France Part 2: Luberon and Cassis

Our first full day in France we decided to check out the highly recommended market in Luberon. It did not disappoint. 

After some market shopping we stopped for an espresso break...because when in France...right? Y'all that was a LEGIT espresso!

We loved all the outdoor cafes!

 

The streets of Luberon

This beautiful winery estate was the backdrop to the market.

The next day we took another day trip to Cassis, a picturesque little town tucked into the Cote d'Azur. We stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants on the harbor. This picture makes me laugh because it looks so sweet and tender when really Xander was being a turd and neither of us were very happy with him. Unfortunately most of the restaurants we went to did not have high chairs and Xander did NOT want to be held while eating. 

The only family picture we got the entire trip...and the background is a wall...oh well.

 

Cassis harbor...simply gorgeous

We stopped in a little plaza to enjoy some waffles and gelatto (sounds too good to be true right?) I did NOT get a picture because it was just too yummy!

This is his "I'm too cool for this selfie" face

Xander was in a bit of a mood that day and did not want to be held or sit in the stroller so I found a little ledge he could walk along and let him stand and smile and yell at people passing by for a while.

He attracted quite a bit of attention in his little beret.

Xander FINALLY fell asleep in the stroller so we took the oppurtunity to take a selfie.

France Part 1: Nice

After a dark and rainy winter Arthur and I were ready to escape to some place warm and sunny! And since Norway completely shuts down for Easter we figured it was a great time to get away. One of the great advantages of living in Norway is that the rest of Europe is such a short flight away. We took a 1 hr flight to Amsterdam where we made a connection to take another 2 hour flight to Nice. 

Xander, as usual, was great on the plane.

We enjoyed breakfast in Amsterdam.

Then things got a little wild on the second flight until...

...he finally conked out and slept until we landed.

 We flew over the French Alps on our way into Nice. Incredible!

I was SO excited to see the blue waters and sunshine coast in Nice!

After getting our bags and rental car we headed down to the beach for lunch and some vino in the sunshine! 

 Xander was getting a little sleepy again which meant we got to enjoy some rare cuddles!

After our meal we loaded up and made the 2 hour drive to our first destination...Aix en Provence.

Hytte Weekend: Egersund

Arthur, Xander and I enjoyed another quiet hytte weekend in Egersund a few weeks ago. Our hytte was massive (as seen below) and could have easily fit a family of 10! We were right on the ocean and the views were incredible!

We we treated to a view of the sunset each night.

Xander discovered his love of unloading the dishwasher while we try to load it.

Enjoying a beer in the quiet while Xander napped.

Fun story...early one morning Arthur went out to fish from the dock below the hytte. A local saw him and told him it was really the wrong season to catch anything from the docks but that he was welcome to join him on his boat. So they drove out deeper into the ocean to check some pots he had set the night before. When they returned they grilled up the fish right on the dock for us to enjoy.

Xander loved the fish too but his favorite part was the spoon.

Another restful weekend in the books in Egersund!

Alexander - 10 months

Its been a rough month for you (and us) healthwise. You started the month with a nasty tummy bug. I will never forget the feeling of holding your tiny little body in the middle of the night while you dry-heaved and cried...so terrible! It took you about 5 days to shake that bug and then you were healthy and happy again for a few weeks. Unfortunately, you now have a triple-whammy...eye infection, upper respiratory infection, and ear infection! Even when you're sick you're still such a sweet kid which makes it even harder to see you feeling so terrible!

You are babbling a lot now and every few days I hear new sounds or patterns. Of course this makes me incredibly excited as your mom and as a speech-pathologist! Watching language develop is just SO COOL! We've been working with you to sign "more" when you're eating or playing and you'll now use the sign and sometimes say "mo" at the same time. You even used the sign while playing with your dad. He was giving you kisses and you signed "more" to ask for more kisses!

You are a baby on the move! You are cruising furniture and have started to scare us by letting go and balancing. You probably now spend as much time standing up as you do crawling or sitting. You're not walking yet but I don't think it will be long. You are also starting to climb things. Just this morning I turned around and you had crawled inside the dishwasher! Ugh!

You are really playful and love playing games and giggling. You have so much fun with peek-a-boo and will giggle when you cover up your face or yell at us to say "Where's Xander" if we're taking too long. You're not so great at covering up your entire face which is pretty funny. You really love to play in windows. Anyone on the other side is usually treated to lots of giggles and a view of your face smearing across the glass. You also have started this hilarious head bobbing from side to side which always makes us laugh which in turn makes you bob even more.

You took your first real vacation this month to France! Our trip will get it's own post but it's worth saying that you did great. You have now taken a total of 16 flights in your short life and are becoming a great traveler. You were well behaved on the plane and slept the entire time or fished for smiles from the other passengers. You also slept through the night the entire trip even though you were in new places. I still can't believe what a great sleeper you are...most of the time!

Xander...your personality continues to shine through this month. A lady on the plane commented that you are the happiest and friendliest baby she's ever met and of course I agreed and beamed with pride. You are really a joy and I love hanging out with you and being silly!

Hytte Weekend: Bømlo

A few weeks ago we spent a quiet, restful weekend at a company cabin, also called a "hytte". As most things, a Norwegian hytte has it's own culture. Most hyttes are simple shelters located in idyllic locations...in the snowy mountains, on a majestic fjord, a quiet lake, or by the scenic ocean. Many are stripped down with only the most basic necessities (running water, heat, small kitchen, etc) so as to allow the guest to enjoy the serenity of nature.

While "basic" sounds great...with a kid in tow we were looking for a hytte with a little more to offer. So maybe our weekend at the modern hytte in Bømlo was not the typical hytte experience...I sure did enjoy the fireplace, dishwasher, floor heaters, washer and dryers, and super nice modern decor!

Our hytte was literally about 20 feet from the water's edge near the mouth of the Straumfjorden. And while the weather was temperamental, alternating between gorgeous sunshine, rain, snow, and then back to sunshine, we enjoyed watching it all roll by from the two-story wall of windows.

Arthur was able to fish for cod while I spent most of the weekend inside snuggling by the fire and drinking copious amounts of hot tea. Xander was great all weekend...he slept like a champ and had fun watching his Dad fish from the third floor of the hytte.