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!

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.

Maundy Thursday

In Sweden, Maundy Thursday is a fun day for the kids. They dress up as witches, chimney sweeps, or easter men and go around knocking on doors. At every door they hand over an easter card that they themselves have drawn, and in return they get candy for their easter eggs. Although I can't remember my candy ever getting as far as the actual egg...

This year, in lack of better outfits, the boys dressed up as cowboy easter men. It's all about being flexible, right?



Here's a picture of the gang, before they went knocking on doors.

They looked so cute!

The first door. They were all very excited.



This is the candy they collected. They even got a carrot. What amazed me the most was not the fact that they got a carrot instead of candy, but that they were excited about it!

A few days later, Egon walked up to a house in our neighbourhood and rang the doorbell. He kept saying "jinga dodis", "ring candy"... The poor child! How was he supposed to know that you can't do it every day?