It’s nice being with the family. Here is some Sunday fun around the kitchen table.

Jeg har endelig fått meg iPhone! Bilde tatt på sengekanten sent en kveld (dette er den tredje sene kvelden siden jeg fikk telefonen…). Dette blogginnlegget er selvsagt sendt fra min nye iPhone

I love how Sebastian put his hand around Isabelle’s back to make sure she didn’t fall while I was taking the picture. He is such a gentleman. I don’t know how many times he has insisted on holding my door open for me. He even pulls out my chair and helps push it in again at the table.

A few months ago Christoffer’s aunt gave our kids a lot of great toys she had saved from when her kids were young. Some of them were legos (duplo) with an entire set of dolls, beds, blankets, windows, washing machines, kitchen stoves, and even an ironing board to build an entire house with. Rachel, Sebastian and I usually build a house together when we play with them, but the other day each of them started doing their own thing and built a house in their own style.

Rachel’s house

Sebastian’s house

Rachel turned four yesterday!

We had a really fun day that started out with a breakfast, pj, birthday party for Sebastians friends Neo and Oscar at Neo’s house. Pajama parties are definitely our style! The kids had a lot of fun eating pancakes, dancing, doing the “elmo slide (thanks to my beautiful niece who introduced us to this one;),” and playing musical chairs.

Rachel’s party didn’t start until three, so we had some time to clean and decorate the house while the kids took an afternoon nap.

As the guests started arriving in their pretty dresses, Rachel got more and more excited! Each girl got to “pin a wand on a fairy (something similar to pin the tail on the donkey)” to start everything off. Then we ate hot dogs, a norwegian birthday favorite, so their little tummies would be satisfied during the games.

We played musical chairs “pile-up” style, no one goes out except the chairs…the girls ended piled up on top of each other. By the time there was one chair left, everyone was laughing! This was important, because most of the girls didn’t know each other. The games were finished off by the parcel game. A little prize was wrapped up in about 10 layers of wrapping paper. Between each layer was a little candy. The kids passed the gift around as music played. When the music stopped the child holding the gift got to open one layer. By the time the last layer came around with the prize in it, which was a set of plastic rings and matching sticker earings, the girl who opened it shared it with all the other girls. What a sweetheart!

Rachel opened her gifts after the games. She was given so many nice things from the other kids. I was blown away! The best part was watching the face of the girl who gave the gift Rachel was opening. They seemed almost more excited to give the gift than Rachel was to receive it! Children are so Christ-like!

We finished off the festivities with cake, jello and free play. The girls opened some of Rachel’s gifts and played together.

As Rachel got into bed last night, she looked at me with a big smile on her face, held up four fingers and said, “I am four! I am not three anymore!”

Isabelle and I went to visit my family in the States for a few days in August. Everyone that could, met up in San Diego. Even my brother and his family, who live on the east coast and were not supposed to come, surprised us all by showing up last minute. It was one of the best vacations I have ever had minus the fact that my own little family was not with me. I was reminded of who I am, where I come from and what it’s like to be surrounded by my siblings. My heritage is precious to me, and I am so grateful for it! While there my brother and his wife went through the temple and were sealed together for eternity, my grandfather passed away, and I found out my sister who struggled for years to get pregnant is pregnant! A lot of emotions have run through me since I came home. Family is a beautiful thing! Christoffer and I have decided not to post pictures of others’ children. For that reason many of my best pictures which have my adorable nieces and nephews in them, won’t be posted here.

The beautiful San Diego temple

My mom, sisters and me

Isabelle and Pito

Isabelle, Grandma and Aunt Amy

Looking for gold at the mormon battalion museum

Riding dragon!

At the beach

Bumper boats

Go carts

Goodbye hug!

Sebastian turned 2 in August while Isabelle and I were in San Diego with my family. In order for us to be there, we celebrated his birthday a few days early with some of his friends. We all had a great time! However, on his actual birthday, Christoffer said Sebastian woke up in the middle of the night and came into our bedroom to get comfort after a bad dream. He walked over to my side of the bed first and said, “mama? mama? mama?,” then slowly walked to Christoffer’s side of the bed to confirm what he already knew by asking, “mama all gone”? Break a mother’s heart! The same morning Christoffer had to wake him up early and the first word that came out of his mouth was, “Isabelle.” He must have been dreaming about her.

We have had some great opportunities to take advantage of the beautiful nature that surrounds us here in Oslo the past couple of months. Here are some pictures from the times we have had the camera with us:)

We went on a 4/5 hour hike with Sebastian on Christoffer’s back, Isabelle in the baby bjorn and Rachel walking. We hadn’t expected to be hiking for more than an hour, but it turned out the map we have is not so detailed, so we just kept going until we got back to the car. Rachel was so impressive! I couldn’t believe she walked the entire time without much complaining…luckily there were a lot of  wild blueberries along the trail that kept her entertained:) Not bad for a three year old!

Enjoying some lunch

Caught red handed in the blueberry bushes:)

Christoffer took Rachel and Sebastian on spontaneous swimming adventures to a lake nearby several times during the summer. Their mode of transportation: biking:)

Christoffer and Rachel went on their first daddy-daughter overnighter

Christoffer and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary last week. Not too long ago we sat talking about the time we have had together and I couldn’t help but get choked up. Christoffer is the most wonderful man, husband and father and I thank my Heavenly Father every day to be married to him! Many people ask me if I miss the USA. I usually answer that I miss my family, but really like living in Norway. The truth is that I do miss my country, my family, my heritage. But living far away from all of that is a small price to pay if it means I have my Christoffer.

He enriches my life everyday and makes me a better person. He is the kind of parent that I would love to be. And his sense of humor always keeps me laughing! Thank you for 5 wonderful years Christoffer and thank you for the chili on our anniversary date;)! I can’t wait to see what the next 60 years have in store for us! I love you!