A walk to remember!

Today after church, Lovisa went home with Grandma and Grandpa Rydgren to spend the night. We decided to take our three boys for a walk after lunch. Well, Alvin and Ivar rode their bikes - it's quicker that way. It was such a beautiful fall day! We walked to the village of Tyresta which is the gateway to Tyresta National Park. The village consists of a group of buildings dating back to the 18th century and is a beautiful picnic spot. And it's only a 30 minute walk from our house!



It was windy outside, so we put the raincover on the stroller so that Egon could go to sleep... Well at least he was sheltered.



Playing on the seesaw is perfect when you have a twin brother! I think this one is as old as the village itself...



This is Jens next to some genuine Swedish leaves!

Playtime!

We found this in the boys' room. Isn't it great how everyone gets to play? Knights, soldiers, Shrek cast, penguins and cowboys. Here nobody gets left out. How equitable!



This worn ragdoll is a hand-me-down from one of Lovisa's friends. Oddly enough, Lovisa loves it, calling it "her baby" even though it's at least as big as her. Here it is, wearing Lovisa's angel wings and skirt. It reminded me of something Lovisa did a couple of months ago. She was wearing the angel outfit with the wings, the skirt and the little gloria that goes with it when Stig, one of our neighbours stopped to look at her. She hurried to take the wings off and said: "It's only me!"

And here we have a future cyclist!

Egon looks just like his dad in his brother's way-too-big-helmet. He put it on himself, actually. Safety first, right? Luckily he has one his own size too.

Monday morning date

Since Jens is studying right now, he can be a little bit flexible with his time. So we decided to go on a Monday morning date. After the boys had gone to school, we dropped off Lovisa and Egon at Grandma's and Grandpa's and went on a 32 km bike ride together. Jens has been doing road racing since last April and I started a couple of weeks ago. I have a disc disruption in my lower back so I have had a hard time finding a form of exercise that works for me. It seems like road racing does. And it's fun too!

Background story: There is a family in our Church ward who lost their five year old son and older brother Magnus to kidney cancer 30 years ago. The last couple of years of his life, Magnus loved to ride his bike. Last winter the family felt they wanted to do something to commemorate their son and brother. So they decided to start a road racing team - Team Magnus, a team that raises money for cancer research under the slogan :"Cycling for Life". Now more than 40 people at all levels, including Jens and myself, have joined the team.

Ready for Church

Egon has a cold so he and I couldn't go to Church this morning. As the others got ready to go I realized (again) that I have the cutest family!


Alvin and Ivar wanted to wear the new shirts and ties that Grandma and Grandpa Rydgren bought for them in the States last week. Thank you Wal-Mart!



Lovisa also got a really cute outfit from the States. Here she is with her precious daddy! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the clothes. And for my handsome husband.

Ladies' lunch

Yesterday Lovisa and I had lunch together after going to "Storytime" at the library. I wish I could do more things like this with just one of the children. (Egon was asleep in the stroller...) We had such a good time!

The circus is in town

Last Saturday we all went to the circus! The kids were so excited since they had never gone before. Outside the rain was pouring down but that didn't matter! They had such a blast! They especially enjoyed the clowns and the little dog that could ride a horse. The cute girl to the left in this picture is Nellie. She has been staying with us every other weekend for the last two and a half years. She has become part of our family.


Egon enjoyed himself, although I don't think he realized he was at the circus...

Fall has arrived with a few changes...

Alvin and Ivar started school on August 18th. What a big day for our little boys! They had been looking forward to this day all summer and I thought they were going to be really nervous when it finally arrived. But they weren't half as nervous as their mom. Things have been going really well for them and they love going to school every day. Their school is no more than a 5 minute walk from our house, so that's convenient! They do dancing, art, reading, writing, music, English, maths and gym. Since the school is located right by the forest, they get to spend a lot of time there. I love the way they come home every day and teach me things they have learned at school. They are big boys now. Where did time go?



A week later, on August 25th, Lovisa started Preeschool. She got the same teachers Alvin and Ivar had, so she knew them well. Lovisa has been wanting to start Preeschool for a while now and she was so excited to finally get to go. It was more emotional for me. I'm so used to having her at home with me, I miss her when she's gone. But I know she's having a great time, so I'll need to get over it! And besides, she's only there three short days a week.



In the meantime, Egon enjoys having mommy all to himself. He loves to "help" with the household chores.

Today is a great day to start blogging!

I've been putting this off for so long! The first post of my blog! I've been trying to figure out what to write in it for so long, I just decided to write SOMETHING and get it over with! Blogging seems to be a science of its own, and I will have to figure it out as I go along. So I guess I'll click on "Publish Post" and get on with it!