Franishglish - Part 2

Teaching and learning three languages is quite an adventure, but we didn't expect any less than that. I already talked about it a little bit a few months ago when Olivia was starting to say her first few words, and it is time for a little update on the topic :)

So on the positive side, we're super happy to report that Olivia understands - and speaks - all three languages. Well, "speaking" might be a bit strong here, but she says words in all three languages, and the more she learns, the more he goes the less she mixes languages in the same sentence. We still get a lot of "Mig poupee bye bye dodo" and "Viens, maman, spiser morgenmad", but hey, that's to be expected while she sorts all that out in her head :)

Touche pas a ma pomme.

I can stand!!!!

We trying to teach her about colors and numbers, and we end up with some funny thing - like, she will know that Groen in Danish translates to Vert in French.....but she can't always find the green object that we're looking for :) Or she will go "un, two...fem".

One of little "sorting colors" game. While I sew I let her play with the buttons, she loves being my little helper :)

For the longest ime, Olivia wouldn't say "merci" to me. No matter how nicely I'd ask, or if I was trying to bribe her with a cookie, she would just reply "tak" with a big smile. And "tak" again and again, and would go into an uncontrollable laugh because she knew that she was driving me nuts! Funny how they get it so early on. Anyway, over the christmas break I decide "that's it", and on the way to my parents I just said "You won't get your pacifier until you say "merci""....I had to work for it a bit, but 10 minutes I heard a little shy "me'ci"......turns out, I think she was mostly afraid of mispronouncing it - yes, even at here age! She practiced a little bit and I stopped my threats :D

Sometimes we feel that we are not speaking as much to Madeline - I mean, we still talk to her a lot, but you just put so much focus on your first child when they join your family, you try to do everything perfect, and then comes the second and you have to juggle so much more that you just don't have the time to do all of the things you used to do when you only had one child. But it's just the way the cookie crumbles, and I am sure we speak to her enough.

We read and we sing and we dance. ok, ok, the dancing part may not have much to do with languages, but it has a lot to do with happiness, and that's got to count for something :)

Mornings

Before moving to New York, I thought that mornings in general would become impossible - moving from quiet Denmark with Troels working from home, to busy Manhattan with impossible work hours. I thought that it would be impossible to find some quality time to spend together outside of weekends. But it is actually turning out to be quite the opposite. We sip our tea, enjoy the first few rays of sunshine at the table while the girls are playing. I wouldn't give these mornings away for anything.

Madeline just started making a new faces anytime she's frustrated with something. The funniest thing :D

Yep, mornings have been really goody good lately. Especially Monday morning. Monday mornings and I used to not be best friends. Really. All I wanted on Monday morning was to curl up in bed with my little girls, and block the door so that hubby could not go to work. I like having my little family around you see :) But ever since I signed up Madeline for a song and stories class on Monday mornings, I now rush out of bed. Well....almost. :D

Every Monday morning we get to listen to a new singer. Last week was a tattoed man who sang the loveliest versions of grown-up songs for kids - like "Yellow Submarine" and "No children don't cry" (after "No woman no cry"). And this week, we go to listen to a beautiful young lady with loveliest of Southern accents, a guitar and a banjo. These singers just feel my head with happy songs and happy thoughts for the week. Best way to start the week, I tell you! And Madeline loves the class too. She usually likes to cling on to me (she's mama's little girl), but not during music class. Oh no! She's on the run! She shakes it and bounces and taps with the beat.

But this week, I have to admit, there was one morning that we didn't particularly like. We woke up, and we just felt anxious because we knew that that day was the day. The day when we would get rid of all pacifiers. Yep, the holly-sacred-pacifiers. It was time. I took Olivia to the dentist a couple of weeks ago, and he told me about twenty times "you have to stop the pacifier. Now". I thought he was gonna pull the cops on me so I decided to not mess around with this. Troels and I decided that we might as well stop both girls at the same time.

Long story short, we gathers all pacifiers, put them in a bag, and took them to the toy store where Olivia gave the bag of pacifiers to an employee to he could pass them on to "another baby". In exchange, she got to take some toys home.

I have to admit, I was pretty emotional to see these pacifiers go. A big sign that our little girls are growing up. But it is good, and we had to do it. Growing up is a good thing after all. Because tomorrow is filled with beautiful things. And more lovely mornings.

A whole lot of that....

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!

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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

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 :)