Halloween 2014

Olivia requested to be dressed as a pineapple, Madeline as a Dalmatian and Freia well, she had no request but I turned her into the cutest of strawberries :D And best of all, Madeline got daddy to dress up as Cruella De Ville. BEST. HALLOWEEN. EVER. Family costumes are way fun, we might try to coordinate a bit more next year ;)

"Danny won't you blow-y your horn" by madeline :)

Little basin 2014

Last weekend we went on our annual trip to Little Basin with friends, the usual gang :) It was heaven in a campground, lost in a sea of redwood trees. I wanted some fall and it delivered. The crisp air. The smell of the trees. I am not sure what it is about these big old trees, these wise souls. You look up, and you just feel so small and all of the suddenly, it's like everything is put in perspective.

 

It also helped that we had no cell reception at the campground, so all we did was to enjoy the company of our friends. Nowadays, it's not so common, you know? I mean, how often do you spend an entire day with friends without checking your text messages or emails at least once?!

We made memories for life, and that my friends, is much better than checking out my facebook page :) The entire weekend was all guitar playing around the camp fire, making s'mores, climbing trees, telling stories.  Aaaaand we may or may not have been drinking this fall sangria all weekend :) I made a big container of it before we left- soooooooo delicious! We also made eggs and bacon in muffin tins - love these, another camping tradition!

Tim spent hours telling story to the kids like he always does....Olivia was in his face on his laps the entire weekend. She was just sipping in every word of every story. The kids climbed as up as their could...which, I tell you, isn't the easiest with redwood trees ;)
 

Now all I want is to go on another camping trip, I could live in this redwood forest I swear :) If the sale goes through, we'll have a backyard filled with them....oh I can't wait to find out!
 

Tap dancing class!

Sipping a maragrita on the beach...

...that's what I wish I was doing right now. But hey, the alternative isn't so bad, is it? I mean, look at these cute little girls :) If only the little one slept at night... It's been crazy, and I am exhausted. I mean, it took me an hour to find my keys this morning because I just couldn't remember where I put them.

Freia was crying in her car seat ready to take her big sisters to school, Madeline used the time to get in my closet and try every single pair of shoes that I own, and Olivia was like "mmm mama, when are you taking us to school?!" every two minutes. And I, well, I was just trying not to loose it. But hey, deep breaths. I know I am so blessed. My eyes say that I am tired, but my mouth shows I am happy. It's a weird thing, being a mama. It takes away all of the energy you have, taste your patience beyond limit....yet, it is the most incredible thing and worth every sleepless night.
   

Nothing comes easy, although I thought that by now I'd already be firing posts left and right on this blog. I haven't found my balance yet, and really, that's ok - I am not in a rush to do so. My littles are little, and they will only be little once. They need their mama a whole lot, and so I am here for them. I am learning to be selfless. In time I know that I'll find my rhythm again, I know that in time the tiredness will fade away and I'll have my energy back. So bear with me while the blog runs on slow motion!
 

In other news...we've started looking at houses to buy - because you know, adding a baby and changing job wasn't enough hecticness ;) We're actually putting our first offer in tomorrow so keep your fingers crossed for us - we're very nervous about it and so excited at the same time! Chances are slim that we'll get the house, the market out here is crazy...it's been a learning process, but hey, it's so good to dream regardless :)

How much I love them

My little Olive

Bibidababidibooo

Three baby dolls

The girls at roughly the same age. Can you guess who is who? :)

 These pictures hang right by our front door, and they are probably the pictures of the girls that I cherish the most. I just took Freia's picture, and already I have a teary eye when I look at it. Even though right now she still smells of that wonderful baby smell and still fits oh-so snuggly in my arms, I know that it will change all too soon. Before I know it my little girls will be going to college and bringing a boyfriend home - and hubby will be greeting said boyfriend with a shotgun, no doubt ;) But when I look at these pictures, it is like time stands still. I go right back to that sweet baby smell and the adorable baby noises that they used to make. No matter how big the girls get, they will always be my babies.

My little artist

Head up :)

Crab race!

The summer I fell in love with Denmark

This year in Denmark was so magical, I just couldn't bring myself to spend a minute in front of a computer screen. We went rowing across the lake and boating, found a magical cove with swings that went over the water in Tevandsbugte, took the girls and their cousins on a treasure hunt, jumped in the lake from the dock, ate ice creams as big as our heads, chilled at the beach, strolled through the streets of Copenhagen, went on a family picnic in a field of flowers and flew kites on Russian Hill, a day at the rides in Bakken....sounds idyllic? Sure was. So much that at times I had to pinch myself. It really wasn't the Denmark I remembered from when hubby and I lived there.
 

When we left Denmark 3 years ago I was done with it. The problem was, I think I was focusing on the things that Denmark WASN'T - i.e. comparing to life in the US too much. I used to look at how much more expensive life in Denmark, when I should have been looking at their amazing design. I used to complain about the rainy weather, when I should have have learned to make the most of the few but amazing sunny days. I wanted stores to be open 7 days a week, when I should have been appreciating the slower pace of life. The list goes on...
 

I think that back then too many things were new to me: becoming a mama + moving from Manhattan to the countryside + going from having a career to staying at home...I was overwhelmed and couldn't appreciate what I had right in front of me. But this year, I stopped and looked and couldn't believe what I saw. Maybe having young kids, seeing them build the most amazing childhood memories there, made me look at Denmark through their eyes more. Or maybe it's because we had an entire week of amazing weather..which, let's face it, is pretty much a miracle in DK :)
 

There is a study that says that Danes are the happiest people in the world - despite the bad weather and high taxes. Hubby always jokes that it is because they have super low expectations and so they get happy with what they get..But he is a right, in a way. The Danes know how to make the most out of what they have. Short winter days with no light? Let's paint the inside of our home white. 180% tax on cars? Well, let's grab our bikes!

 I really am so happy that I married a Dane, otherwise I might really have missed this amazing part of the world, and everything it is teaching me. And I hope that we can keep bringing the girls there every summer to spend time with family. And hopefully, they will be a bit smarter than their mama and don't miss what a gem Denmark truly is.