A bit of catch up from the last couple of weeks...

We're a bit fuzzy in this picture, but we're accepting our certificates at the re-enlistment ceremony tonight. Even I got a certificate for being a supportive wife. It was past bedtime, that is why the little guy looks like he is asleep on my shoulder. However, he didn't fall asleep till much later once we had already arrived home and he had insisted on two stories!

Jared is now on his ship the Tarawa for another two week trip. Einar and I drove down to San Diego tonight to be a part of his re-enlistment ceremony and see the ship a bit. He's re-enlisted for two more years to get him to his 20 years of service in September 2009.

Jared pledging his oath at the re-enlistment ceremony this evening.

All dressed-up for the Marine Corps Ball on Friday night. Einar stayed overnight with the Fenell Family and Jared and I went down to San Diego for the ball and an overnight at the Navy Lodge. We had a great time and so did Einar playing with the kids.


Wow, he got to climb on a forklift too! What excitement there is on Dad's big ship.

Jared and Einar in front of a Humvee on board the Tarawa's vehicle deck.

Jared accepting his certificates of simultaneous discharge and re-enlistment tonight from the Colonel on board the USS Tarawa.

Playing trains and hanging out with Jason Fox Last Saturday afternoon while Jared was roasting a chicken for our dinner. Jason is stationed in Hawaii, but is on one of the ships that is deploying with Jared in November and has been in San Diego for training exercises. We haven't seen him in years and he was able to come up and spend some time with us before heading back to Hawaii for his pre-deployment leave time with his family.

Einar built this track all by himself after breakfast one morning. It utilized both a chair and the couch as tunnels, I am quite proud of his ingenuity!


Einar helping me cook dinner last week. He really enjoys helping us in the kitchen. And below, a picture of the birthday cake at the ball on Saturday. Jared was a part of the ceremony at the ball and had to eat a bite of cake since he was the oldest Marine present (well that is except for the Guest of Honor who also had to eat the cake so didn't qualify as the oldest since he was the speaker). Once the oldest Marine had a bite, the cake was passed on the the youngest Marine, who was born November 1988--when Jared was a senior in high school.

The Famous Trash Truck Dance!

Ok, so we need to remember to not turn the camera when we take videos. Enjoy! This is the dance and song that Einar now does when he sees the trash truck on Thursdays.

More pictures that didn't make it in the last entry

Last week I woke up one morning and had the urge to make a roasted tomato soup. It sounds really strange, but since I haven't been feeling like cooking anything lately I acted on my impulse and started on a vegetable stock and put the tomatoes in the oven while I was making our breakfast. The recipe I used was pretty easy and our soup was done before we went to the park that morning. For lunch then I made some grilled cheese sandwiches and dished up some of the warm soup. Einar hasn't touched soup in about a year, but I gave him a small bowl of it anyway and we sat down to eat. Well he was feeling adventurous and gave the soup a taste. "I tried it!" he said and then "It good!" He ate the whole serving and then asked for more! He wanted to know what vegetables were in the soup I think since he'd seen me make it in the big pot that morning. Needless to say, we enjoyed it for several more meals and have a bit left in the freezer for a future meal.

Rally Day at church was also last week. Our Savior's Lutheran here in San Clemente goes all out on Rally Day each Fall. It is the Sunday that begins all of the fall programs like Sunday School and Wednesday night activities. It is a HUGE party after the services complete with the IN-N-Out truck serving burgers, a dunk tank, snow cones, a bounce house, water games, face painting, etc. We weren't able to go last year, but this time Einar and I had a great time. The cheeseburger I had was really yummy (Einar ate his grilled cheese on the way home in the car since all of the excitement makes it hard to focus on food). He threw some tennis balls at the dunk tank, munched on a blue snow cone, and had a lizard painted on his arm. He thought the lizard was really cool! It later washed off in the pool when we went swimming.

Check out the new Cheesy Camera Smile

Einar's Scary New Smile!












Here is Einar posing with his potato head creations. He said that they were "scary," but I think that that smile of his is the scary thing! Whenever the camera comes out, this is the look that I get from him now

















Before Jared left for this current two weeks out on ship, he and Einar got to enjoy some snuggle/snooze time on the couch. Jared was really tired from being woken up all night by calls from base and Einar I think had just woken up from his nap. They might have been watching a bit of tv at the time too.







A dream come true for a boy who loves to play with his bulldozers! Einar gets to drive Scoop with Bob The Builder hanging on for the ride.

Chuck E. Cheese is now a household name in the Ogle Family. A few weeks ago we went to a friend's 3rd birthday at Chuck E. Cheese. I remember the place as a kid, but I think my brother and I were almost too big for the place when they arrived in our town. They had a ball Room that Tor and I were too big to play in. I do recall playing lots of skee (?) ball, however. It was also really dark with lots of animatronic shows in my memories. Our recent experience have been different. The Laguna Niguel Chuck E. Cheese isn't dark, doesn't have a ball room, only one animatronic Mouse, and the pizza's not bad. Einar spent all of his "money" riding the green trolley that first night. Unfortunately I forgot to bring the camera to that party. However, we got to go again the following week for a MOMS club outing. During that visit he branched out to enjoy the Bob The Builder and scoop ride, the fire engine, the carousel, the skee ball, and some other games as well. Not much pizza gets eaten in all of the excitement of it all, but we had a good time. With the tickets that were "earned" from the first night, Jared got Einar his first pair of fake Teeth. Today at breakfast when I asked Einar what he wanted to do, he said "Chuck E. Cheese!"

A visit from the Mouse himself while on the carousel

A Trip to Mission San Juan Capistrano

A few days before Jared returned from his month long excursion to Fort Irwin in the Mojave Desert, my friend Amy came to visit. She was attending a conference in San Diego and stayed over a few more days and drove up to San Clemente. We spent one morning and went to the Mission in San Juan Capistrano. It was lovely this time of year with it's elaborate gardens and koi ponds and we even saw Monarch Butterflies as caterpillars all over as they were trying to attach themselves to park benches to move on to the chrysalis stage. For lunch we crossed the street and had deep fried artichoke hearts with some other tasty lunch treats. I'm afraid we aren't the most exciting hosts after about 1:30 in the afternoon, however since both Einar and I are inclined to take part in a daily siesta these days.
Jared returned on the 30th and was home for a week before he left on his ship until the 21st. We had a good week at home with him. He had to work on Labor Day, but we did get to enjoy his company once he go home from work. He was also able to go with me to see a new OBGYN in Laguna. I like him much better than the first once I tried and we even had an ultrasound and saw the baby moving and kicking around. I guess I'm about 12 weeks along by now.









In front of the Mission ruins with Amy.





















Seeing the train go by is always exciting!














"Making Coffee" with Dad. Einar is always volunteering to make coffee while we make dinner. Here Jared is making a really yummy Phad Thai meal. I haven't been up to much cooking since I've been home. With the heat in the 90s for a week and the stomach that hasn't really been up to food much, food hasn't been my priority. Thankfully the guys are taking good care of me!

Still No Camera!

Well, the camera did take awhile to return home, but it is back now. Here are some pictures from our trip to Seattle in August. Thanks Grandma Daddy for sending them our way! Einar and I had a really great visit in Seattle for the 2 1/2 weeks that we were there. We rode Metro busses, played in the dirt, walked around the lake, went to Vashon Is. on a Ferry (he's still talking about Vashon and the Ferry boat!), and just got to spend time with the families. It made August go by a lot faster and we also skipped the first heat wave of the month while we were enjoying the cool breezes and occasional rain shower in Seattle.


Einar loves reading his library books and we made a trip to the Northgate Library a priority in our first week. He also loves the playground at the new library and community center.




Watching downtown traffic from the skybridge between Nordstrom and Pacific Place with Grandma and Grandpa.
Playing in the dirt pile that Uncle Tor has set aside for Einar when he comes to visit.


The wading pool at Greenlake was lots of fun for the little guy on the hotter afternoons.
Watching freight trains while waiting for our table at the Spaghetti factory. It sure was a long train!
A bedtime story with Poppa Dennis before tucking in on our last night in town.
Watching all of the construction action at a downtown building site with Grandma.

Grandma Daddy took Einar across the street to the lake to play in the sand with his trucks. At least he was dressed warmly since he sure came home WET!

Exciting News......

Einar is going to be a Big Brother!
So far whenever we ask him if he wants to be a big brother or if he wants a baby he gives a definite "No!" but he has until the end of March to change his tune because I'm pregnant!

The picture that I've posted here is of him one night this past week having snuck into our room after we thought he was asleep in his big boy bed. I don't blame him for wanting to sleep on the Tempurpedic mattress over his futon, but he was pretty sneaky. He is passed out in this photo and I had no trouble getting him back into his big boy bed. It's going to take us a little while to free up that crib of his for the new baby since he still is taking some naps in it and chose to sleep in the crib last night as well.

Unfortunately, the camera also broke this week and I had to take it into the West Coast Olympus service office on Thursday. They said that the repair would take 1-2 weeks and that they would send it back to us. So until the camera returns...

Relay For Life Pictures

RELAY FOR LIFE Event from two weeks ago (the color theme was purple!):
Einar drawing the winning ticket from our basket raffle.

After packing up our tents and camp, those who are left pose for a picture.

This is where Einar spent most of his time during the relay. The infield was directly across from our camp, we just needed a Truck Crossing sign to warn the walkers as he crossed the path back to our tents and tables. Thankfully the infield was packed down solid and he wasn't able to scoop out any dangerous divets!

Sunny Summer Days

Like much of the West Coast this past week, we've been enjoying some lovely summer days. It's been so clear and the ocean so blue that I had to take a picture of the place so that you can all enjoy it as well.

This morning I watched Hailey and Nathan and the four of us walked around the neighborhood, fed the animals (only the donkey and the sheep since the horse didn't come down from the corral today), and ran around the golf course to burn of excess energy before lunch. Then it was back to our house where I made a yummy veggie and noodle stir-fry that was quickly gobbled up by the crew. Once Kathleen and the kids had left and Einar was down for his nap I noticed that my 30 spf didn't work to well on my shoulders this morning and they are now in need of some aloe vera gel.

One exciting thing in Einar's life is that he is now sleeping in a big boy bed instead of his crib. This afternoon when my friend Kelly came to pick something up, Einar came down to meet her and said "Come, Look My Big Boy Bed!" and he gave her a tour. We got it all ready for him about a week ago and he's been doing very well with the whole idea. The crib is still set up in case he chooses it over his big boy bed, but the biggest reason it is still up is because I haven't figured out where I'm going to store it. He stays in his room and doesn't wander around, but we have caught him bringing books into bed and reading. If he hears us coming down the stairs, he chucks them out as quickly as possible and pretends that he's been laying down. At least he enjoys books as much as I do!

After his nap this afternoon, I took him down to Dana Point Harbor to throw rocks into the ocean and watch people. We had a grand old time till the tide got a little too high for our comfort and we headed back to our car. Then it was home to make dinner and get Einar to bed. Lots of fresh air today should make for a good night's sleep.

I'm Back from My Blogging Vacation

You've got to take the chance at a vacation whenever it is offered, so since Jared was conscripted to do the last entry and he had taken the camera for the previous two weeks, I've had a nice little blogging vacation here in San Clemente. We've not gone anywhere but have a handful of photos to share with you. The weather has been warming up, but it hasn't been nearly has scorching as the surrounding area due to our nice marine layer that comes to cool us down in the early morning and then burn off around nap time. This past weekend was a stay-at-home one since Jared was sick for the whole time. He's feeling much better now and Einar and I have so far managed to avoid whatever bug it was. This coming weekend, Einar and I are participating in the San Clemente Relay for Life. We'll be camping out on the San Clemente High School track on Saturday night and I'll be walking during the middle of the night while Einar sleeps in the tent. I'm sure he'll do a few laps with me during his awake hours as well. We are on our church team this year. The last time I participated in Relay for Life was in Gardnerville and I was 3 months pregnant!


Einar took it upon himself to help his friend, Nathan blow his nose. They were playing spin the other in the desk chair when Einar noticed that Nathan's nose was gooey and so he went to get a kleenex and help him out.

When the kids were getting anxious for the fireworks after dinner, I put on the Happy Feet DVD and they were mesmerized for awhile...

Lots of action on the Fourth of July in the Ogle house! Eight Adults and Seven Kids shared in the festivities. We had everyone over for a dinner of grilled flank steak, corn on the cob, potato salad, green salad, buffalo wings, hot dogs, and brownies with berries and whip cream. The San Clemente Fireworks were visible from our patio around 9pm and the kids were out there for 30 minutes before-hand chanting "Fireworks! Fireworks! Fireworks!" One mom brought glow sticks for everyone and they loved waving them around.

You won't be seeing pictures like this in the near future because Einar doesn't need to wear glasses. I took him in to see the Eye Doctor last week to calm any fears that he has inherited the Bjorklund eye genes and he not only was a real trooper during the exam, but his eyes are doing well with only a slight astigmatism that doesn't need to be corrected any time soon. When he was in the exam and had to wear the funny glasses to look at the pictures, the doctor said, "Wow, you sure look like your mom in those glasses!" This photo is of him trying on my glasses to show Jared once we got home.

As you may remember, Einar has always had a thing for pink. Some of his favorite books are the Disney Princess books too. I guess he's being influenced by those stories and the pictures in them since this afernoon at lunch he put his slice of red bell pepper on his head and said "Princess Hat, Princess Einar!" He was very pleased with himself and proudly posed for this photo. If your interested, princess eat red pepper sticks and bean, cheese, and potato burritos for lunch. After lunch we headed to the library and picked out a whole bag full of non-princess stories to read before nap time.