Playing house

Today Lovisa wanted me to play house with her and Egon. I got to be the mom, Lovisa the daughter and Egon the little brother... I asked her what she wanted me to do as the mom and she said: "Well... clean, cook, wash the clothes... You know what to do!" What an exciting life I must be leading in the eyes of my little girl!

Birthday tulips

Tulips are my favourite flowers. Especially red ones. These were from Jens on my birthday.

Dressing up

Egon loves to dress up. If nothing else he always walks around the house in someone else's shoes, rubber boots or - his favourite - Lovisa's black shiny Sunday shoes. When he's wearing those, he walks with tiny steps and puts his feet down really hard - almost as if he is tap dancing. He loves the noise they make...


He wanted to wear Lovisa's princess dress one day. I could hardly get him to take it off when it was time to go to school to pick up the rest of the kids! He kept saying: "tool tlännin", "cool dress" in his baby Swedish.


A couple of days ago he walked into the kitchen looking like this! He had found one of the old play wigs. About ten seconds after this picture was taken, Lovisa pulled it off, and he started to cry!

Baking Buddies

Just thought I'd post a few pictures of Lovisa and Egon baking raisin rolls. I have no picture of the end result. But the fun part is making them, right?

Lovisa's cute toothless grin! She loves her lady bug-apron.

She is such a good baker. She even knows how to make the rolls round.

Egon is having a moment here. He is so happy to help!

He loves to bake and he really gets into it.

Egon made this one. One day his rolls will be round too...

The national Semla-day

Tuesday, February 23, we celebrated Fat-Tuesday here in Sweden. It is our word for Shrove Tuesday, the day preceding the first day of lent. The only reason Swedes remember Fat-Tuesday nowadays, however, is because this is the day when we eat "Semlas". A Semla is a sweet bun spiced with cardamom and filled with almond paste and whipped cream. Of course, some people start eating Semlas after Christmas and eat them well into March.

We decided to have them for Lovisas family birthday party last monday. We thought it would be easy enough for her to eat, and it was after all the day before Semla-Day!


Lovisa couldn't wait until her princess party to dress up as a princess...


Egon is enjoying his Semla!

In loving memory of two front teeth

The day after Lovisa's 4th birthday, she went to playschool. She usually doesn't go Fridays, but she really wanted to bring a cake to playschool to celebrate her birthday. At about 9.30, one of her teachers called and told me that Lovisa had had an accident and hit her mouth. They said that she had a fat lip and that they couldn't really tell whether or not she had hit her teeth. I called the dentist and they said that we could come, but that we didn't need to get there right away. So after talking to Lovisa, who by that time was happy again and really wanted to stay and have her cake, I decided to take her to the dentist and have her teeth checked out in the afternoon instead.

When I came to pick her up, I immediately noticed that her two front teeth were pushed in. I hurried to the dentist, crying, feeling so guilty for not having taken her immediately. The poor thing! The dentist tried to comfort me, saying that they see these things all the time, and that they usually don't have to do anything about it. She told me that they were going to do an x-ray of her teeth and that we would probably be able to go home and wait for a few days, to see how the teeth would react. But as they tried to get her to bite down on the exray thing, they realized that she couldn't get her bottom jaw behind the front teeth. That's how far they were pushed in. The dentist then consulted a collegue who determined that there was nothing they could do. The teeth had to go.

I had to go behind the chair so that Lovisa couldn't see me cry. I asked if it would have made any difference if I had brought her in sooner, but she told me that it absolutely wouldn't. That comforted me a little bit.

Lovisa got some kind of medicin that made her really tired. They said that it would help her forget the pain and discomfort of having the teeth pulled out. After that they numbed her gums and then pulled the teeth out. Just like that. I had to sit and hold her hand and smile and tell her what a brave girl she was being while all along I was having to try really hard not to burst into tears again. It was so awful to see her scream and cry like that.

She got to keep the teeth in a red little container. She was so proud of them. Then she got to pick out a toy from the box. She picked out three rings. I told her how proud I was of her and how big she looked now that she had lost her front teeth.

As it turns out, Lovisa has handled the whole thing extremely well. The only thing that upset her was that we had to postpone her princess party two weeks, until she can eat normal food again. But this Saturday the two weeks are up and she is finally having the party!

I, on the other hand, was pretty traumatized by it and have really been grieving those pretty front teeth. It may seem silly, since they were baby teeth but the thing is that Lovisa got her teeth really late, at 18 months, so she only got to have them for 2½ years and will probably be without for a few years. Good thing she looks just as cute without them! Like a lion cub, is what we tell her.

Before...

...and after.

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Lovisa's birthday

Thursday, February 19th was Lovisa's 4th birthday! What a big girl she is!



According to family tradition, we sang her the birthday song while she was still in bed, and brought her breakfast and presents.

We had given the children the day off from school and playschool. After breakfast, we took the bus and subway to Junibacken, a kids' museum on the island of Djurgården in Stockholm. At Junibacken you can see and experience characters and environments from the children stories by Astrid Lindgren and others. All the kids had a great day!

A beautiful story

Last November Jens and I attended the beautiful funeral services of a baby girl, whose family is dear to us. During the services a friend of the family read a version of this story. It offered such comfort and understanding of Heavenly Father's love for his children. It has stayed with me ever since.

The Silversmith

Some time ago, a few ladies met in a certain city to
read the scriptures and make them the subject of
conversation. While reading the third chapter of
Malachi they came upon a remarkable expression
in the third verse.
"And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

One lady's opinion was that it was intended to
convey the view of the sanctifying influence of the
grace of Christ. Then she proposed to visit a
silversmith and report to them what he said
on the subject. She went accordingly and without
telling the object of her errand, begged to know the
process of refining silver, which he fully described
to her.

"But Sir," she said, "do you sit while the work of
refining is going on?" "Oh, yes madam, " replied
the silversmith, "I must sit with my eye steadily fixed
on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining
be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver
will be injured."

The lady at once saw the beauty, and comfort
too, of the expression,

"He shall sit as a refiner and purifier
of silver."

Christ sees it needful to put His children into a
furnace. His eye is steadily intent on the work of
purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged
in the best manner for them. Their trials do not come
at random; "the very hairs of your head are
all numbered."

As the lady was leaving the shop, the silversmith
called her back, and said he had still further to
mention, that he only knows when the process of
purifying was complete, by seeing his own image
reflected in the silver.


-Author Unknown-

Nella Fantasia

In my fantasy I see a just world,
Where everyone lives in peace and honesty.
I dream of souls that are always free
Like the clouds that float
Full of humanity in the depths of the soul.

In my fantasy exists a warm wind,
That blows into the city, like a friend.
I dream of souls that are always free,
Like the clouds that float
Full of humanity in the depths of the soul.