One or the Other

One of my charming children-Chase-has learned to crawl on all fours! Most of you know he has been "army" crawling since the end of March. Some time last week he began using both forms of crawling. You never know which he is going to use. You may look over and see him on all 4s and we cheer, only to see him flop to his tummy and begin to pull himself-alternating front arms-across the ground. The only place I'm fairly certain he will crawl with his tummy off the ground, is on the grass. He doesn't like his knees or tummy to touch that grass. Watch this video-it's a perfect example of what I'm talking about. Chase starts out on his tummy and then pulls to his knees. Please ignore the background conversation Jeff is having with Owen regarding whoopie cushions. he he

The Cutest Pictures Yet

I'm not going to lie, and I'm not trying to brag, but I have some darn cute babies. (I'm trying to call them babies as much as I can before they turn 1, when they aren't really babies any more.) I think these pictures of them as brothers, hanging on for dear life, loving each other, are just the cutest I've ever taken. They just love to ride on their new bikes. Owen actually likes to push his while walking-which is quite new. Last night they both wanted the bike so I put Chase on it and put Owen behind it and he pushed Chase all over the living room. It was absolutely adorable. Both were having the time of their lives. My heart just melted.

The Cutest Sweaters

These sweaters were made by my friend, Dee. Aren't they just adorable! When I worked with Dee she taught me how to knit them. Then, when I had my own babies, I received them as a gift from her. Don't you just love the buttons? Obviously Chase did too, as you can see him grabbing for Owen's buttons.

Play Equipment

We got a piece of new play equipment thanks to a friend from MOPS. The boys didn't know what to do at first, they kinda looked at it and touched it. We stood them up next to it and boy did they take off. Owen started climbing the slide and Chase played peek-a-boo with me and opened and shut the door. I'm hoping it will provide hours-or at least minutes-of fun when we are outside.
My cute babes exploring their new toy.
Owen love his new toy.
Chase is reaching for the camera and showing off his two bottom teeth

Mother's Day

Me and my boys
It's my first Mother's Day and boy do I feel blessed. Have you seen my boys? Have you seen my husband? I am a blessed woman. I have 2 healthy little boys who are growing, learning, funny, smile, laugh, crawl and love. I GET to love these 2 little boys with all my heart. I GET to laugh, tickle, change diapers, wake up in the middle of the night, hold, cuddle, hug, kiss, wipe snot, feed, and love, love, love these two amazing miracles in my life. I'm the happiest mother alive (I'm sure the rest of you mother's feel the same).

I love being a mother. It's what I've always wanted. I always wanted 2 boys, and I got them at the same time! I love doing "mother things". I love beaming with pride over my kids' accomplishments and cuteness. I love being responsible for them and giving them all of myself. I love Owen and Chase!

I want to talk about how great of a Mother I have, too. It was my Mom who taught me all I know (along with my Dad). She is an amazing woman and I strive to learn from her and be more and more like her each day. She loved me when I wasn't very lovable and listens when I need an ear. She doesn't judge me or call my ideas crazy. She's a great support. She's MY MOM! I love her dearly.

To reward me for all my mothering tasks, my amazing husband built me an oasis, a sanctuary, a garden. I love to garden. It's nourishment for my soul. Check out these amazing pictures. The garden is a raised bed, due to the nature of our clay soil. It is filled with 120 bags of soil (why we didn't just have dirt delivered, I'll never know.) To get the sanctuary you must walk under an arbor on a flagstone path. The garden lies in the wild grasses of our backyard overlooking a ravine and lots of beautiful trees. It's like being on the farm. It's beautiful. I love it! I can't wait to get dirt under my fingernails and get some plants growing.

We went to church this morning and then went to Jeff's brother and sister-in-law's house for lunch. Jeff's parents returned from Florida this weekend and we got to spend Mother's Day with them. Sandy cooked a great lunch. After that we played outside and went home. The boys had nice gifts for me today and I got a special card from them too.
Jeff and the garden
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Susie and Owen, Sandy and Chase, Lindsay and Sophia


The Berger Family on Mother's Day

Shake Shake Shake

Chase and Owen have fun playing at the gate. There is nothing like shaking a gate!

Grandma and Grandpa Anderson Visit

My parents paid us a visit last weekend and we had a great time. The weather was beautiful and we had fun with the boys outside, as you can see from the pictures. We all did some yard work while my Dad watched and played with the babies. We bought a new tree for the backyard. It was fun to show off the new moves and skills Chase and Owen have. My parents were thrilled with their development and how fun they are. Thanks for coming Mom and Dad!

Daddy's Birthday

Chase and Owen's Daddy turned 33 today! It was an exciting day-baking a cake, singing, having steak on the grill, too much for all of us! :) It's also the anniversary of our engagement 3 years ago. My how things change.

Do you think it's easy to take a picture of 2 10 month old babies eying a beautiful cake with lots of colored objects to try to grab? This is a work of art! A masterpiece! :)

10 Months

10 months! yeah!!!! (Owen left, Chase right)
Chase at 10 months
sOwen- 10 months
This picture says it all for Chase and what he is like at this point in time. He is picking at the little fluffs of fabric on the chair and intently looking at it. He is an examiner. He loves small items he can manipulate and try to figure out.
This picture says it all for Owen. He wants to move ALL THE TIME! He suddenly stood up on the chair and I was afraid he was going to go over the arm. Sitting for Owen is nonexistent.

Chase and Owen turned 10 months old on the first. They are getting to be such big boys. Scooting all over the house, talking up a storm, feeding themselves and getting teeth. It's been busy here lately. We've been making improvements to the landscaping, making a garden and enjoying the sunshine. Chase and Owen love to hear the garage door open, knowing they will get to go outside and see new things.

Owen is sure a smiler. When he isn't crawling and standing, he is smiling. In fact, he smiles when he is crawling and standing. He's amazingly sweet and loving, wanting to be held all the time. Chase loves to make you guess what he is thinking. He doesn't wear his emotions on his sleeve like his brother. He keeps his lips tucked in and only when something is very very funny, scary, or interesting, will he let you know. He's funny like that.

Nicknames:
Chase-Chasey, Boo Boo, Brother, Bubbu
Owen-OBaby, OJ, Brother, Boo Boo

Self Feeding

Some may ask, why am I letting him feed himself like this. Others may ask, why is he not wearing a bib. My only answer is, I don't know.


This is the cutest little video I've ever seen. I'm not sure how I got so lucky to capture it. The boys just love to love each other and obviously do. Enjoy.

Monkeying Around

The boys are now wearing big boy jammies. No more sleep sacks. :( Aren't these monkey pjs cute!