More Baby Updates

We (and by "we" I mean Brian) painted the baby room!  We stuck with the Mushroom Bisque color that we used downstairs because it matched the bedding.  Here is a link to the bedding we bought.

We are so lucky that Uncle Eric and Auntie Jessica are letting us use their crib.  (I am assuming it is nice for them to get it out of the basement too).  Uncle Eric even came over after work the other day to help Brian set it up.  We put the bedding on it right away to see what it looks like.

Then I put my TenderHeart Bear in the crib.  Amazing how he is 27 years old, but still fits in a crib.  Poor guy was kicked out of our bed when we got married, so things have been lonely for him.  Then I decided to go down to the basement and dig out his siblings (the bears on the left and right).  They are still pretty plump and underloved compared to TenderHeart.  I don't even remember their names.  Birthday Bear and something else.   TenderHeart, however, has had a pretty good life.  His adventures have included many trips to summer camp, the cabin, Alaska, college, and even a year in China.  He was missed in Malawi, but it was probably for the best.  He most likely would have been eaten by a mouse or molded in the rainy season.  Now his new job is to keep the the baby's bed all snug and warm for a few months.

The rest of the room is pretty bare, but will fill out before May!

We also just had our 20 week ultrasound.  We saw all kinds of body parts- the heart, brain, spine, kidneys, but no genitals because we decided to wait.  I tried to take a picture but it is not as clear.

The nurse-wife also thought that maybe the due date was closer to May 18th than May 12th.  That is what we thought in the beginning, so I think for our own mental preparation we will expect the later date and be surprised if it is earlier.

A White Christmas!

We were so excited to have a white Christmas this year that we pulled out our snow shoes on Christmas Eve.  Everything was beautiful.  Thankfully the weather didn't stop us from seeing our families.  In fact we didn't take many other pictures at Christmas because we were just enjoying spending time with our families (and eating...).   I think we are just awakening from our food comas today!

Here is a picture of Marvin and Vincent getting a few more minutes of ZZZZs before the festivities started.  Too cute.

Also, we had a pre-Christmas ornament exchange with the Roligs in honor of Grandma Rolig.  Traditionally she gave everyone an ornament on her birthday, so this year we exchanged with each other.   Here is Bonnie opening Brian's ornament that he made from Grandma's Scrabble pieces.  The ornament said "Marge and Red Rolig".  Too bad for Bonnie though because this masterpiece was stolen by Eric!

Another trip to Grandma's

Here is a picture of my grandma wearing the apron we gave her. The picture is of her grandkids (My cousins, Jen and Julianne from Alaska and me and my brother). The picture and the apron are both kind of huge, but then again, my grandma is kind of small. Isn't she cute?

Getting Ready for Christmas

I have had a few more baking get-togethers to prepare for Christmas. The first was with Brian's Aunt Carol who taught me to make Rosettes (top left corner). I had inherited a couple sets of irons and really wanted to learn. I haven't done it on my own yet but they seemed pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Once they are finished they are quite delicate. I had managed to keep them all nice and safe in their container until Christmas Eve when I put them on the hood of the car and they slid off from all the snow. They fell right on the driveway. I was practically in tears when I saw that only 2 had survived (I was also kind of in tears when I realized that it was becoming more difficult to bend over). Everyone was really nice though and ate the crumbs.

Then I got together with Katie P., Jodi and Erin M. for our annual Christmas cookie bake-off. This is a tradition that has been going on for about 5 years now. We have so much fun because instead of baking by ourselves we spend the afternoon together and it usually involves wine and appetizers. I was sad to have missed the last two years but they survived without me and even sent cookies to Africa! We didn't even mind that it was a bag of crumbs because it tasted soooo good.

This year we made:

Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cakes (depends on who you ask)

Candy Cane Cookies

Mini Turtles (pretzels, Rolos and a pecan)

Mini Salted Nut Rolls

Peanut Blossoms

and Krumkake...which I am hesitant to even write...

You would think that having just made it with my Grandma it would be fresh in my mind, but we are not really sure what happened. Jodi and I (the Norwegians) thought we were all set with two irons this year and of course we didn't let Katie and Erin (the Irish) too close, but still something when horribly wrong. Here is what they looked like:

Oh well, every year there is at least one incident or mess-up, so I guess it was the Krumkake this time! (One year we put the turtles outside to cool and squirrels ate them).

Movin' on Up!

Sorry for the delay! We have had a very busy December, and for a very good reason. We are both employed!!! Brian is teaching 12 grade reading and I am a teacher's assistant at a special ed. school. So how did we celebrate? We got on Craig's List and found a couch. Finally a couch after 2 1/2 years without one. This is a real treat and multiple naps have already been taken on it. Here is Brian with his morning face.

So yes, that is right, The Roligs are just movin' up and up. Pretty soon we are going to be buying up all of Craig's List. And just maybe after that we'll move on to real furniture stores. :)

A visit to Grandma's

We spent the day up Fergus Falls to visit Grandma Carlson and as always, this is how we were greeted:

Then Grandma had to give me my annual "lesson" on how to make Krumkake. Of course I know how to make it by now, but the lesson is that "you always listen to your elders", so whatever Grandma says goes. And no, you may not sit down when you are making Krumkake, even if you are pregnant or 86 years old.

I do have to admit that this was a good looking batch of Krumkake though. Perhaps the guidance of an expert helped. I should also give Brian credit because he rolled them.

After Krumkake, we played cards. This is Grandma trying to remember the rules to our favorite game of Spite and Malice. Sounds nice, huh?

When we finished cards Grandma made us Swedish meatballs (or were they Norwegian?) and neither of us had a problem cleaning our plates. Yum.

Karen and Jay's Visit to MN

Karen and Jay were able to spend a week in Minnesota for Thanksgiving. Everyone was excited to see them, but sad we had to trade Thanksgiving for Christmas since it will be too close to Karen's due date.

Jay and Brian ran the 5k Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. The two preggos stayed warm at Starbucks.

After the race we made brunch at our house (just in case we weren't going to have enough food later in the day). The ketchup in the middle of the table was Karen's idea. And look how proud Brian is to still be wearing his number.

Even after such an action filled morning I think all of us were able to fit in naps before Thanksgiving dinner. A true success!

Here is a shot of the Rolig siblings with spouses the next day.

Thanksgiving!

We were soooo excited to be home for Thanksgiving this year! We managed to celebrate with both sides of our families which both included a lot of food and photo shoots.

The Rolig family managed get their picture done before too many children escaped and any looming temper tantrums arose. Doesn't everyone look happy? Also take note of the matching outfits. Jay and Eric claim it is a coincidence, but I am not so sure about Emerson and Annika.

The Anderson/Millard family also managed to pull it off, but the pending temper tantrums weren't so much from the children as the adults. Alas we all survived and still love each other.

We have much to be thankful for this year:

-Not having to endure 140 degree weather!

-A refrigerator.

-Our house that was returned to us in good condition.

-A washing machine (but not a dryer...oh well, beats doing laundry in buckets!)

-A new car!

-A safe return from Malawi.

-Cheese and other dairy products whenever we want them.

-Internet all the time!

-People being able to understand everything we say.

-An income.

-Running water and electricity.

-Our friends who have been welcoming us home through phone calls, visits, dinners, drinks, etc.

-Our families who have given us so much love and support the last two years and now as we transition to the next phase in our lives.

-The new life that we are so excited to welcome into the world!

New Car!

We finally got a new car! Many thanks to the Andersons and Roligs for taking turns letting us borrow their cars the last couple months. I am sure this is as much of a relief to them as us. We ended up getting a 2010 Ford Focus. This is the first "new" car either of us has ever owned. We feel so grown up! We were originally thinking something a little bigger, but this ended up being the best bang for our buck, especially with it being new. Plus it had good ratings. Just wish us luck as a one car family! Really anything is a luxury compared to riding in the back of flat bed trucks with about 50 other people, sacks of maize, chickens, smelly fish, fish juice running out from the fish baskets, bicycles and breastfeeding babies. We are blessed!

I suppose we can start telling the whole world!

In case you hadn't figured out the real reason we came home a little early, we are expecting Baby Rolig in May 2010. Here is an ultrasound picture from about 3 weeks ago. The baby is now about the size of an avocado. I kind of freaked out when I read that because I was picturing a Malawian avocado which is about 3 times bigger than the ones we get here. So now I finally have an excuse for having gained weight after living in Africa for two years. Okay, pregnancy and a little bit of American indulgences (Thank you Katie W. for introducing me to the chocolate mint shake from Arby's. I have only had it one time, but I can already tell it is like crack...a little safer though)

We are starting to get geared up for the holidays. Karen and Jay are coming to town for Thanksgiving and we are excited to see them. They are expecting their first baby the end of January. Karen is a bit of an accomplice in this scheme to have cousins the same age. She sent us prenatal vitamins to Malawi! It will be fun to have all of the Rolig cousins together next summer! We are also soooo excited for Christmas. I can't believe we missed it for two years. It was nice to have Jack and Bonnie with us last year, but I think we all agreed that it didn't really feel like Christmas without the winter weather and the rest of our families. Not to mention lefse and krumkake. Bonnie and Katie, I am about to reclaim my equipment!

I have come down with my second cold since being back in America. The first one was an "airplane-cold" and this one is an "elementary-school-little-kid-germ-cold". Having a cold is bad enough, but having one while you are pregnant really kicks you in the rear end. Especially because there are a lot less options for relief. Hopefully I am good to go by Thanksgiving so I can stuff my face!

Getting Settled In To Our House

Finally we are back in our house and getting settled in. We slowly moved all of our furniture back in. We have a lot less than we used to because we sold a bunch of things before we left. We also have a couple rooms painted.The color in the family room is called "Golden Leaf". We chose it to match this wall hanging from India. My friend Angela from Peace Corps said I needed to start from an inspirational piece and I have always loved this wall hanging.

We are holding out for the right couch (well, and maybe some money to buy the couch with), but for now we are using Grandpa and Grandma Rolig's lime green chairs. The pillow cases are from Malawi. The lamps are new from Target.

Here is Brian in Grandpa Rolig's chair. Jack and Carol will have to verify if he has the pose down right. The side table is from Malawi and it flips over to a chess board (many thanks to Katie and Nick for dragging that thing back!)

The dining room was painted "Mushroom Bisque", but the color doesn't show up very well in this picture. We also scored this bookshelf thing off of Craig's List.

Look for more posts soon! Now that we have internet and our computer up and running we should be able to give more updates.

RPCVs

Welcome to Roligs in Minneapolis! We are now Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), and we're excited to be back. Our decision to come home a couple months early was not easy, but it felt right and responsible. We have bought ourselves time to find jobs and ease into American culture before the holidays and before our tenants finish up their lease and leave our house. We'll be staying at Doug and Joan's in Ramsey in the meantime. Hopefully we'll have phones soon, and we'll be visiting as many friends and family members as possible in the next few weeks.