Happy Birthday

Over the years I often have heard parents go on on about how fast time flys and how quickly kids grow. In this first year I am certainly begining to realize how true this is - first hand. Grandparents, sorry this took a while to get posted, looking back at of the pictures it was so hard to choose favorites. When I began pulling together this video, I started by watching the first one I made a year ago. Wow. She actually took her first steps last night. She has been get increasingly brave standing up on her own, so with considerable prodding from Mol and I we got her to take a couple steps before falling into our arms. That moment was everything and more that I thought it would be.

Additionally, with thanksgiving just around the corner, Mol and I have talking about how overwhelmed we are with how much we have to be thankful for.

This first year as a Dad has been the most amazing year of my life. Thank you Mia for bringing so much joy in my life and in the lives of literally everyone you smile at.

Lastly, thanks Mol, I knew you were going to be an amazing mother, but wow. You set a new standard for amazing. I am so lucky to be on this journey with you - each and every day.

Happy Birthday Mia, Love Mom and Dad

State Fair 2010

To be honest I really didn't think Mia would get much out the state fair this young, but the three of us together had a total blast.

State Fair 2010

July 2010

Way to long since a post. The summer really went quick, but it was a great one.

July 2010

A Perfect Fathers Day

Sunday was my first fathers day, and I couldn't have asked for anything more. I got to sleep in a bit, and then was finally woken up by my daughters infectious giggling and screaming.


Then I went fishing with my Brother and Dad.





While they were fishing, I kept busy chasing this cool dragonfly.





I was in the middle of changing lens when my Dad caught this one, even though he got the fish, I call this "the picture that got away".








Back at the cabin we took a relaxing pontoon ride around the lake. My Dad finally got to show off his granddaughter to the neighbors down the way. She got to hangout in her favorite floaty.





The neighbors had a new dog toy that uses .22 shell to launch a dog toy out into the lake. I jumped at the chance to take a few pictures of Buddy leaping off the dock.





Finally, while we were docking the boat, my Dad started bragging to our other neighbors about my photography. (Thanks Dad!) So then I ended up going out in their speedboat to snap a few of them having a blast on tubes.











Here is the full Tubing Album, I caught a couple wipe out sequences that looked pretty amazing.







A huge thanks to my wife, and family for making this day one to remember.

Memorial Day: Backyard Landscaping

We had a very busy memorial day weekend, making it to both Osceola, and Danbury, and then home buy Sunday evening. My goal was to spread the remaining mulch around our existing beds... but combined with how much mulch we still had left over, and how nice the day was, I got quite ambitious.

I realized that with the garage roof was done, and the Elm tree was down, we were ready to finally plant around our garage and along the neighbors garage. With a healthy mix of planning and impulsiveness I set off to digging. And then off to Gertens for a completely full pickup truck of plants and shrubs.

Black tube sox with shorts... killer combo. Ignore me - Mia wiggling nonstop is again the highlight.

Memorial Day Landscaping - Timelapse from Nathan on Vimeo.

All of this rain we have been getting recently has actually been great for everything we planted. Once its nicer out - I will post some better before and after pictures.

There is no way we could have done all of this in a day without Sandy's help. And thanks to Grandma Peg for sweeping off out porch, and Kathy for making us Dinner. My imagination works at this speed, always forgetting that everything takes longer to do than I think it will.

In other news, Mia is officially crawling. This morning as mol went down the stairs, Mia went crawling after, and I did a test to see, what Mia would do when she got to the stairs. : ) I was of course right there, and she didn't even slow down, in a way she kind of threw her arms out, like she was going to penguin slide down the stairs. (Mia would have made an excellent penguin, in the last month before finally crawling she perfected the belly swimming in place move.)

While installing the gate at the top of the stairs last night was good timing, it marks the transition into the next stage of parenthood. My good friend Andrew explained it really well... "there is absolutely no instinct for self preservation, that is all on us now."

No matter, just as with the added responsibilities and stress that came with each milestone we already passed - each day also brings the small moments that fill my heart and blow my mind. A new giggle, clapping her hands, or maybe even waving at me as I left for work.

Swimming Pool

Last weekend Mia got to play in her first kiddie pool. She absolutely loves the water! It seems like She will be crawling any minute now, but I am not in any hurry if she isn't.

One of my favorite times of the day is plopping her in the middle of our bed in the morning while we get ready for work. Neither molly or I are morning people - but it seems like Mia's happiest. She is laughs, and screams, and shows off the latest noise she learned how to make.

Its like natural coffee.

Pretty soon she is going to be chasing us around the floor.







Her bottom two teeth are really coming through - she of course still loves chewing on anything she gets her hand on - teething biscuits are her favorite.





Here is a link to the full album

7 Months

Just when I was finally starting to come to grasp with becoming a parent, I can sense that a lot is going to change soon. I have found myself sharing with a lot of new or soon to be parents, about how the feeling of "it hasn't hit me yet" just keeps evolving. It started with "it just hasn't hit me yet that my wife is pregnant." And keeps changing with each milestone, that I am a Dad, or that I have a 1 month old, and so on.

One of the many things that take getting used too is all of the attention babies get when we go out. People just can't help but smile and stare. Like having a puppy but even more so.

Mia has up to this point been amazing going out wherever we are going. We had a chance to catch up with some old friends who hadn't yet met her - which made it funny having to use the classic parent line... "sorry... she is never like this, this is so new for her..." This time it was actually true. For the first time she was not content just sitting there smiling, and her own toys had no chance at keeping her attention - having to compete with all the fun stuff on the dinner table. When Mol took a spoon away from her - she actually cried and pouted about it. Right then I thought to myself uh-oh the honeymoon is over. I have to actually be a parent now. I am going to savor these last few moments before she learns to move around on her own. I do however, love how the stress of each new milestone is tempered with pride for what she can now do. Her first two bottom teeth are popped through, and she is now sitting up by her self just fine.

On the side I have been launching my photography business, which has been interesting and a lot of fun so far. My main goal is to ensure that I don't let the business part take the fun out of it. One side effect I am noticing is a hesitancy to take more candid causal pictures of us just living. As if now that I am "going pro" - all my pictures have to look it.

We had a blast on our date night - All you can eat sushi at Seven in Mpls. is only $30 on Sundays. Then the Jonsi concert went above and beyond my already high expectations. Because it was his solo album I wasn't expecting a full band for some reason. But there was, and the drummer was nothing short of world class. I could barely contain myself in my chair. The visual effects were like nothing I had seen, there were many times I just sat in complete shock of the complexity of the audio and visual stimulation.

I love being inspired when I get a chance to see people so in their element doing exactly what they were meant to do. So yesterday on a whim I took Mia for a walk to the park to take some pictures of her sitting up on her own. It was a good reminder for me that its when I let go of what I know how to do, and experiment with a new technique - without expectation - is when I have the most fun.

From Sitting in the park

From Sitting in the park

From Sitting in the park