Happy Easter!

Greetings!

Happy Easter! What a wonderful weekend to celebrate! Jonas and Elsa had so many adventures and time with family it almost seems like four weekends worth of stories!

But first let us humbly thank you for supporting us in our upcoming March of Dimes "March for Babies" walk next week. If you are interested in our March for Babies fundraiser the link is:

http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/t1535081
We have exceeded our goal thanks to the amazing generosity and kindness of YOU! THANK YOU!

Easter is such a special time of year for us. It is around the time that Jonas and Elsa both came home from the hospital and it reminds us of a bible verse that is taped directly above the computer that I type on now.

Song of Solomon 2

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

Song of Solomon 2 has taken on some new symbolism in our lives now but it is just as joyful and hopeful to us as it was two years ago....Jonas and Elsa now can't wait for winter to be over. They constantly chant "OUTSIDE...OUTSIDE....OUTSIDE." They actually don't even mind the raindrops if it means they can run outside. Elsa and Jonas spent a lot of time out in the flower beds and while they occasionally topped a few flowers; they were equally interested in the vast array of colors. Today, Jonas and Elsa both were able to sing with the choir at Grandma Jeanne and Grandpa Paul's church. Elsa was proudly up on stage waving at us in the audience and Jonas kept his mouth open the entire time during a song doing his part to add to the singing of the birds. Everyday at home, they sing and dance with wild abandon--an inspiration to all of us to sing! And finally, did we mention that Elsa and Jonas got to pet a turtle that belongs to our next door neighbor on Saturday? They were enthralled!

God is Great!
Picture: Family photo; Easter outfits; We love Cousins!; Chocolate; Easter Presents; Lambs. Videos: Lambs; Chocolate

God Bless,

Mari & Dan & Elsa & Jonas

Busy April brings May naps?

Greetings! Thank you for prayerfully considering our March for Babies fundraiser this past week. We are so thankful for the generous gifts that have been donated on behalf of our Lysnefamily Team! We have 13 days until the event and if you would like the link to our March for Babies site... http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/t1535081

We had another check in for weight this past week for Elsa and Jonas and are happy/thrilled/excited to report that they continue to do well. The doctor was very happy with how they are both doing--especially Elsa since she was one day away from getting a feeding tube last summer!

Jonas and Elsa are also thrilled to have a new cousin. Dan's brother's family welcomed Zachary Scott Lysne to the world this past week. Happy and healthy--what great news!

Our gymnastics class continues to go well. Elsa and Jonas love running and jumping and landing on the padded floor mats.

In Washington the rains seem to never fade but we had our first truly springy day today. The sun has been shining and while it is a little cool there hasn't been a drop of rain! Jonas and Elsa keep chanting "outside...outside". Let's get out there!

Picture: Elsa smiling at the camera (she was smiling:); Jonas typing this blog; Jonas and Elsa laughing while they watch themselves on the blog.

God Bless,

Dan & Mari & Elsa & Jonas

March for Babies

Greetings!

The sniffles, coughing, and other perks of colds are slowly leaving the Lysne household. All of us have been a little under the weather at various points the past couple of weeks but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and most of us are back to 100%. Elsa and Jonas are real troopers and don't really let a runny nose or a cough slow them down. The same can't be said for Dan and Mari:) We are very excited about the upcoming March For Babies fundraiser for March of Dimes. It is the major fundraising event for March of Dimes and our team will walk 6 miles on April 30th. March of Dimes provides funds for research for preterm babies and other services that help prevent preterm births. We encourage anyone who has ever been touched by the gifts that March of Dimes provides to consider walking or donating to this very worthy cause. Our team goal is to raise $200 for March of Dimes.

Our team website is: http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/t1535081

For friends visiting this blog for the first time, our children were born four months premature and spent nearly six months in our local Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). We had various adventures and medical miracles along the way that we encourage you to read about in early blog posts. Our kids each weighed the equivalent of four sticks of butter when they were born. It is shocking to even type that now. With four sticks of butter though, you can do something pretty amazing things like snicker doodles, cake, cupcakes, etc... And it was the case with our Elsa and Jonas that they grew and got stronger every day and are doing wonderful and amazing things now!

We would encourage you to consider donating to March of Dimes and/or continue to support other charities that are near and dear to your heart.

Pictures: Elsa kissing the baby; car rides at Nathan's birthday party!; window decals from Grandma Kathy!

God Bless,

Mari & Dan & Elsa & Jonas

Happy Birthday Part Duex

Greetings! Jonas really wanted to put some new pictures on the blog. So we are posting a quick midweek update. By the way, Spring Break rules. We love having lots of time to spend with our wonderful silly kids.

And of course, April 1st is Jonas and Elsa's original due date. Happy Birthday Jonas and Elsa! We are celebrating in style and having pizza and snacks to celebrate!

We took a trip to a nearby Daffodil farm and bought some flowers for birthday week and also took some slightly rainy pictures in the garden next to the farm. Jonas and Elsa also have some new hats that are featured in some of the pictures. Finally, Jonas and Elsa made perhaps the biggest celebratory mess ever at dinner on Wednesday night. Alfredo sauce moustaches and BBQ beards were on display.

God Bless,

Mari & Dan & Elsa & Jonas