We're Back

And we're back...it's been awhile. We spent 2 weeks in Norway and it's been a week since we've been back. Where to start?

Here's a good place. Oldemor (great-grandmother), Bestemor (grandmother), Daddy and the girls. What a blessing to have us all together in Trondheim, Norway, a place that is so special to us.

In case you're wondering if I made it into any pictures, I did.

They just didn't maybe go as successfully.

Norway: Hytta

Hytta is the Norwegian word for "cabin" and the family hytta in Sovassli is always one of our favorite places to visit. It is pure, blissful Norwegian nature. The cabin is surrounded by wild blueberries and cloud berries for picking. And it's just a short walk down to the lake for fishing and canoeing.

Norway: Voll Gard

Sylvie's Bestemor heard from a friend about a little farm near Oldemor's house that children could visit called Voll Gard. So one day while Thomas was busy fishing we went to check it out.Sylvie and Oldemor checking out the stinky pig pen. Seriously, these pigs smelled so bad.

Driving the tractor.
Bestemor and Oldemor relax with Nors while Sylvie and I check out the rabbits.
Sylvie got to hold a chicken. When she dictated postcards to me to send to her grandparents and cousin Amanda, what she most wanted to tell them about Norway was "I got to hold a chicken."
Saying hello from inside the chicken coop!

Norway: Sponhuset

Sponhuset is one of my favorite places in Trondheim. It's a restaurant that looks like a charming little house, surrounded by gorgeous coastline. On each trip we have visited Sponhuset for waffles and coffee, to explore trails along the coast, and for Thomas to do some fishing.This was my third trip to Trondheim - once in 2005 pre-kids, again in 2008 when Sylvie was 14 months, and now with a 3 year-old and a 3 month old. I so loved visiting Trondheim again with a big kid. Watching Sylvie run and splash, skip stones, pick berries and do all the things I know Thomas and his brother must have done during their childhood summers here was just so much fun.

Norway: Munkholmen

We checked the weather report before leaving for Trondheim and were disappointed to see days and days of rain predicted. We packed up our warm clothes and rain boots, arrived in Trondheim and...sun! Beautiful, perfect, sunny days.

So we did what lots of folks were doing in Trondheim to enjoy the sun and headed out toMunkholmen Island.

Sylvie rolled down the hills and practiced her somersaulting.
There was a search for crabs (and one was found! also a jellyfish).
That tiny speck is Thomas swimming in the fjord.
After we took the boat back from Munkholmen, we had our first softis, a Norway tradition.

Home

It took us 26 hours and included an unexpected detour in Chicago, but we are home! And so happy to be home although we already miss the relaxing days of Norway, and Oldemor and Bestemor (although fortunately Besta will be home too in 2 weeks). I think it will take me several centuries to go through the 600+ pictures I have, but here is one that shows the reason we went...Sylvie and Nora with their great-grandmother (Oldemor).

Sylvie Quotes (from Norway)

We are having a fantastic time in Norway and I can't wait to post pictures of our rowing, lake fishing, berry picking, duck feeding, teeter tottering and all of the other things we are doing in beautiful Norway while we visit Thomas' grandmother, Sylvie and Nora's Oldemor. In the meantime, here are a few recent Sylvie Quotes.

Me: Sylvie, I love hanging out with you.

Sylvie: Thanks, I love hanging out with my own self too.
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Sylvie: You know what Mommy? I love you bigger than IKEA.

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Sylvie: First comes Monday, then Tuesday, then Wednesday, then Thursday, then Friday, then Saturday.

Daddy: What comes after Saturday?

Sylvie: Oh. Then it's Christmas.

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Me: Sylvie, did you kiss Oldemor goodnight?

Sylvie: Kind of. I kind of just smashed her face a little bit.

And We're Off

This is a picture of Sylvie at LAX airport 3 weeks ago when we were flying up to Reno/Lake Tahoe, but it seemed like a perfect picture to let you know that we are off to Norway tomorrow! I am so excited to take these girls to see their great-grandmother in Trondheim! Thomas' mom is already there waiting for us, so there will be 4 generations together. What an amazing gift.

So tomorrow morning it's just Los Angeles to Newark, Newark to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Oslo and Oslo to Trondheim. Seems simple enough, right???