My lil' sis' is home again :)

My younger sister is awesome.  She's 7 years younger than me, but I still look up to her.  She's has the most random talents that have nothing to do with each other, yet she's still seriously good at every one of them.  She's funny, yet serious.  I can talk to her about absolutely everything and she will always support me.  She never.ever. judges ANY ONE!!!  This just might be the most impressive personality trait of hers... it is at least something I especially love about her.  People can do something rude or thoughtless, and instead of looking down upon them, Anniken treats them the exact same until she knows the facts, and THEN, makes her own opinion without being affected by any one else!  She is so positive!  She has this energy about her that just makes people happy.  Seriously!

Best of all, she's BACK from the States!!! :)  She has moved back to live here with our family for a while.  It is so exciting because she just completes our family.  We really needed her here and this will be so good for us!  I wish she could've brought along her boyfriend as well because he's just as great, but until I win the lottery so I can ship him over, they are sacrificing time together so she can be with her family during tough times.

Happy Birthday Mamma!

My mom had her birthday this weekend so to celebrate she brought our entire family to the new Rock 'n Roll museum in town. What a creative idea!!! The kids just LOVED going there to eat, run around, and do fun stuff with their favorite people. It was great!

We weren't allowed to take pictures there so I didn't get to capture the smiling faces sitting in old cars, wearing great hats and big sunglasses, while rocking to old classic music.

We had such a fun day and I shouldn't be surprised that my mom brought us here. She always keeps everyone else in mind when planning her days. She finds things that everyone will enjoy, no matter what age or who they are. She finds things that her grandkids absolutely love and brings us places where we can have fun together. She's simply amazing... Not just at planning days and activities like this, but at everything! I look up to her so incredibly much and am lucky to have her in my life, both as my mom and my best friend.

Happy birthday Mamma!

Family Day at the Firestation

This week is Fire Awareness Week in Trondheim. To be honest, I haven't heard much about it or the activities that take place this week, but thanks to facebook statuses, I found out about a local event that was happening today: Open Day for All at the Firestation.

We loaded up our car and off we were to the firestation. Inside the station, they had a contest for the older kids. They had to walk through the station and answer 12 questions about fires, which Elliot mastered easily. A fireman was waiting at the last question. He congratulated Elliot, wrote his name on a diploma, and gave him a fireman cap as a prize. Aiden got one as well even though he was too excited to run around the station to listen to the questions.

They also had the hose from the firetruck out so the kids could try out. The water pressure was obviously very low, but the boys found it exciting anyway. When the long line finally calmed down, it was time to go up on the ladder. Elliot didn't care for a ride, but Aiden was very excited to jump at the offer.

It was a really eventful day for all! :)

Awaiting our new niece

Mike sister and brother-in-law are expecting their first child and today is their due date! The ultrasound showed a baby girl and her name is going to be Elizabeth. I am so incredibly excited for Jill and Joe. They will love being parents and do an excellent job, and their daughter will be lucky to have such amazing parents!

After a lot of nagging, Jill finally sent me some pictures of her with a belly. Isn't she gorgeous? I just adore this girl and I'm so lucky to have her as my sister-in-law!!!

Mike and I are so excited to meet our little niece one day and to see our kids play together with their cousin. I just hope it won't be too long!

Role models

You know how there are some people you just look up to? Not for any particular reason... Just because they are who they are?

I have a couple aunts like that. They are people I respect because of their achievements, yet I view them as friends as well. They are people I know are always there for me. They are the ones who send messages when things are rough or to congratulate us if something exciting in our life has happened.

One of those aunts is coming over to visit today. I can't wait because it's been too long since we last met. She is one of the kindest and most positive people you will come across and I can't wait to see her big smile at my door today!

Family Movie Day

I'm not a big fan of movie theaters. I don't mind movies, but I think the theaters are overpriced and therefore, I tend to just save the money and watch movies at home. Mike is opposite - he grew up with movies and couldn't live without them. He loves the whole experience that goes along with movie theaters... buying tickets, getting popcorn, eating candy, and of course the movie (ANY movie! He LOVES movies!).

So today I decided to be a 'good family member' and take my cute little family to a movie AND go with!!! Elliot was really excited that I was coming along because usually Mike just takes him while Aiden and I go do something outdoors. Olivia is only 2 weeks old so we took a chance that it'd work out to bring her. I figured that if it was too loud or she was uncomfortable, I would just leave and take her on a walk.

Our first movie experience as a family of five went great! Apparently, Olivia fits right in with Mike and the boys because she loved the theaters. When she was awake, she just sat on my lap and looked at the screen and the lights along the wall, but for the most part, she just slept.

It was such a fun Family Day! It was especially cute to see how excited the boys were to go to a movie AT A THEATER with the ALL of us!!! :)

"Aiden and Mommy Day"

Today was Aiden's day to be alone with me, while Elliot got alone-time with Mike. Olivia came along with Aiden and I but she slept in the stroller the whole time so Aiden and I still got plenty of time to ourselves.

Aiden and I decided to go for a walk down to the school to play on the playground. This is one Aiden's favorite places to go since it's his big brother's area, but today he got it all to himself! I brought along a bottle of water and some cookies that we enjoyed inside the boat.

While we were here, Mike and Elliot enjoyed there Fun Day at the soccer field. We met them there when we were done playing, and then we all headed home to enjoy dinner together! It was so nice to have that quality time with just one of my boys. Time to give JUST him ALL of my attention (while knowing that Elliot was being spoiled with the same attention by Mike)! It was a FUN FUN day!!!

Our new family member has arrived

Elliot and Aiden now have a baby sister. Olivia arrived Sunday, August 29th at 8:22pm. She was 6.6lbs, 18in. long, and absolutely beautiful!

My due date was that very day. Throughout the past couple of weeks, I had predicted that she would be born either Sunday or Monday. Elliot started first grade last week and Aiden started a new daycare group for the bigger kids so I was hoping our baby girl would wait to arrive so that I could be a part of their first few days at least. She was quite cooperative and did just that! :)

Saturday evening, Aiden and Elliot went to my mom and dad's house to spend the night there. Mike and I had planned a date with good food and a movie to enjoy some time together before our house was filled with three little ones. Sunday afternoon, we headed over to my parents' house to join them for dinner and pick up the boys. During dinner (around 5:30pm) I started to feel a little bit of pain and commented that I had a feeling she'd be coming out that night or next morning. As we were getting Aiden and Elliot ready to head home, we decided my mom should come with us since I'd probably have to head down to the hospital in a few hours. The boys drove with my mom since she had the carseats to drive them to school/daycare the following morning. A few minutes after leaving my mom's house, I started getting stronger contractions. Since Aiden and Elliot were born within just a few hours, Mike and I decided to drive straight to the hospital to check things out instead of wasting time driving the opposite direction to our house only to return in a few hours.

We arrived at the hospital at 7:30pm. I went with Mike to park the car because I wanted to walk and save time from laying on the hospital bed once I checked in. After checking in, the midwife made me comfortable and asked the normal questions to prepare the birth. Our baby was extremely active in my belly and her heart beat was fairly high so our midwife asked how I felt about trying waterbirth to calm the baby and as a pain relief for me (since I didn't want any other sort of pain relief). At 7:50pm, I have on my phone that I sent a text message to my parents to let them know I had arrived, was going to give waterbirth a try, and that I was 5cm dilated already! The bathtub wasn't even filled up halfway when the midwife told me this was going to happen so fast, I wouldn't make it into the tub. I had a few painful contractions, but with Mike standing next to me so I could squish his hand while he put a cold washcloth on my face, I felt very safe and comfortable. The midwife told me it would go really fast so to relax and breathe slow - and don't start pushing quite yet! On the next contraction, I pointed at the midwife to let her know that plan wouldn't work - my baby was on her way out! At 8:22pm, a beautiful baby girl entered our world with one arm over her head!

The midwife put my daughter on my chest. It was as if this was my first child - the feeling of holding my daughter was amazing! She was beautiful. Tiny. Mine! I was so extremely proud! Her skin color was gorgeous. The midwife even commented that usually the skincolor is darker and more bluish when you've had a couple kids previously, so she was amazed at how gorgeous our daughter's skincolor was, being that it was my 3rd pregnancy. Her eyes were big and blue! She was by far the prettiest girl we had ever seen!

I still can't believe it! Less than an hour after we parked our car, our daughter was born. The birth was a dream! It was absolutely perfect and I couldn't have asked for anything better. The midwife was amazing and so positive, and last but not least, Mike's support is what got me through it all without a moment of hesitation! He knew exactly when to comfort me, what to say, and what I needed to feel safe! He was amazing!

I am so content right now. I'm in love with the best guy and I have three beautiful kids who I couldn't be more proud of! I couldn't be any happier than I am right now, at this very moment!

"The evening sun"

When Mike and I were looking at houses to buy, my mom and dad kept insisting we found a house with "the evening sun." We found many houses that we thought we loved, but my parents would stop saying those three words: The Evening Sun. Really, we just wanted a house... no matter what direction the sun set. We didn't get why they were so persistent.

Now we do! The house we fell in love with and ended up buying has "the evening sun." After living in Norway for six years (of my adult-life that is, since I obviously lived here much longer when I was younger), I now understand what everyone meant about this evening sun.

The sun sets so that we can watch it every evening from our deck. The sun shines much later onto our deck and keeps us warm later into the evenings than it does at my parents. So tonight, I sent my mom a message thanking her for persuading us to find a house with the evening sun. At 9pm, it was still 30 degrees C on our deck (that's about as high as it's been this summer!), while at my parents' it was under 20.

I took a picture as proof... no wait, more to brag to my parents for having the evening sun. Now we just need them to move to our neighborhood so they can sit outside on the deck and enjoy the sun with us! :)

It's no MN State Fair

What I would do to go to the Minnesota State Fair...

I LOVE the State Fair and keep thinking about it since that time of the year is coming up. The good food! Fun games and rides for the kids! People watching! Aaaah, I miss it!

Today's "fun event" can't compare to the State Fair, but the boys had a blast anyway! :)

Girls Night Out

Anniken sent me a text message earlier today asking me if I had plans in the evening because her and my mom wanted to kidnap me and take me out for a girls night. I was definitely up for it! After all, I only have a few weeks until our baby is born and I'm sure I'll be plenty busy when that time comes.

We started out by having dinner at Graffi Grill & Bar at Solsiden. While we waited for a table, we ordered drinks at the bar. The bartender made me a really good non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiri, while my mom and sister got some other drinks. It was so good to just sit there, talk and laugh. When it became time to order food, none of us could decide so we ended up getting HUGE party platter to share. There was so much food on there... chicken, beef, spare ribs, really good fries, many kinds of dips... you name it! All of us ate way too much, but we were no were close to being able to finish the platter. It was delicious!!!

The rest of the night was just spent talking and laughing. I swear I burnt off ALL of those calories plus more that evening. We had such a good time and laughed more than I have in a long time! It was definitely a night I will remember for a long time!

Thank you, Anniken and Mom, for a really fun night! You guys are the best!!!

Hunderfossen Familiepark

Here are a few pictures from our spur of the moment mini-vacation:
(more about the actual trip in a post below)

Spur of the moment vacation

Mike and I have been looking at cars for a while and finally found one we thought would be perfect for our family. So on Sunday morning, Mike called the owner about his car to plan a day to go look at it. Because of the car owner's work schedule, we decided it'd be best for Mike to go that very same day. Plus we were really anxious to see the car and know if we should keep looking for one or not.

So, that very same day, Mike ordered a plane ticket and traveled down to Oslo to test out the car. It was everything he expected and it filled our demands for the price we were hoping to spend, so a few hours later, it was all ours. Since Mike would then have to drive 8+ hours back home, I decided to take the boys on a mini-vacation and meet Mike half way. Mike drove to Lillehammer Sunday night, while the boys and I packed our bags.

I woke up Aiden and Elliot bright and early Monday morning and headed to the train station. We had to bring their car seats on the train since we'd be driving our new car home. Luckily, my boys are really sweet and helpful - especially when I'm alone with them. Elliot carried his own carseat, while Aiden helped me carry his (aka. held the other side of it so I knew he would stay next to me). To make what-could-be-a-long-story short, the boys were amazing on the train!!!

I was quite impressed at how well a 4-hour train ride with two kids (at 8 months pregnant) could go. We had so much fun!

What started out as a spur of the moment trip, ended u as a fantastic family vacation!!!

Tante Anniken is back!!!

My little sister is finally back from studying abroad and I've never seen two boys so excited to see their aunt. Elliot and Aiden were counting down the days and couldn't stop talking about all of the fun things they were going to do together.

Anniken was nice enough to set aside lots of time for us when she got home (apparently she missed the boys just as much), so we've gotten to see her tons already! :) It's going to be so nice to have her close to us again!!!

The perfect breakfast

We woke up to beautiful weather this morning so Elliot had a great idea: Let's make waffles and eat them outside. Perfect thought, if you ask me!

So onto our deck we went... Mike set up our outdoor cooking station, while Elliot helped me make the batter and Aiden helped make the waffles.

Norwegian waffles are delicious any time, but even better when you sit outside to enjoy them!

Peaceful

A friend of mine asked me today how I can be so at peace with everything. I don't think she meant to be rude. I chose to take it as a compliment.

I know things have been tough and we've been thrown a lot of challenges at us, but you know what, you can't do anything but to deal the cards you've been dealt so why try otherwise!?

I'm content. I have been blessed with an amazing family and incredible friends. We lucked out with buying a wonderful house for our family. We are healthy and happy. Things could be worse.

So here I am... Sitting at home. My boys are sleeping peacefully in their beds and I just spent the evening relaxing with the love of my life. How can I not be at peace? Life is good!

Is summer here?!

We've had the craziest weather so far this year. One day we had snow, then the rain melted it away... then followed a couple sunnier days, which quickly turned back into cold and nasty weather.

Well, I'm hoping it's turning around now because we really could use a good summer. Being that I'm pregnant and hoping for a relaxing summer at home, I would love the weather to be good enough to enjoy every single day outside... without raingear, that is!

Today was gorgeous! It wasn't quite warm enough to take out the pool, but it was nice. We spent the entire day playing in our yard and were able to enjoy every meal outside on our deck! Lets hope this is the beginning of summer!

"Daddy is home!"

Yesterday was a GREAT day! Not only was it my birthday, but it was also the day Mike got home from the States. Elliot, Aiden, and I have missed him so much! We had a lot of fun being alone for two weeks, but it wasn't the same. Our family is now complete again!

The look on Elliot and Aiden's faces when they saw their daddy was the best thing I've seen in a long time. They were glowing! Their smiles were huge! They both ran as fast as they could to jump into their daddy's arms and they wrapped themselves around his neck as hard as they possibly could. They were so happy!

Seeing my boys' smiles was better than any birthday gift I could've received that day!

Fun Friday

I love Friday nights because in our house it means good food and lots of fun!

It was strange not having Mike home tonight, but the boys and I still managed to have a cozy night together. Elliot and Aiden decided that we were having pizza rolls for dinner, which they helped me make. They may not have been the prettiest and roundest pizza rolls, but they were definitely the BEST ones I've ever had (and I'm not biased at all to who the cooks were...hehe).

After dinner we played the Elefun game for a little while and then cuddled up on the couch and watched Nemo. It ended up being yet another Fun Friday with my family!

R.I.P. Bobbie

This past weekend, we received really sad news: Mike's mom passed away. It threw us completely by surprise and we were not ready for it at all. We had just sat there the evening before talking about her and how much we missed her. We decided that it's been too long since we were in the States and since all four of us can't travel there right now, I told Mike that he should go over there to visit for a couple weeks at least.

The next morning, Mike had a couple missed calls on his phone. It was his sister and his dad. That's not a good sign! Not that they called, but that they both called within such a short time at 6am! Mike called them back immediately, which is when we received the terrible news. I didn't believe Mike when he told me. Mike didn't believe it himself. It just couldn't be true!

Life is so unfair! Bobbie was such an amazing woman; always kind and thought of everyone else first. I wish I had known her for longer than the 7.5 years I've been with Mike, but the fact that she raised such incredible kids, it says everything about her. She had three kids under the age of three years and managed to be a stay-at-home mom and succeed at raising them. She loved them so much and would do anything for them!

I am so blessed to have such a sweet and caring mother-in-law, and am so thankful to her for raising such a gentleman. Mike is who is thanks to her, and we've told her that many, many times! We will miss her so incredibly much, but her spirit will continue to live within us. We will tell our kids all about the big heart their Grandma had and raise them to be great people, just like she raised her own.

Bobbie, thank you for letting me into your life, and for loving me and treating me like family from the day I met you.

You will be dearly missed! We love you!