Update and conception theory...

Right now my posts are few and far between. The last two weeks we have been staying with Jens' parents while our house has undergone some serious... remodelling. Due to water damage we no longer have a floor in our kitchen our hallway. I will post some pictures when I get a chance. I am so frustrated about not being able to live in my own house. This whole ordeal has made me realize how lucky we are to have a home of our own. That's really nothing you can take for granted. I'm also very grateful to my inlaws for their letting the whole gang move in with them. Hopefully we will be able to move back home in about a week. I would love to be able to spend Christmas in our own house...

On a happier note I have to share something Alvin said yesterday. We were driving in the car and the kids started talking about how babies are conceived. Alvin gave us a whole new idea of the process. "A seed falls down from Heaven and lands on the mommy's sandwich. And when she eats the sandwich the seeds goes flying down into her belly." Then he remembered that he had learned about it at school and that it didn't happen like that after all.

Happy Halloween?

Halloween is a fairly new tradition in Sweden, and one that I'm not extremely fond of. There's nothing cute about the Swedish version of Halloween. Not all kids go out trick-or-treating but those who do are almost all dressed up in scary costumes. The whole idea with Halloween is to be scary. Last year we kept our celebration to a family Halloween dinner, and that was our plan this year as well. But then Lovisa got it in her head that she was going trick-or-treating. She got out a paperbag and put on a princess dress. The dress was cute in and of itself, because, as you probably understand a princess is a rare sight when Swedes celebrate Halloween... Well, I guess I don't have to tell you that the dress made me give in to her and then, of course, Alvin and Ivar also wanted to go. The boys put on their skeleton costumes, the same ones they wore for our Halloween dinner last year... But they didn't want to go out without masks, and since we didn't have any I decided to paint their faces... When at last the three older kids were ready to go, Egon decided he was going with them. So we got out a wig and a bathrobe and made him into a little...man, very similar to the Easter-look previously posted... Keep in mind: it took about 15 minutes from the decision was made until the kids and I were ready to go. With a little more planning, we will probably do a lot better next year because I guess Halloween is here to stay.



When we got back, Jens had made dinner: The Italian dish "Uovi al purgatorio"- "Eggs in Purgatory". We thought that would go along well with the general ambience of Swedish Halloween... What it is is eggs in a meet sauce that you eat with thick slices of bread. It sounds weird, but it's really tasty.

So, Happy... or should I say Scary Halloween!

The newest addition to the Rydgren family

In September Jens and I came accross an add on the internet with a picture of these two baby rabbits. The owners were giving them away for free, and even though we had decided to wait a little with getting the kids a pet, we simply couldn't resist them. We let Alvin and Ivar name the black boy-rabbit, and Lovisa got to name the beige girl.



The boys picked the same name they always do, for teddy bears and when they play house: "Teo".


Lovisa named the girl "Emilia". We tried to get her to pick a different name because she kept forgetting what she had named her. But she insisted. So Teo and Emilia it is.


And this is how happy Egon is about his new buddies!

Happy moments

So I guess some of you may be wondering where I've been lately... I've been really busy! Between the family, school and everything else that makes up my life, I've had little time to get my thoughts organized enough to get them down in my blog. But in between all of the musts and needs, there are many happy moments worth remembering, so I'm going to write a few of those down.

The other day Alvin stood in front of the mirror looking at himself up and down as if in awe. Then he said: "I've never been this tall and handsome - and I'm only six years old!" (His original words in Swedish were: "Jag har aldrig varit så lång och ståtlig - och jag är bara sex år!") My little boy is starting to realize that he is growing up...

Lovisa has always been very helpful, especially around the kitchen. Lately, she has started making lunch boxes for Jens as soon as we have some left overs, which is good, because we do try not to throw away food. The other day we were in a hurry so Lovisa, Egon and I had oatmeal for lunch. I know that's sad, but what makes it even more sad (and really funny at the same time) is that after Lovisa had finished, she took out a lunch box and scooped up the about five spoon fulls that was left in the pot and put it in the fridge. I don't think I need to add that it never was eaten.

One Sunday at Church, Alvin and Ivar got a lollipop from a cousin. They really enjoyed them, but Lovisa, who didn't get one was very upset and lay crying on the floor. So Ivar ate a couple of bites off his lollipop and then gave the other half to his little sister. I thought that was a really unselfish thing to do, and I was so proud of him.

2-year-old, Egon felt Jens' chin and asked: "Do you have a beard?" ("Har du skägg?") Jens said he did and that he needed to shave. Egon put his little hand on his own cheek and said: "I'm smooth. I have shaved." ("Jag är len. Jag har jakat mig.")

Today Jens and I were listening to Spotify on the computer. I got nostalgic and put "Now that I've found you", a really cheezy song with Michael Bolton, that we danced to at our wedding. So we started dancing in our small guestroom/office. Lovisa came in and Jens picked her up and danced with her. It was such a sweet moment, and it made me appreciate all of the blessings, especially the four little people blessings, that have come into my life since Jens and I met almost 9 years ago.

Cute question

Lovisa is such a cute little girl! Tonight, as I lay beside her in her bed for a little while, she turned to me and asked: "How many grandchildren would you like to have when you grow up?" What cute question! And how nice to know that I don't need to grow up until I'm a grandma! I was starting to feel a little bit worried about the fact that, as a mother of four, I still don't feel like I've "grown up"...

Lovisa is always talking about how many children she wants to have. The latest number was 90. I think she has about 15 names picked out already! It always makes me smile when she talks about her childbearing future, but I try not to discourage her. Life and biology will do that all by themselves. I just think it's great that she thinks that being a mother is something that great to her! It really is the best job in the world!

Blueberries

Our adventurous trip to Öland part 2

The day we arrived at the camping site was a sunny day! How promising! We met up with my sister, Merit and her family, who were spending time at her husbands family's summerhouse on the island. We starting putting up the tent, which took a little while, since it was the first time we did it... As we were working on that the sky got darker and darker, and pretty soon the first drops of rain started coming down. As soon as the tent was up it started raining for real! And it kept on raining... Pretty soon the rain turned into the worst thunderstorm in years on the island... Water started flooding the tent, but luckily the part of it where we were going to sleep remained dry.
The rain continued the next day, and we started to wonder what we had gotten ourselves into. Six people in a tent in lashing rain?!
The following day it started to clear up and the whole camping idea didn't seem so bad after all.
We spent the week swimming in the pool and in the sea, playing in a huge playground, visiting rock formations on a beach, playing beach volley ball and spending time with some friends, who were there the same week. It did rain some more, but we really enjoyed ourselves, and Jens and i were pretty darn proud of ourselves for having pulled it off!

Our adventurous trip to Öland part 1

This year we decided to do something we've never done before. We packed our car and headed down to Öland for a week in a tent! What an adventure that turned out to be! To sum it up in a few words: car breakdown times two, seeing old friend, rain, rain, rain, sun, and lots of fun! So let me back it up for you. One sunny thursday morning, only about an hour and a half after the scheduled (or at least hoped for) departure time, we started what we thought was going to be a seven hour trip down to Kalmar, including potty and food breaks. I wish we had taken a picture of the car with all of our stuff crammed into it. We felt pretty good about ourselves as the car rolled down the hill...until it stopped after about five minutes and wouldn't start. We had to get Jens dad to tow us to the nearest garage to get it fixed. About an hour later the mechanic got it started again, without even knowing what he had done. We were happy to be on our way again and not having had to pay for the sort-of-car-repair. After that incident, the drive went smoothly. The kids were pretty happy and we didn't have to stop too many times. Then about twenty minutes from Kalmar the car broke down again and there was smoke coming out from underneath it. We were stranded at a bus stop and had to call my friend, Ragnar, who we were going to stay with for a couple of nights. Luckily, he had access to a minivan and was able to pick us up. After that he and Jens took the car to another garage. As it turns out, the car hadn't been fixed at all the first time, and I consider it a real blessing that it made it almost all the way to Kalmar! The kids were such good sports through the entire ordeal. The whole thing really seemed to be one big adventure to them. We got the car back friday afternoon, right before they closed and were able to drive it to the camping site on Öland the next day as planned...

In the meantime we spent the Friday enjoying beautiful weather in Kalmar in the company of our friend, Ragnar. We went to a playground/farm where the kids ran around for hours. Ragnar bought us all ice-cream! Thanks again for that!

Hold the presses!!

After several days of eating difficulties, bleeding gums, and emotional turmoil, Alvin lost his front tooth, last Friday, July 4th at approximately 3:30 PM.
The proud 6-year-old comments on the event:
"I'm going to have mommy teeth now!"

Dressing up

Watch out for the hairy Spider Girl!


And her little less hairy Spider Brother.

Mommy's little angel...

Notice the skirt...!

Mom and son date

We have a reward system in our house, where the kids collect marbles in a jar. Every time they help out around the house, or do other nice things that require a little effort, they get to put a marble in their jar. When the jar is full they get do chose an activity to do with mom or dad.

A week or so ago it was Ivar's turn to chose an activity and he chose to go miniature golfing with me!



We had a lot of fun, and Ivar really did great for not having played before. I, on the other hand, didn't do so well. And it wasn't just to be nice to Ivar either...

Finally summer!

After a few weeks of cold weather summer finally arrived! We rode our bikes to a lake nearby and the kids went in for the first swim of the year. The water was pretty cold, but they enjoyed it nonetheless. Lucklily we have had some really warm weather for a while now, and the lakes have warmed up enough for me to get in the water!

Egon has turned 2!

On June11th our baby Egon turned two! Where did time go?
Egon is such a sweet little boy. He has the cutest smile that makes my heart melt. Egon is always up to something and rarely has time to just sit still. He loves to play with his brothers and sister and enjoys "helping" his mommy in the kitchen... He is very affectionate and loves to cuddle and kiss for a minute or so, before a new adventure calls for him. At the same time he is an extremely strong-willed child and gets very upset when he doesn't get his way. He is great with balls and learned how to kick a soccerball as soon as he could stand on his own. This is a talent he did not inherit from either his mom or his dad...
Egon is a happy little boy and I really can't imagine what life was like before he came along. I'm so glad he did! Happy birthday, Egon!


Egon was so excited to get a soccerball for his birthday. Nothing could get his attention away from it...

...although the red wheel barrow came pretty close!

School's out, in case anyone didn't notice...

I really have some catching up to do, but I thought it would be nice to post some pictures of the kids' last day of school...

First off, we have Lovisa. Her playschool had an outdoor worknight/show. All of the parents helped out around the front yard, painting, planting, cleaning, and building new toys. Of course, we had our hands full just chasing after our kids. Oh, well... At least we were there!



But the food was good... This was probably the only time they were all gathered in one place.





When the work was done, the kids sang some summer songs for us. Lovisa did really well. I can't believe what a big girl she has become.


For the boys last day of school, their class, The Hedgehogs, put on a show for us. I was amazed at how much the boys sang. They have a tendency of getting distracted when they are supposed to sing in front of a large group of people...


These are The Hedgehogs, a class of 24 6-year-olds. This fall they will split up into three classes of 1st-2nd and 3rd graders. Alvin and Ivar will be going to different classes. Alvin will belong to The Squirrels and Ivar to The Mooses... I hope we are making the right decision. It has been a difficult one to make. I think it will be a good thing for them to go to different classes. Finally, their teachers will get their names right the first time. And the boys will be able to stand on their own two feet and have friends of their own. They are so different and they are good at different things. This way they won't be able to compare themselves to each other all the time. And if it doesn't work out, the teachers have assured me that they will move them back together.

I thought it was so cute, the way Lovisa took care of her little brother during the performance. It actually made Egon sit still for four or five minutes before he ran off again. He is such a restless child...


Our two big boys with some of the things they have been working on this past year. They deserve their summer holidays!