Jeremy & Carri Mikkelsen

Pumpkin Patch

carri — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:51:49 +0000

At the end of October Autumn went to her first pumpkin patch. We went with our church Sunday School class called Family Foundations. Everyone in the class has young children like us. We all took a wagon ride to the pumpkin patch and spent some time picking out our pumpkins. Autumn was loving just being outside and being able to walk around.

Summer Milestones

carri — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:10:41 +0000

I was telling someone just today that Autumn reaches her milestones when we are out on trips. Every time this summer we’ve been gone she reached a new developmental level. She gained her first two upper teeth when we were gone in Indiana in June and then the next two in July on our camping trip. This summer she also learned how to drink from a straw since she did not want to drink form a bottle and couldn’t master a sippy cup. Autumn shows her independence by taking the cup when she wants a drink and pushes it away when she is “all done.” What an amazing feat.

This past weekend we went on another camping trip and Autumn kept her shoes on for the first time and also started standing on her own and then taking a few steps on a regular basis.

Autumn and Mommy with shoes on our feet.

Saturday night Jeremy and I decided to take some footage of Autumn in hopes she would walk for the camera after many tries from her mother, we caught Autumn taking some of her first steps on video. Please enjoy them with us.

Comb

carri — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:28:48 +0000

I gave Autumn a bath this afternoon. Afterward I started combing in hair. This of course is a difficult task because she is all fidgety and wants the comb too. I gave her the comb and was leaving the room. When I was out of her sight she started combing her own hair. It was so adorable. Here are some more pictures of her with the comb.

Mary’s Peak

carri — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 04:41:24 +0000

The third times a charm so they say. Jeremy and I have been up to Mary’s Peak a couple of times since moving to Corvallis, but today was the first day we were actually able to make it to the peak. The first time we went we got stopped by snow and the second we decided to wait for a clearer day. Mary’s Peak is the highest peak in Oregon’s coast range. On a clear day you can see the ocean. Today was not sunny, in fact it was cloudy, but there was no haze and the clouds were high enough to allow us to see the clear to the ocean.

We wanted to go on a hiking trip with our Sunday School class, but we planned the trip last minute because of the snow on the peak, therefore, not many families were able to come. In fact, only we and the Davis family were able to make it. We had a good time getting to know them better and are glad they are like us in that they like to get out.
To view more pictures go to
Mary’s Peak.

Vacation

carri — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 03:36:33 +0000

Last week Autumn experienced her first plane ride as we three traveled to Indiana to visit friends Jeremy went to school with at Purdue. Bob and Jeanette Manning visited us last September and we had so much fun we decided to try to make it a tradition to visit every few years.
Before visiting the Mannings we traveled to Michigan to see the Allens at New Tribes Bible Institute. We got to know the Allens during Jeremy’s last semester, when they only had two children. Now they have three lovely girls. Our time with them was short, but precious.

We went for a hike with Bob and Jeanette at Turkey Run State Park an unexpected delight for being in the north in a Great Plains State. We thoroughly enjoyed our time hiking, playing games, talking, and going to their church. Jeremy also appreciated his time spending a few hours on the Purdue campus where he holds fond memories of friends and ministry. Bob and Jeanette seemed to enjoy watching Autumn and helping her learn to stand. Autumn enjoyed playing with their cat Smokey.
For more pictures (mostly of Autumn) go to Indiana Vacation.

Creek Walking Date

carri — Wed, 21 May 2008 18:05:55 +0000

We are blessed with friends who we are able to swap babysitting duties with. So Friday, one of Jeremy’s days off, we had a date and then we babysat for the couple who watched Autumn. We were lucky to be at their house because it was a hot day, which reached into the upper 90s, because they have air conditioning. We ate out for lunch and then creek walked down a local Corvallis creek in Ritner Creek County Park near the Ritner covered bridge. We are going to make babysitting swap dates a more regular and coveted tradition.

Post-Baby Life I

carri — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 04:35:17 +0000

So you may wonder what Jeremy and I are doing now that we have a baby since most of our posts as of late have been of Autumn and her development. We seem to keep just as busy as always. Here is what we have been doing for the past few months aside from taking care of our little girl.

I (Carri) am part of a women’s leadership class at church, which,

“. . . is an intensive opportunity to learn the principles of being a leader through Bible studies, spiritual disciplines, theological discussions, leadership readings and hands-on experiences. The benefits include uniting in spirit with a group of women who have a common desire to serve and lead in the body of Christ, learning and envisioning the future together in authentic community.”

In this class I have oodles of reading homework and Biblical Word and Character Studies. We also had a practicum to show us how we work with people, our strong points and some of our weaknesses. I found that I am faithful to a task, but shy away from conflict to the detriment of myself and others. Our practicum was to put on our church’s women’s conference. My job as Ticket Sales Coordinator was to print, cut and sell the tickets. I made name tags for each of the women and helped develop the conference promotional bulletin board. I also helped edit the audio of the conference and condensed the five discs into two.

Sample Ticket:

The women in the class are an inspiration to me and show me how to walk in grace. They have been a huge support through the end of my pregnancy to months into Autumn’s birth. They have adopted not only Autumn, but me into their hearts. I count it not only a pleasure, but a priveledge to be working side by side with these women.

I am involved in a playgroup with some local gals who have babies ranging from seven to five months old.We are enjoying comparing notes on where are babies are developmentally and what works and doesn’t work for us and our babies. This has already been a great support for me.

I am also apart of a local MOPS group dedicated to gather women of young children together to give not only practical parenting tips, but also motherly support with godly wisdom.

Mini Hiking Trip

carri — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:25:10 +0000

We went for our first hike of the year two weeks ago and Autumn’s first of many. We went to North Silver Falls and really enjoyed being out in the cold brisk air. We caught the right hour to go for a hike before the rain came and we even saw a couple minutes of sun when we got behind the falls. We went to a waterfall where we were able to go far in back of the falls. It was beautiful.

We are excited for spring and summer to come to go on hikes and outdoor adventures. Our big plan, thus far, is to go to Bend and go tubing down the Deschutes River with Autumn, which will require me doing water babies with her to get her used to water. We are also thinking about doing some backpacking near South or Middle Sister. We have no idea how Autumn will do on these trips, but we know it will be a learning experience for the whole family.

To see more photos click Silver Falls.

First Tooth

carri — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 21:10:03 +0000

Autumn sucked on Jeremy’s finger two nights ago and he told me her suck felt a little toothy. I thought he meant she was sucking hard. She sucked my finger yesterday and I felt a sharpness to her usual gumminess. I looked in her mouth and sure enough her first tooth surfaced above her gum. It is barely visible to the naked eye as of yet, but it is there. She profusely drools, but the book said her teeth breaking through her gum happens in a few months. I was amazed.

Autumn found her hands a few weeks ago and found her tongue this last week.

Pictures at 15 weeks.

Nursery

carri — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 22:59:21 +0000

Jeremy and I were quite busy only a few months ago completing Autumn Joy’s room. We started the room with a blank slate. The color of the room was cream with a pattern of three rings indented in the walls. The window was aluminum and had no window sill. The room lacked a closet door and the main door was an ugly dark brown. Jeremy and I learned a lot by doing this room and enjoyed spending time together working on a hands on project.

We have completed the room aside from some detailed work. Autumn’s room is jungle themed and has bright colors, bright orange and red with green accents placed around the room with textured walls. We replaced the aluminum window with a vinyl widow and the brown door with a white one. The closet has a door and all the baseboards and trim around the doors are new.