Alexander's Second Birthday

Alexander was totally spoiled this year for his birthday! Because his actual birthday fell on a Tuesday we celebrated with friends the Sunday before. He also got a party at school and another small celebration at home on his real birthday.

The first celebration was with friends at Somagård. This was the same place we went last year for his birthday with Aunt Charlotte. The morning of his party he helped me bake the cupcakes. He was actually a pretty good helper and kept his fingers out of the batter until the very end! Since he was the birthday boy I let him lick the bowl and I think he thoroughly enjoyed it!

These cupcakes were a colossal pain. The cake mix, sprinkles, and ice cream cones were all imported from the US. They were top heavy and I was worried they would all tip over while I was carrying them into Somagård. But they were good and Xander was impressed...so they were well worth the effort!

When he woke up from his nap we gave him his first birthday present. It was from his dad, hence the extra fancy wrapping paper. It was a train set and he was SO EXCITED!

We managed to drag him away from the trainset and we all loaded into the car to Somagård. The kids played for a bit then it was time to sing "Happy Birthday" and blow out the candles. It was the moment Xander had been waiting for! II promise he was way more enthusiastic than he looks. I think he was just in awe of the fire!

That face!!! Hahaha!

Enjoying cupcakes with the other Alexanders!

Yum!

Alexander and Daddy

On the day of his actual birthday, he had a party at school. They had fruit and whip creme (no cake allowed at school), sang songs and played with bubbles. He was king for the day and he had a blast! They made him this awesome hat too...it's a picture of Xander driving a dump truck with his name in sparkly letters. This kid is ALL about dump trucks so they clearly know him well!

When he came home we let him open even MORE presents. This was the start of him thinking every day must be his birthday! Haha!

One more cupcake! At least this time he looks more pleased! :)

For a good time you should fill your two year old with cupcakes and icing just before bed. Then see what happens...!!!

We had SUCH a wonderful time celebrating our little guy!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday to the coolest 2 year old I know! We love you Boo-boo!

Read about Alexander's First Birthday HERE

Benjamin - 4 months

It's been a busy month full of travel, hellos, and goodbyes. I can't believe how fast our (not so little) B is growing. He has been outgrowing his clothes so quickly that I can't keep the right size in stock in his drawers before I have to pull more from storage. Now, at just 4 months, he is already wearing 9 month clothes! And this is what ends up happening....terrible pattern mixing while the next size baby clothes are in the wash! Lol

 

Xander is really starting to warm up to Benjamin. Don't get me wrong...there are still days where he is less than gentle and clearly a little jealous but overall I think I'm starting to see it click for both of them that they're brothers. Xander gives Benjamin smooches (on his tummy because I've learned to not let him near his face!) And Benjamin loves to watch Xander. I've even caught a few smiles and giggles at his brothers ridiculous antics. It's gonna be a fun journey watching the relationship between these two grow!

 

Benjamin took his first transatlantic flight this month for his baptism in Texas. The trip will of course get its own post (maybe I will get to it before 2017) but he was pretty good on the flights and, despite my fears of baby jet-lag, slept better in Texas than when we were home! Also, he looks HUGE in the Sola Airport stroller!

 

B had his first dip in the pool while we were in Texas. We will start baby swimming in August but decided the trip was a good time to get his feet wet (see what I did there.) He wasn't sure at first but after he relaxed he really seemed to love it! We went to the pool most evenings and we realized that swimming would really tired B out! He couldn't last more than 30 mins, after which he would immediately fall asleep! :)

 

One of the highlights of our busy trip was Benjamin's baptism. I know I'm biased but I think he is just too amazingly cute! (Thanks Michelle for the picture!!)

 

We flew back to Norway shortly after B's 4 birthday (so I'm cheating a bit with this picture) and he was such a good baby. That travel is hard on all of us but he hung in there. There were some difficult moments (think hysterical screaming) but they didn't last long and usually preceded a long nap. 

 

Arthur and I agree that pretty much from this age onward it just gets more and more fun! Benjamin is smiling, giggling, cooing and so interactive. He loves to be talked to and HATES to be cradled like a baby. His preferred position is standing up! He rolled over for this first time while we were in Texas and, despite my efforts to avoid tummy-time, his holding his head up quite well. Every time I stop and look at him I can't believe how big he is and how fast he's gone from a newborn to a baby. He's got the squishiest little baby cheeks and I can't help but give him smooches all day. I'm so grateful that he's a part of our family!

Check out Alexander's 4 month post HERE

Benjamin - 3 months

Another month in the books. Its been a fun month and we have been settling into a good routine.

Benjamin took his second trip at about 8 weeks. He was great while we were in Copenhagen. He slept really well every night and was pretty low-maintenance during the day while we were sightseeing. He LOVES his sleeping bag in his car seat and will happily snuggle down and snooze for hours.  

We've been trying very hard to get both boys to nap and to bed at the same time. Benjamin prefers to go to bed around 9pm most nights and I've been slowly trying to put it earlier so we can have some kid-free time in the evenings. It's pretty unsuccessful most days but when it happens its truly magical.

I'm seeing a reoccurring theme in this post :) It's all about sleep. I think I'm just so pleased because up until now it's been a rare commodity around these parts. However, something has just clicked and Benjamin is a pretty good sleeper, once he's finally down. Most nights hes out from 10pm - 4am and then is back down until I wake him up around 8:30am. He LOVES to be swaddled and starts smiling and cooing once I start wrapping him up.

Is there anything more gorgeous than a sleeping baby!? I think not :)

Oh sibling love. It's a strange and wonderful thing. I think these two pictures wonderfully sum up my boy's relationship at this point. Most days Xander is a little bored and apathetic about Benjamin. But then...

Every once in a while I catch Xander being really sweet. Benjamin's nickname is "Bobby" because that's what it sounds like when Xander says "Hi Baby" :) Benjamin loves to watch Xander as he bounces off the walls. I'm sure he's planning on following in his brother's footsteps very soon. Oh dear!

They're basically twins. Benjamin is 2 months younger than Xander but much bigger. I mean...look at those loooooong legs!

We are lucky to have a beautiful beaches just minutes from our house here. There is a very short season when we actually get to enjoy them so we go whenever we can. We've been twice this month and it's been so much fun. Xander plays in the water. Benjamin snoozes in the sun. And mom and dad enjoy a few cold ones :)

Oh this kid just gets more fun by the day. He is so smiley and giggles so much.

Next month Benjamin will take his first trip to the US to meet all his family. I can't wait for everyone to get some love and cuddles from our little B.

Read Alexander's 3 month post HERE

Copenhagen - May 2016

We've tried to make the most of our proximity to the rest of Europe by traveling when ever possible. So with May 17th being a holiday here in Norway (more about that HERE) we decided to take a quick one hour flight to Copenhagen, Denmark. We wanted somewhere easy to get to and fun for kids since this would be our first trip with 2 kids in tow. And it's safe to say that Copenhagen did not disappoint!

Although the night before didn't go so smoothly (think midnight bath for poor Xander and 2 loads of laundry for his tired mother) everyone seemed to wake up feeling good and ready to travel.

Our flight was over-booked and we ended up sitting on opposite ends of the plane but it was totally fine because both kids were very well behaved! Although this was Xander's 28th flight (whoa!!) it was the first where he was really excited to be on a plane. He spent all morning talking about how he was going to go "up up UP UP UP!" in the plane.

We arrived at our flat near the heart of Copenhagen, dropped off our bags and set out to explore the neighborhood. There was a middle eastern festival with lots of food and music so we wandered around for a bit. Xander enjoyed watching the kids play soccer although he wanted to play too. He kept saying "Xander ball?"

Dinner that night was street tacos and nachos at Blue Tortilla grill just a block from our flat. The restaurant is run by a woman from Spain and they're famous for their homemade blue corn tortillas. We were pleasantly surprised to find such delicious tacos in Denmark!

The next day was Sunday and a lot placed were closed. Xander spent the morning playing in the playground in the rain across the street from our flat. Then we warmed up at lunch eating sliders the imaginatively named "Sliders". Luckily the burgers were more innovative than the restaurant's name and quite delicious!

Xander enjoyed looking out the window of the restaurant over a busy intersection. Lots of cars, bikes, and buses to watch and keep a busy toddler entertained.

After nap time we decided to hang around the flat and let Xander enjoy playing with all the toys! The owner has 2 small boys so it was packed with cars, balls, and even a train set!

They even had a high chair for Xander...which he only fell out of once! Whoops! 

The next morning we hopped on the metro and headed for the zoo.

Lions!

Things started to get a little bit more difficult at this point. And by "things" I mean the toddler. He was tired of sitting in his stroller which was basically the only option since we were using public transit the entire trip. So he ended up having quite a few public meltdowns. Fortunately he still wasn't short on smiles for the camera so maybe when I look back on this trip I can forget about that part!

Digger at an empty exhibit at the zoo...and probably Xander's favorite lol

Danish churros? Why not!

Our lunch at the zoo was surprisingly good (seeing a trend here?) Not pictured was the alcohol we washed it down with to make the toddler a tiny bit more bearable.

The next day we hit up the aquarium. Xander liked the fish but seemed to be most impressed with all the water (" a lot wawa") lol.

And after nap we went to Tivoli park. Quite possibly my favorite stop on the whole trip!

Xander was really too small for the rides but just walking around the park was fun. There was tons of cool architecture and green spaces for him to run around in, throw rocks, and chase the birds.

More wine for the parents...or as I like to call it, "red coffee" so I don't have to share it with the toddler.

2/3rds of my favorite boys...just chillin'

And more delicious food!

Candy floss (aka cotton candy) bigger than my head! Xander and I split it :)

And the subsequent sugar rush faces!

The next morning we had to pack up and catch the train for our flight back to Norway. Not before feeding the swans, ducks, pigeons, and sea gulls at the near by lake of course.

Farewell Copenhagen! Such a fun city! And in case you were wondering...we did in fact bring Benjamin :) Here's the only picture I took of him the entire time! Whoops!