New Year Haiku's

1.

end of the year

not enough fingers and toes

to count my blessings

2.
hello to promise
first moments are potent
new year upon us

3.
I made them hold these

the numbers 2  0  1  3

how fun to photo

4.
the year ends with snow

fireworks out our window

 our sweet home is warm  

5.

I capture our life

with boys Anders and Jakob

both image and word

6.

it's late and I write

 knowing what morning will bring

energetic boys

Alphabetic Musings of Gratitude in 2012

 These are some of our families favorite things

  and stand-out moments from 2012:

Anna's Achilles Tendon, Anders & Anna, Art camp
Ben, our Barn, Blokus
CCS,  Cape Cod, Cormac, Clio, Cathy Hunter, Cooking, Circus de Barn
Doughnuts from Poorhouse pies
having Enough, Ethan from Mr. Eric's
Kuba turns Five, the Fair, Fiona, our Family
Gus, Grandma & Grandpa, Glee
Hazel, Hiking, Harry Potter, Hannah, Hayday, Home
Icky Icky bacteria, Iris, IAA
Jessica's Wedding, Juicing, Judy, Jasper, Jen, Jack and Annie books, 
      walking the Jetty in Ptown
Kissing

LOVE, Lea
Mr. Mack, Mormor & Morfar, Morgan, Mitchell
Neighborhood
Obama's second term, the Ocean
Plasma car
hot dog Quiche (Kuba's best dinner "ever")
Reading - Kuba and Anders reading explosion, Rob, Rocks- collecting & smashing
Swedish Visitors, Sara's Pre-school, Swimming confidence, Anders turned Seven,  
      first Snowstorm in 2 years, Aunt Sandy, Sledding, so long Scaredy Cat
the Thousand Islands, wearing Ties, Tooth fairy, Tiger, Eagle on the Trapeze bar
Uncles - Tim, Paul, Mark, Claes, Pete
Aunt Vicki, Valentine's day, Vacations
Weekly dinners with Hazel and Beth
FeliX
Buttermilk Farms Maple Yogurt
the Buffalo Zoo

Anna's Bright Red Cast

Anna is a pretty amazing athlete.  She is naturally inclined to any sport, especially soccer, volleyball, swimming, tennis, etc.  Give her a ball, give her a team, and she'll perform...and really well.  She won the golden key award in high school for the most athletic girl.    She is so very coordinated that she catches on to all things kinesthetic quickly.  So, you can imagine her shock when her right foot just stopped functioning during a soccer game.  She ruptured her Achilles tendon.  She was incredulous.   She is now in a cast and will be for at least 8-12 weeks.  I must mark it here in the blog, because it's real news in our life.  I feel like I need to say "Anna does not get hurt!"  She even said this to the doctor at the hospital...."I've played sports my whole life and I have never been seriously injured." 

Anna is the "active" mom.  The mom who initiates taking the kids out hiking, skiing, skating, swimming, sporting...I am just the tag along photographer, or the athletic wannabe.  And now, the tables have turned.  With winter here in it's full snowy glory, and snow sports pretty much a right of all Vermont citizens, I have been taking the boys out in the snow.  We've been sledding, sliding, digging, and today we went x-country skiing.  This cracks me up.  I will not move for myself, but for my kids I seem to be able to do anything.  Amazing, truly amazing.  All I can hope for is a speedy healing of Anna's Achilles.   Otherwise it's going to be a long and active 12 weeks of winter for me.   But wait...maybe that's a good thing!

This is Home

It is Christmas week and we are all home on vacation.

Anna with her bright red cast and ruptured achilles tendon.

The boys with their exhuberance and absolute innocence.

Me with an eye on keeping things running smoothly as we take up this holiday week.

It is December 25th and I am finally winding down from a very busy few days.

Anna's mom, and brother Claes and family have been here to celebrate with us.

Our friends Beth, Carrie, and Hazel, Anders best friend were also here.

Christmas is nearly over.

Right now, the boys are asleep. 

Anna read the very first chapter of the first Harry Potter to them tonight.

I told chapter 6 from a story I am making up about an old grandfather

who gets adopted by a family just like ours.

The boys were happy when they fell asleep.

Exhausted as well.

I am unbelievably grateful for five more days off.

We all need it. 

We need the rest.

Snow is coming later this week.

8-14 inches I hear. 

Perfect.

The boys have 2 new red zippy sleds, numbered 1 and 3.

Anders and Kuba received some wonderful gifts this year;

a nice mix of games, lots of books, silly toys, clothes, and whimsical stuff.

I loved their felted chicken slippers the best. 

My personal favorite gifts were two beautiful new feathered birds for my tree,

and a brightly colored dala horse mug.

Anna loved her new down coat.

It is a magical mysterious holiday.

I feel absolutely aware of how lucky we are; how truly blessed we are.

This is love.  

This is home. 

The Kind of Child He is....

My son Anders.   This is the kind of boy he is:  he lovingly would give anything for his brother.  If Kuba gets hurt, he goes to Anders or Anders comes to his rescue.  If there's a tug of war between the two, usually he gives in.  His loyalty to Kuba is pretty much iron clad. 

He has been working hard on a Christmas gift for Kuba for over a week now with Anna.  Together they made a life sized Kuba doll.  It can even wear Kuba's clothes.  He and Anna measured and made the pattern together, sewed it together, embroidered it together, dressed it together, wrapped it together and the whole time Anders enthusiasm kept increasing.  This evening it is finished.   As Anders was laying in bed tonight before sleep, he was so completely blissed out about the gift that he couldn't fall asleep.  His insomnia wasn't about Santa coming, or his own gifts that will be here....it was about this doll that he could not wait to give to his brother.   Seriously.  

These are emotional qualities that I am grateful for.  My boy is a sensitive soul.  His bravery can at times take a back seat to fragility.  But that kind of sensitivty, that emotional intelligence, that heart of his, this is something to write about. 

This is Kuba's expression when Anders gave him his doll.

Here is Kuba asleep with his Kuba doll that night.

Our Happy Home

Today when Mor Mor reprimanded Kuba for throwing a toy down the stairs, he stomped down and told her -
"This house won't be happy until you go home!" 

Ten minutes later he was happy again and holding her hand.  
Thank God she is a retired pre-school educator and totally understands the mecurial quality of a 5 year old's emotional state.

Photo of the Year

I think this was the best photo taken of the boys this year.  It was from this past summer; the boys had just finished swimming in our friend Cathy's pond and this is a place they love.  After swimming they were playing all sorts of games in her hammock.  Anna happened to take some photo's of them as they played.  It is such a sweet snapshot of a moment in time.   I think they look absolutely beautiful and so soulful.   I could not help but choose it for our holiday card. 

Runners up:

Tis the Season

It's here.  The busy season.  And tonight as I sit and write I am reminding myself that life is good, even if it feels like it's picked up speed and I am scrambling to keep up with all of the things that need to be done.  Shopping, baking, planning, work, and then the regular chores of every day.  Anna is just as busy.
Together we don't seem to have a combined minute of calm.  I think that's the part that I'd like to change.
That even with the whirl of the holiday season, here at home we are a calm in the storm.  So that is my goal for this evening.  Remembering.  Remembering that right now, in this moment all is calm, all is bright.    

Holiday Cards

I don't know if I've ever written about my love for holiday cards.  But it is one of my favorite holiday traditions.  I think my card love began when I was about 15 years old, a young babysitter, and about 25 years away from having kids of my own.  One of the families I sat for always did a creative photograph of their son for the holiday.  The dad was a photographer and they would stage a photo and make it into a card for their friends and family.  I remember one year it was a photo of their son when he was about 3 years old all dressed in winter snow gear putting a card addressed to Santa into their mailbox.  It must have been a snowy season when they shot it because the landscape was snow covered and the snow was deep at the mailbox.   It was a black and white photo and it I was struck by the idea.  I loved the contrast between their very personal holiday photo card and everyone else's boxed cards from Hallmark.  I don't think there were many personalized photo cards in the 70's. 

Personally, I love having a history of holiday cards as a visual record of the boys growth (and maybe even my own card design evolution).  I enjoy looking at our past cards each year when I take them out again - I love all of the memories attached to them - just seeing Anders and Kuba's beautiful faces when they were younger makes me happy.  I have a few friends that are equally jazzed about holiday cards, which makes it even better  in a way.  Who knew there were any other card loving doting mothers besides me?  It's just a cool tradition.    Happy holiday card season, and let the cards roll in!!

Thanksgiving

I have two kinds of gratitude - Anders and Kuba

We had a lovely holiday again this year, at one of my favorite homes in the world.  Fran and Dierdre's home is simply so beautiful that eating cheerios there would be special.  The boys played with their cousins, ran up and down three flights of a beautiful staircase playing fetch with Bella, held the corn snake, watched Fran's trains, and had a yummy, delicious dinner.   Kuba especially liked the chocolate turkey that was at his place setting.  The boys also hiked with Mor Mor and their Aunt Kersten from Sweden, and went to the train show at the Botanical Gardens. It was a great holiday and I feel deeply grateful for all that we have.

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

Now the 45th President of the United States!

Happy Day today! 

Barack Obama won a second term and life is good.  I sent Anders to school today in this Barack Obama t-shirt that I had squirreled away for him in his box of things to save.  I bought it a few years ago when I was in Washington. I went out to the barn looking for it early this morning, pulled it out and put him on him to celebrate! I am so happy for my boys that this is their president.

Number 5

Kuba
1,2,3,4,5!

My little guy is now five- which isn't so little anymore.  He is an amazing little boy and I simply ADORE him.  He's quite a character- passionate, smart, funny, "in-charge" and a real lover.   He thrives on connection and in relationship.  He prefers to spend one-on-one time with people.  He's zesty, spicy, sensitive, volatile and I think he's going to keep me entertained for a long long long time.  He's stated multiple times this year that he is the "ruler" of this family.  This give you a snapshot into how he would prefer things to be.  He loves books and is already reading.  He loves active play.  He loves his brother Anders so much and spends a lot of time playing with him.  He loves his friends at pre-school and talks about them all the time. He loves to cook, to bake, is a great drawer, story teller, and has a wicked imagination.  He still has his imaginary friends around, Bingo, Eli, Eggy, and their family of friends.  He has a sharp intellect and grasps things fully and quickly.  He needs to be doing.  He loves grocery shopping and helping with anything he can.  He gets angry quickly if he gets frustrated- which is a real treat to parent.  He responds very well to connection and presence.  He wants you to be here NOW,  like a little Buddhist teacher.   I know he's going to keep me stretching and reaching and growing as his mom.  I don't think I've ever met anyone quite like him and I feel so very grateful that he is my son.   How did I get so lucky?!!  Kuba, it is my hope for you that this year is full of abundant joyful experiences, lots of learning, and has multiple avenues for the development of your many, many gifts.  And in the words of Kuba - "I love you so much, I love you so much, like a monkey loves bananas!"  (But I love you even more than that!)

Happy Birthday KUBA!!   

Stuffed Animal Party

Kuba had a birthday party yesterday with all of his little friends and it was a very fun party indeed.

Here they are all posing with their best stuffed animal.

Kuba Turns Five!

Kuba turned 5 today! 

It was a wonderful day, full of fun and good things- especially his new chef's uniform;  

a self-proclaimed favorite gift, among all his other "favorite gifts."  

He's excited to serve his hot dog quiche in his chef attire.

Halloween 2012

Halloween 2012

Anna was busy for a couple of weeks working on Anders horse costume this year.  They made a very realistic paper mache horse head, and a pretty big body as well.  It looked great, but similar to the whale costume a few years ago, a little tricky to actually trick or treat in.  All the same, Anders was determined despite multiple malfunctions this evening and he grew accustomed to being at the end of the line of trick or treaters.  Kuba was a simple goat and he and his friend Jasper lead the pack running nearly all the while.  It was a nice night of pizza with friends and then a big pack of trick or treaters we were.   Here here to another fun Halloween!

It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

PMS Mothering

AKA - Rotten day with Mommy.

I had the worst PMS today.   Serious sensitivity.  To noise, oh to pretty much everything aound me.
It's the worst kind of day for a mom.
I needed solitude. Time alone. A time out really.
Plus it was a day off from school for both boys due to Hurricane Sandy.  Anna worked, I was on.
This meant that by 1 pm in the afternoon I was fried.   I was trying to do too much.  The boys were playing all morning, but I was trying to clean, organize, sort through a long list of things to do, and trying to stay tuned in to them when things seemed to go awry. And today with me, that felt like every second.  Additionally,  Anna plays volleyball on Tuesday nights, so I also had bedtime duty.

I had a wicked chocolate craving as well, and I became a victim to 3 slices of a delicious brownie some secret halloween friend had dropped off.  Was she psychic or what?

I took Kuba to work with me for hours today hoping he would scoot around on his new plasma car while I did some work.  Anna took Anders to the allergy doctor.  I brought my ipad for him, I had art supplies, I had him helping me put together a display, but none of this was good enough.  He really needed devoted one on one time, and I was only half way engaged.   Not a good combo. I felt annoyed more than I felt engaged with him.  Not my ideal definition of a good day with mom.

And now, I am going to bed.   Let's hope tomorrow is better. 
And let's hope the crazy desire for sugar can be tamed in the new day. 

T R A C T O R

Grinning Orange Totems

 

searching for pumpkins    

my boys touch every one   

Hail! Jack-o-lanterns 

The Ten Poses of Kuba

We have a yoga mat in the house and Kuba found it.  It's now his yoga mat and he wanted me to take pictures of him doing yoga.  These are all invented poses but very yoga like all the same.

Perhaps we should sign him up for a kids yoga class?

Kuba's Biscuits

Call Kuba amazing. He made a batch of biscuits for dinner tonight that were super-duper delicious. An articulate boy that little guy.

Watch this cute video of Kuba baking.

1% Granola Bar

I made granola bars yesterday for the first time.
I found a recipe while I was at my sisters and it seemed simple.
I also buy a lot of granola bars for the boys lunches and I just felt like they should be easy to make and that I could save myself a lot of money.

So, I did it.  I used pecans, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and chopped them in the cuisinart...if my boys saw whole nuts they would most likely not eat them.  I added sesame seeds, 5 grain cereal and oatmeal.  I then mixed this with melted butter, honey, brown sugar, and almond extract.  (They were sweet alright)  It was simple.   They look exactly like a granola bar, except way more delicious.  They were simply divine.  We all LOVED them.

When Kuba went to bed at night he asked me:
"When I wake up after sleeping can I have one of those granola bars you made?   Can we send them all over the world and package them and call them 1% bars?"  I don't know how he came up with the name, but I know what he meant by this statement.  I think he liked them.

My Beautiful Family

The Adventures of the Robot Friends

We have a routine at night that always involves a story, a made up story that is, by Anna or me.
There are three options, depending on how early we get to bed.

1. A regular full length made up story.
2. A teensy weensy - this is when there is no time for a full story, so this option is about one minute long- and usually really silly.
3. A teensy weensy wishy - this is when there is pressure from both boys for a story that's just a little bit longer than a teensy weensy...but still much shorter than the regular story #1.

Tonight we had time for a full story.   The boys named it the Adventures of the Robot Friends.
(The name came after they heard the story)

This story involved 4 robots.  Beep beep bop, Tin Tin, R2D2, and Schwa.  They all lived on the planet neptune. 
The tale began when Beep Beep Bop headed up to the top of a mountain with his little robot body.
Soon, Tin Tin came up and joined him.  Followed by R2D2, and finally Schwa.
The fun part of making up this story is that I got to tell the whole story in a robot voice.  Wicked Fun!   Anyway, after all robots made it to the top of the mountain they all came down again because Schwa said there was a robot man giving away free things.
They all lined up.  Beep Beep Bop was first.  He was given a button.   The Robot man said, "Put it on and it will work for you."
Tin Tin got a switch.  The Robot man said "Put it on and it will work for you."
R2D2 got a lever.  The Robot man said "Put it on and it will work for you."
Schwa got a light bulb.  The Robot man said "Put it on and it will work for you."
All the robot friends put on their free things.   When Beep Beep Bop pushed his button, he farted.
(You can imagine my boys laughter at this surprising element.)  When Tin Tin flipped his switch, he peed.   More laughter.   When R2D2 pushed his lever, his Robot pants fell down.  And finally, when Schwa turned on his light....nothing happened.   Huh?   All the robots leaned in to see if the light would turn on.  Nothing.  They moved closer still.  Then...they heard a voice coming out of the light bulb, singing in a sweet soprano - "You light up my life....you bring me light...."  My boys cracked up so hard!    I ended this crazy story after this, but the boys demanded more.  They want it to be a chapter story that I tell night after night and keep adding on to. 
I had to write it down so I woudn't forget all the details.  
I see that this might lead to something.  The boys want me to keep adding more robots that represent their friends.   So far, Anders has claimed Beep Beep Bop, and Kuba has claimed Schwa.   Tin Tin and R2D2 will be their friends Sebastian and Julian.   Kuba's little friends are being added in chapter 2.
I can imagine I can get them to draw the robots...etc.  

This is our life at night.   I think ths is going to keep me from getting old.... using my imagination like this on a nightly basis.  And just as a disclaimer, not all of my stories involve potty humor. 

Toad Road

 

The moment that Anders was born, our friend Cathy was there, snapping photo's as he emerged from his water birth.  The day Jakob was born she too, held the camera as he arrived. 
She's a very important friend to all of us.  In fact, when the kids find out they will be spending time with her, they usually shout some form of "CATHY!  We LOVE Cathy."  I know we all feel the same way- but as grown-ups, Anna and I don't shout like they do, we usually just smile.  There is something truly soothing as a parent to be around someone who loves and cares for your kids as much as we do.  We can talk to her about our children in a way that we can with no one else.  She sees them, loves them, and enjoys the long rambling we sometimes do when we discuss the latest developmental stage they are in.  She also is a great problem solver for us when we have questions and concerns about them- and we trust her implicitly. 

There is a picture of the four of us posing in front of her road sign in the collage above...with a nifty wooden arrow that points to her home.  Cathy lives in a rural part of our state, in a beautiful house, at the end of a long dirt road, and at the top of a hill.  There is a giant rolling field, a view of the mountains, and a pond at the bottom of the hill.  It's really stunning.  We like it in every single season.  We've gone swimming (and captured many a leach from her pond- but this should be another post!), hiking, caving, kayaking, sledding, slept out in tents, slept in on futons, had dinners, breakfasts, lunches, etc.  Just today we got to watch two horses arrive, feed them carrots, and watch as they were unloaded from their trailers and moved to their stalls.  All of this totally fun to the children. The kids also like to steer the car up her long driveway...each child getting a turn on the way up or the way down.  It's thrilling to them because her driveway is long and has some twists and turns in it.  Anna has them sit on her lap and let's them steer the whole drive.  I think they'll remember this training when they are getting their learner's permits. 

When we visit lately we make it a family overnight.  Last night it was cold, rainy, and we all hunkered down together and watched a movie in front of the fire. Then we fell asleep only to be woken up in the middle of the night to Anders having an allergic coughing fit - followed by all three adults struck by insomnia.   The three of us spent hours then  in hushed conversation, catching up on things since our last connection talking about everything going on in our lives - especially our families.  Our friend Cathy really is an  important part of this life with boys.
It's an amazing friendship for all of us on Toad Road.
  

Is that a Buffalo in the Bed?

This morning Anna woke up early.  I was still asleep in bed.  She was in the shower when Kuba came in and told her he wanted to go into our bed, but was too scared.  He needed her to go with him.  So he waited quietly in the bathroom until Anna was finished.  Then Anna took his hand and they walked to the bedroom together.  She told him he could always turn on a light if he was afraid of the dark. He incredulously responded that he wasn't afraid of the dark, but he was afraid of the buffalo in the bed.  As they walked closer to the bed he clutched Anna's hand really tightly -very frightened, hesitant to move any closer.  They saw me (a shape under the blanket) with just a piece of  hair sticking out from under the covers.  Kuba said this looked just like the horn of a buffalo - so he was sure it was a buffalo in the bed.  Anna woke me up just so he could see it was actually me, his mom and that he could climb in safely.   He did, and he cuddled next to the "buffalo" for the next twenty minutes.

This is why we have so much fun all the time.
The imagination of our youngest child is vivid.  

Outside

There is something I miss terribly about the return to school - it's being outside. I do believe that we spent nearly every waking hour outside almost all summer. The return to ceilings, indoor lighting and the lack of big blue sky is tough for all of us, especially me. Anna has been doing a really good job of getting the boys outside after school and we've been doing some good roaming on the weekends, but not enough for me. This photo is from a hike Anna and Mor Mor took with the boys to the Audubon. I love this photo because Anders is gazing so deeply at the camera and Kuba is there, but his face is hidden. It's interesting as a composition - and if it were black and white I think it would remind me of a Sally Mann photo. 

Asleep in the Chariot II

First MAJOR Hike

We took a really long hike today.  A very steep, very rocky, very exhausting hike today to the top of a mountain.  It was our first difficult hike.  It was the first time that Kuba hiked the whole thing.  It took three hours to get up and then ninety minutes to get back down.  Of course we had a great lunch and stayed at the top for quite some time. Both Anders and Kuba were amazing.  They love hiking and being on a trail.  Even this crazy hard trail was fun for them.  I on the other hand am simply exhausted from the climb.  

So Long Scaredy Cat

 

We lost one of our chickens last night to a pesky, thoughtless, hungry predator.

It was our fault. Anna and I took the boys to the fair and we didn't come home until nearly 11 pm. Way too late if you have chickens to shut into the coop. When we got home I went straight to the barn to close the coop and discovered Scaredy Cat's feathers all over the barn. Emily, one of the smaller brown chickens was perched high up in the room, and the other two were freaked out in the coop. UGH. This is the second chicken we lost to a predator. 

Scaredy cat was our biggest hen and was the top of the pecking order.  She essentially ruled the roost...and was ruthless to Emily, the chicken at the bottom of the pecking order.  I think her absense might make the others a bit less anxious now that she's not around to peck them all the time.  Oh, the trauma and tragedy of having chickens.

So long Scaredy Cat.  We will certainly miss you- though I am not so sure Emily will.

Blue Moon

 

    a blue moon shining

    sapphire as August exits

    summer is slipping

    boys are sound asleep

    grieving no season

    only the moment

    only now

It has officially begun. Second grade for Anders and Kuba's last year of pre-school.

Wow! I simultaneously feel so terribly sad that the summer is ending and so eager to see what the new year brings. I think as an educator and a mom, I always approach the new year with a little bit of anxiety, but for the first time this feels minor. Anders has a male teacher, Mr. Mack. He's thrilled and I am too- I think because of his own joy in having Mr. Mack. His teacher is young, steady, rock solid, devoted to his career and his students, and someone very well respected in the building. I like him because of he really likes teaching. This is very clear. This is his third year as a classroom teacher and each year he gets better and better. I am also happy because Anders does not have the same teacher as last year.

Kuba has also started a new preschool. Two days a week he will be at our friend Sara's home pre-school with his buddies, who are all four years old. All of them will be kindergarteners next year. It's a very sweet pre-school and I feel he's so lucky to have this experience. I think it will provide him with some great playful, creative experiences. I am eager to see how he grows. Sara is an early childhood educator, but also a mom - she "gets" kids. Her commitment to childhood is passionate. It feels very important to me as well, and I think he will have a wonderful year . He's a kid with lots of twists and turns, with creative energy being top on his list. He's also a fast talker and at times an anxious little boy - and he can have difficulty getting all of his words out fast enough. I think Sara will provide the space for him to be who he is in a caring, calm way.  And I know her creativity will be fabulous for him. 

Kuba will continue his old pre-school for the other three days. This is also good. He is familiar with the teachers, the program and the school, and I get to be in the same building with him three days a week. I love being near my kids when they are in school. I can't imagine not having an intimate view of how they spend a large chunk of their day. I feel pretty happy about this arrangement. As sticky as it can sometimes get when you work at your child's school, the benefits far outweigh the difficult moments, and it simply feels worth it.

May the new year begin with gusto!
May the new school year nurture and grow my children.
May the new school year bring great joy. 

School

It's now tradition

first photos on orange porch

new school year arrives

Circus "de" Barn

The kids created and put on a circus for Barbro and guests in celebration of her 70th birthday. 

Lea was the artistic director and brilliantly found a way to weave in each child's part.  There were clowns, trapeze artists, and even a surprise act....Eagle our chicken.  Anders ran down to the coop while Lea introduced the last "surprise" trapeze act...and then he came up the stairs with Eagle, the chicken who naturally loved perching on the trapeze.  We borrowed wigs and clown noses that added just a bit more fun to the show.  Lea did a great job of moving the show along and keeping the acts short and sweet.  Here are just some of the photo's from the circus that show the kids in action.

UP, UP with Kuba

 

It seems that if you are the youngest and smallest in the family, you just need to be picked up!  Kuba could not have loved this more!  The vikings Torleif and Claes were busy these past few days hoisting Kuba up into the air just to make him giggle.   HAPPY Happy kid!

Anders and Gustav

Anders cousin Gustav from Sweden was here visiting and I was amazed at the similarity in their features.  Despite the language barrier, play was no obstacle.  These boys had a totally great time together.  Gustav sharpened his already pretty good english speaking skills and Anders picked up just a few new Swedish words.   I loved having another boy in the family.  Now we are even more eager to spend time in Sweden!