Meet our family

The lack of emotional security of our American young people is due, I believe, to their isolation from the larger family unit. No two people - no mere father and mother - as I have often said, are enough to provide emotional security for a child. He needs to feel himself one in a world of kinfolk, persons of variety in age and temperament, and yet allied to himself by an indissoluble bond which he cannot break if he could, for nature has welded him into it before he was born. ~Pearl S. Buck

Over the last six years we've explored what family is and what it means to us. Greg and I have grown in our relationship and become a family together while also bringing Noah and James along for the ride. Greg and I met the summer of 2003 at Luther Park Bible Camp in Danbury, Wisconsin. We were engaged December of 2004 and married September of 2005. Noah graced us with his presence June of 2006 and James December 2008. Greg and I constantly remark about how quickly our relationship progressed and how we would not change a moment of it for anything. Often times we find ourselves somewhat out of the norm, and downright lonely, when it comes to where other people our age are at in their lives, however at the end of the day we feel blessed to know that we have each other and our beautiful sons.



You may wonder what the significance of the quote at the beginning of this post is all about... We have some family living near us but the majority is anywhere from an hour, three, or another state away. Our hope is that although we may not get to see those loved ones that often; they can still experience and be a part of our daily lives through updates, pictures, and videos. As some of you know raising little ones can sometimes leave you feeling isolated or detached from the world... so here is to our reaching out and connecting!

Introductions:

Greg: BUSY! Greg is constantly up to something. He is currently a student in the Masters of Health Care Administration program through the University of Minnesota. For the past two years he has been working for Mayo Clinic in their patient accounts department. He also plays on a softball league and a golf league. Last summer he played the role of the Beast in Beauty and the Beast in the Stewartville Community Theater. He would love to do more acting/singing in the future... when time allows.

Jen: I finished my schooling in December of 2006 with a Masters in Social Work. After staying home with Noah for his first year and a half of life we moved down to Rochester and I started working full time. I currently work for Olmsted County as a Child Protection Social Worker. I can honestly say that I have never been more emotionally invested in a career before. There is so much gray area and blurred lines of how to help the families I work with. I had a short 8 weeks off following the birth of James but have been back to work full time since March. My most recent challenge is running Grandma's Marathon in Duluth 2010. This will be my second marathon and it happens to fall on my 26th birthday. I'll be running it with my sister Jamie.

Noah: Mr. Noah just turned 3 at the beginning of June. He has quite the attitude but also the kindest, most sincere heart too. His newest accomplishment is learning to pedal on his bike! He loves milk, specifically chocolate milk as well as any type of cereal/snack! The kid seriously eats like a 13 year old boy! He never will allow you to be bored...very strong willed!



James: James is 6 1/2 months old. He shares the same birthday as his great-grandma, Elaine! James is very in tune with his surroundings, like a sponge he absorbs everything. More often than not he seems to have his, "thinking face" in action for all to see. He has just started eating some veggies (carrots, squash).



We hope that you enjoy the opportunity to share in the laughs, smiles, challenges, and joy with us. Until next time...