Snowy Morning

We were all suited up by 6:30 in the morning today...snow pants, hats, mittens, neck warmers, boots...you get it. The snow was magical. We pulled the boys in the sled and searched for an open cafe for bagels and cream cheese. It was such a great way to begin the weekend!

Asleep in the Chariot

I just love these photo's of the boys!

It's comin' on Christmas, they're cutting down trees...

We found our tree today and brought it home.
The snow began to fly as we drove to the tree farm and it snowed all day. The ground is now snow covered and it does feel very wintery tonight.

The tree is up in the front room but not quite decorated yet.

That will be tomorrow's work.
Today we brought up all the decorations, hung lights outside, and unpacked all the Christmas toys that only come up at this time of year.

We are having a big holiday party this Friday and we have a lot to do....make cookies, finish decorating, rearrange for the gazillionth time, just to name a few.

Luckily the party is being catered and we won't have to do any of the cooking.

More photo's of the tree later once the nests and birds get put on.

My Beautiful Striped Swedish Family

So,

we have a thing for stripes in our family.

(at least I do and my family complies)

Always have, always will.

What is it about stripes?

They are not only exciting,

but they offer contrast and

a bit of an option to the viewer -

you don't just get one color,

you get two.

They also feel young,

zany,

alive,

modern,

and fun.

And they remind me of Sweden.

Yogurt paint...

Who says you can't play with your food?

Daily Life with Two Boys....

OH my. I think I remain a bit overwhelmed by the simple beauty of these two beautiful brothers. Today we spent a lot of time playing out of doors in the great and unseasonably warm weather. Jakob is thriving these days....trying hard to keep up with his big brother. And Anders continues to amaze.

...ONE Year Birthday Boy Photo's

Anders Bjorn at ONE

Jakob Leonard at ONE

Historical Moment!!

YES, we voted and it was a great night indeed!

Sleeping Beauties II

Jakob turns ONE!!

Jakob is ONE!

He had a lovely birthday party with a banana cake made by Anna and Anders.

The cake was decorated like a bird feeder....it had adorable little birds on it, pecking for sprinkles. He ate it up and said "UM" all the way through his first piece of cake. He got some fun new toys and books, and it was especially nice because Grandma was here to celebrate with him!

Halloween Evening

We went trick-or-treating tonight around the neighborhood with a few friends. Here is Anders, the firefighter,  with his friends Stella and Hazel eagerly awaiting the next treat. I believe this was their second stop and their enthusiasm was so high. We pulled our little chicken behind in the wagon. He was tired, but managed to hang in there until the end.

Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful Boy

Even though Anders is hamming it up for the camera, I do believe he is one stunning little human.

I can't believe how tall he is getting and how much he is growing up. His conversations are so much fun, so filled with his observations of the world around him, and his interpretations.

Just the other day as he and I were dropping Anna off at work he blew Anna a kiss goodbye.

She promptly caught it and popped it into her mouth, pretending to eat it up.

"NO! He shrieked. Don't eat it! I wanted you to catch it in your hand, take it to work and share it with your friends." He has always been real good at sharing.

Eleven Month Photo

My littlest boy is now eleven months old!

He is walking, trying hard to talk - and expressing himself passionately, and he is so incredibly lovely.

He is social, smiley, affectionate, eager, and extremely charming.

I simply adore him.

He had his first music class this week, as he is a big music lover. He was curious, enthralled, and engaged.

I wish you could see him in action!!

Family Photograph

Our Family

This is Anders first drawing of our family. Left to right: Kuba, Anna, Me, and Anders.

Life These Days

Things are going well around here.
Jakob is walking, Anders is doing gymnastics,
both boys are happy
and all is well.

It's amazing really, and something to notice when it all seems to be running smoothly. The whiny tone has diminished, the independence has risen, the joie de vivre has increased for all of us, and life goes on.

We were in Lake George yesterday and Anna snapped this shot of Anders and I think it's beautiful. We have had lots of good family time together and that really brings plenty of joy for everyone, as well as stability and fun. We've had lots of fun lately.

Jakob has a new past time. It's empty-ing the cupboard. We removed all the glass dishes until we can get a lock for it. I happened to capture him red-handed. Thank god for melamine.

First Steps!!

Jakob took his first steps!
Yes, indeed the happiest, most beautiful baby boy in the world is now walking....or at least trying.
I just knew he was on the verge of taking his own steps this past Saturday,and he did, but just one.
So I didn't count it really.
Then yesterday, again, just one. So I didn't really count that either.

But I have been watching and waiting.

And today he walked.

He went from the plastic steering wheel on the jungle gym, to the red climbing tube.
I would say that was at least 3 or 4 steps, on his own.
And he did it two more times.

Jakob just passed his ten month birthday.
Hurrah for Kuba!

You Betcha!

My Two Boys

Ten Month Photo

Jakob is growing up! Here he is all smiles (as usual) posing for his ten month photo.
Let's see...what is he up to these days?

Wanting to walk passionately. Being upright is what it is all about lately.

Cruising along furniture, pushing push toys, and holding hands and walking with you are making him real happy.

He is also exploring language and trying all sorts of sounds.

We recognize these words:

caw (bird noise),

qack (duck noise),

guck (duck),

qac qer (tractor) and maybe that is it for now.

He remains incredibly smiley, social, and active. He is such a charmer in every way.

And he is simply beautiful so it adds a lot to his appeal.

He is a real lover, that is for sure.

First Time Down!

Anders was courageous enough to try the water slide today! Here he is, with Anna scooping him up as he came streaming down the slide!

Words

Words.
Yes indeed.
Jakob is trying very hard to articulate, and seriously says TRACTOR.
It of course would be indistinguishable to the untrained ear, but to us it is clear as a bell. (Jakob's pronunciation sounds like Qac Qer).
Two clear syllables, and a change in emphasis too.
He is so excited about his new word that he woke up at 2 a.m. last night saying Qac Qer over and over. He learned this word while pushing a tractor all over the grass on Thursday. Motoring along, cruising in fact, he gleefully pronounced the word tractor.

Okay, and speaking of motoring.
Yes indeed.
Jakob is trying even harder to walk upright. He pulls himself up on everything and pushes anything that can be pushed. Strollers, tractors, chairs, you name it. He also seems to have a passion for climbing. Left to himself, that boy would crawl his way up to the top of the Empire State building. I do believe he will be walking within a month.

And, eating. Did I mention how big his appetite is? For anything and everything. Stones, dirt, paper, stickers, oh, and real food too. This is the boy we need to watch 24/7.

Another Life with Boys

My very dearest friends just adopted twin boys! Here we all are with the most gorgeous (oh, of course besides my own two beauties)boys in the whole wide world. Talk about bliss!!!!!

Sleeping Beauties

I figured out a new idea for a series over time. Snapshots of the boys asleep in the stroller.
It happens enough that over time I could get a fabulous collection of the two of them. Here they are absolutely zonked out and yet, still looking fresh. How do they do it?

Nine 9 Months Old!!

8 Months Old

Here he is with his new silver baby cup given to him by Mor Far.

Seven Months Old!!

Here he is, already 7 months old! Time is flying and he is growing so quickly. Jakob has 6 teeth now, is almost crawling, pulls himself up on furniture and knows how to clap! My, that sure is progress! I believe he will be crawling by the next months photo!

Not What One Would Expect in a Playground

Our playground got a new piece of equipment....
no, not the John Deere.
We got a seesaw put in last week.
Here is the tractor that put helped with the process, and yes, that's Anders in the drivers seat.
You must know, just having that tractor in the playground for a morning was a big gigantic hit!

Proud Moment

It was graduation day today at Anders Pre-school, and Anders received his very first diploma. Here he is heading back over the bridge with it looking as proud as he could possibly look.

Do you see it all rolled up in his hand?
It's a real diploma with great kid drawings on it.
What a fun, fun event.
It was the first bursting with pride moment we've had when it comes to receiving diplomas.
And this little 3 year old did it! He finished his first year at pre-school!
He has wonderful little friends there with great names like Stella and Zelda, and Rasheed and Uma. And they are all just as cute as he is. We had an end of the year family party/potluck for his class yesterday at our house and it too, was just so much fun.
We are still so crazy about our little star room graduate!

Dandelion Haiku

Warmth of sunshine

captured in a bloom

my beautiful son