City visit

Today we went into town to check out the Christmas displays in NK's windows. The kids really liked them. The theme was Swedish children's stories. In the shop we also got to say hello to Father Christmas.

Elias told Father Christmas that he wants vampire teeth (which will be in his stocking so granddad Stig does NOT have to make him a set from orange peel!!) and Alice said she wants ice cream(!).

Happy advent 1st

 

Winter has arrived and yesterday we had beautiful weather. In the morning we went out with the bob and in the afternoon Therese and the children came around for some gingerbread baking and glögg drinking. All in all a great advent 1st if you ask me!

Little helpers

Helping to wipe the table, using a slightly different technique than mummy and daddy...

Good morning

07:00
Viktoria: Good morning children, time to wake up..
Elias & Alice: ZZZZZZZZ
07:02
V: Come on, time to wake up now
E&A:ZZZZZZZZZZ
07:04
V: Come on now, we need to get going (turns the lamp on)
E&A:ZZZZZZZZZZ
07:06
V: Guys, it is really time to wake up now (turns on the alarm clock)
E&A:ZZZzzz (starts to wriggle a bit)
07:10
V: Now you really need to wake up! How come you wake up at 6.30 on the weekends??
E: But mum, we don't have to go to nursery then!!

Big girl!

After trying unsuccessfully in the summer to get Alice out of nappies, she became very motivated when she came back to nursery and most of her friends had quit them. So for the last few weeks now we've hardly ever put nappy on her in the day. And last night she went to bed without nappy and didn't have an accident! We're so proud of her!!! Our little girl is getting big...

Impressed

I guess I'm biased but I think Elias' drawings are really good!

Forest Sunday

Yesterday the forest group started again. The concept has changed slightly (for the better I think) and it is now a family event.

We all met up at 9.30 in Lida. Then the big children went away with their leaders and the small ones stayed behind with their parents and the leader. With the little ones we looked for autumn colored leaves, played a few games and just had a nice time in the forest.

I had volonteered to make the fire so I left the little group and Alice and David behind at 11 and made the fire. At 11.30 the Mulle group (the big kids) came back and we all had lunch together. The session was over then, but the kids wanted to go and look at a space ship at the top of the hill so we all went there.  

Elias then wanted to pick some blueberries and we managed to get enough for one pie that we made when we came back (the rest are bought berries).  Unfortunatelly I undercooked them a bit, but they still tasted nice. As a bonus we made some cinnamon rolls as well. Yummy yummy in my tummy!

Hours of fun..

On Saturday I took Alice to the park while Elias was at the dancing with David...

Sunday

On Sunday the weather was very nice so we went to good old Lida (as did everybody else it seemed like).We grilled sausages and picked blueberries (a bit too late in the season really, but we found enough for making muffins).

We did not pick these

Elias picked blueberries

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Licking the tools after I made blueberry muffins

Nursery closed ..

.. for the day so we've been to the hairdresser and the library.

Haircutting in progress

The result

The rest of the afternoon we read a LOT of books

Tada!

Current state of the downstairs hall. We are really pleased with the result!! Some painting left to do for us now...

Boy in a bath

Elias is very pleased with the goggles we got him for his swimming class...

DIG in progress

Before

Punch time

Mum and dad are visiting at the moment and dad is helping us with some improvements (hopefully) downstairs. Elias was loving punching a hole in the wall and Alice is terrified of the hole. Tomorrow dad will continue with the DIG (Do It Granddad) and the whole wall might actually be gone when we get home from work..

Rosendals trädgård

Good hair day

Evening chat

Elias: when you are an adult your mummy will be old
Alice: mummy will be old
E: and when you marry, you can't marry me
E: Because if we have children they will be weird
E: So you must find some other guy!
E: And your mummy will be the granddad(!)
A: Ok

Good, now that's all clear. Any more questions?

Breakfast outdoors

First (and hopefully not last) breakfast out on the altan..

Milestone

Alice on a mission

 

Sunday with the Ericsons

When I was in the US in 1999 I got to know the Ericson family and ever since then we've met up once in a while when they are in Sweden. I guess it's our turn to visit them soon...

Midsummer in Valdemarsvik

Marshmallows being bbq:ed

Movie time

Alice and her friend

Elias and his friends

Batman + one

The caped crusader is joined by the  pirate girl / Robin.

Batman in the house

Happy Birthday Elias!

 

 

Happy 5th Birthday Elias, our wonderful big little boy.

I can't believe it's 5 years since you came and changed everything we knew for the better. 

We love you more than anything

Mummy and Daddy