The big play day

Noah has been sick all week and home from day care. He has been very content at home playing with his toys. But he has started to get a little “cabin fever”. He also seem better. Sam took him sledding with one of his little buddies from day care.

Today we all went to the library. It was the annual “play day” with outdoor activities, facial painting, plays, magician, sing along activities and a whole lot more. It was packed with people.

Noah probably liked the saw the most. I couldn’t help but think that it would not be there for the kids to use in the US. Liability. Law suits. Thankfully no one got hurt. Perfect time of year though. Gloves and thick clothes!

Some were dressed a bit odd and got into character too much. Akward! Others were just cute.

Noah is still not well. The last two nights he’s been complaining about an ear ache. Doesn’t seem to be an ear infection since it’s only at night.

 

4 month

Livia is 4 month today. She is awake much more in the day. Still sleeps well at night with just 1-3 quick wake-ups. Today she rolled over from back to belly. She reaches for and holds in to toys. Growing up so fast! She is a content and happy person. She laughs a lot when Noah gives her attention. Noah is her absolute favorite person.

 

Noooo, why, who

Today we came out and saw this massacre.

 

First professional haircut

On Friday we decided to bring Noah in for his first professional cut. I think we might have been inspired by Carl & Christian bringing Hosea to get his first haircut. Noah started by watching his dad get his hair cut. It was a tough wait. After countless laps spinning around in the swirling chair it was finally his turn to take a seat.

He was nervous and happy and probably a bit taken by the hairdresser’s beauty because he was giggling the whole time. Responding with a “yes” and a giggle to every question. When the hair dresser asked if he wanted it shorter at the end he giggled yes. He asked to get color in his hair. When she was all done he asked her to put more color in. He just didn’t want to leave the chair even though the cut hair that fell inside his shirt was tickling him.

He skipped happily out if the salon almost forgetting his winter coat. As we walked outside he turned to me and said “hon VA jätte jätte jätte duktig mamma” translated ” she WAS really really really good mom”.

 

Making a snowman

It finally snowed. Noah is excited. We decided to build a snowman outside our apartment. I started and Sam made the final touches.

 

Christmas break

During Noah’s break from day care we have been doing different activities. Mondays are usually library day for us. We make it an outing. Picking books and new movies as well as having a treat at the café. It’s a short bus ride to the library and we pass the train tracks and the lakes on our way there. Noah’s best friend who moved to Stockholm came for a visit. We spent some time at our play ground and fed the ducks.

Noah has started to come into the “collecting-sticks” phase. The other day he found a great stick. It was almost exactly his own length. The rule is that he carries it home. No parent involvement or I’m afraid we will end up with a home full of sticks and soon rocks. Noah and I spent some time cleaning the stick, giving it a bath and then he got to paint it.

We also went on a road trip to Stockholm where we visited family. Livia was not in the mood for picture-taking. Here with her great-grandmother.

 

We got to see Noah’s best friend again and went to the children’s play museum “junibacken” together. The kids had a blast as they visited Pippi Longstocking’s house, played on the pirate ship and watched actors perform children’s plays. Junibacken is a great place even if it is a bit pricey to enter. You get a lot for the money. Every hour there is some performance, singing, acting or improv.

We have also been having some tea parties. All the teddy bears are invited as well as some monster trucks.

Now we can’t wait for spring to arrive. It’s already starting to get brighter in the mornings and evenings. We have been lacking snow so I would really enjoy being able to skip the snow suites all together. Everything is just so much easier when it’s warmer.

 

Christmas 2011

Christmas in Sweden is a bit different from the US. We divide up the season into different subseasons… traditionally!

In the US you usually start Christmas with decorating around Thanksgiving at the end of November. In the Nordic we start with Advent. Four Sundays before Christmas day. During this time we wait for our Saviors birth. Noting every Sunday by lighting one candle in a four-candle holder. When all four candles are lit, Christmas has begun. The light of the world has arrived. It carries significant meaning to us as we experience such darkness. It’s dark until 9 am and the sunlight is gone before 4pm. Further north of us the sun never rises. It’s not strange that the church picked this time of year to celebrate Jesus’ birthday. The light has arrived, physically and spiritually. Christmas starts on Christmas Eve and continues during the 12 days of Christmas when according to tradition the Magi or Wise Men visited Jesus.

My sister and her son came to visit us. We made some gingerbread cookies and decorated them. We only had Pippi Longstocking cookie cutters.

We bought our Christmas tree at the town square four weeks before Christmas. Usually people wait until just days before Christmas Eve.

The tree is supposed to last half way through January. Ours got tossed out on the 26th for obvious reasons. We were all excited about picking the tree. Noah was scared of it at first, keeping his distance. But soon enough he got into decorating.

Sam had to work on Christmas Eve (the day we celebrate with a big feast and gifts). We decided to celebrate a day early. We had such a great day. Playing, relaxing and doing what ever the kids wanted. We were reminded of how fortunate we are. How loved we are. We had gifts from so many of our US family. It is so very special. You became part of our Christmas celebration without being here. We talked about you with Noah and he said thank you to all of you! Thank you for showing your love in so many ways.

On Christmas Eve I brought the kids to a neighboring town where my sister lives. We spent the day and night with several members of my family. My mom had made a time-table of how the day was planned. Including the very important Disney Christmas Special shown every Christmas eve at 3pm.

This was Livia’s first Christmas. We are thankful to have her with us and we keep thinking of Rach and Craig who are still waiting to be able to bring home their son from Ethiopia. The story of Christmas shows yet another perspective. We are all adopted into God’s family. Jesus knows what it’s like to be adopted and God knows what it’s like to give away His son. It’s all joy and sorrow, grace and grief, love and pain  mixed together. Just how Christmas is for most.

The Christmas season is now over and we are starting up a new year. Turning a page. Starting up a new chapter.

 

Who is your favorite songwriter?

If I could choose one famous person to spend a couple of days with it would be Peter Gabriel.  It would be great to talk with him about his creative process. Or just sit in the corner of his recording studio and watch the work being produced.

His songs, music and lyrics have been part of so many phases in my life. First understanding the unfairness of the world. Peter put words to it. First understanding the hardship of war. Peter put words to it. First break-up and torment of the teenage years. Peter was with me. Traveling, moving. Peter was with me. My wedding. Peter was there. The many times of great grief and I return to some of his songs and albums. I have a relationship to his songs long before I hear them in some cheesy movie scene.

He is such a creative person and his lyrics means different things at different passages in life. If I had to pick one of my favorite songs it would be “Mercy Street” (although, tomorrow I might say it’s “Growing Up” or “Flood”). I have worked in those “corridors of pale green and gray”, I can even relate to the “velvet box” and even if I’m not a priest I’m supposed “to handle the shocks”. This song has really meant several different things to me.

Recently he released his “New Blood” album with a lot of his songs in full orchestra arrangements. It invites you to listen and reinterpret a lot of the music and lyrics. “Mercy Street” is on it. Here is the original version with the video.

I’m sure most of you have a favorite artist whose music you return to. Who is it? What’s your favorite song? Or who would you spend a couple of days with?

 

Livia’s baby dedication

 I really wanted Livia’s baby dedication to be shared with family and friends. Our church is very big with over 2000 members so baby dedications are on set weeks and of course involves several families and their newborns.

Since Sam’s parents came to visit us in November I asked the pastors if we could arrange a separate dedication while they were here. My dad,  sister with her son and a close friend of ours were also able to join us. It was a sweet moment and I will treasure it my whole life.

I know we have family and friends all around our world that keeps my children in their prayers and hearts. I know we have help in raising, caring and loving our children. It is amazing to think that these two little children are loved by so many. So many watching out for them. For this I am truly grateful. Thank you!

Above all we have a Father who loves them more than I will ever be able to do. It is one of my important tasks to help them get to know Him. When I lack the ability I ask all of you to help and act in ways that will help them better understand who God is. To be like Him is our mission, our task, our burden.

Livia, We love you!

 

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