Texas Trip

It has taken me an embarrassingly long time to get this post up. So without further ado...

We traveled to Texas in June this past summer. It was our first flight to the US with two kids.

Just hours after landing in Texas, Arthur and I hit up my other love...TARGET! Clearly he shared my enthusiasm!

We spent some time at my best friend's lake house. And Xander spent some quality time with his little buddy Maci.

This is our little brood...each time we see each other it's grown! I love this wild bunch so much!

Nana and Papa were in heaving having their two grandsons back in Texas.

We celebrated Xander's birthday with all our family. My mom made him the most amazing cake modeled after his favorite monster truck. He still talks about that cake!

Papa set up an amazing outdoor play area for Xander complete with a toddler swimming pool and an endless pile of rocks to throw in the water to his heart's content.

It was REALLY hot in Texas so we had to get out in the morning while the temperature was still tolerable. We went out to Papa's school to help him water the plants and check out the playground.

Quality time with Oma

Because it was so hot we spent most of our evenings in the pool. This was Benjamin's first time in the water and he loved it!

Arthur and I literally ate breakfast tacos and Tex-Mex for all but about 3 meals while in Texas. I don't regret it one bit!

 Xander enjoyed watched the birds on the feeder at Nana and Papa's house.

BBQ with Nana and Mimi!

Xander was the CUTEST little ring bearer at his Aunt Charlotte's wedding.

Unfortunately, it was INSANELY hot and Benjamin was being difficult so I don't have any other pictures of his adorable outfit. 

More cuddles for Papa. 

Train ride at the San Antonio zoo.

My parents took us all out for some amazing BBQ and beer after the train ride.

My brother and his lovely bride joined us too! The root beer was good but the craft beer was DELISH!

And this is real life with 2 kids. Toddler acting a fool, baby being rocked in the stroller. And Arthur...ever the calm in the middle of the storm!

Even my bestie Aunt Kim made the trip down to see us. I LOVED having her close!

Cuddles for Mimi

Happy Birthday Mason!

Poor Kelsey had to read Xander ALL THE BOOKS! She was so patient and tolerant of Xander even though he practically Velcro'd himself to her!

Mason and Xander :)

We were in Texas for a little less than 2 week and although it's always a whirlwind trip when we go back, somehow this time felt even crazier. Maybe it was because we now had 2 kids or that we seemed to be constantly in the middle of some large celebration (Xander's birthday, Mason's birthday, 4th of July, Charlotte's wedding, Benjamin's baptism... whew!) But it was an incredible blessing to see our family pour so much love into our boys. Having them so far away from their family is one of the hardest things about living in Norway. There were a lot of tears in the car on the way to the airport...especially when Xander kept saying, "Come'on Nana. Come'on Papa. Play!" But we're so thankful that we had the time with everyone and we can't wait until out next trip.

Ut på tur

For the last few weekends we've been partaking in a quintessentially Norwegian pastime known as "ut på tur". Literally it means going "out for a walk" and it's basically the national hobby. Especially on Sundays, known as Søndagstur, families or groups of friends will head out to the forests and mountains no matter the weather, to enjoy time together and some fresh air. Our family "turs" are borne out of complete necessity to get our mischievous toddler out of the house!

Here are some of our favorite spots...

Rogaland Arboret: A beautiful park about 25 minutes from home. The place is full of trails and different scenery around every corner. From lily ponds to mountain streams to pine forests! One of our favorite new discoveries!

Sandvedparken: City park and playground in Sandnes (about 15 minutes from our house.) There is a river running the length of the park that Xander enjoys. There is also one of the best public playgrounds in all of the Stavanger area here.

Tananger Barnahage: School playground across the street from our house. This is our "go-to" spot when we need to get the toddler out of the house ASAP! We can even see the playground from the top floor of our house!

Our house in the background

Hafrsfjord bru: Gorgeous neighborhood beach under the bridge that connects Tananger to Stavanger. The day we went was VERY windy (as your can see by Xander's hair in the picture below.)

Snowy Days

It's been a while since I've posted anything that didn't have to do with updates on Xander or baby #2. But I had to share a quick post with pictures from our recent snow days. It's a gorgeous, sunny day here now but after the holidays were over in January we were all dreading dealing with another dark and wet month! Boy did we luck out this year :)

When I first pictured our life in Norway I imagined it would involve A LOT of snow! But that's not exactly been the case. We live on the southwestern coast of the country which is actually known more for it's copious amounts of precipitation in the form of rain. This time of year is typically dark, cold, and dreary so having snow on the ground for much of January was such a bright and welcome sight!

Xander had so much fun playing out in the snow almost every day.

 He loved sound his boots made when he stomped.

 Thank goodness his mom bought him these amazing warm, waterproof gloves with soft fleece on the inside. Too bad he REFUSED to wear them and instead would only wear his thin, fabric mittens that did nothing to keep the cold out! I have no idea where this kid gets his stubborn streak...

 Crunching in the snow

 Making snow balls to throw at Dada :)

 I mean...is there anything more lovely than snow and sunshine!?

 Making his first snow angel!

  Afterschool snow selfies with Dada

 There is a word here in Norway that doesn't really have a direct translation into English. "Koselig" means that warm, loved, secure feeling you get snuggling up on a cold winter day with candles, and blankets, and people you love. Our January, and the weeks of beautiful snow, was totally koselig! :)