Biking in France

At the end of May, Jens and I got on the plane to spend a week road biking in the French Alps with 12 other team members. We left Alvin and Ivar at their cousins' house and Lovisa and Egon at Grandma and Grandpa Rydgren.


I seriously couldn't have asked for a better trip! The weather was great, the food was great, the company was great, and the biking... oh, the biking was AWESOME! We climbed mountains on those bikes! Hills I would never have thought I could climb. And when we got up there, the view was incredible!

In all honesty, the biking wasn't enjoyable all the time. It was really hard work. And it wasn't risk free either. Going down a hill, Jens went down and broke his collarbone. For the second time in three months! Luckily, it was on the last day of riding, so he didn't miss out on any biking on the trip. But he will be unable to practice for at least a month from the time of the accident.



While we were down there I got to practice my French, since a lot of people didn't understand English very well. What a great feeling it was to be able to make myself understood! It gave my French-speaking-confidence a well needed boost!

Biking in the Alps taught me a couple of things. It taught me that a soar back doesn't have to stop me from doing something I love. It taught me that you can do just about anything if you put your mind to it!

During the trip, Jens and I got to spend some time together without having to worry about the messy house or the laundry or the kids' fighting. Being away from the sometimes" groundhog day" kind of life at home was good for us. I missed the kids so much, but I knew that they were having a great time away from their "groundhog day" kind of life too..!

When we got back after a week, I could hardly wait to see them again! Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

Double the fun - double the frustration

Being a twin must be such a blessing. To always have your best buddy right there, by your side. To have someone who's closer to you than anyone else. Including your mom...
At the same time it seems like it is also very difficult. Alvin's and Ivar's relationship is very up and down. One minute they are hugging and holding hands, and the next they are crying and screaming and strangling each other. I guess that is a part of finding their own identity and claiming their territory.

For the most part though, they are best friends. I remember once when they were only a year old and I was pushing them in the stroller. It was freezing outside and we were on our way home when I realized that Ivar had lost one of his mittens. Alvin looked at his brother, and then he took off one of his mittens and gave it to him.

Another time, more recently, the boys were fighting. Alvin was hurting Ivar really bad, and I got mad at him. After a little while, Ivar came up to me, all teary eyed, and said: "I wish Alvin would stop hurting me." I said that I did too, thinking that he meant that he was tired of getting beaten up. But then he said. "Because when he does, you get so mad at him." Even when his brother hurt him, he felt bad for him when I got mad.

I remember one more occasion when the loyalty between the boys became very apparent. We had been having dinner, and all of the kids were going to have ice cream sticks for dessert. Alvin started misbehaving and after a few warnings, he had to leave the table without ice cream. Even though he could understand why his brother couldn't have an ice cream stick, Ivar couldn't eat his. That's how loyal they are towards one another.

Being the mom of twins is an adventure. It really is double the fun. But also double the frustration.

Spring pictures.

Gratitude

The other day, I came across this short clip of a talk by Elder Henry B. Eyring, one of the apostles of our church. It really touched me. If I look carefully at my life, I don't think one single day has gone by where I can't see the hand of God reaching out to me or to one of my loved ones. Not just in the big things in life, but in the little things as well. Often I can see the hand of God reaching out through a friend or family member. Someone who knows me and my needs or simply feels inspired to reach out a helping hand. I have learnt that when I stop and think about ways in which I have seen God's hand in my life, I am able to more fully appreciate His presence and His love for me. If there is one thing I want my children to learn, it is this.