Happy New Year from the Bergens!
In June, we marked the one-year anniversary of our move to Colorado Springs. The first year was rough as we made the huge transition, but God’s faithfulness never fails and He has blessed us with a life better than we could have imagined. We are absolutely in love with life in Colorado! We have joined a loving, nurturing church; made wonderful, likeminded friends; and gotten involved in several activities. Not to mention, we spent a lot of time enjoying the majestic beauty of our state! The only thing that would make life out here better would be if we could convince all of our KS family and friends to move out here with us. J
Of course, the biggest and most exciting event of 2011 was welcoming Kaden Henry to our family. He was born April 28 at 2:44am. He came a week early, weighed 7lbs 4oz, measured 20 inches long and had a head full of brown hair. I (Laura) was grateful for a very fast and easy birth. He was born less than an hour after we arrived at the hospital and continues to surprise us by how quickly he moves through the infant milestones in his little life. His mobile skills are developing at an “alarmingly” fast rate and he constantly keeps us on our toes! Braxton and Kaden have such a close bond and Kaden brings out a nurturing side of Braxton. He is very protective and caring toward his little brother and loves to entertain him. They play together constantly and naptime usually turns into party time.
Our other big event of 2011 was purchasing our first home here in Colorado Springs in August. We were all so so so happy to be able to move out of our tiny apartment. The Lord blessed us with a beautiful two-story home on the east side of the Springs. The boys have a playroom and a nice yard, I have a huge walk in closet, Justin has a pool table in the unfinished basement and we have a view of the mountains from our master bedroom. It is perfect for us and well worth the wait. We still own our home in Valley Center, KS, and were finally able to rent it in April. Our plan is to hopefully continue renting it until the housing market turns around and we can sell it quickly.
In September, our family took a trip to the Creation Museum outside of Cincinnati, OH. The trip was in honor of Justin’s late grandfather, Henry Bergen and almost the entire Bergen extended family also made the trip. The Creation Museum was an amazing and powerful experience and we highly recommend it…however, next time we visit, we will be flying, not driving for two days.
Justin is living his Colorado dream. Whenever the weather is nice (and by nice, I simply mean not blizzarding or in the negative degrees), he does something outside nearly every weekend. He hiked two of the “14-ers” this year, Pikes Peak and Mt. Elbert. Rock climbing is still his activity of choice and he has gotten good enough to lead several hard routes. Scary for the wife, but I’m glad he’s enjoying it – and I’m very glad he’s safety conscious. Justin took us camping as a family three times this summer. We had so much fun. He takes care of most of the cooking and other camping chores so it’s a fun, relaxing time for all of us. In addition to our family camps, he took Braxton camping three times this summer. Braxton absolutely loves his one-on-one time with his daddy. Great memories! Justin is still working full time as a Quality Assurance Engineer at Fluke Networks. He is enjoying his job, has great coworkers, and awesome company parties (seriously. They are the best)! He is also beginning to do some iPhone App development on the side and has some exciting apps in the work. We'll be sure to let you know as soon as they are available for purchase.
I’m staying very busy with my role as a wife and stay-at-home mom. With two little boys two and under, life is certainly never dull. J My primary responsibility are within the home, loving and caring for my family, but this year I was also given the chance to become involved with two of my other passions, dance and theater. Within three months of living in Co Springs, I was offered the opportunity to choreograph our church’s production of “The Music Man.” What an amazing experience! The show began production in February and we had performances the month of June (yes, I was very pregnant or had a newborn while choreographing). I had a great group of dancers to work with and made so many new friends, plus I even got to dance one performance! In October, I worked with Sand Creek High School choreographing their production of “Once Upon A Mattress.” I had never worked in the public school system before and while it was challenging, it is a mission field that I feel strongly called to. I’m thankful God gave me that opportunity! As 2012 begins, I’m anticipating starting ballet classes again to help me improve my technique and I’m also excited to be teaching two tap classes this spring through Forestgate Community Theater. I'm so thankful that God has opened doors for me to continue pursuing my passions. Other highlights of my year were camping as a family, learning to rock climb (a huge feat for me as I am terrified of heights), decorating our new home, and attending the birth of my “niece” Avi’Ella Rae.
Braxton’s Favorites of 2011
Age: 2 years old
Every week I look forward to: Toddler Time at the library and then out to lunch with one of his best buddies, Brennen.
I love playing with: Duplos, toy trucks
My favorite foods are: Peanut Butter and Jelly, Apples, String cheese and Pancakes
I love watching: Veggie Tales, Bob the Builder, Elmo’s World or Thomas the Train
At the zoo, I like to watch: Giraffes as long as they don’t get too close, Elephants, Fish
I always sing: The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Row Row Row Your Boat, Jingle Bells
My favorite books: “Brown Bear”, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” “Big Red Barn,” “Barnyard Dance,” “Storybook Bible,” (he carries is around asking “can we pwease read God’s Word?),
My favorite thing to do outside: Camping! He went 6 times this summer!
My favorite babysitters: “Uncle” Trevor, “Auntie” Em Uncle Stephen
I’m scared of: The Chick-fil-a Cow (terrified is a more accurate description), Big dogs
My worst sickness: Roseola (February), Stomach flu (November and December)
My Birthday Party theme: Elmo. Elmo hats, Elmo cake, and a special Elmo shirt
My best buddies: Kaden, Brennen, Hadley and Leila, Uncle Johnny, Uncle John, Silas
The silliest thing I do:
My Halloween Costume was: Winnie the Pooh
My biggest accomplishment: Moving to a toddler bed, Counting to 10, Recognizing almost all the alphabet letters,
My Favorite 2011 Memory: Becoming the world’s best big brother
Goals for 2012: Potty Training!!!
Kaden’s Favorites of 2011
Age: 8 months old
Every week I look forward to: Discovering and mastering a new trick, and Toddler Time with Braxton and mommy
I love playing with: Mommy, Daddy, Braxton, Sophie the Giraffe teether, Duplos, Exersaucer toys, and balls
My favorite foods are: Applesauce, Pears, Sweet Potatoes and Bananas. Anything besides peas.
I love watching: Braxton jump and pretend to fall down.
At the zoo, I like to watch: Fish and Monkeys
I always sing: Nothing yet
My favorite books: “Touch and Feel Farm,” “Mirror Me,” “That’s Not My Tractor”
My favorite thing to do outside: Camping! He went 3 times this summer. Swinging and going down the slide at the park.
My favorite babysitters: Grandma!! “Uncle” Trevor, “Auntie” Em, “Auntie” SheriLynne
I’m scared of: Nothing!!! Literally…
My worst sickness: Croup (November)
My Birthday Party Theme: Welcome to the World, or Lightening McQueen (his delivery was 2 hours and 40 minutes total)
My best buddies: Braxton, Avi’Ella and Zoe
The Silliest Thing I do: Wrinkle up my nose when smiling
My Halloween Costume was: Tigger
My biggest accomplishment: Being born J, Sitting up, Crawling, Pulling up, Being the sweetest, happiest baby in the world
My Favorite 2011 Memory: Becoming the world’s best little brother.
Goals for 2012: Sleep through the night.
All photos taken by Amber Rue with Jade Street Photography. http://jadestreetphotography.com/
