The Gyllenhammars

Utö II

2009-11-20T12:15:00.002+01:00

These are the first set of pictures from our family vacation, along with Erik's parents and his sister's family! One day we took a 20 km bike ride with a lunch and a visit to the beach along the way.

Alex tries a little saft (similar to Kool-Aid, but not as strong)

Alex, Isabella, and Jakob

Utö I

2009-11-20T12:04:00.002+01:00

These are pictures of the boat and Erik and I on the boat that took us to Utö (an island outside of Stockholm).

A couple of cute pictures from the summer!

2009-11-19T12:11:00.005+01:00

Jakob, Isabella, and Alex

Stefan, Jakob, and Ulrika

Favorite Little Shop!

2009-11-19T11:54:00.003+01:00

These pictures were taken this past summer at the kids' favorite little candy boutique/cafe. They handmake their own marsipan candy and Alex and Isabella also like playing outside in their garden.

Trip to the zoo!

2009-11-19T11:28:00.003+01:00

Awaiting for the subway to take us home!

The trip back on the ferry. I think Erik was a little overjoyed that it had come to an end!

Posing in the aquarium.

Isabella's pony ride.

Isabella getting a free ride from Pappa!

I forgot to mention that during our summer vacation we enjoyed a day in Stockholm at the zoo/outdoor museum (Skansen) with friends. Some may recognize Richard from our wedding. He was Erik's childhood friend, and now lives with Charlotta and their two children, Signe and Eskil, in Stockholm. We try to get together with them when time and schedules allow. It was a fun and hectic day. We took the subway and a ferry from their apartment to the zoo, and there the girls (Isabella and Signe) took a pony ride. Alex wasn't so keen on the idea. So, he played with a soccer ball that was brought along instead.

Still here!

2009-11-18T20:03:00.003+01:00

If anyone was wondering, we are still here!!! Wow! I can't believe that it has really been 4 months since I last updated! I am sorry to those who have been checking. I must do better, and I will do better. It seems as if I need to work on a little time management!

Well, a lot has happened since the last update, and I am sure I will not remember everything. Just a quick recap:

The family took a mini-vacation to a small island outside of Stockholm with Erik's parents and his sister's family. Then shortly after our return, my best friend from the U.S., Felecia, came over for a two week visit. Within those two weeks, she and I also took a girls' trip to Paris, France. Also, on the sixth of August I became a very happy aunt to little Reid (my brother, Luke's and Jen's baby boy). We celebrated Erik's birthday on the seventeenth of August and then before we knew it, it was September! In September, along with my cafe job, I began teaching part-time at the local elementary school and doing private tutoring. My weeks have become much busier! In October we celebrated Isabella's (Oct. 2: 3 years old) and Alex's (Oct. 8: 5 years old) birthdays and had a big birthday party with a pinata. They both received new bikes and are loving them. After the celebrations, Erik and the kids took a week long trip to visit his parents in Spain. Other than Isabella wanting Mommy at times, they had a wonderful vacation. We have also renovated our 1/2 bath, and have started on our LARGE room downstairs (trying to make two normal sized rooms). Now, it has just been work, school, and today Alex and Isabella received their swineflu vaccinations. Hopefully, this will give them a little extra protection during our travels in December. We definitely do not want any sick babies!

On a sadder note: During all of this, my Aunt Patty Lynn (my Mom's sister) lost her fight to pancreatic cancer. It broke my heart to not be there for my family, but I feel that they know that I carry them, along with their joys, fears, heartaches, and griefs with me and in my heart at all times. She was a wonderful woman that I have so many wonderful memories of, and she is greatly missed.

The family and I will be heading to the States to celebrate Christmas this year. It will be a much needed visit for so many reasons, and I am really looking forward to meeting my nephew for the first time. I can't wait to hold him, kiss him, and love all over him. I only have two weeks to make a lasting impression until our next visit, so I have to make the best of it! Also, I can't wait to meet with family and visit with my grandparents. It is always so comforting to be amongst them.

I will also be posting some pictures that have been taken over the past 4 months!

Camping!

2009-07-19T09:40:00.004+02:00

The boys eating breakfast.

Jonas preparing the campfire.

View from the island.

The boys inside and outside of the tent.

Jonas and Erik took the boys (Alex and Fabian) camping a couple of weeks ago. They camped overnight on a little island outside of Nyköping. The boys loved it although it rained some during the night!

Trosa Racing again, one year later!

2009-07-19T09:25:00.003+02:00

Alex with "Spiderman" Fabian.

Isabella joined in the race this year with the help of Farfar.

Summer Fun II

2009-07-19T09:11:00.001+02:00

Summer Fun I

2009-07-19T08:56:00.004+02:00

Midsummer 2

2009-06-30T20:09:00.005+02:00

Maypole (Midsommarstång) at Garvaregården.

Twister Scram game we played after dinner.

Claes and I during our dinner.

Isabella and Farmor at Garvaregården.

Midsummer 1

2009-06-29T11:15:00.004+02:00

Although it rained pretty much the whole day we had a good time with friends and family. We had lunch, dinner, and fika (coffee with sweets) at Erik's parents and we went to Garvaregården to dance around the Maypole. We also played games outside during our 10 minutes of rain-free weather.

Isabella with her midsommarkrans on her head that I made early that morning with flowers from Birgitta's garden.

Elias and Helena

Fabian and Alex

This was my American-Swedish cake that I made. It was a 3-layer Red Velvet cake with Philadelphia cream cheese icing and strawberries. Strawberries are a must during Midsummer!

Kolmården

2009-06-29T11:03:00.004+02:00

Here are a few pictures from Alex and Isabella's trip to Kolmården zoo with Farmor and Farfar. They also stayed a night in the Vildmarkshotell. They had a great time and WAY too much fun while Erik and I enjoyed a night to ourselves.

Alex and Isabella with Farfar at the pool in the hotel.

Alex hugging Bamse.

A bear crossed in front of the car during the drive through safari.

Alex and Isabella at the hotel with their new dolphin and seal.

Alex and Isabella with their new dolphin water guns.

Farfar with the kids in the petting zoo.

Farmor with the kids at the dolphin aquarium.

Trosa Tivoli (Fair)

2009-06-29T10:49:00.002+02:00

There was a Spiderman ride at the fair and Isabella was afraid of it. I was afraid of a lot of things when I was younger. I guess she inherited that from me!

Wow, what a long time!

2009-06-28T22:22:00.002+02:00

Wow, it has been a long time since my last post. We have been so busy this past month and it has flown by! We have enjoyed the Trosa carnival and market, a dinner with Erik's aunt, uncle, and cousin and her child, dinners with friends, Midsummer with family and friends, the Trosa Race, trips into the archipelago, and the kids have even had an overnight outing with their Farmor and Farfar to the zoo. Added to all of this we have had work, daycare, gardening, and Alex has learned to ride his bike without training wheels. Now, this week Alex and Erik are to go camping with our friend, Jonas and his son and Alex's best friend, Fabian on one of the islands overnight. I hope it goes well for them. We have also went from 50 degree weather and a couple of nights of frost in the beginning of June to 80 degree weather now at the end of June! So the kids and I are fighting colds from the changes in weather, but we don't care because now it feels as if summer has finally arrived!!!! Now, hopefully our strawberries and raspberries will be ready to pick soon. They are a little behind this year because of the colder weather. I know Alex and Isabella can't wait! I will post several times I am sure in order to post all of our pictures and stories, so stayed tuned.

Pictures from Askö on Mother's Day

2009-06-02T21:04:00.003+02:00

Target and Stripe

2009-06-02T20:58:00.000+02:00

Mother's Day

2009-06-02T20:18:00.002+02:00

This past Sunday was Mother's Day here in Sweden. It is always the last Sunday of May. I had a wonderful and relaxing Mother's Day. Breakfast was made for me and I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers. We also took a trip out in the boat to Askö and I had a very good dinner with my family and Erik's parents. Erik and his Dad did all of the cooking. I am so blessed to have two beautiful children, a wonderful, caring, and loving husband, and such thoughtful and loving in-laws that I love spending time with (not everyone can say that! :))

I also never reported on our trip to the U.S. when the kids and I visited my parents, Luke and Jennifer, and the rest of our family and friends back in April. I always find it so hard to write about when we visit there or when they visit here, because it usually takes me a few weeks to get over the trip and I am usually quite sad when I return and vice-versa. So, writing about it just makes me homesick. Anyway, I am now in better spirits to write about it. Needless to say, we had a wonderful and exhausting time. I realized (after the past two visits being 3 and then 4 weeks) that 2 weeks really isn't enough time to do everything and relax at the same time. The two weeks were like a whirlwind. The kids and I arrived on a Friday. The next day, Saturday, we went to Nashville because my parents attended a wedding and we visited friends (by the way Missy and Megan, I forgot to take pictures. It must have been jet-lag!). Then we came back to Covington on Sunday.

During the visit we had a big family picnic which Alex and Isabella looked so forward to and really enjoyed! I also visited with Granny and Pappaw and Aunt Patty Lynn (all of whom need prayers). My Grandfather is continually fighting colon cancer, Granny needs strength to care for my Grandfather, and my Aunt Patty Lynn is in the final stages of fighting pancreatic cancer. I think about them everyday and pray for them and wish that I were there. I also pray for my Uncle Terry, Stacy, Becky, and Michael. How hard it must be for everyone. I know how my aunt stays in my mind and it weighs on me. I can't even imagine how it is for the rest of the family.

I was also able to visit with college friends. It was such a treat, especially considering that Julie was fighting for her life not even a year ago, and now Abby is finding a new lifestyle to accomodate her lupus diagnosis. And definitely not least, I also was able to visit with high school friends. The laughs never end!! Felecia and I also booked our trip to Paris that we will take when she comes to visit in July! I can't wait for some good friend time!

Alex and Isabella, well especially Alex, loved playing with Target and Stripe (Grandmama and Pa's two cats). Alex made sure that every morning he went down to Pa's office to feed them. He truly loves them and talks about them all of the time between visits. They also had to make sure that they visited Buddie (my Grandmother, Farmor) everyday. Anytime we got on the golf cart they wanted to head down to Buddie's!! They definitely love their Buddie.

Alex made sure that most days he followed Pa to train. He would ask Pa everyday if he was going to train. (My Dad trains hunting dogs for a profession for those who were wondering.) He especially wanted to tag along in the mornings because Pa always made sure to take a break and have a snack which, for Alex, always included a candy bar and Coke :)

We had a wonderful time in the U.S. and I really hate that I will not be there to see little Reid (my first nephew) when he is born, but I promise him that I will definitely make up for those lost 4 months in December.

Family and Friends

2009-05-14T18:37:00.008+02:00

Me, Carla, Christy, Julie, Jenni, and Abby

Me with my brother, Luke

Me with Jessica, Felecia, and Danielle

Alex and Isabella with Pa

Isabella with her cousin, Kelsi

Alex and Isabella with their Uncle Luke

Alex with Uncle Luke, Aunt Jen, and soon-to-be cousin Reid

Alex with Arlie and his cousin and good friend Jamieson.

Alex, Isabella, and I with my mother (Grandmama), my Grandfather (Pappaw), and my Grandmother (Granny)

Alex with my Grandmother (Buddie)

Isabella with Grandmama

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-16T10:19:00.004+02:00

We had our little family egg hunt on Easter Sunday. Saturday night the kids and I colored the eggs and then they got to draw on them with markers. They really enjoyed drawing on the eggs and they also enjoyed the egg hunt.

Isabella was quite excited waiting for the hunt to begin!

I found one!

Where could they be?

The games have begun!

2009-04-16T10:12:00.004+02:00

Well, I knew this day would come...the day when computer, TV, and video games would become a common fixture in our household. Isabella hasn't begun to play with them so much (she would rather watch), but as you can see from the pictures they have Alex's full attention!

Vernissage

2009-03-29T15:42:00.001+02:00

Erik's Mom takes local art classes and we went to a recent showing of her's along with other classmates' art work. The work was really good and we thought that we would post a few of her masterpieces.

Erik with the kids beside his Mom's collage.

Her Nike shoe

The bottom is Birgitta's

Birgitta at work.

Sneaky

2009-03-29T15:12:00.000+02:00

I was wondering when Isabella would finally take the plunge, and she finally mustered up the courage the other day. She always watches me put my make-up on and she wants to have some, too. So, I always pretend to put it on her because she thinks it makes her so pretty! Well, now she has started to want to do it by herself, and I have told her that she can't yet. Needless to say while I was ironing clothes the other day I realized it had become mighty quiet upstairs. I finished ironing the shirt and went upstairs, and well, the pictures clearly explain what I found. She even involved Alex in her devilish deeds. She is pretty good at talking Alex into doing whatever she wants! She has become quite manipulative at such a young age!

Easter Jewelry

2009-03-10T13:19:00.000+01:00

The kids received a little Easter package from Grandmama and Pa and in it Isabella got some plastic jewelry with rabbits. It was a hair twisty, bracelet, necklace, ring, and earrings. She was so proud of them. Also, don't you love her matching outfit? :)

Father/Son Sunday Night Cooking

2009-03-10T13:08:00.000+01:00

Last Sunday night Erik and Alex decided that they would treat Isabella and I to a relaxing, homemade dinner. They tied on their aprons, put on their baking hats and began the dough slinging! The outcome: homemade pizzas that were delicious! I took a couple of pictures of Alex. Be sure to notice his HOMEMADE baker's hat (a plastic bread bag!).

Finally after 4 1/2 years!!!!

2009-03-09T20:24:00.000+01:00

Finally after 4 and a half years, between Alex and Isabella, I don't have to worry about buying, changing, remembering to take with me, and disposing of ..... DIAPERS!!! Isabella is now officially potty-trained. She wears panties in the daytime and at nighttime. Last week I didn't think that she was quite ready, but over the past few days she did a complete 180. Erik and I are very glad, but I must admit (and I know many will think that I am crazy) it feels a little bittersweet. That is just one more milestone that shows me she is growing further away from being my little baby. I was a little sad when we rearranged their room yesterday without a changing table. Sick, I know!!! I have to admit it is so VERY NICE not having to worry about diapers anymore, but I may not be so pushy with taking her "nap" (pacifier) away! :)

Prayers

2009-03-09T20:03:00.000+01:00

I am doing this short update just to ask those of you who read our blogspot to keep some very close family and friends in your prayers for me:

My grandfather: He is still fighting cancer and struggling with his treatments. He did just celebrate his 83rd birthday in February. So that is a blessing in itself. Hopefully with the coming of Spring his spirits will lift and he will be more lively.

My friend, Abby: She was just diagnosed with lupus and is struggling with this life changing illness.

Lastly, but definitely not the least, my Aunt Patty Lynn, my Mom's oldest sister, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a few days ago. The doctors do not give a positive outlook, but she is willing to fight the cancer and has started her chemo. Please pray for her to have strength, positivity, and all of the support she needs. (I don't think the support should be a problem with the McIntyre clan, though! :))

So much has happened since my last visit home (well, technically, my home is in Sweden now, but you know what I mean!) and I feel so hopeless and unhelpful being so far away. The kids and I are going to the States in April after Easter for two weeks and it will definitely be a much needed visit for myself and family and friends there.

Oh, one other thing. Luke and Jennifer will be having their ultrasound on Wednesday so please pray that they receive good reports!

The snow has arrived!

2009-02-22T21:05:00.001+01:00

I am not sure why I try to kid myself every year by thinking the "BIG ONE" has missed us this year. I should know by now that there will be a big snow around the end of February, first of March every year if it hasn't already arrived. Needless to say, we awoke to more than just a dusting of snow that we have seen over the past weeks.

We promised the kids that we would take them to the small, local ski slope so we all piled on the winter clothes and braved the small blizzard. We didn't stay too long, but we did manage to grill a few hot dogs, drink a little hot chocolate, and do a little sledding.

Friends :)

2009-02-21T22:29:00.001+01:00

Miss Priss!

2009-02-21T22:21:00.001+01:00

She has a little trouble walking in her "princess" heels, but loves them. I freaked out a little though when I saw her headed up the stairs!

Sushi Night

2009-02-21T17:35:00.000+01:00

For some odd reason my children absolutely LOVE sushi. It's even to the point that Alex has chosen sushi over a McDonald's Happy Meal! Anyway, Alex calls Erik often and asks if he is in Stockholm so that he can pick up sushi for us on his way home. Well, needless to say, Alex was lucky on THIS night and we all had our favorite meal!

Random

2009-02-21T17:29:00.001+01:00

Here are a couple pictures of the kids while they were home with their Pappa one weekend while I was working.

Pictures from New Year's Eve

2009-01-23T21:22:00.000+01:00

Claes (Farfar) and Birgitta (Farmor)

Erik and I

Erik preparing for 12:00 a.m.

Alex with Farfar

Alex and Isabella with Farfar and Farmor

(Don't you love Farfar's tux?!)

Mamma, Pappa, Isabella, and Alex

Isabella and Alex

Favorite Christmas Gift

2009-01-23T21:17:00.000+01:00

I believe this is their favorite Christmas gift this year. I think it is so cute to see them piled on their beanbags in front of the T.V.!

Late Post

2009-01-23T20:20:00.001+01:00

Sorry for slacking in my posting. I know some were a little concerned (Jessica?). The start to our new year began with 3 weeks of colds, fevers, coughs, etc. It started with Alex, then myself, and then Isabella. Erik was the lucky one. It missed him, thankfully, so he played nurse for awhile. Thanks for being our knight in shining armor, Pappa! We love you! Somewhere within those three weeks we were able to get out a little, though.

New Year's Eve we had planned to have two other families join us at our home, but unfortunately, members of both families were sick. So, we welcomed the New Year with Erik's parents. They fixed a wonderful dinner filled with crawfish, shrimp, steak, etc. Oh, and of course lots of champagne! We had a great time, and as always Alex welcomed in the New Year with us. Isabella fell asleep, but not Alex. I guess maybe he slept through his first New Year (he was only 3 months old), but every New Year afterwards he has welcomed with full force! I skipped making a New Year's Resolution this year since I never keep it, but I do want to think more about saving energy, staying more organized, and as always, making better food choices and involving exercise more in my daily routine.

Since the start of the New Year we also attended Disney on Ice: Princess Classics. Alex loved Disney on Ice so much last year that we couldn't dare let him miss it this year. Isabella also got to tag along. We met Richard (a childhood friend of Erik's who was also a part of our wedding) and his daughter, Signe. We all enjoyed the show, but I think Isabella enjoyed it more than Alex (he was still sick). We were a little disappointed though because we didn't see as much of Mickey and Minnie and other Disney characters. It focused mainly on the princesses and their stories. But overall it was good, and we look forward to it again next year.

Last weekend we went and stayed overnight with Erik's sister and her family. We had a taco night and had a great time. Jakob, Ulrika's son, received a battery-operated motorcycle for Christmas and it was the main attraction of the visit.

Oh, I must say that I stayed up the other night when the Titans were playing in the play-offs. It was showing live here and I ended up staying awake and watching the ENTIRE game only to see them lose at the end! The game was over at 2:00 a.m. Swedish time and I had to work the following day! But watching American football brought a little bit of home my way.

I also was able to catch Obama's inauguration and inaugurational (is that a word?) activities. I have instilled a lot of faith in him and his hopes and goals and I pray that God will guide him in his leadership. From conversations among the citizens here in Sweden, I gather they have a renewed respect for American citizens for voting him into office based on his dreams, ideals, and willingness to work with other world leaders to promote peace and respect among each other. He has instilled hope in other nations around the world, and I feel things are starting to look a little brighter :)

For those who haven't heard, the children and I have booked airline tickets to the U.S. in April. Unfortunately, Erik will not be traveling with us, because he has to work, but hopefully he can fly down to Spain and meet up with his parents for a few days to get away from the loneliness. We will be visiting for 2 weeks and Alex and Isabella are getting excited. I also know that their Grandmama and Pa are also excited (especially Pa, it will be 9 months since the last time he saw us!) Isabella is especially excited about seeing her Uncle Luke. That is who she talks about wanting to see. Also, we are all excited about seeing Aunt Jen's growing abdomen with Baby Mc. Alex is biting at the bits to see Grandmama's and Pa's beloved cats (well, loved by Alex) and ride his new Hot Wheel. I can't wait to see family, friends, grandparents, and visit WAL-MART. I know most people despise Wal-Mart, but I tend to have withdrawals after 9 months! Anyway, we look forward to seeing everyone, and I am finally going to bring this update to a close. Hope everyone keeps warm this winter. I hear it has been quite, unbelievably cold in Tennessee this year!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-30T15:39:00.000+01:00

Alex opening a gift.

Isabella with Faster (Aunt) Ulrika

A picture of Isabella after she picked out her own clothes to do last minute grocery shopping!

Alex and Isabella waiting for a big night with Santa.

Alex with his stocking

Isabella with her stocking

Isabella receives a gift from Santa.

Isabella with a large gift

We were a little scared when Santa arrived!

Nice Santa!

Santa outside of the window.

THE Christmas smorgasbord!

Smorgasbord

Farfar, Alex, me, and Isabella

This year Christmas was calm, enjoyable, and relaxing. We celebrated with Erik's parents and his sister. Jakob (Ulrika's child) and his Dad couldn't be with us this year. Jakob had just come home from a 9 day stay in the hospital recovering from a stomach virus and severe cold. We missed having them with us.

We received a visit from Santa. He happened to be in the area and brought Alex his much anticipated race track and Isabella received a Pippi Longstocking doll house with accessories. He was met with a few terrifying screams from Isabella and Alex was a little stand-offish, but towards the end of his visit Isabella would point at him and sort of laugh and Alex warmed right up to him. He was very nice and I kept thinking to myself that he looked VERY familiar!

We had a wonderful dinner that we ate for three days afterwards! The julbord included everything under the sun and it was delicious.

We had a great Christmas this year with our Swedish family and friends and look forward to a U.S. Christmas next year with our American family and friends!

Bake Day!

2008-12-18T22:42:00.000+01:00

This past Sunday was a big family bake day! We made lussekatter (saffran buns), pepparkakor (ginger thins), and my personal favorite, glögg (hot-spiced wine)! We all had a really good time and made a really big mess! At one point, Isabella was literally swimming in the flour!

St. Lucia

2008-12-18T22:31:00.000+01:00

St. Lucia Day was this past Friday. The children's daycare did a St. Lucia tåg (train). They sang Christmas carols in their Christmas outfits. This "production" is put on at schools and preschools all across Sweden and is typically done outside. Well, it was raining, and quite a mess, but the kids did a wonderful job, and didn't seem to be phased by the rain.

Pepparkakshuset

2008-12-18T22:17:00.000+01:00

I am a little behind with posts, because we made our gingerbread house (pepparkakshus) two weeks ago! We struggled with it this year. The backside of the house broke, and thankfully, Erik's Mom was there to help us creatively make a new backside so that the house would stand. Anyway, needless to say, we finally pulled it off!

Advent Kalendar

2008-12-18T21:59:00.000+01:00

Advent is the season of the Christian church, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus. The progression of the season can be marked with an Advent calendar. Every year we faithfully light a new candle every Sunday beginning with the first Advent and the children receive their long anticipated Advent calendars. This calendar has 24 hidden pieces of candy and they open one piece every day starting Dec. 1 . They usually receive 2 calendars each because Erik's parents usually purchase them one also. Here is a picture of them opening ONE of their calendars.

New Family Member

2008-12-18T21:46:00.000+01:00

No! I am not pregnant, but Alex and Isabella will be welcoming a new cousin on August 3! My brother, Luke, and his wife, Jennifer, will be welcoming their first child in a little over 7 months. I am very excited and anticipating his/hers arrival. I wish them the best and will be keeping them in my prayers. Congratulations you two!

Other pictures from this past month

2008-12-12T23:30:00.000+01:00

Isabella, Mom, and Alex

The cafe where I work. I was off that day, though, to take a fika (coffee break) with Mom while the children were at dagis (daycare).

Leaving Alex and Isabella at dagis

Julbord

2008-12-12T23:13:00.000+01:00

On the way home after eating the Christmas smorgasbord.

Alex with Stefan

Erik and I

Waiting to be seated

We ate the traditional julbord (Christmas smorgasbord) at Stadshotellet the Saturday before Mom left for home and as always we over ate and were miserable! The only problem: we wished that we had room to eat more! The food was delicious.

Trip to Stockholm

2008-12-05T22:20:00.000+01:00

Past few weeks

2008-12-05T21:53:00.000+01:00

We have been very busy these past few weeks. We returned from Spain on the 15th of November, then my Mom arrived on the 17th. It was such an enjoyable and pleasant 2 weeks. We went to the all famous IKEA one day while the weather was nasty and had a lot of fikas (that is coffee with a pastry). We celebrated Thanksgiving along with Faye (my American friend) and her family and Erik's family, and we also celebrated my 32nd birthday with a family trip to Stockholm the Saturday before and then Mom made one of my favorite meals for my birthday dinner, dried-beef chicken. Every night Mom would lie in the bed with Alex and Isabella, most of the time it was just Alex, shine a flashlight and tell stories. She brought Alex a Scooby Doo van with the people and he has played with it so much that the door has fallen off. She also brought Isabella a "princess" purse with lip gloss. She has used it so much that one tub of gloss is gone. She goes around and puts it on everyone, including herself. Mom helped me decorate for Christmas and we attended a traditional Christmas smorgasbord, and we also attended the Christmas market here in Trosa.
Alex talked with Santa and he asked for a racetrack. Yesterday he asked Erik why the stockings were hanging up and Erik said that they are there for Santa to leave a little gift. Alex responded by saying, "I think mine will not fit! It is too big."
Now I have been spending my days working and catching up from the time I was off in November, but going to Spain and visiting with Mom was definitely worth it!

Spain pics

2008-12-03T09:27:00.000+01:00

Trip to Spain

2008-11-20T22:10:00.000+01:00

We returned from Spain this past Sunday. We met Erik's parents there and stayed in their house. They have been there since September. It was really nice to take a break from the autumn weather here in Sweden. It was in the 70's everyday and sunny. Isabella and I didn't start the vacation off very well, though. Saturday when we left for Spain Isabella came down with a stomach virus, and then I caught it early Sunday morning. So the first half of our trip wasn't so enjoyable. Alex and Isabella loved playing on the beach, as usual, and Alex enjoyed swimming in the heated pool. Erik enjoyed golfing and eating the mediterranean food, and I enjoyed shopping at the markets, of course! We always have a great time in Spain and are already searching our calendars to schedule our next trip. I will try and post some pictures in another update. My Mom is visiting so I am going to go and spend some precious time with her now.

Children's Trade Show

2008-11-02T21:34:00.000+01:00

This was Alex's first time to try and ice skate and he kept insisting to do it by himself! He struggled, but would probably be okay after a little more practice.

We started the day with none other than McDONALD'S!

Saturday we went with some friends and their son, Filip, to a trade show for children and baby products. There were a lot of activities for the children to do and they had a blast!!!! (and YES! Isabella still had her ballerina skirt on from the Halloween party the night before!)

Halloween Party

2008-11-02T21:11:00.001+01:00

Friday night we had a great time. Alex dressed up as a knight and Isabella was dressed as a ballerina. We attended a Halloween party at Faye's (my American friend here in Trosa) and Pär's (her husband). She had a lot of Halloween decorations from the States and it was decorated really cute. She had made pumpkin soup and a pumpkin cheesecake that was a Martha Stewart recipe. We always laugh because every time you try out an American recipe here it can be quite risky. First you may have to improvise with the ingredients and secondly, I am not sure if it is the way they process grains, dairy, etc., but the consistency and final product can turn out completely different than when you made it in the U.S. Faye's pumpkin cheesecake turned out very good, though! So, that will be a recipe to put in the books! Although Isabella was pretty frightened by Faye's green face when we first arrived, the kids had a wonderful time.

Weekend Nights!

2008-10-28T21:21:00.000+01:00

Alex and Isabella usually love weekend nights, especially Friday nights. It has pretty much become a tradition that Friday nights are take-away pizza nights. We break out the TV trays, eat pizza, and watch a little TV. Saturday nights are also pretty relaxed. This past Saturday night the kids popped popcorn, piled into their sleeping bags in their tent that looks like a castle, and watched a little "Dora". Isabella seemed to take hanging out in the "castle" a little too far with her princess crown, but she is your typical girl.

Köttbullar

2008-10-28T21:08:00.000+01:00

The popular meal around the Gyllenhammar house is köttbullar (meatballs), mashed potatoes, and lingonsylt (lingon jam, a lot like cranberry sauce). Alex and I try to do a little cooking or baking together on days that I am not working and Isabella is taking her nap. So, the other day we made meatballs and Alex loved digging in!

Stendörren

2008-10-17T23:24:00.000+02:00

We went to Stendörren (the Stone Door) a little over a month ago. It is the equivalent to a national park or national reserve. Erik and I took the children one afternoon to grill hot dogs and get a breath of NATURE. I meant to post the pics, but forgot about them until I saw them the other day. It is so beautiful there and I wanted to share it with you.

Alex's 4th Birthday :)

2008-10-14T20:04:00.000+02:00

Well, this past Wednesday, the 8th of October, we celebrated Alex's 4th birthday. He was awaken this morning with a "Happy Birthday" song and a gift. Later he went to dagis to play with friends and he took popsicles for everyone and they sang for him. People that love him very much made phone calls from literally all over the world (Grandmama and Pa from the US, Ulrika here in Sweden, and Farmor and Farfar from Spain). He decided that for his birthday dinner he wanted pancakes with jam and cream. That is his absolute favorite! He always chooses that over anything else. (I wonder why?! :)) So, he helped make the pancakes and whip the cream. Afterwards he got a birthday cake. It is called a princesstårta (princess cake) and is a common Swedish cake. He also, of course, got many gifts. Overall, I think that he had a fun day.

Since he has turned 4 he definitely thinks that he is bigger and can do more things. One thing that he always said he was going to do when he turned 4 was to sleep the entire night in his own bed. Well, amazingly, that age has turned to 10! But, I must say that he is working on it (with a little help of bribery!) He is my little man and helps me a lot with Isabella. He helps her reach things that she can't and he likes to help her with puzzles, etc.

He had his 4-year check-up this past Friday and everything was great. They had him draw a person, count, run, walk on a balance beam, and he took an eye and hearing test. The nurse always likes to see him. She enjoys his calm, interactive personality. Now his big question all of the time is, "WHY?" That can be a little hard to answer at times. But it is fun to hear him be inquisitive about things. Now I look forward to this year and I try to remember to not ever take the small things for granted. I think those make the best memories!

2008-10-06T22:03:00.000+02:00

Alex and Isabella's Party

2008-10-06T21:44:00.001+02:00

We had Alex and Isabella's birthday party for their friends on Saturday. They had a lot of fun!

Pictures from Isabella's Birthday

2008-10-06T21:25:00.000+02:00

We made pizzas for Isabella's birthday dinner. It was a lot of fun and now Alex wants to do it for his birthday next week.

Isabella turns 2!

2008-10-01T21:38:00.000+02:00

Two years ago at this time I must say that I was a little nervous, anxious, yet excited. I was preparing to go the following day to Nyköpings Lasarette for a scheduled c-section. I felt it was scarier to know that it was going to happen for sure the next day than not knowing and just going into labor as I did with Alex. Also, the unknown was a little frightening. I was going to have a baby in a foreign country without my OB-GYN that I had grown to respect and absolutely trust with my life, and the the doctor that was doing the surgery, I had never met. Throughout my pregnancy I only met with a midwife that followed and charted my pregnancy. I am thankful that I had an easy, uneventful pregnancy (other than the terrible nausea). (With Alex I suffered from elevated blood pressure and was on medicine for that. So, that pregnancy involved a lot more observation.) Thankfully, everything went wonderfully. I thought that my experience with Isabella was much easier and calmer than with Alex. If I were to have a #3 I would definitely rather do that while living here in Sweden. I was very impressed with their labor & delivery unit and I am also EXTREMELY impressed with the Swedish welfare system that entitles all new mothers and fathers (yes, I said AND FATHERS) time to be at home with their children for atleast a year while earning 80% of their salary or the minimum for unemployed. I feel it is so important for a child to be with her mother during atleast that first year of life and I feel blessed to have been able to share in that year with Isabella.

Now she will be turning 2 tomorrow and I keep wondering where the time went. The idea is bittersweet. It seems like yesterday when I was in my hospital bed, she was in her little portable crib, and I would just look at her with pure joy, contentment, and wonderment. So happy to have been given the opportunity to be a Mom for the second time. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISABELLA!

Fall is arriving, along with reminiscing thoughts

2008-09-28T23:04:00.000+02:00

Fall is arriving again here in Sweden. Time really flies. It is hard to believe that this will be our 4th fall here. I have just been thinking back over all that has happened since our move 3 years ago. When we moved Alex was just 9 months, not able to walk, talk, etc. Now he is running in the Trosa race, talking like crazy, and has become a young boy instead of my baby. Isabella was born here the second fall, we moved to a larger house that following winter, and then our 3rd fall we celebrated Alex and Isabella's 3rd and 1st birthdays. Now we will be celebrating their 4th and 2nd.
As for myself, I never imagined I would learn a language well enough (don't get me wrong, I still have a lot to learn. Swedish is a tough language.) to be able to work where you need to speak that language. I also never expected to actually become influenced by another culture as much as I have. For example, Erik better not let me catch him throwing a plastic, paper, aluminum, or glass container away in the "everything" garbage because I am a recycle freak! Also, he doesn't get a very happy response from me if he doesn't choose an ecological alternative (ex. milk, butter, flour, veggies, etc.) instead of a regular. He thinks that I take it a little overboard.
Another thing that I have adjusted to is how to dress the children for cold weather. I never knew it involved so much and every year the first couple of weeks after winter has arrived the kids are always late for daycare because I am trying to adjust to the earlier time we must wake up in order to get all of the extra clothes and gear on!
Although, I have deeply missed family and friends back home and have had days that I would love to just reach out and be able to touch and see them, I have also had a wonderful time living here in Sweden. I have been able to really get close to Erik's family, meet amazing new friends, be at home with my children more, develop new lifetime ideals, expand my hopes and dreams, become more accepting of others and their ideas and ways, become closer to Erik, and learn more about myself as a person.
Life is good!

Two more notes:
*For those that read this I have a couple of prayer requests.
1) My grandfather (my Mom's Dad) will begin chemotherapy treatments (he is 82) this week for colon cancer. So please pray for him to have strength, high spirits, and positive results with this treatment.
2) My friend from college, Julie Cossar Jones. She has had a VERY complicated child birth. You can check out her caring bridge site from my links on the left of my blogspot.
Thanks for your prayers!

Fall Pics

2008-09-26T23:15:00.000+02:00

These were made outside of our front (well, side) door.

Isabella's Birthday Invitation

2008-09-06T23:00:00.000+02:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Alex's Birthday Invitation

2008-09-06T22:43:00.000+02:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Nynäs Slott

2008-08-26T20:33:00.000+02:00

For the American readers, Nynäs Slott is a castle close by that the children and I went to with Erik's Mom on Sunday for lunch, a little flower shopping, and a stroll.

Babies at the Beach!

2008-08-26T20:20:00.001+02:00

Trip to Florida :)

Covington Girls

2008-08-26T20:05:00.001+02:00

Me, Felecia, Jessica, and Danielle

Such a girl!

2008-08-26T19:57:00.000+02:00

Isabella loves high heels!

Nashville Gang

2008-08-26T19:48:00.000+02:00

The Beans, Us, The Haywoods, The Mosses, and The Gonzalezes

Trosa Stadsloppet

2008-06-30T14:23:00.001+02:00

The Trosa Race was Friday night. Alex (along with Erik) ran in it. He ran the entire 700 meters (around 1/2 mile)! He really enjoyed it and said that he wanted to do it again next year. So maybe we have a runner in training ?! Afterwards we had guests over to grill out. He and Julia are in the picture showing off his medal.

RACE DAY

2008-06-22T22:07:00.000+02:00

On Sunday Jonas had planned a "Race Day". Four couples got together and went to a go-cart track and had a small tournament. Erik and I had a lot of fun along with everyone else. Jonas, of course, was the winner, then Erik came in second, and I came in fourth. As a team, Erik and I won with the most total points :) We definitely hope to get together again in the near future for more Race Days. Thanks Jonas and Helena for planning such a fun outing!

MIDSOMMAR

2008-06-22T21:44:00.001+02:00

We had a wonderful Midsummer. The Taubermans came and stayed for a few days and on Midsommar Day we did the traditional sill lunch (sill is marinated herring) with potatoes, caviar, etc. After the lunch we went to a Midsommar celebration and danced around the Midsommar stång (Maypole). Fabian loves pirates so he and Alex were dressed as pirates during their whole visit! He and Alex love each other and play so well together! It is so fun to watch them. Isabella was a little jealous and had her feelings hurt because they didn't want to play with her so much. But now she is happy again because she has her Alex back.

Alex and Fabian eating lunch.

Erik, Birgitta, Jonas, Helena, and Claes eating lunch.

Isabella with Farfar at the Midsommar activities.

Isabella with her Midsommar krans (wreath).

Alex in his pirate hat dancing with Farfar around the Midsommar stång.

Isabella and I dancing around the Maypole.

Isabella and Pappa

Farmor at the Midsommar festivities.

TROSA CARNIVAL

2008-06-22T21:37:00.000+02:00

A small carnival always comes to Trosa the same weekend as the large Trosa Market takes place. Alex and Isabella loved riding the rides and they both played a game and won a small stuffed animal. (I had to ride with Isabella on the carousel and as it went round and round I thought that I would be sick!)

Nationaldagen

2008-06-10T14:18:00.000+02:00

This past Friday was the Swedish National Day (equivalent to the US 4th of July). We went and spent the day and night with Ulrika and Jakob (Erik's sister and her son). While visiting we went to a farm where you can see and pet animals. The picture is from there. The children's favorite was the rabbits. But Isabella also enjoyed watching the horses. Ulrika, Stefan, and Jakob also live on a golf course so Alex and Isabella really liked riding around on the golf cart!

Bubble Fun!

2008-05-27T12:30:00.001+02:00

Alex LOVES his RELAXING bubble baths :)

Spain :)

2008-05-27T12:20:00.000+02:00

Well, we were in Spain for a short trip this month. Alex went down with his Farfar, Farmor, Faster (Aunt) Ulrika, and Jakob on a Tuesday. Then Isabella and I went down the following Saturday. (Erik stayed home to work and have a little time for himself, golf, and catch up with friends and a little TV watching.) We had a really good time and Alex and Isabella loved the beach. Isabella LOVED the sand, but she didn't like to go by the water. So she would give Alex her sand pail and he would run and get water for her. It was so cute! The weather wasn't the best, but we did get a couple of days of sun. I will not complain, though, because while we were in Spain it was cold and rainy here in Sweden! We all came back the Thursday after Isabella and I arrived. Now the kids can't wait to go to Florida while we are in the U.S. this summer :)

Farmor's Clothes

2008-04-02T10:15:00.000+02:00

Isabella wearing Farmor's hat and scarf!

She loves dressing up (clothes, shoes, jewelry, purses, hairbows, EVERYTHING!)

Easter weekend

2008-04-02T10:02:00.001+02:00

Coloring Easter eggs!

Easter gifts from the Easter Bunny:

Hop pony and a castle tent

Alex eating his chocolate bunny in his tent!

Alex with all of the Easter candy!

2008-04-02T09:27:00.001+02:00

Wow! Sorry for the long delay. I get so caught up in our daily lives that I forget that we actually have a blog! Well, things are pretty much in full swing now. Alex is going full throttle and Isabella finished her schooling-in. If she wasn't at home with an ear infection now she could go full time! We hope that she will be ready by Friday. She has also started using her little potty some. She definitely isn't in a routine with it, but she always wants to try. I think watching Alex go to the potty persuades her to want to do the same. She babbles all of the time. I asked her the other day how it was at dagis (daycare) and she just started babbling! Thankfully she really likes it there. When I left her the other day she gave me a hug and a kiss bye and waved with a big smile on her face. She wasn't sad at all about me leaving her there. She can say "Mamma", "Pappa", "bye bye", "thank you" (sounds more like "kak-u") and the other night she said "pizza!" She has also become obsessed with wanting to ride the bicycle.

Alex has been working in his preschool workbooks and is doing well in those. (I really have to get better about working with him and his alphabet and writing and spelling his name.) He also got a rubber ball and bat for Christmas and he and Erik have started playing with it a lot lately. We had beautiful weather yesterday, so when Erik came home for lunch we had a picnic outside and they played a little ball. Right now as I am typing he and Isabella are still in their pajamas and lying on the floor looking at a disney magazine.

We had a nice, calm Easter weekend. Erik's parents were in Spain so it was just our family and we invited a couple over (Pedro and Anna: their families were also out of town) for dinner. Saturday morning we ate breakfast and then had an Easter egg hunt. Alex and I competed to see who could find the most eggs (Isabella was more interested in other things.) The winner (Alex, of course) won a chocolate Easter bunny! On Sunday we went to Stefan's brother's house for hamburgers and hot dogs and to do a little sledding. Alex and Isabella loved it!

In May Alex will go with Farmor and Farfar, Ulrika and Jakob to Spain. They booked the trip for nine days (which Erik and I thought was a little long for Alex) so Isabella and I will come down after four days and complete the trip. So I will get a little vacation in. Can't wait!

We are still hoping that airline prices are going to go down a little after the "open skies" agreement so that we can book our tickets to the U.S., but that doesn't look as if it's going to happen anytime soon.

SUNSHINE!!

2008-02-17T20:30:00.000+01:00

Well, we have finally had a week full of sunlight. This past week has been colder but definitely nicer. We have been out as much as possible to soak up all of the vitamins from the sun. I think the children have been so use to grey skies that on Monday they asked for sunglasses! So I put a couple of pics of Isabella in her sunglasses. She LOVES them and now she even wants to wear them inside. (She's such a girl!)

Alex hasn't been out as much because he has had a fever and felt horrible for the past 5 days. We took him to the doctor and she said that it was viral and going around now. I am pretty positive that it's the flu (fever, a little vomiting, eyes and head hurt, whole body hurts)! We all had it last year, except for Erik, because he had the shot. So, I hope no one else gets it this year. So far so good! We also hope all of you are keeping healthy this winter.

Fun in the Snow

2008-02-04T13:32:00.000+01:00

Saturday morning we awoke to a little snow. We really had a good time playing in it all morning. Erik and I took Alex and Isabella on the sleds then when we came back Alex wanted to build a snowman. So Erik and he built a snowman while Isabella and I watched. (Alex did the middle section all by himself!) But by night fall all of the snow had melted and our "Little Frosty" had fallen over. :(

First Boots!

2008-01-30T20:42:00.000+01:00

Isabella just got her first pair of boots. She received rain boots from Ulrika, Stefan, and Jakob for Christmas. We haven't bought her any snow boots since it looks as if the snow is not coming this year. It is so weird! We received a huge snow in November and haven't seen any since. The spring flowers are even starting to sprout! So today she was able to go outside and enjoy her new boots!

Semla Time

2008-01-30T20:26:00.000+01:00

Alex loves this time of the year (and honestly, so does Mommy)! For those of you that do not know, through the month of February every Tuesday is considered Semla Day throughout Sweden. These are cardemum flavored rolls that you put a filling consisting of an almond cream (or paste) and whipped cream in the middle. Then to top it off, you sprinkle powdered sugar over the top! Alex and I think they are deliciously sinful little treats. Here are a couple of pictures of Alex enjoying his semla yesterday.

Late Dec. Post

2008-01-21T14:28:00.001+01:00

Sorry for the late post, for those of you who have been checking. I just haven't gotten around to updating. The first of December my Aunt Elaine came to visit for a week and then flew back to Memphis with myself and the children. While she was here we ate a julbord (Christmas smörgåsbord), went to the Christmas market in Gamla Stan (Old Town), Nyköping, and Tullgarn castle. It wasn't much time to do a lot, but I think that she enjoyed it (just not the cold weather!)
My aunt, the children, and myself headed to Tennessee on Dec. 13 to spend the Christmas holidays and New Year's with my family there. We went a week before Erik. (Somebody has to stay home and make the money!! :) ) That week before Erik arrived we visited Santa on the Square, Christmas city (a church camp full of lights), and the Enchanted Forest. I also had a couple of nights that I met up with friends. One night I met with Felecia, Jessica, and Danielle and another night I met with Abby, Julie, Christy, Jenni, and Carla. These two nights were a lot of fun. I was able to catch up, reminisce, and laugh with old friends and I had a little break from playing Mommy!
Christmas Eve we went to Granny's and Pappaw's (my mother's mom and dad) along with all of my Mom's sisters and brother, their children, and their children! It was quite a mad house but we survived! On Christmas Day we went to Buddie's (my dad's mom) and my Dad's sister and my two cousins were there with their families. It was a little calmer. Needless to say, we had a WONDERFUL Christmas!
After Christmas we went to Nashville for a night to visit with friends and their families. It is always great to meet up with all of them. It is always so easy to catch up right where we left off. Just like we only saw each other yesterday.
For New Year's Eve we went with my parents and Luke and Jennifer and of course the children went also to a restaurant in Covington for dinner and then my parents took the children home and Erik and I and Luke and Jennifer stayed to bring in the New Year. We had a lot of fun!
Our time in the U.S. passed quickly but it is always enjoyed so much. We look forward to seeing everyone again in July!! (I know Erik is very excited because this time he will get to play A LOT of golf!)
After we returned home our friends , Jonas, Helena, Fabian, and Elias, came by to have lunch and visit for a few hours. It was great to see them again and we hope to see them more real soon. They will be leaving (I think) next month to go to Thailand. Oh, I am so jealous. I would love to trade this weather in for some sun and fun on the beach!
Well, I am now officially a member of the Swedish work force! I have a teaching job every Friday at Järna Friskola teaching English to 7th, 8th, and 9th graders. I love it! and I also recently accepted a job at a small cafe here in Trosa. I serve up lattes, cappucinos, whatever you wish! I work Tues.-Fri. from 3-7 and some weekends. I really like the job and meeting new people that come in. I think that the children are adjusting pretty well although Isabella has become more "Mommy" than she already was. Right now she stays with Erik's parents while I work, but she will start Alex's dagis (daycare) April 1. That should be interesting!
After we returned from the States Alex became sick with an ear and eye infection that the doctor prescribed Penicillin for. Well, as it turns out, he is allergic to it. So that is a new finding. Isabella was sick also but it never advanced to an infection. Everyone is well and healthy now as far as I know. Thank goodness!
Well, I tried to squeeze everything that has happened over the past month and a half into this one blog so I know that I have forgotten things. So in future blogs I will probably refer back to this time. Well, I hope your New Year is off to a good start and I will try to do better with my blog updates!

FINALLY =)

2007-11-29T18:51:00.000+01:00

Finally, Isabella's hair is long enough to put in pigtails!

Gingerbread House

2007-11-27T21:48:00.000+01:00

Alex had been begging to make a pepparkakshus (gingerbread house) so Monday morning while Isabella was sleeping we finally made one. He was so proud of it and now he shows it to everyone. (Except he keeps asking when he can eat it!) We have it sitting on our china cabinet and it smells so good!

Isabella playing with her food!

2007-11-27T21:41:00.000+01:00

Princess party!

2007-11-27T21:33:00.000+01:00

Alex went to a birthday party on Sunday for a friend from dagis. He dressed up as a knight and had a great time!

Happy Holidays!

2007-11-27T20:59:00.000+01:00

Well, Thanksgiving has now passed and Christmas is right around the corner. I guess everyone has begun their Christmas shopping. I guess we will pretty much do all of our shopping once we get to the States. With the krona at 6.2 to the dollar everything will be pretty cheap when we come over. We will get more for our money!

We had a very low key Thanksgiving dinner. Last year we celebrated with Erik's family and our friends that moved to Göteborg. This year Erik's parents and sister were in Spain and of course our friends were in Göteborg. So it was just the four of us, and I found an article on the internet that gave instructions and recipes for a Thanksgiving dinner in an hour. It was actually very tasty, but the recipe only called for turkey breasts. Alex and I had been reading a Thanksgiving book and it talked about turkey drumsticks so he felt that he needed one for Thanksgiving dinner. Luckily a local grocery here sells smoked turkey legs so I bought one for him and for Erik. He thought it was wonderful! As you can see in the picture it is as big as he is! We had a fun and laid back dinner.

On Sat., Nov. 24, it was my 31st birthday. Wow, how life is flying by! It was a great day for me. Erik and the children brought me breakfast in bed. I opened my gifts from my parents (one was for a full body massage when I go over to the States in Dec.!), Helena and Jonas gave me a gift certificate to Efva Attling jewelry store, and Erik and the children gave me money to take to Stockholm with me. We went to Stockholm, shopped a little, looked at the Christmas deco, and ate a late lunch at TGI Fridays. I had a great time!

Snowy Days!

2007-11-16T13:35:00.000+01:00

Well, the first snow for the winter 2007-08 has arrived :( We received well over a foot Monday night through Tuesday night. Alex has loved it, but it has been a struggle pushing the stroller through the snow to take him to dagis (daycare) and back. Yesterday I pushed Isabella in the single stroller and pulled Alex in the sled. Boy, have I been getting my workouts! It also takes A LOT LONGER getting everyone ready in the morning with all of the extra winter clothes! It is very pretty and storybook-looking, but after a couple of weeks I will have had enough. I am not sure if it will stay or go away and start again in Dec. Well, we'll see!

We are still practicing with Isabella and her walking. She still is a little scared to go very far distances without help, but it is coming. Everytime she falls she says, "Aww". It is so cute. She also says "Wow!" if she sees something that she likes. She is becoming more stubborn at mealtime. She wants to do everything herself. She wants the spoon, plate, cup, etc. and she will scream if she doesn't get her way. This is new for Erik and I, because we never had that problem with Alex. He wasn't much of a temper-screamer. She doesn't get mad and scream often, but when she does, she means business. She is also a telephone person. If she sees you on the phone she gets upset if she can't have it! And of course, she always wants everything that Alex has! But I must say that she may be moody, but I wake up every morning with her leaning over me (Yes, she is in the bed with us along with Alex!) and giving me a good morning kiss. That is the best way to start the day. There is nothing like the love between a parent and a child, and especially the love that I feel for my children. Moments like those make the tantrums, disagreements, stress, messiness, nerve-wearing episodes all worthwhile!

Now, a little update on Alex. He does well with Isabella. He has to be the best big brother. He is very patient with her (Although at times he just can't take her anymore when she is constantly tearing apart his train tracks and getting in the middle everytime that he is playing with something.) and they play very well together. I love hearing him talking to her and to secretly watch as he may give her a piece of his cracker, cookie, etc. He loves her so much and he will definitely tell you! It is so funny to hear Alex talk because his vocabulary and phrases increase everyday. Just today while we were eating lunch he had falukorv (similar to bologna) on his plate and he said, "I don't like that. It makes me sick!" Also, we have been trying to get him to say, "No, thank you" instead of "No" or "Nope". Well, today I said, "Nope" and he corrected me immediately! "Mommy, we don't say 'Nope'. We say, 'No, thank you." I felt like a little child again getting in trouble! They grow up so quickly!

Well, we are looking forward to seeing our U.S. family and friends in December during our trip to the U.S. For those of you that don't know already or have forgotten, we will be in the U.S. from Dec. 13-Jan.2. See you soon! and Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween:)

2007-11-10T22:10:00.000+01:00

Here were our little trick-or-treaters! Alex was Bob the Builder and Isabella was a bunny.

Cruise

2007-11-06T11:02:00.000+01:00

We just returned from a three day cruise to Helsinki, Finland. We went along with our friends, Taubermans. We left Thursday afternoon and returned on Saturday. We had a lot of fun and everyone was pretty exhausted after we returned home.
The cruise was very kid-friendly so Alex had a blast playing in the children's play area along with Fabian. He also enjoyed the all-you-can-eat children's buffet. Especially the ice cream bar!
About an hour after we boarded the boat we noticed that Isabella had the start of pink eye. (Alex had it the week before.) Thank goodness I had brought along medicine! So her trip was mostly seen through one eye since the other was matted and swollen most of the time.
It was nice to see Hesinki since we had never been there before, but we only had about 4-5 hours to go around and eat lunch. So we didn't have a lot of time to actually see much of the city. On our way back to Stockholm the following morning we looked out the window and it had snowed some the night before!

Alex's REAL Birthday!

2007-10-12T15:41:00.000+02:00

Alex's BIG party was on Sunday, 7th of October, but his REAL birthday was on Monday, 8th of October. So on his REAL birthday we had a small dinner with Mamma, Pappa, Isabell-i (that is what Alex calls her sometimes!), Farmor, and Farfar. Here are some pics from his smaller party.

Also, on another note that I forgot to mention, 1 day before Isabella turned one she took four steps. That is the exciting news. The not so exciting news: she hasn't taken anymore since! But I know that it will come. I remember when Alex just took off one day and after that he discovered a whole new world to explore and I discovered a whole new realm of safety hazards and CLEANING!

Alex's 3rd Birthday!

2007-10-12T10:44:00.000+02:00

Alex had a big celebration for his third birthday party. He had 12 friends to come and help him celebrate. His theme was "Mickey Mouse and Friends". We had rented a bouncing castle and he and his friends had a blast!!! Instead of a cake he had cupcakes with Mickey Mouse and friends as toppers and of course, ice cream. One big gift that even Pappa was excited about was that he received a set of junior golf clubs from Ulrika, Stefan, and Jakob! After his party he wanted to go riding in Stefan's sports car (Porsche) so he, Stefan, and Pappa went for a cruise. Halfway through he was so exhausted that he fell fast asleep! He had a big day!

Isabella's First Birthday!

2007-10-12T10:26:00.000+02:00

Isabella is already 1! I can't believe it. I think that her first year passed much faster than Alex's. Maybe I was always so anxious for Alex to reach his milestones that I didn't take the time and really relax and enjoy him just being a baby. I am not sure, but Erik felt that it took longer for Isabella to reach her first birthday. Anyway, she is now a year old! We started her day taking Alex to dagis (daycare) then Isabella and I went to Kyrkansbarntimmar (children's church hours). While there we sang songs, played, fika'd (took coffee and snacks), and she made a moose using her foot and hands on paper. She was really tired afterwards and fell asleep in the stroller while we were on our way to pick up Alex from dagis. After lunch she had her 1-year check up and received her vaccination. She is quite the drama queen. She would cry then she would laugh then she would cry, etc. After the drama of receiving a shot we prepared for her small party that night. Her guests were: Mommy, Pappa, Alex, Farmor, and Farfar. We ate lasagne (Bella's favorite after spaghetti). Afterwards we had apple cobbler (she can't have cake because she is allergic to eggs). I think she had a really fun day, but by the end she was exhausted!

Spain Trip

2007-10-12T09:59:00.000+02:00

Sorry for all of the late postings! I guess we have just been so busy! The first of September we went to Spain for ten days with Erik's parents and we had sooo much fun! Alex loved playing in the pool and in the sand! Isabella really liked the sand!!! By the end of everyday she had sand from head to toe. We all had a lot of fun taking it easy and relaxing! Every night though, Alex wanted to go home to sleep. He wanted to go home and then come back to Spain the following day! That was a lot of fun trying to explain to him every night that it wasn't possible. He had trouble falling asleep, but eventually the tiredness would take over. Now we wish that we were back in Spain because of the cold weather that we have here in Sweden!

Bean Visit Pictures

2007-10-03T21:20:00.001+02:00

Busy August

2007-09-03T19:23:00.000+02:00

It has been awhile since our last post. We have been very busy!

August began with a short trip to Göteborg to visit the Taubermans. The area that they live in is very pretty. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed getting to know their new addition, Elias. He is very precious and adorable! Fabian is a very proud big brother.

When we returned home Erik's vacation started for the following 3 weeks. The first week we worked really hard around the house and Erik worked to finish the ongoing completion of our yard so that we could relax once our friends, The Beans (Derrick, Missy, and Maggie), arrived. They arrived the following week from Nashville. The two weeks that they were here were a blast! We forgot how much we really did miss each other and how much fun we have when we are together. Maggie is a sweetheart and she and Alex really hit it off. They loved playing and being together. Alex still talks about her all of the time. Their two week visit passed too quickly!!

Now we are preparing to go to Spain for 9 days. We will leave Wed., Sept. 5. and return on Friday, Sept. 14. We are really looking forward to some hot weather! (I know many of you in the U.S. are looking forward to cooler weather, though!)

The children have overcome several new milestones. Isabella can now pull up and "crawl" everywhere. Pulling up is pretty new and she gets a little nervous. So she mostly only tries when she has my hand or leg for support. Her "crawling" technique is a little different from the average crawler. I call it the "wounded soldier" crawl. She is on her rear end and she pulls herself with her hands and her right foot that is in front of her then she drags her left leg behind and uses it sometimes to push off with. It is a little unusual! She is also starting to show more of her loving, sensitive side. She likes to kiss and hug people, stuffed animals, pictures, and even her own reflection. She also LOVES watching other people and especially children. She had a great time with Alex and Maggie. She is very interested in others. She and Alex play very well together, although at times I think Alex would rather play alone because she wants everything that he has.

Alex has overcome the greatest obstacle yet. He is now considered TOILET TRAINED, FINALLY! I think Maggie influenced him greatly! So thanks for the little push Ms. Maggie Bean. Once we started it was actually easier than we expected. He, of course, can still have an accident here and there, but he is doing very well. (And he doesn't even use a diaper at night or at naptime!) Now we only have one in diapers and it makes a big difference. His English is also improving a great deal and talks to me more in English now and he picked up some new words from Maggie. Such as, "Cuz" and "Sure". He uses those a lot.

I hope everyone is getting back into the swing of things after the summer and I will be posting again after our trip to Spain!

2007-08-02T13:34:00.001+02:00

Isabella finally gave up waiting for her bottle of välling!

Pappa's Shirt

2007-08-02T13:32:00.000+02:00

This is Alex in his Pappa's shirt. Erik had it when he was a child. I think that it is a little small for Alex though!

2007-08-02T11:45:00.000+02:00

We have had a good last week. The weather has been nice for the most part. Ulrika has been in Trosa for the past week and it has been wonderful visiting with her and Jakob. Erik has made A LOT of progress on the yard, and we have planted our first tree. It is a cherry tree! My favorite! It was a gift from his parents for his "name day". In Sweden each day is designated to 1 or 2 names and it is considered your day of celebration. I, unfortunately, do not have any days.

We have taken several walks down to the harbor. One night we sat alongside the sea and listened while a man played his accordion. It was really nice. My favorite song that he played was "Somewhere" from the Wizard of Oz. (I think that is the name of the song?!) It is nice taking the children out for a walk at night because if we are lucky they usually fall asleep. Well, Isabella does anyway.

This weekend we are going to Göteborg to visit our friends, Helena, Jonas, Fabian and their new addition, Elias. We are all looking forward to the trip and meeting friends, especially Alex. He and Fabian have really missed each other! While they lived in Trosa we would meet up anywhere from 1-4 times a week! So they are really missed. Then next weekend the Beans come! We can't wait!! I keep ordering things and asking Missy to pick things up so that they can bring them when they come. I know she dreads everytime she receives an e-mail from me! As my Mom always said, "I can't bring America!" But I really appreciate it when she tries! So I send lots of Thanks! to Missy and Derrick.

We had a big event last week.....I had to go to the store so Erik was at home with Alex and Isabella. Isabella was outside on a blanket and Alex was running around playing. (He always finds snails behind our little storage house and brings them out to play with. He had found one, but it was only the snails house. The snail had moved out. And he had showed it to us.) Well, Erik was trying to get the grill started and Alex comes running over to Erik yelling, "Pappa, Pappa! Isabella is eating a snail!" (We believe Alex had given it to her to play with). At first, Erik thought Alex was just saying it without any meaning, then he realized that Alex did have snails out so he went over to Isabella. She looked up at Erik with this huge grin on her face and had snail-shell around her mouth!!! So, Erik panics and picks her up and tries to get the shell out of her mouth, while in the process Erik said she gets this strange look on her face. He flips her upside down and starts hitting her back (not too hard though) and squeezing her stomach and she throws up. By the time I got home I didn't notice anything. She was still playing on her blanket. I am sure if someone was watching they would have had a good laugh watching Erik in panic-mode! Needless to say, this story will go in her baby book as her first time to eat escargot!

Christmas Trip

2007-07-23T12:17:00.000+02:00

We booked our tickets to the U.S. and will arrive on Dec. 13 and leave on Jan.2. Alex is holding his flight itinerary. We look forward to seeing our U.S. family and friends!

Now standing

2007-07-23T12:08:00.001+02:00

Isabella can finally hold herself in a standing position!!