IN 'N OUT

A whole lot of that....

2012-02-12T15:06:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a while since the last post. Actually, I haven't been good at all about updating my personal blog at all these past few months. It's partly because of this new project. In case you don't know, I just started a new blog, called This Little Street, to share the little treasures that I find around the web. Handmade goodies and beautiful products made by small companies that care. So if you haven't checked it out, head over to This Little Street and let me know what you think :)

So anyway, new projects are fine and dandy, but I shouldn't let the personal stuff down - it's important to me. So I've committed to writing on this blog every Monday. No excuses allowed. That's it. And I hope you'll hold me accountable for it!

********************************************************
Alright, now to the good stuff - because there's been a lot of good stuff in between the intense blogging of the past few weeks.

Like braving through the cold cold weather to get to the park with the girls. We've got two movers in the ~~itsy-tiny appartment~~ house now, so we need new territory to explore any time we can :)

Olivie still wants to wear the hat that I made for her when she was a baby. It's obviously not too small for her now. Not at all. :)

This is my view of Madeline 90% of the time, escaping for new adventures as fast as she can. Good thing mama started going to the gym again so that she can catch up with the runner of a little girl ;)

And then, when we get too cold, we run back home and do a whole lot of cuddling up in the bed.

And we read stories. And tickle. And giggle. A whole lot.

Madeline got her first tooth! See it?

We watch snow fall, and stick our hands out to feel the tickles on our fingers. Oh Olivia got SO excited.

And when we're all warm again, well....we start over, and go back outside and play.

And you probably guessed what we do when we get too cold? Yep, a whole lot of that....

Have a great week, my friends!

xoxo, Audrey

Celebration

2012-01-16T17:35:00.000-08:00

Somedays I don't like that Olivia was born a couple of weeks after Christmas. But in a way, I love it too. Because it's like the celebration and spirit that we have all of December gets an extra kick. Gloomy January isn't so gloomy anymore.

We put up all sorts of colors in the house.

We blow balloons.

We ~~bake~~ buy cakes.

We have friends over.

Our home is happy as can be.

So is our little girl.

And we made it last, for as long as we can. Starting on Friday morning, we had hot cocoa, facetimed with farmor and opened presents, all at the same time. Olivia got a bicycle, it was love at first time. She's can barely manage to get up on it herself - and we've told her many times what the pedals are for, without much success- , it doesn't matter. "Mig, mig, mig" (me me me) she says pointing at it. Yup, it's hers, all hers, and she knows that.

On Saturday all of her friends came over. You'll tell me, how many friends can a 2 year-old have? Well, turns out, she's quite popular this little one. Of course Maddie was here, and also Ella, Lola, and her friends Isaac and Nia. We had a full house.

We opened Olivia's present, and I will remember this for a long long time: Olivia got a barbie doll, and as I was opening it, all the little girls came around me, and looked at me with their eyes so so big. It was like I was holding gold in my hands. I wish I could have taken a picture of this.

Before Olivia's birthday, I asked people who are close to them one question "When she grows up, Olivia will..." and noted their answer. And for her birthday, made this giant poster, wrote down their answers, and the people who came to the birthday also got to add to it. I'm planning on doing this every year for each of my girls, hopefully that can inspire them and show them that they can be anything they want to be when they grow up. You can't see all of the answers on the pics (and some of them made it to me after I took this pic), but they are all on the poster, which I am keeping for my little Olive.

The rest of the weekend was more chilled out but we still had a blast. Madeline is starting to crawl, and play on her own, and play with Olivia more. Which makes Olivia happy. Most of the times. Except when Maddie goes for the dolls. Then Olivia comes to her sister saying "Non Madeline! Attention!". The joys of sharing, in the theaters near you very soon :)

2

2012-01-13T11:58:00.000-08:00

My dear little Olive,

How in the world are you already two? It seems just like yesterday that I was finding out that you were going join us. Now you're all grown up, we can even put your hair in pig tails. You look so much bigger with them....so how I love to sometimes just keep you with your hair all messy after you wake up in the morning :)

You've brought more joy and smiles to our lives than we could have ever hoped for. And high heel shoes. And hand-bags. yes, turns out, at barely two, you are already quite the little lady :) I reckon you will be a shoe designer when you grow-up. Or maybe a singer on Broadway, since you like to dress up and sing so much. We'll just have to make sure to save up some money for some singing lessons ;)

I can't wait to spend this coming year with you and go on many more adventures together.

Love you to the moon and back,

Mama

Give them cake

2012-01-07T17:22:00.000-08:00

We were getting close to Olivia's birthday while on vacation in France, so we decided to have a cake on the last day we were there before taking our train for Paris. And I am so glad we did. We didn't get to celebrate her 1st birthday with my parents last year, and who know where we will be next year....So this year, we got to do that. I am all about living in the present these days. Maybe because of this book I am reading, called "Today matters".

Anyway. It was good to celebrate. And that means more cake for her. More cake for me. Everybody is happy. Marie-Antoinette would approve.

In her presents, Miss O got (yet another) pair of heels, this time pink ones, from my sister. Between these and the red princess heels she got from Ditte at Christmas, there's is not way not to know it: she is a GIRL. Soryy hubby, your hopes that Olivia would be a tom-boy and play football with you are now forever crushed :)

This year is going to be...

2012-01-01T18:17:00.000-08:00

the best year ever. I just know it. Happy New year everybody.

60 years together

2011-12-28T11:45:00.000-08:00

I hope someday this happens to Troels and me.

Over the christmas holidays, Troels' grand-parents celebrated 60 years of being married together. When I look at that number I just think, how in the world is that possible. To be with someone for so long, and still love each other the way Ib and Betty do.

To celebrate the occasion, Ib bought Betty a bouquet of 60 roses.

I hope someday this happens to me :) (take notes, my dear little hubby :))

As per the Danish tradition, we got up early in the morning to wake them up by singing a few traditional songs at their window. And we added a couple trumpets to that. To be fancy. And also, let's face it, trumpets are easier to hear when you start getting old :)

And I also hope that when I am their age, I know how to throw together a party the way they did :) It was great to spend the evening with all of their friends and family, hear stories about their life.

A little video of a surprise their friends did for them:

I wish you many more years of happiness together, Ib and Betty!

All I want for Christmas is....

2011-12-26T11:29:00.000-08:00

...happy moments spent with family.

Sitting around the table with family, drink tea, and eat LOT. LOTS. LOTS. of cookies.

Like watching Olivia play the piano with her farmor.

And decorating the Christmas tree. We found some pictures of daddy when he was young on the way :)

And listening to Troels' grandpa read the traditional H.C. Andersen story on Christmas eve.

Watching the kids try and catch each other.

Going around the Christmas tree while singing Christmas carols.

See, Santa, I really wasn't asking for much this Christmas :)

I want to talk to you about something serious...

2011-12-22T18:29:00.000-08:00

Olivia. Age barely two. Is very picky when choosing her books. Here seen with her favorite of all time, about the situation in Kosovo. If she doesn't make it to Harvard, I don't get it.

Photos (and book) courtesy of my mother -in-law :)

December

2011-12-05T20:14:00.000-08:00

It's December. And somehow, the leaves are still golden in the trees. So we shall run around and roll ourselves in the leaves for as long as they will last.

But it IS December. Golden leaves or not. Which means that we can't ignore the obvious: time for some Christmas bling around our place. oh how I love Christmas, it makes me feel like a little girl inside. All those memories of previous christmases. All that joy. It's here, it's now, and it ain't gonna go away until the 25th.

It fells even more special this year, now that we have these two little girls in our home. In our hearts. Even more so than last year. And I am not sure why. Maybe because Olivia is this much bigger this year that she's actually starting to understand what's going on - yes, Santa's now her best buddy. Or maybe it's because with two kids, we feel like a "real family"....and isn't family what makes Christmas so great?

Whatever it is, I just love it, and I'm trying to enjoy every second of this month with my girls. Taking extra time to take a little detour to see the Christmas lights around the corner from our street. Making salty dough ornaments for our Christmas tree....and watching Olivia sneak up to the tree to try and get a taste of them ;)

*More photos of the little Olive by my lovely friend Soaz*

Stopping at a cafe to get some warm spiced cider and ginger cookies. Watching Olivia open little presents in the morning from her advent calendar.

Playing in the girls bedroom while listening to our favorite christmas tunes. It's all such a blessing.

Thank you for finally showing up, mister December. We're so glad you're staying with us for a little while.

For the time they are a changin

2011-11-29T19:47:00.000-08:00

Don't read too much into the title of this post, I'm not going to go all political on you :) If you know me, you know I am not really the kind....it's just that I've just been listening to this song quite a bit lately, after ready Steve Job's biography, and well, it's sorta stuck in my mind. I look around me, and it's all constant change.

Fall turning to winter before we have a chance to blink.

Little girls becoming big.

New challenges coming. New dreams forming. New hopes rising.

But amidst of those change, one constant: love & friendship.

People who will give to you, no matter what. No matter what. People that will make you travel the world. See the world. Love the word. And kick the world in the butt when it's not being fair.

And yes, the time, they are always a changin....but with those people around me, I have no doubt I can take it all.

*All pics in this post (except the last one) by my lovely Soaz*

A good day.

2011-11-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a good day. A great day actually. We planned our whole day around Olivia so she would have fun. Guess what, the adults got an even bigger kick out of it.

Starting with a trip to Toy'R Us in Time Square. Olivia was impressed. And running around the store looking at toys. Until she saw a walking giraffe. Then she started crying. I give her another year and she'll be chasing after that giraffe :)

BBQ for lunch = Daddy's stomach = Happy.

W went to Central Park to say hi to the sea lions and the monkeys. Olivia was there a few weeks ago with her daddy, and she just acted like she owned the place, telling us where to go and where to turn. With WHOAAAs here and WHOAAs there. She was so excited, she ran the entire time instead of walking.

Oh, and Madeline found her long-lost daddy.

And you know what? My little finger tells me that we had so much fun because this hot chick was there with us. Everything always more fun when she's with us :)

Did we have some tired little girls after that? Betch' ya! Was it worth it? Betch ya! Olivia didn't have a chance to nap all day, so the minute we jumped in the taxi, her eyes closed. But I'm pretty sure I can guess what she was dreaming about.

falls & thanks

2011-11-25T08:27:00.000-08:00

Time for fall and time for thanks. Knitted sweaters & little girls laughing. Leaves flying in the air and pumpkin spice lattes with friends. Enjoying the crisp sun outside on a cold day, knowing that soon we'll be inside looking at the snow fall on New York. Oh, how I love falls. Oh, how I love thanks. My favorite season of the year. It's like life slows down, just a tiny bit, to allow you to breath it all in and smile.

It's been extra special for us, because we've had family and friends visiting. Having the other people you love in your house just makes our new home finally feel like home. Having a cup of warm tea late at night with everybody around the table. See my mom play with the girl, and my dad read to Olivia.

And that turkey, did I mention that turkey? Oh man, did we eat. We have the best of friends, letting us crash their family Thanksgiving party.

So, here's to a great life. Because, through all the harder moments, the essence of it all is just oh so-very beautiful.

(the other) Maddie

2011-11-20T09:01:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned the other little Maddie before, Olivia's little friend. The girls have such a blast together, chasing each other, catching each other. I just love to see them play together, so her mama and I try to get together as much as we can so the girls can play. Going to the library readings, or to art and play.

Maddie just turned two, and her parents threw a hell of a party for her. Nicole owns a cupcake shop in Germany (where she's from).....so our sweet tooth got spoiled! There was a clown doing tricks, playing music for the kids who just danced their little hearts away.

Happy birthday little Maddie, I know Olivia is so glad to have her as her special friend!

Alors on dance....

2011-11-08T08:24:00.001-08:00

We got music in da house, people :D

I finally got something to hook up our ipods so we can blast some sound around the apartment. And that's just what we do. Olivia shakes her butt with daddy. We dance around the living room. I tell daddy to treasure these memories, for the day he dances again with them on their wedding day :)

Olivia likes to teach her baby how to dance - her favorite song to dance to with the baby is Justin Bieber's "Baby" song. Duh. Here's a video, not on Bieber, but still worth the look:

And she already understands the importance of having great shoes to shake it around the dance floor. Good girl :) Caught her in the act, stealing my shoes - her favorite thing to do these days, I usually find her in the entrance, trying every single pair of shoe she can find.

The fall weather has brought all sorts of funky moods with it around the house, but we ride the ups and downs of life with awesome music, crazy dances...and pretty sheos, oh yes :). Oh, and tea parties. Did you know that tea parties are just the best cheering up session? Madeline is already a big fan.

So long friends!

6 months

2011-11-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

My little love,

Six months already that you joined our little family, and all I have to say is, you are a little piece of perfection, everything I had hoped for in my little girl, and more. I can already see your beautiful little soul, even if we only get hints, and I am so excited to see you grow up. We all love you to pieces, especially your big sister - you might think she restles with you a bit much, but indeed, she's just trying to give you the biggest hug that she can. When we go pick you up from your nap, she looks at you in the crib and just laughs from excitement and jumps up and down because she know that you're here now. Then I pick you up, and you put your head against my cheek. We stand there, giving each other love. And I sing to you "I've got sunshine on a cloudy day". Because you see, you are my little ray of sunshine :)

Happy six months Maddie, and glad you haven't run away yet from this crazy family who made you move around the world when you were so little.

xoxo,
Mama

Here's to the crazy ones...

Little bit of Halloween

2011-10-31T13:52:00.000-07:00

I've had a great weekend. Cozied up at home for the most part, we watched the very first snow of the season fall on New YOrk city. Layed down on the couch with my head right by the window, and watch the snow fall as if it was going to fall right on my face. I love that feeling.

So we read books. Yep, can't beat the Teletubbies ;)

We played with cans.

And then, we had a little bit of Halloween fun too :) Nicole invited us to her building's Halloween party, and Olivia had fun running around with Maddie.

And our Maddie, well she didn't move quite as much. FIrst because she can't do much but roll for now. And second, even if she could, mommy got her locked up in the silliest lobster costume she could find :) Happy Halloween to you all!

Making friends

2011-10-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

It's funny sometimes, this little thing called life.

One day I am thinking "Man, I really need to get my act together and meet some mom friends so me and Olivia don't spend our time alone"

And there you have it, the day after I meet the nicest German woman, Nicole. Who has two kids the same age as Olivia and Madeline. And her older little girl is also called Maddie. Oh, and minor detail, Maddie and Oli actually love to spend time together - aside from the occasional slapping each other in the face when one has the toy that the other one wants. We're learning to share, people :D

So this was just a little post to say I am happy. New friends are good :)

Another day in paradise

2011-10-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

Read the title of this post with a little of irony, it won't hurt :) Granted that, the time I spend with my girls is the best and I love it...99% of the time. ANd I am sure if you look at the pictures below you probably think "What angels she has, what could she possibly be complaining about?". I know they are cute, these two, but don't be fooled.

Both have been sick for a while, so we're having tough night. Adding to that, we feel that Olivia is entering the terrible twos. She refuses to nap in the afternoon. And instead, decides to spend her nap time wisely by drawing with a purple crayon on the walls of the bedroom. And that lack of nap, well, maybe It led to a meltdown at the library on Wednesday. Yep, I was that mom, with the bratty kid rolling on the floor, screaming, kicking her feet. A lot of fun, I tell you :)

And I could post pictures of the purple crayon art. Or of the bratty kid at the library. I usually would. But today, let me be in denial, please pretty please? Just so I can look below, and just think "Ah, another beautiful day in paradise!".

Growing up

2011-10-23T13:27:00.000-07:00

There are a few weeks that are on my "wow-my-little-girl-is-growing-up" list. LIke most people, her first day at school. When she starts driving. When she goes to college. When she starts dating - please notice how I put that last....her dad prob won't let her date anyone until she is 40.

And then, there is the first day my little girl wore pigtails. Because yes, it's a big step for me. She is no baby no more. She is a little girl that can get her hair done. And she doesn't even say a thing when I do her hair. I was expecting screams, tears, pulling away from me... But no, she just sits there. She likes it. And that makes me love it even more.

So we took our big girl and her little sister to the playground. And I just spent the entire time watching my girl, thinking "wow-my-little-girl-is-growing-up".

And she is growing up to be such a loving little thing. I love to see her sneak up to her dad and steal a hug. Makes my heart melt every time.

And she helps me with my sewing projects. She is very focused. Very focused on making a big mess :) But hey, gotta start somewhere.

But please little girl - please, don't grow too fast, ok?

Keep it rolling :)

2011-10-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

Madeline rolled today for the first time. She's off to greatness, this little girl, I just know it :) Sometimes she looks at her pacifier for minutes, like she knows something we don't about it. Maybe we should start saving for Harvard :)

A guy's dream

2011-10-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

Waking up with more than one girl in his bed.

Girls dancing for him in his living room.

Seriously, what else can a guy ask for? :)

Once upon a time...

2011-10-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

a bit over a year ago actually, August, right after her baptism....that was my little girl.

Actually, that still is my little girl :) She still has the same adorable laugh.

Thanks Soaz for sending it to me!!!

Sick little girls

2011-10-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

It's been one after another. My little girls have been under the weather. Olivia has had a case of hands, foot and mouth disease - a virus she probably caught on the playground. And Maddie was just not feeling it the week after we got back from Denmark. All she wanted to do was curl up under the blanket, old my hand, and of course tell all of her worries to her teddy bear - she LOVES that bear, thanks again Valou for getting it to us :) She puts her arm around him like he's her oldest buddy. The cuttest thing.

Our little lion

2011-10-04T13:43:00.000-07:00

I have to tell you about the lion jacket. And yes, it had to be its own separate post. It's that special. :)

I usually don't splurge on things for the girls. I usually buy their cloths on sales, only buy toys after thinking for a while whether they need it or not. But when I saw this lion jacket by Little Goodall (check her store on Etsy), I had to get it for Olivia. As in, that was an absolute necessity, something we could not live without. Kinda like chocolate cherries have become one huge necessity for breakfast in our house :D I think you get the pictures.

Troels still makes fun of me for buying that jacket. But I know he loves the lion jacket just as much as I do. Maybe even more than me.

So now we have a little lion running around.

Scaring pigeons with a big roaaaaawwwww - daddy taught her :D

Scaring daddys.

And daddys running away from little lions.

And that alone, my friends, is just priceless :)

Denmark

2011-10-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

Some things work out quite perfectly. Like, walking in front of a doughnut shop and realizing wow, I almost didn't have anything for lunch, my stomach is growling. How perfect! Hehe. Kidding. More likely, I'm talking about having to go back to Denmark to go to the US embassy for your visa, and also get to celebrate the baptism of your niece.

We weren't there for very long, just a week, but thanks to the baptism we got to see everybody. Olivia got to play a lot with Maj-Britt and Mona. She likes to hang out with the big girls :)

And the adults also got a chance to play, lucky them. We played this game called Ego, where you are sked to answer questions (and people guess your answers) about, well, yourself. And nobody cheated of course. Nooooooooooo. it was great fun to be around the table with everybody, the kind of moment that makes me miss being closer to family.

On Sunday was lovely Malia's baptism. More quality time spent with the family. More food in the belly too :)

Congratulations Malia, we were so happy to be able to be there on your special day! Originally, Ditte and I had thought about doing the baptism for both Malia and Madeline together, so they would share that one day. But it was too hard to coordinate, with our visa still pending. Oh well, it would have been fun, but Madeline will get a baptism of her own soon.

And we also got to see our friends, love having playdates with you Clo and Pia :) The weather was, for once, absolutely lovely, with just a hint of fall on some days but mostly big blue skies. If you've ever experienced such a day in Scandinavia, you will know what I am talking about here.

We miss you, Denmark!

If I had the time...

2011-09-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

If I had the time, I would tell you all about the teething and the sleepless nights. About the days that feel too short to cross out even a third of my to-do list. And how I wish I could be a better friend. Or how I decide to finally jump in the cold waters and go for it. And about how much Olivia is turning into such a wonderful-of-a-mess, most-adorable (me, biased??) little girl. And how Maddie has found her feet and spends her time hanging out with them. And there is also our trip to Canada...so many words in my head, so many things I'd like to write about.

But you see, right now, time is one thing that somehow seems to escape before I have a chance to hold on to it. So until I find the time to tell you all about those other things, I'll just share these two pictures of my growing growing little girls. Because, if there is one thing I have time for, it is to tell my girls how much I love them. And how much I love their daddy.

pomme de reinette et pomme d'api

2011-09-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

We went apple picking. Yes, how very American of us. Because, you see, there's nothing like organized apple-picking in europe. If your uncle is a farmer and has apple trees on his farm, then you might go pick or or two. That's as far as it goes.

And when we arrived at the orchard, Troels and I looked at the full parking lot, looked at each other and grinched. We don't really like crowds, you see, especially in the countryside. And we thought "what did we get ourselves into with this apple picking business?!".

But turns out, if the parking lot was crowded, the orchards weren't at all. And we had a blast, running around, picking fruit with Olive and Maddie. Apples. Pears. Plums. I can still smell them.

The sight of rows and rows of tree gave me butterflies in my belly. I've always been a sucker for trees.

And so, it was so much fun, that Troels and I decided that we need to find ourselves some friends with an orchard. Might as well, right, if we're gonna do it every year :D So come on, friends, get yourself a little orchard - we don't need anything big, like, a field or two of fruit trees. Oh, and if you happen to own a vineyard too, that wouldn't be too shabby ;)

Happy birthday ma patate!

2011-09-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

Je t'aime trop trop trop d'amour ma Soaz. Vivement qu'on puisse fetes tes 30 ans ensemble :)

Remembering

2011-09-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

That tragic day. Will never forget.

Big girl, small girl

2011-09-08T08:31:00.000-07:00

I know they will always remain my littles girls. No matter what. that's not even up for discussion. But some days, they both seem so big to me. I wish I could just stop time. And then, the next minutes, they look smaller than I remembered them. It's like magic. Time is a funny thing like this. One day you want the kids to be big already so they can do things on their own, and the next minute wishing to get back to the day at the hospital when I first looked into their eyes.

All of the kids in NYC are going back to school today, and that made me feel weird. Made me think about the day, not so far away from now I know, when Olivia will have her first real school day. My baby girl. Reading a book on her own like she doesn't need her mama no more, and then the next minutes, reaching for a little mouse and her pacifier.

And my little Maddie. Getting too big too. Trying to grab her feet or anything that gets too close to her, for that matter. With a tiny little fists. Looking at the world with her beautiful big blue eyes. How I hate the lack of sleep at night, but how I love everything else about having a little baby girl to cuddle with.

And, it won't be the first or the last time that I say this, but I love. LOVE. seeing how they are getting closer and closer as sisters. Granted, their hugs look more like a wrestling match to me than anything, but they have their own thing going on and I just let them be.

Love you both to pieces.

Canadia

2011-09-06T07:41:00.000-07:00

That's how Troels likes to say it :)

He called me on Friday morning and said "We're leaving for Canada in three hours, pack our bags!" Well, mmmmm ok, yeah, like, Why? How? When? First thought that crossed my mind "OH NO! The US is kicking our pretty little butts out of the country!!". turns out, not. The US still likes us. It is just that our friends Y & Y invited us last minute to go celebrate Labor Day weekend in this little town a couple hours outside of Montreal. And, well, we're not really the type of people to pass on a trip with friends :)

Oh, and the best part of the weekend? It had a theme. As in a "let's-not-listen-to-people's-advice" kinda theme. Cut one. We want to go walk on a local bridge, claimed to be the longest pedestrian bridge in the world.

The people there tell us that it's going to be hard to get to it with a stroller, the path is quite narrow etc. But of course, do we listen? mmmm nope, I don't think so! SO there we go. And of course, the guys had to carry Maddie in her stroller almost the entire way. 2 or 3 miles that is. Not need for them to go to the gym after that one, hehe. But aside from that, it was a great little excursion, we played some music along the way. And some music was played to us. All was happy :)

Take two in our themed weekend. The day after we want to go up the gondola to go check out the view at the top of the mountain. We buy our tickets, go to the gondola, and here is how the conversion goes with the gondola guy that's there:
Gondola guy: "We don't take people anymore, it's starting to storm up there, too dangerous".
Troels: "we just bought our tickets. Are you sure you can't just let us go up and down? We won't come off the gondola"
Gondola guys checks with his boss: "Ok, you guys go, but don't come off at the top"

And of course, you know it, half way through our way up in the gondola, winds start picking up like crazy, there's lightning, rain pounding on the windows. We arrive at the top "get off now!!!! We're stopping the gondola right now, you can't go back down, go under the tent over there and we'll take you down with the pick up truck". Well. At least we can't say we didn't try to see the view! And, on top of that, we got a free trip in a pick up truck ;)

But moments like this make the best memories, among with the great (and some not so great) food, swimming at the lake, the wine festival, seeing the girls play together, watch postman per together....thanks for inviting us to Canadia Y & Y!

Surviving a hurricane

2011-08-29T07:20:00.000-07:00

Well. If we can call eating too many chips and cookies while a few drops fall outside surviving. All that hipe, and in the end Hurricane Irene barely grazed New York City. Not saying that it wasn't dangerous in other cities in the US, but New york barely got to feel its winds. To the disarray of all the reporters that had been called in for the special event, we had fun watching the news and seeing them try to make a big deal out of something that clearly was.

I even dressed up Olivia in her hard-core Danish rain clothes....all for nothing. Barely a puddle she could jump on.

And the day after, we went out to clean up, you can see Olivia was hard at working picking up the three leaves and two branches that feel.

Disappointment.

So instead, we decided to draw on the sidewalks, a much better use of our time :)

So long, Irene!

Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and other daily goodies

2011-08-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

They say anything can happen in New York. Everything is possible. And yes, one earthquake and one hurricane in one week? New York says BRING IT ON! It's like Mother Nature is trying to tell us something. Ee wanted our new adventure in NYC? Guess we're getting just that!

So between book readings at the library and play dates at the park, we're stocking up on non-perishable whatever-we-can-find and water, and try to come up with a plan that makes sense if the path of Hurricane Irene actually meets New York. Because, if the earthquake wasn't a big deal (it was over because I realized what was happening, my first reaction was "Silly me, I must have left a window open, the wind got in!"), it seems like the hurricane might be another story. Because as it looks like right now, Irene is coming straight for the Big Apple. Oh, and minor detail, our apartment building is in the area of Manhattan that's most likely to be affected by the Hurricane. Minor detail in fact. Our building is right next to the Hudson river, so as the water rises and the rain pours down, it's most likely to make a big pool out of the entrance hall. We're so good at picking the right neighborhood :)

All jokes left aside, it's all very weird. The sky is clear, the air is warm right now. You would never know that it's coming. I guess it's true what they say, about the calm before a storm. I took a walk with the girls this morning to get a few morre supplies. Everything looked normal. Well, almost. People were starting to pack up their cars and go. The water aisle at the grocery store is already empty. And I try not to panic. "I'm not that kind of girl, I can't panic" I keep telling myself. But I can feel my heart stomping, stomping hard. No no. No panic.

So, now it's just a waiting game between Irene and us. See what she decides to do. Right now, the evacuate of Battery Park is only voluntary. Mayor Blomberg will decide by 8am tomorrow morning ih he makes it mandatory. If so, we'll go spend a couple of days with our friends that live in areas of Manhattan that are not threatened to flood.

We'll try to update you guys, if electricity allows, during the weekend. In the meantime, I'm gonna go have a beer, since this weekend is gonna be all about water :) And go give my girls a big big hug.

Three months

2011-08-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

Olive at three months. Maddie at three months. Two little dolls that I'm going to hang on the wall :)

Deported, Imported

2011-08-25T07:23:00.000-07:00

Ready. Set. Action.

Yes, we're back, friends :) It's been a long time. Too long for my own sanity. You see, this blog, it helps me stay sane. Flush out the good and the bad. Can't remember where I read "one photo a day keeps the doctors away". Couldn't be more true. Except for, I also need to write. I know a photo is suposed to be worth a thousand of words. But sometimes, words can also say things that pictures never will.

So we're back. On the blog. And in New York. But let me backtrack a little bit, because so much happened in Denmark before WE got ourselves deported. It just feels insane to think about all that has happened in the past month. I know it's my life, but when I look back at it, it sorta feels like a movie. Like, things are real, but not really. It's all so new. It happened all so fast.

Our last week in Denmark was great. And awful. Full of laughs. And tears. Happy and sad all in one. We took the time to chill on some days, but then paid up for it quite bad. But what I love about that week, is that we tried to enjoy family as much as possible. It's important, to say goodbye. Troels' grand-ma celebrated her birthday, and so we joined the entire family in Northern Jylland, away from suitcases, a messy house, ever-expending to-do lists, for a few days of hygge.

The kids had the most brilliant time, doing crafts, running after each other, going to the pool. Oh, and jumping in puddles. A LOT. Because, go figure, it rained. A LOT. Thank you, Danish summer, for allowing us to keep our sweaters on the entire time. I sure would have missed not wearing my rain boots also! ;)

But regardless of the bad weather, the area was beautiful. Long strolls on the beach with hubby and Olivia. Away from all the craziness that was awaiting back home in Nivaa.

OOOoooooooops. I fell. My butt is wet :D

Olivia is so curious about everything these days. I have a blast going around, showing her things, telling her about things. She looks with inquisitive eyes, look at us, and we can see it on her face: she's trying to figure it all out in her little head :) While in Jylland, we went to go see the windmills. She LOVES them. Cried her heart out when we had to leave. Oh, and we also tried to put her in a field of wheat, just to see how she'd react. Yeaaaah. She's didn't digg this quite as much as the windmills. That, she was crying to get out off :D

The girls also met their new little cousin, Malia :) She arrived while we were in France, and couldn't wait to see her. Welcome to this crazy little family, little Malia, we're so happy to have you with us! All I got to say is, Maddie and Malia Best Friends 4 EVER :D The little girls just hung out, fell asleep together, comforted by each other's presence. It was oh-so-sweet.

Back in Nivaa after this mini-vacation, it was complete C.R.A.Z.I.N.E.S.S. Days of packing, cleaning, sorting through our life. And still taking care of the girls. Waking up at night to feed Madeline. I don't think there was a time in my life when I was more tired then then. But I'd rather not think about that too much. All I have to say, thank papa, Jean, Steffen, and Hanne for helping us getting everything done! Couldn't quite have done it without you.

And the last thing we did once the house was all cleaned up, and the bags all packed (too heavy) and ready to go? Well, we enjoyed the family. Some more. Cause you can never do too much of that. We spend the last evening at Hanne and Steffen, and celebrate Tristan's and Troels' brithdays early.

Lovely lovely last day.

And we went off. Away again.

To New York. Where things make you feel brand new, there's nothing you can't do, dixit Alicia Keys. And it's quite true. I'd forgotten the energy of the city, how contagious it is.

The apartment is now starting to feel more like a home - more pics soon- and the girls are getting used to their new life. We're getting our routine together, I've getting the hang of having to take care of the two of them most of the days. Life is, let's admit it, quite good :) NOw, do I have time to myself????? mmmm I actually forgot what that's like - could you tell by how long it took me to update the blog???? :) I always look to my right, see one girl. Look to my left. See another little girl. And it's ok, I know things will come together, and I'll get time for me. Right now, I just want to focus on them little girls.

We go to the park. I show Olivia all these new things. The big buildings. The helicopters flying around. She looks with her big brown eyes. It's been too hot in New York, so we try to go to the park every day, they have big water fountains and Olivia couldn't be happier running around in the cold water.

Not fair. She's already better at skateboarding than me :)

Actually, it's been so hot, that the first few days we got here, Olivia would get into our half-empty fridge and try to hide in it like it was her little house. Hahaha. Yep, that was HOT! Now of only I could have taken a picture of that!!!!! Oh, and her latest thing: she takes handbags everywhere she goes. Like a little lady :D Yep, we sure do have a little girl!

And little Maddie? She's sweeter than ever :) Still has her big blue eyes - now I'm really really hoping she keeps them, and her beautiful red hair. She's getting bigger every day. And to top it off, I heard a beautiful little laugh for the first time on Monday :) That will have to make a video soon.

So, as you can see, we're alive. I would even say, we're doing great :) Now, granted, we're tired eh. But we're happy to be back. We have the feeling like so many more of our dreams are going to come true here. And hoping this holds true Hello New York.

Until the next update, friends, be good! :)

I'll be back

2011-08-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

I promise, I will. But not quite yet :) Not today. Probably early next week though :) The thing is, I've been avoiding it all. Answering emails. Updating my blog. Even taking pictures. Ok. Maybe not completely. I might have snapped at least a few recently ;) But with the move back to New York, things have been so all over the place, so rushed, so intense, so.....aaaahhhhhhhhh. Just so you can better understand, here is what our life looked like until recently.

This photo is actually courtesy of my friend Karen - her and soon-to-be husband Simon seem to be as crazy as Troels and me, they are planning a wedding for September. And a move to New Zealand in November. But I could have SO taken that picture of never ending lists of things to do :)

But now the move is done, and the to-do lists are gone. Mmmmm, maybe not. You know me. But at least they are hidden away under a pile of books I've been meaning to read and a bowl of ice cream. I just wanted to take a couple of weeks to do nothing but look around. Get used to our new life. Sip it in. And let it sink in. Oh, and the fact that half of my laptop screen has turned flashing blue on me was just the sign I needed to go with my decision :D

But don't worry. I'll be back with some good stuff :) Very soon!

My little helper...and some previews :)

2011-07-19T01:20:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, last week was busy, with three photo session. It had been a long time since Madeline's birth. So last week I had one session for two adorable little boys on Monday, then my friend Clothilde's beautiful bump on Wednesday, and on Friday one adorable new little man, Gabriel...only 6 days-new :) And my little Maddie, she just trucked along to almost all the session, a perfect little assistant she was :D Thanks my love for being so good and letting mama do her work!

I'll be posting the pictures from each session this week (and another session I've been meaning to blog for a while), so make sure to visit my photography blog this week. I'll start with Enzo and Sacha's session tonight....but in the meantime, here's a little preview from each session pour vous ouvrir l'appetit! :D

Enzo & Sacha

Clothilde's beautiful bump

Le petit Gabriel

A week, to remember....

2011-07-17T01:01:00.000-07:00

*....this day. It was two years ago, and going through all the pictures again this week, I felt it all again.The overwhelming amount of love. Words I will never forget. All that happiness from having friends and family with us. My girls in pink. The laughs we had watching a band of Danish boys rapping away to tell me "Give Troels a chance" - ok ok. I will. Twist my arm :)

And the thousands more wonderful moments.

*....what family means around here. My grand-mother invited us over the lunch on Bastille day, a perfect occasion to stuff ourselves with her yummi comfort food.

We spent a few hours just hanging out. Litteraly. We didn't speak much. We were just....there. Together. Enjoying the simple things. Taking naps. Spending hours looking at old pictures.

Taking breaks between courses to take a walk in Mémé's garden.

Looking at each other. Looking after each other. Four generations observing each other, learning from each other.

We may not always speak our love out loud. And that love, it may not always be easy. But we know it's there.

And sometimes, old stories that make you laugh or bring tears to your eyes come to the surface. Like last night when my dad told me the entire story of when my grand-father died. 38 years ago this week. My dad was 15 at the time and alone with his dad, away from home, when my grand-pa had his heart attack. I'd heard bits and pieces over the years, but last night was the first time I heard it all. Thanks daddy.

*....that I love what I've been learning this past year. And that is, snapping away with my camera :) I had three photo sessions scheduled this week. A new born session, another one for two little boys, and on Wednesday I also took maternity pictures of my friend Clothilde. She and Brieuc are expecting a little boys for the beginning of August.....here's just a little teaser Clo :)

It was a warm warm day, we drove all the way to their little house in Janze with the girls and made a girl day out of it. Had lunch in the shade of the back yard. Snapped away. Stuffed ourselves with crepes. Snapped away again. Went inside to escape the mid-afternoon summer heat and danced in the living room. Snapped away some more. And came back out to enjoy the late afternoon sun :) And that, my friends, is the definition of a perfect afternoon!

And I just spent my time this week thinking about how happy people were when I was done taking the pictures. What it means to them, to have these moments of their lives captured. I feel so blessed that I can do this for them.

*...of course, to be kids and enjoy the little things. Like an afternoon snack under the walnut tree. And making faces until our mouths hurt from so much twisting :)

Hoping you are all having a lovely weekend! Remember to enjoy the little things. And the people you love.

2 years

2011-07-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

And I love him more and more every day.

Fast forward

2011-07-08T06:09:00.000-07:00

I started taking care of him he was little. Oh-so-little, only three-months new when I first saw him with his parents at the Epic Cafe in Tucson, when they interviewed me for the job. I was still a student at the U of A, and all my afternoons I spent with him and his brother. This little pig, running around the house :)

Fast-forward a few years. Here is my Nicolo-Rigolo. So much bigger. But as always, the sweetest of souls :)

The millers are visiting this week. adding a lot of chaos (as always with Cal and Nico) and a lot of wonderful conversations (as always with Brad and Lindsay) to our week. I really missed these guys, and it's great to be able to add to our pool of memories. Tucson seems so far away now, and yet. Ha, nostalgia again, didn't I tell you in my last post? :)

Funny thing is, Nico is now helping me with my own kids :) Pushing Olivia's stroller when we go feed the little ducks at the pond.

Such sweetness to watch the kids run around the lake. So many memories coming back to my mind. I just sipped it all in. And clicked on the shutter many times to make sure I didn't let these new memories escape.

Nouvelles rencontres

2011-07-06T04:18:00.000-07:00

When we come back home, it's usually always about good old this and good old that. Friends we had not seen in a while. Things I used to love to do when I was a a little girl in the village. Nostalgia beating me up from left and right. But last weekend, we spiced things up. Last weekend was all about new encounters.

New is good, we like new. Well....ok....maybe Miss O didn't think as much :D

On Saturday we took her to the hairdresser (and old friend) Alain for her very first haircut....noooot exactly to her liking :D If you asked her, she probably was happy with her hair just the way it was. Oh she was happy to play with the combs and brushed and million treasures she could find there, but she'd try to escape every time we got near her hair. Good thing Alain had tons of books to distract her! But hey, I have not doubt it will grow on her....before I know it I'll be complaining about the hundreds of dollars she'll want to spend getting the latest haircut to be cool like her friends :D So I'll take the complaining for now.

On Sunday, Soaz and mister R came all the way from Paris for a quick visit to the wild wild west. We had sportsy morning playing swingolf and pretending to be monkeys up high in the trees- itmight not qualify as sports to many of you....but it was more exercise than I've done in the last....mmm...century???.

All accrobranche pics by Sebastien Poullain.

After all that sweating and huffing and puffing, we came back home for well-deserved drinks under the walnut tree, a nice BBQ and chill time around the pool.

And another series of crazy pics with the girls. Like we didn't have enough from the previous weekend :)

My dad also had a great weekend, meeting new people, possibly new customers for his business. Lots of sparkles in his eyes. I think that right now, he has all he can possibly ask for. He is a happy man.

And this little girl. Always dancing. With a big smile on her face. Every time she ears the slightest hint of a melody. Even late in the evening when we've been out and about all day and she's getting tired. That's not new, oh no. But that, that is something that I will never ever get tired of watching.

Another great weekend to add to the ever-growing list of lovely memories we'll keep with us from this summer back home.

Family

2011-06-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

At first I wanted to name this post by what we did on Sunday. Like "Un-burying the coffin", or "Drink drink drink, dig dig dig". But when I think about last Sunday, all that comes to my mind is this: Family.

There's two kinds of family, the one that comes with blood, and the one that life throws at you . Oh you sure need to pay attention if you want to find that kind of family. But if you do, I promise you, it's oh-so-sweet. To me, that second family, it's the Poullains. I love these guys as much as Troels loves barbecue ribs - for those of you who know him, you'll know what that means :D hehe. jk.

So, on Sunday, we un-buried the coffin that we had buried before our wedding two years ago in my parents backyard. We decided to do this a bit last minute, so a lot of my direct family wasn't able to join. But the Poullains, they all managed, and that just made my day. And my Soaz was here also :)

And what a day we had. The perfect day for me. A big table all set up in the shade of a walnut tree under the big blue sky. Bright flowers on the table. And all these people I love so much.

Just chilling in the shade. Drinking (of course) a bit too much. Even Maddie as you can see :) Hey, can't blame us, it was hot out here!

Little kids running around and, well, being kids :)

Big kids running around and, well, also being kids :D

And grand-parents just being grand-parents.

Oh, and yes, accessorily, we also digged out the coffin :D

It was just pure laughter in the garden until the sun set.

My big brothers.

On days like this one, life seems so perfect that it almost feels like it's unreal. Like a movie. And I just can't believe my luck. Thank you, les Poullinos, for being my wonderful adopted family :)

Sim Sim's birthday

2011-06-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

We shouldn't have been invited to this party. Yet, we were. And I am so happy we were, because I'll remember that evening for a long time. Celebrating Sim Sim's birthday with his family was so much fun. An evening with old friends. An evening with great friends.

Playing games and chatting in the quiet streets of the village.

Taking too many silly pictures with my girls. Luckily we got one good picture of us in the lot. Well. I guess it's not really luck when you take a billion picture :D

Good food. Good wine. And a few laughs in between ;)

Some loud singing, like only French people can sing.

And then, this sweet little boy, who just turned four. His eyes filled with stars. I hope you made a wish when you blew these candles, Sim Sim, and that it will come true :)

On to new adventures

2011-06-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

When my father retired a few years ago, I didn't really think it would last long. Maybe a week. Or two. But I know my dad. Spending his days in a rocking chair smoking his pipe, not so much. And so, what did he decide to do instead? Of course, start a new business for one of the thousands ideas he's got in his head.

Friday night was the inauguration for Bois Chaleur Service, the new chimney wood company he is starting with my borther-in-law David, at my grand-mother's old farm. As my father mentioned in his speech, she would have been so happy to see all this life and activity at the farm. I miss her, hopefully she can see this from where she is.

It was a big party. A great party. My father had a smile on his face the entire time. He was so happy to have all of his friends gathered for this new beginning of his. Because, you see, not only are new beginnings possible. They are good. No matter your age.

Douce France....

2011-06-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

....cher pays de mon enfance. This songs comes to my mind every time I come back.

This is our first travel with the two little girls - not the last either- so we're trying to "strategize" as much as possible. Me with Maddie. Troels with Olivia. Talking on our phone with one hand, reading a story with the other, changing a diaper with the last. Wait. That's one hand too many. Ha. How I wish! And packing as tight as we can so we don't have to carry two hundred bags. So forgive me if I stink a little f=during the trip, it's probably because I ran out of clean clothes :D

And to think we used to complain about not having enough time to watch to good movies on the plane when we traveled alone :D We but hey, we made it to France in one piece, so hurray to that!

How sweet to be here, and this time for a bit longer than the usual 5 days where we run around like chicken without our heads, trying to fit more dinners and lunches and brunches and coffees than there are hours in the day. But not this time. Well, at least hopefully not :) hopefully we can go back to Denmark somewhat rested.

Look, we even have time to feed the donkey - how about that hey? :)

I've always wanted my kids to really know their cousins, have great childhood memories with them, so hopefully this will help. Olivia already loves Nils. Like, L.O.V.E. She gets the biggest smile on her face when she sees him. And that makes me oh-so-very happy.

But still, I think we're still boating one party a day. You know. Just to stay in shape :) Like celebrating my brother's birthday with yummi yummi champagne and chocolate cake.

Olivia has been enjoying the pool big time since we got here. Well, not at first. At first she kinda ran away from it. Guess she was too used to the 34-degree pool at the swimmix class. Spoiled little girl she is, she's no real viking you see :) No swimming in the cold baltic see for her, it seems like.

Anyway. She even pulled her kung fu moves on her dad. See.

But in the end she went in, and now she has turned into a little fish.

Sweet memories. Sweet France.

THE bicycle

2011-06-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

Olivia just fell in love. With the bicycle. She escapes out of the house anytime she can, and I find her crying by the bike because she's too little to go on it. All she wants is to go on the bike, even if we just ride in circles in the garden. It's her drug, she just needs a fix of it :) Even better is when daddy bibips and wrumwrums like it's a motorcycle. The grin on her face goes from ear to ear. And when we tell her it's over, that we need to go back in the house, my goodness. She. is. not. happy. Don't mess with her bike!

little father like daughter :)

2011-06-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

'nough said. Enjoy this little video :)

Dodo

2011-06-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

This is Maddie's new nickename. Olivia actually came up with it - you can't blame the little girl, she thinks her sister's name is dodo (kids' tlak for sleep in France) since all she does is pretty much sleep :) And let's face it, since dodo is actually much easier to say than Madeline, it didn't take her long to pick.

Do you like your new nickname, Maddie Spaghetti?

Suprise, Ditte :)

2011-06-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

A lovely brunch at Ditte's parents to celebrate her birthday.A few pictures to remember the lovely morning. And Ditte's now big-belly:) Come out come out Malia, we're all ready for you!

A day entre nenettes

2011-06-11T13:08:00.000-07:00

We've been busy, super busy. And it's been good all around.

Like hanging out with Pia and Clo. A whole day entre nenettes - well, Troels was technically there too, but the only place you could have found him was sleeping in the sun on the grass. So. Kinda like he wasn't there :) So it was us four girls running around in the garden, feeding the birds, eating some lovely Danish strawberry cake.

Oh, and we learned some important life lessons. Or at least we tried. Like, le bonheur c'est le partage, as my father would say. Happiness is sharing. Well, yeah. Mmmm, looks like, not according to these girls :D

And that's not the only thing that's hard to learn. Eating a yogurt, not as easy as one would think! Good thing though that Olivia came up with the perfect solution :D

At the end of the day, after the sun went down and the stars started to show, we read them stories, one pyjama-girl on each lap. The perfect end to a perfect day :) Thanks Pia for the lovely memories.

Dancing Queen

2011-06-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

Dancing. Probably her favorite thing to do. EVER. THat, and climbing on whatever she can find. I tell you, as soon as I can, I'm signing her up for gymnastics :)

the grand-parents take over

2011-06-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, there isn't much a mother can do. Especially against three grand-parents.

My mother spent the week here in Denmark, and the little girl learned how to get things her way quite fast. Mama says no? Oh well, I'll go see grand-ma, I'm sure she'll let me. Clever little girl. And even better, when we go eat at Hanne and Steffen's house. Ooohhhh, three grand-parents spoiling her. There was absolutely nothing I could do.

Sometimes, it's just best to surrender. Lean back, get a cold drink, a sleeping baby in your arms, and just enjoy the sun going down while your little girls fill up on hugs and love and kisses with their grand-parents. Skaaaaaaaal to that :)

And at the end of the day, I had one very happy, but very tired little mouse. Filled with all that love. Cuddling with her farfar. Sweet dreams my love.

All my senses

2011-06-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

I can fell it all. As in, everything that's around me. The colors of summer. The sweet smell of my baby's hair. The light breeze in my hair as I seat in the shade of our house, looking at the garden. I breath in, slowly. And again. I want to remember it all. I am not sure if summer is finally showing itself, or because I am alone at home with the little girl, and have the time to let it all sink in. But still, it amazes me, every time I look at her, it seems to me that she's different. I blink, and here she is, smiling at us - how did she learn this so far?

Oh sunny sunny days

2011-06-05T11:35:00.000-07:00

This long holiday weekend, we were supposed to do the responsible thing. Be real grown-ups that get their work done before they can play. We were going to cross of 100 things from our to-do list. Inside the house. In the garden. For us. For family.

But instead, we decided to say "screw it". And go a little crazy. And so we planned a weekend of travel. And fun. And ice cream (lots of it!!!). And hanging out with friends. And watching the sunsets - while drinking too much wine and beer for Troels though :) And you know what? Ha, I am SO happy we did! It beat being grown-ups by far! :D

So, ready for our marathon-weekend-of-fun????!

The festivities started on Wednesday quite rightly with a quick ice-cream trip to the harbor in Nivaa. A little girl with eyes SO big when she realized what treat she was about to get. Ice cream dripping on our chins. Can't beat that for a kick-off, now, can you?

Then Thursday night at Rasmus and Line's summer house. I'll let the picture speak for me :)

Followed on Friday by a road trip, zooom zoom zoom on the ferry to Jutland. We woke up early morning, left the girls in their PJs and hit the road.

And needless to say, that morning coffee on the ferry was more than needed - it's not like we get extra amount of sleep these days.....so waking up early on top of that. Well. 'Nough said. C.O.F.F.E.E!

In Jutland we met up with some of Troels' cousins and go and went on a long boat ride with his grand-parents, and had lunch on the water with them.

Yep, his grand-parents rock it. In their late eighties, and they go sailing almost every day. Not too shabby if you want my opinion!

Even though Friday was a long day, this little road trip left a little taste in my mouth. A little taste for more road trips with our girls. I long to see landscapes that I've never seen before. Singing songs in the car with my girls. Going to bed waaaay too late. Finding some wild flowers on the side of the road. Stopping at gas stations on the side of the freeway for a little bit of silliness :)

And you'd think after all that we be done and we'd decide to chill at home the rest of the weekend. haha. Fools. When I said we like it crazy :) on Saturday, we went to have brunch at Ander and Kat's. And that was so much fun that we stayed there until the end of the afternoon. Summer just felt so good in their backyard. We stayed in the shade of the apple tree. The kids played on the swings, dipped their feet in water....and believe it or not, at some point all took a nap at the same time. Leaving adults a few hours of unexpected freedom and quietness :D

And we ended having dinner with more friends. An evening of endless amounts of grilled meat, red wine and chit chat in the late hours of the evening on their terrasse. The perfect way to end the weekend, if you ask me :)

Now, am I tired? Hell yeah! But every single second of it was way worth it, and I was to do it again, I'd jump in the water with both feet. Oh happy sunny days.

And last but not least, this little video of our Olive. Probably my favorite so far :)

Franishglish

2011-06-02T10:04:00.000-07:00

We knew she could do it. Still, part of us thought we'd just mess up our kids brain. Like, she'd probably end up talking American pretty good. Because really, learning three languages, well it's no piece of cake. And for the parents to figure out how to go about it...it's a work in progress.

And not that we can quite claim victory, but happy to report that our little olive is making some progress :D

She understands what we tell her in all three languages. Well. That is, unless she chooses not too :D Maybe a little stubborn like mama and daddy??? Who would have thought!

Reading books with daddy.....one of her favorite things to do. Even when daddy reads books in French pretending he knows what he is doing :D

And these days her sweet little voice fills up our house with dye dye-s (bye bye) and mad-s (food in Danish) and dodo (sleep in French). In short, she pics whatever word is easiest to say in whatever language, lazy girl hehe. And, every now and then, she'll mix the two. Like, "hopp-er", using the Danish word for "Jump" and then conjugating it in French.

Oh little girl :)We just can't wait to hear you speak more of that Franishglish with us.

A quick escape

2011-06-01T11:16:00.000-07:00

Today I quickly escaped to my "old" life. And it felt oh so good.

Watching Alicia work her magic, meeting Jannie and her beautiful creations. And the best of all, having my little girl with me and everybody was just so nice to have her at the shoot. I felt happiness. And luck. And I never wanted it to end.I just felt so good to wrap myself up in all of this goodness.

And now, I am dying to see the results from th shoot!

Dodo l'enfant do

2011-05-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks were supposed to be nothing but calm and chilling at home finding our new rythm with the two girls. Instead, our little Maddie got sick with an ear infection, which earned her her very first trip to the hospital at the ripe age of 3 weeks old. Needless to say, our quite little rhythm went down the drain. Thankfully Madeline is a little champ, and she kicked that ear infection in the butt, karate style.

Watch, Olivia....soon your sister will be able to karatke-kick your butt too ;)

And so, I am now taking also my revenge. And taking any opportunity I have to just enjoy holding my little girl in my arms.

Watching her sleep. Listening to every little breath coming in and out. Memorizing how tiny her feet and hands are, because soon enough they won't be anymore. And catching a glimpse of a smile on her face, when my guess is something pleasant crosses her dreams. Like, probably the thoughts of the next ration of milk she will get from her mama when she wakes up :)

Sweet dreams my love.

2 weeks. 2 fast.

2011-05-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

Before Maddie was born, I had those big plans for great shoots that I was going to do of her. I imagined I'd be taking my best pictures ever, because it was going to be my little baby for once, and I'd have all the time to just do whatever I wanted with her. But as it turns out, I've been enjoying just watching my little baby girl sleep, and the last thing I want to do is move her around and maybe risk to wake her - hehe, that's the tired mama speaking here :)

But I also knew that if I didn't catch her little hands and feet during the first couple of weeks, it would be soon too late. Before I'd know it they would already be too getting to big. So last Thursday, Troels was away for work in Finland, Olivia was sleeping at her grand-parents, and it was only me and the littelest of our little girls waking up with the sun after a (very) early morning feeding. And for some reason that escapes me, I not being tired enough to go back to sleep, I just sat there watching her. And I felt it. The urge to have pictures so I could remember this moment in 20 years.

And so I jumped on my camera, and took some pics. Quickly. Very quickly. Before my eyes decided it was time to close again and drift back off to dreamland. And now I am so happy I took these pics because I can already see the changes happening in her eyes, in her face. Oh it is so true, what they say, that these little ones grow oh-too fast.

Finding new limits

2011-05-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I had a conversation with Troels about how, before having Olivia, we thought that having one child our life would turn crazy and we'd have no more time for ourselves once she'd get her. But we adpated, pushed our limits, and all was fine. Then before having Madeline, we went into the same kind of thinking, believing that once our second child would get here, then it would REALLY be over with our freedom...but as it turns out, things are magically turning out to be ok "_

We seem to be finding more time than when it was only the two of us - granted, no sleeping at night because of a newborn WILL add a lot of hours to anyone's day ;) We're giving more love than we thought ourselves capable of. We're getting more love than we could ever ask for. All limits are being pushed, and we're learning to deal with the new set of cards in our hands.

That is, most of the time. I would lie if I said that change and new limits is always welcome with open arms. Sometimes the limits are pushed on us, and it doesn't go so well. Sometimes I get scared of change too - oh it doesn't necessarily mean that I don't want the change. But sometimes we're just tired of the constant movement of things, and all we want is just want to rest. Take a breather. Not have to think for a minute.

This weekend my parents were here, and I got to test the limits of my tiredness. I had felt quite full of energy since Madeline's birth....and then my parents came, I forgot all about resting and taking naps, and before I realized my mood turned 180 degrees and I was snapping at everybody. Let me tell you, THESE are limits I don't want test again!

Regardless, we had a wonderful weekend. Olivia loved hanging out with her Papou and Mamie all weekend, and my parents were so happy to meet their newest grand-daughter.

On Friday we went to Bakken for a walk in the forest before we hung out at the fair.

And while we were walking in the forest, Troels secretly lead us to a nice spot in the shade, got a bottle of champagne and some plastic cups out of nowhere but a surprise celebration. Celebrate what? Maddie. Family. Walking in the forest. Life. Such a small thing when you think about it, but I know I'll remember this moment shared in the woods forever. How much I love this man. And that love, my friends, I keep on learning that it has absolutely no limits.

And on Saturday, we had planned a nice little afternoon picnic in the park in Hilleroed with Troels' family, but the storm caught us by surprise, and we had to run under a big old tree (the kind I like) to stay dry. Troels' mother treated us there with homemade muffins and warm drinks. And somehow, being stuck under the tree and hearing the storm with a warm cup of tea in my hands calmed by cranky mood of that afternoon. It was, in its own way, just a lovely, unplanned moment of the weekend.

In other news, Troels passed his hunter's license and golf license tests last week, so let me tell you I have a happy man at home. And more reasons to pop open some bottles full of bubbles over the weekend :)

Oh and you see this hat? Troels loves his new hat...and when I say LOVE, I mean it. They always say, happy wife, happy life......but I think it also goes the other way around ;)

And so, the minute I close my eyes and breath in, and think about all of these moments within all the crazyness, I realize how wonderful things have been getting over the last few months and years, despite -or rather, because- of these sometimes scary changes. We take chances, leaps of faith, and just have to trust that our life will change just for the better. And that we'll learn a thing or two about ourselves along the way.

And so yes, pushing our limits, it's a good thing. A very good thing indeed.

I am siiiiiiinging in the rain :)

2011-05-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

Olivia got new rain cloths this today. And so, she had to go test it out in the garden with daddy. Even though it wasn't raining outside. The garden hose did the job alright for this little girl. One big puddle and we had this little girl all smiling :)

The four of us

2011-05-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

It's been over a week now, just the four of us. Getting used to each other. Getting used to giving more love. Getting used to getting more love. So far, it's been pretty amazing, to say the least.

Olivia is so found of her little sister - yes, of course at first she was a bit jealous, but now all she wants is so see the baby and touch the baby and kiss the baby. If we let her she would take her little sister, put her in her little doll carrier and feed her crayons and flowers. :) This little Olive, let me tell you....we're in for a ride!

Trying to unlock daddy's iphone. Hiding mama's credit card in the bathroom cabinet. Trying to stand on everything she can climb. As her daycare puts it "Olivia is not afraid of anything. Here comes trouble!". Yep! And then, we also get this little girl, who can sit forever studying her books. Our little bookworm :)

With Madeline needing her mama quite a lot right now, Troels is spending a lot more time with our little Olive....and thank goodness that he can catch moments like these so that I don't miss them :)

Oh I don't doubt that we're going to have some harder weeks ahead of us, once the sleep deprivation really starts to kick in, and feels get so hectic that three weeks go by before I find time to take a shower. But so far, I'll claim the victories that I can - so here's to having found time to shower every day so far!

And on that note, we had a great weekend enjoying friends and family. Saturday we put up the celebration flags, invited friends over to introduce them to our newest little girl, and just enjoy rays of sunshine and some BBQ. Well, Madeline slept through the whole thing....but we know she was with us in spirits :)

After our skin got all the sun it needed and the last of ours friends were gone, we headed to Farum for a nice relaxing evening of hygge with Asbjorn, Ditte and Tristan on Saturday night.

Oh you should have seen Tristan and Olivia play and laugh together, running away from our tickles, singing together.

These kind of moments that make you feel so blessed to have we have.

How I love our family of four.

Madeline

2011-05-03T10:26:00.000-07:00

I couldn't wait for her to come. I thought that she would just never come.

But turns out, this little girl knew exactly what she wanted :)

Yep.

All she wanted, was to be a May baby. Our lovely little Madeline arrive at 2:23am on May 1sr. A beautiful Sunday morning, with our very special petit brin de muguet :)

Troels' grand-parents Ib and Betty came from Jutland for the weekend, so on Saturday evening Hanne invited the whole family for a relaxed family dinner. My contractions started somewhere in between the first and the main dish. And by dessert, I knew something was going to happening with this little girl. So we left our little Olive with Hanne and Steffen, and after a very quick stop at home we headed to the hospital.

I am not sure how to explain it, but it felt good to be at the hospital and give birth to her. Well. As good as giving birth can feel :) Not that things didn't go very well with Olivia. but with Olivia everything felt rushed and out of control. With Maddie, it felt like I actually had the time to enjoy what was happening. Not that the birth took so long - we arrived at the hospital at 11pm, and I was holding her in my arm by 2:23am :) But I felt very much in control of what was going on this time.

No drugs again (yes yes, ouch a little bit ;)), and Maddie was actually born in one of the big bath tubs they have at the hospital to give birth. The water was just the best thing. When Maddie arrived I picked her up from under the water, and she looked up right at me with her eyes - oh she could hardly open them, but she knew exactly where to look :) Giving birth is such a wild, crazy incredible, most wonderful experience.

In Denmark you don't get to stay at the hospital after the birth when it is your second child - granted everything went well of course. We drove home at 5am, right as the sun was coming up over the beautiful spring field. I'll never forget this. This big bright light turning everything into gold. Listening to our new little girl breathing. Now I wished I had a picture of that to share, but the one I took in my mind will have to do I guess ;)

After we tried to catch a bit of sleep, the family came over for a visit - and Olivia got to meet her little sister. The minute I saw our little Olive arriving, tears came to my eyes. I'll blame the hormones for that. But I just felt so overwhelmed with happiness to have our little Olivia meet her little sister. I never really spent much time thinking about what that moment would be like, but it brought so much emotions for me. So here, this was Olivia's reaction to meeting her little sister:

Yes yes, Madeline has almost as much hair as her sister. hehe.

It was a lovely lovely day all around :)

The Frederiksen-Smit family. We don't get everybody together very often. Glad we did on Maddie's birth, made it that much more special.

Little Maddie - thanks for joining our little family. I can promise you lots of laughs and cuddles and kisses and crazyness with us - hope you'll love us just as much as we love you. xoxo. Mama.

two days old....and already tired of mama taking pictures of her :)

In this picture, Madeline looks so much like Olivia at the same age....I just had to post it :)

Minipuce at 36 weeks - a.k.a how much I love Alicia Swedenborg :)

2011-04-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

No no, my pregnancy is not back-tracking........although at this point, it does feel like minipuce is going to be in my belly forever! :) I am now at 39 weeks, our midwife Kirsten thought that she would come last weekend.....yet, no sign of the little girl. She's making us wait for her alright :)

But the good thing is, that left Alicia more time to work on the pictures she took of my belly when she came for a quick visit to Denmark at the beginning of April. I didn't mention the shoot because I didn't think that Alicia would be crazy enough to come all the way from Sweden to us for just a few hours....but turns out, she's just as crazy as me :D And that is one of the many reason why I love the girl so much - that, and she's a concentrated ball of fun!

Here is by far my favorite picture from the shoot, but you can see many more that she posted on her blog. Click here :)

Silence is gold

2011-04-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

That's something that you can't say very often when you have a fifteen months old.

Ooooh no.

Silence in the house, these days, usually means that Olivia is somewhere making trouble. I am drinking my tea at the table, until I notice that Olivia has made herself disappear. Troels and I look at each other. "Olivia, ou es-tu?". Well, turns out, most likely redesigning our coffee table with her crayons. Or emptying mama's purse and finding many treasures that she can take to her own treasure box. Or heading for the stairs - you know, because the view is so much prettier from up there. Among other things. So no, silence is hardly ever gold for us :)

But this weekend, it was. Pure gold slience. And I know that it's Easter and that what we should have been celebrating....but our weekend was totally not about that. Olivia left for a weekend trip with her farmor and farfar to visit the rest of the family in Jutland. Giving us, lucky parents, not one, not two, but three whole days of silence around the house. And not that we don't miss her - we usually spend most of our timing without her talking about her :D But having that silence just for a little bit. That nothingness. That calm before the storm "hits", so to say. And AMEN is all I have to say to that.

Nothing to do but to enjoy the sun. Go have picnics by the water.

Holds hands and go on walks.

Eat ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream. Mmmmm passionfruit, peach, cononut, raspberry, lemon......I can't get enough sorbets these days. I'll take one of each flavor thank-you-very-much.

Oh, and if you walk around our garden these days you'll find a lot of these little white guys. There's popping out everywhere. Here you have it, Troels has picked up golfing and nobody can't stop him now ;)

Into the wild

2011-04-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

Well. If you can call the Danish countryside "the wild"......uhm. yeah.

But with the spring finally reaching Denmark, we've been out a lot lately, so that has to count for something. And "Into the wild sounded" better than "a stroll at the park" - now you expect some adventure out of this post, right?! :D Plus, I just felt like making a reference to one of my favorite movies.....so please. Give the hormonal pregnant lady a break and don't diss my post title! :D

Just a few pics from our "wild" adventures this week. Still waiting for baby to come -saw my midwife today, and she left me with a "see you on Sunday or Monday!" because apparently my body is this close to giving birth....we'll see if she's right ;) In any case, we're still waiting for baby, and since the nice weather is finally here we're enjoying every minute that we can possibly spend outside with the little Olive.

The Olive and I had a little date to go see the sheep. We hopped on the bicycle and spent most of our time chasing and tickling each other...oh. And eating sticks too. It's always a must, the eating-the-sticks part :) This little girl is just so much fun, pure goodness I tell ya'.

And today, we had a "family-o'-three" date in Hilleroed. Ok, so you'll only see two people of the pictures. But I was there too I swear :) Geese, I really need to get better at getting myself on pictures. Anyhow...back to our little date...

Lunch on the grass - with breaks to go run after the birds and tickle daddy's feet :) Oh, and of course. we climbed trees. Duh. You can't got into the wild without doing a little bit of tree climbing! :)

The way these two love each other.....I could just sit there all day watching them. Better than sipping a margarita, I just get dizzy watching them :)

And last but no least, here's a little video of Olive running around and checking out "the wilderness" :D Happy Easter everybody!