The Naslund Family

Kids, A Cow and Ample Blackmail Material

2009-10-03T23:19:00.005-04:00

Yes, that is your's truly, Erik in the bovine costume and no, I do not do birthday parties.

Boy Scout Poprcorn 2009!

2009-09-18T16:19:00.002-04:00

Jared Practicing Football

2009-09-15T12:08:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple of videos of Jared at football practice last night. He was very excited to get to line up at running back and pound the rock!

Ella's First Big Walk

2009-04-12T10:17:00.002-04:00

This is it, she had taken no more than one or two short steps prior to this..... Be sure to watch to the end!

Day Trip to Amicalola Falls

2009-03-09T13:47:00.004-04:00

We took a quick drive up to Amicalola Falls State Park this past Sunday and did about four miles of hiking and site seeing. We took the whole crew, dog included. Below are some pictures and a quick video... Enjoy!

Wills Park

2009-03-01T14:48:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful Saturday at the park last weekend. Ella loved swinging at the park and the twins had a great time playing catch with dad. What a great Saturday!

Enjoy the pics!!

Brady has some serious chops!

2009-03-01T10:12:00.005-05:00

Brady made us all very proud a few weeks back when he played in his first live Orchestra performance. All of the kids played so well, at times I forgot we were watching fourth graders and not the Philharmonic! Yo-Yo Ma would be proud. This particular song, Mary Had a Little Lamb, was one of many excellent performances including: Caribbean Island, Hot Cross Buns and a little known but catchy piece, Old McDonald Had a Farm.

Derby Day

2009-02-07T15:30:00.002-05:00

Ready, Set... Go!!!

The boys participated today in their 3rd Derby Day for Cub Scouts. First off let me just say that their cars were very original and distinctive. They had just a little bit of help from mom and dad;)

We started racing cars about 9:30 this morning. We had a wonderful day and when it was time for trophies Jared won the trophy for MOST CREATIVE and Brady for MOST UNUSUAL.. It was a fantastic Derby Day.

Carousel

2008-11-17T19:21:00.002-05:00

Hi, last week we visited our favorite mall. There is a very fun carousel there that the boys have always enjoyed. It was so awesome to be able to have our Ella ride her very first Carousel ride. She absolutely loved all of the animals. We had a wonderful night! What great memories..

Enjoy the pics!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-04T13:40:00.006-05:00

We had such a great Halloween, the kids were so darn cute and they behaved very well. Especially since the candy odds were against them. Jared was Darth Vader, Brady was a Black Ninja and Ms. Ella was our little Lady Bug!

What a great night we had, enjoy the pics!

Good Morning Ella, Happy 1st Halloween!!

2008-11-03T13:56:00.003-05:00

Popcorn Time!

2008-09-21T10:07:00.011-04:00

It's that time of year again where Scouts all across America hit the streets and sell the delicious Trail's End popcorn. Brady and Jared are asking that our blog readers have a look at the below product page and assuming you can't resist the allure of gourmet popcorn, email naslundfamily@gmail.com with any orders. Click the image for a large view of the product page. We will cover any and all delivery and shipping costs of your order.

What you always wanted to know about scouting and popcorn:

All orders will be filled in time to give as Holiday gifts or have around for the Holidays.
70% of all proceeds go to our local cub scout pack.
Popcorn sales help fund most of our yearly activities like camping and space camp.
All Trail's End products are certified Kosher (except for Trail's End Trail Mix)
All Trail's End popcorn is made and packaged in the US

Click the image for a large view of the product page.

Go Red Eagles!

2008-09-03T20:30:00.005-04:00

The boys had their first scrimmage a couple of Saturday's ago, and they had a great time and did really well. Here is a short video of them running through their first banner. Brady is in the green short because he was sidelined due to his still recovering broken right forearm. PS. He is cleared to play as of today!

Ella Goes Bananas

2008-09-03T16:18:00.005-04:00

Ella had her first taste of bananas the other day, and I would say that she is a big fan! It is a joy to get to watch her experience life one new thing at a time, what a treasure! Be sure to watch to the end for a great laugh and smile!

Our children sure are sweet!

2008-08-18T13:56:00.002-04:00

Hi all, we had a great afternoon hanging out and relaxing right before school started. Ella just loves being by her big brothers, Jared and Brady. They are so sweet to her. They really make her giggle and smile.

Enjoy the pics!

Jared and Brady at Football Practice

2008-08-16T19:01:00.011-04:00

Here are Jared and Brady in their brand new jerseys. Jared is #51 and Brady is #75. They play for the 8 year old Red Eagles. They of course are 9, but they were 8 on May 1st of this year which is the cutoff date.

They had a great time at practice today, they are really getting into it. The coaches have told us that they are going to start them side by side on the offensive line, Jared at left guard and Brady at left tackle.

Today at practice they had their first scrimmage. Brady is still not allowed to go full speed (i.e. no scrimmages or games) for two more weeks. His cast is off, but he has to wear a splint.

Below is a video of Jared making his first tackle. Be sure to watch it in full screen to be able to see the action. Jared is lined up at outside linebacker. He is wearing red socks, white pants, and a black and yellow jersey. I think it will be hard to pick him out, but he is the one that makes the tackle at the end of the play.

It was hard not to get excited, I guess you could say I am living a bit vicariously through this experience!

July 08

2008-07-22T16:02:00.002-04:00

Hi All, it has been a great month! We had Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Dan visit over the 4th and it was fantastic to have them here with us. We relaxed and had a great time.
We also had the twins belated b-day party this July, almost everyone made it. All the kids were behaved and as you can see from the pics, everyone had a blast!
We have had a great summer, can hardly believe school starts in a little over two weeks.

Enjoy the pics!

St. Louis, Ella's Sip n See

2008-07-10T20:17:00.001-04:00

Hi all! It has been awhile since we have checked in and updated our blog. Life has been quite busy. We have had such a great summer, despite injuries.

We headed to St. Louis late June to visit family and to have some great fun. This was Ella's grand appearance also, she met the family and some friends. Ella's Sip n See was fantastic (thank you Jen G,Kathy and Julie)Ella had a great day and was full of smiles for everyone to see. Ella definetly slept good that night!

Unfortanetly Brady broke his forearm while we were in St. Louis. He was climbing a fence (of course after we asked him not too) to get a ball for his cousins and landed right on his arm. He is okay now and will get his cast off in three weeks. Then he will have a splint for two weeks. He will be able to take the splint off to swim and shower, but still needs to take it easy. He is in great spirits despite all of this, he is quite the young man:) Jared is doing great, he is helping Brady and mom with Ella.

Jen and I are very lucky!

Hilton Head Vacation 08'

2008-06-15T20:40:00.003-04:00

We left for Hilton Head on Saturday May 31st for a week Naslund Family vacation. We met Nana Mary,Grandpa Paul and The Morris Family. (Andrea,Trey,Hailey,Hannah and baby to be.) We had a blast, the company was fantastic and the house was beautiful. The house was located right by the beach. We had a great time hanging out by the pool, cooking out, going to the beach and just spending time together. We even saw some dolphins in the ocean. What a great vacation!!

Jen H's visit and Cubscout Advancement

2008-06-15T19:52:00.002-04:00

Where do we begin, we have had a very busy summer. Our friend Jen H. came to visit for a few days. We had a great time chatting and hanging out at the pool. Jen got to meet Ella and see the boys. It was so much fun to have her here, we hated for her to leave us.

While Jen was here the boys advanced from Bear's to Webelo's in scouts. It was a great achievement for Jared and Brady.
Enjoy the slideshow!

Jen's B-Day and Mothers Day Weekend!

2008-05-16T17:17:00.002-04:00

Hi, this past weekend was jammed pack for mom and family! Jen was pampered and taken out to dinner on Friday. Saturday Jen got a massage and we all went to our pool. Sunday we went out to brunch and took a lovely evening walk. We ended the weekend with a Happy Birthday serenade!

Jen said that she never felt more loved appreciated- score!!

A Lovely Sunday Afternoon!

2008-05-09T13:02:00.002-04:00

Last Sunday we had a lot of fun with our friends the Bonventre's. Ella and Vanessa had a great time playing in the gym. Vanessa is 2 months older than Ella. It was very cool too see all of the fun new tricks Ella will be doing in the next few months.
Jared and Gabby had a lot fun creating animal magnets. We were very thankful that this craft project was washable:)

Jen and Ella

2008-04-28T15:43:00.002-04:00

Mom and Ella had a blast yesterday hanging out. They danced and sang, well Jen sang. Ella is really becoming responsive, she has even started to smile back at us. Yeah!!

Enjoy the pics!

Dinner with the Bonventres

2008-04-15T11:55:00.003-04:00

Last Saturday evening we had dinner with the Bonventres. We had a fantastic time!
Ella and Vanessa met for the first time. They were both so precious saying their first hellos, we thought we would share the pics with you. Gina is holding Ella (she is wearing the hat) Jen is holding Vanessa (with the beautiful big brown eyes)

Enjoy the pics!

Fun times with Ella, Jared and Brady

2008-04-11T13:02:00.003-04:00

The last week has been very fun, the boys have been on Spring Break. We have had a terrific time relaxing and playing games with friends.
The boys have been a great help with Ella, she loves to look and admire them. They really have been a huge help. We really are having a fantastic time.

Enjoy the pics!

Easter at the Naslunds with Nana Mary

2008-04-06T10:58:00.003-04:00

Happy belated Easter! We had a grand time coloring eggs, looking for hidden Easter baskets and having a backyard Easter Egg hunt. This of course was Ella's first Easter and while she couldn't join in on the eggtivities (so sorry, couldn't help myself), she did have her Sunday Bests on!

And for those of you wondering, yes, that is a Ninja headband on Brady. It is from one of his favorite animated series, Naruto. It is very cool I am told.

Tora Lora Lora

2008-03-30T09:46:00.000-04:00

Kathy spends some quality time with her new granddaughter. Ella really enjoyed being sung this Irish lullaby.

Ella and the Gang

2008-03-29T11:10:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures of Ella Naslund and family. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Ella!

2008-03-13T22:06:00.000-04:00

We want to welcome into the world, Ella LaVere Naslund!

Ella was born today at 1:33pm Eastern time, weighing 8lbs even and measuring 20" long. Mom is doing great and feeling well.

We had a few hicups along the way. Ella still had a lot of fluid in her lungs after birth, and needed some special care. She is still in the NICU, but she should be out tomorrow according to the doctor. This video is from the NICU.

Sunday at the Jump Around

2008-03-09T22:20:00.000-04:00

Here are just a couple of pics from the Jump Around today. This place is great for the boys, it let's them burn a lot of energy and have a great time. Dad was not able to keep from joining in the fun. Dad and Jared raced forward with bunjee cords attached to their backs, lots of fun! Jen pretty much had to sit and watch, but we did get a great belly pic!

10 Days to Go!

2008-03-03T16:15:00.000-05:00

Here are a few photos from our most recent ultrasound. We are so happy to be able to say that everything is going great! Only ten more days to go. Jen is scheduled to have a c-section on March 13th. In the first picture, I think she is holding the umbilical cord. Remember, to see larger versions of these pictures, just keep clicking on them until Picasa Web Albums opens.

Jen's Shower at 36wks

2008-02-24T22:54:00.000-05:00

Jen was surprised by a shower from some of her Girlfriends this past Saturday. They really went out of their way to make this a special day for her and baby Ella! From the decorations to the presents, food and last but not least great friends who were excited for our family...
We are so lucky to have such great family and friends in our lives..

Meet Ella

2008-02-19T08:48:00.000-05:00

We had our weekly visit to our 'baby doctor'. He has decided that with Jen having the troubles she has had, and Ella being so very big, we would have a weekly ultrasound from here on out. Ella is growing perfectly, she passed with a score of 8/8! (I think that's good, but I don't know what it means exaclty)

Jared and Brady went with us which made this even more special. Just when we thought Ella would cover her face like she has in every other ultrasound, she suprised us with this precious shot.

35+ Weeks

Jen at 32 weeks

2008-01-31T20:34:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday we went out to dinner. It was wonderful!
As you can see from the pictures we have included baby Ella has grown quite a bit. Jen's belly continues to grow and she continues to become more beautiful.

Enjoy the pics, we will be adding more pics and blogs very soon!

The Naslunds

Getting Ready for the Derby and Enjoying the Weekend!

2008-01-22T18:15:00.000-05:00

Hi all, we had a very fun weekend relaxing and enjoying the snow:)

We also made our cars for Pinewood Derby. Dad worked very hard shaping and sanding to make the blocks of wood look like Derby Racers! He showed some mad skills. Jared and Brady of course did a great job helping dad, they are very excited to race their cars:)

We also had tons of fun playing in the snow and relaxing with some hot cocoa..
Mom is doing well, she is feeling pretty good. Her belly keeps on getting bigger and bigger, we cannot wait to meet Ella:)

Let it Snow, Let it Snow,Let it Snow!!

2008-01-17T10:10:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone~
Wow did we have a great night last night~ IT SNOWED~ In Georgia, we couldn't believe it either.We all had yummy hot cocoa and treats...

As you can see from the pictures,the boys had a blast! We had not seen this much snow in a long time.. Brady said, (and I quote)"Its a Christmas Miracle"and then he hugged Dad:)

I had forgotten how very cold snowy weather is, but it is so worth it!
Check out these smiles!

The Naslunds ~ Brady and Tia ~Two Guys and A Gal!

2008-01-12T15:21:00.000-05:00

Just a quick little post, our family getting ready for the Holidays.. Oh and how cute are these guys and a gal:)

Happy Happy Holidays!

2008-01-11T09:17:00.001-05:00

We were not used to staying in Ga over the holidays. It was a whole new experience let me tell ya.
We love to go home and visit with family and friends. Staying in Ga was also fun and relaxing at the same time. (It was very different) We saw lights and had lots of hot cocoa! We also shared time with friends. We played board games and had lots of yummy treats!!

Jens Sprinkle

2008-01-05T11:16:00.000-05:00

Jen was super excited when she heard that she would be having a Sprinkle (its basically a shower) It was at a great location, yummy mexican food. Family and Friends attended, everyone was so kind and brought awesome gifts for our baby Ella. Jen had a blast!! The twins and I even dropped by to give hugs.

Thanksgiving!

2008-01-05T11:06:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving was wonderful! We spent time with friends and family in ST. Louis. Everyone was there, we had lots of great food thanks to both of our moms:) We also went to several birthday parties. It was fun to visit with everyone, we miss you all!!

Camping and Rockets

2007-12-15T11:43:00.000-05:00

We wanted to update everyone on a a couple of recent activities that the boys and their scout troop have been up to.

The boys really enjoy scouting. It is a great chance for them to see some of their friends outside of school and to make new friends. Not to mention all of the priceless learning opportunities. I believe that scouting is a great way for young boys to learn how to become good upright citizens.

The fall camping trip was back on October 21st. You know the saying that the trip is half of the adventure or something like that? Well, in this case it held true. We made it about half way to the camp on Friday night, but had to turn back when Jared's stomach turned on him, and the rest of the back seat. We did eventually make it to the camp on Saturday around lunch time and had an excellent time. The boys enjoyed helping dad pitch the tent and get our area all set. It was then time for a game of football in the nearby field. We hiked, star gazed, cooked, cleaned and told stories. The boys and their den also put on a campfire skit that was very well received.

The following morning was dedicated to our Pack meeting in their dress uniforms and a flag ceremony. We were also fortunate enough to watch a flag retirement ceremony.

***REMEMBER TO SEE LARGER PHOTOS, CLICK ON THE SLIDESHOW A FEW TIMES***

Back in November the scouts had their annual rocket build and launch. We had a week to build their rockets from the provided kits and decorate them. The boys took a lot of pride in their rockets and were more than excited to get a chance to launch them several times that Saturday morning. This year was the first time our den got to have a payload section of their rockets. The boys loaded theirs with star-wars lego figures and live crickets. Ah to be 8.

H-A-Double L-O-W-Double E-N Spells HALLOWEEN!

2007-11-07T13:19:00.000-05:00

Halloween is one of those holidays that you love as a kid, forget about for a while, and then try to recapture your youth, living vicariously through your sugar-crazed, wide-eyed little ones.

This year was no different, we went out for about an hour, and left a bowl of candy on the front porch for the other neighborhood kids. (The sign read: "Take a small hand full, and ma-woooove along, lest your be cursed!)

Jared was dressed as the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four, and Brady was the Red Power Ranger. Jen, well I am not sure what her costume was supposed to be but she sure was cute! I do not know who the freak in the mask is supposed to be either, but there are some possibilities. (hey, that's two posts in a row with an unnamed, masked man.)

Its a girl!

2007-11-04T09:39:00.000-05:00

The last visit to the doctor revealed that we are in fact having a baby girl! The entire family is very excited to welcome our new addition this spring. There are not any great photos from that visit so I won't bore you with uninterpretable ultrasound images. She did not want to be photographed as she was face and belly down and in a breach position, it took nearly 10 minutes to get the verdict, very nerve-racking!We are still working on a name, so feel free to leave your suggestions below!

Long awaited update

2007-10-06T12:25:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone, sorry for the long time between posts. It has been a very busy month. Jen has been working very hard with her PTA duties, and keeping us all on time and on track. The boys are working very hard with their school work and cub scouts. (camping trip next weekend!). They also have joined back up with the choir at our church. They love to sing, and share their mom's gift of a lovely voice!

I have been looking for a hobby lately, and helping out with the PTA is very rewarding, as can be seen in the slide show below. Can you guess who that might be in the giant cow costume?

Jen is 17 weeks along, and the baby is doing great. We had a sonogram two weeks ago, and more tests, all is well. We will be finding out if the baby will be in pink or blue on Oct 29th!

Three-D-Baby

2007-09-04T19:19:00.000-04:00

I don't know how long this 3D ultrasound technology has been around, but I was blown away to see our little peanut in-the-round. The doctor was able to flip the image around and inspect everything, and said all was perfect. The heart beat is still right at 158Bpm, same as the first ultrasound. We are not scheduled for another photo shoot for another two months, so this will have to hold us over for now. I think he/she looks pretty lumpy, but I am told that that is normal, and the body and head are still forming at 11 and 1/2 weeks.

Popcorn Time!

2007-09-01T09:59:00.000-04:00

It is that time of year again, when scouts across the country put on their Class-A uniforms and hit the streets to sell popcorn! Last year was our first year, and let me tell you, if you haven't had Trails-End popcorn before, you are missing out. If you are interested, the product sheet is below (click for a larger image), just email the quantity of each item you want along with your mailing address. We will need the money upfront, so we will email you back with the total and address to send the check.

Approximately 70% of all proceeds go to our local scouting program, which funds all of our functions, including camping, activities, and all of our necessary equipment.

Please direct your orders and or questions to naslundfamily@gmail.com

Change is the theme

2007-08-28T16:12:00.001-04:00

Jen is nearing the end of her first trimester, and we will be heading back to the Dr. for a checkup next week. She has started wearing maternity clothes, and is really getting back into the whole, being pregnant swing of things. I am working really hard on understanding what she is going through, but sometimes I am just a dumb guy and have to be reminded...

Jared and Brady still have to be reminded that they will be having a new brother or sister soon, but I suspect "next year" sounds like forever to them. The Cub Scout event year started this past weekend with the Scout picnic. The boys are now Bear Cubs, and will begin gearing up for their fall campout coming up. I recently attended the first of what will likely be many training events so that I can continue to be a leader in their Pack. It is a lot of fun for all of us, and the boys seem to get a big kick out of the fact that their Dad is their cub scout leader, and he wears a uniform too!

Cocoa is almost 1 year old, and is starting to leave most of her puppy ways behind her. She still makes mistakes now and then but they are fewer and farther between. She has really started listening much better and by the time the baby arrives, she will be fully trained!

Waning Summer Days

2007-08-21T21:03:00.000-04:00

The end of Summer is approaching and Fall is around the corner (Saying this helps me cope with the 100 + degree temperatures) and it is in this "between times" that we welcome back.... SCHOOL! It seems like yesterday when we sent them off on their first day of Kindergarten, but yesterday marked the start of their second week of third grade.

Jared and Brady both are truly excited about school, and are working very hard. There are downsides of course, early bed times (I'm OK with this one :-), more homework and third grade is "a bit tougher" than second were told. But the positives of friends and learning far outweigh these minor inconveniences. They are excited every morning to get there and get to class! I hope this feverish love of academics stays with them both for a long, long time.

Here are a few pictures of Jared and Brady in the car rider line from this morning, enjoy!

(You can watch the slide show in small form here, or click the slide show a couple of times and see the pictures in a larger format)

Bundle Of Joy

2007-08-11T09:50:00.000-04:00

So the first post should be a good one right? I cannot think of a better way to start off than to say...

We are so happy to share the very first pictures of our new baby. These were taken on August 7th, at which time the doctor estimated Jen to be 7 weeks pregnant. The delivery date is estimated at March 22nd.

The baby is barely over 1 cm long, amazing! Hearing the heartbeat was a real tear jerker. The baby's heart was beating at 158 bpm, which we are told is right where it should be. You can see the EKG at the bottom of the last picture.

We are thrilled, and blessed and everything is going well. Jen is tired, but her spirits are high and we are so happy.