Elina stavar

Att lära sig två språk samtidigt kan innebära stavningsvarianter som enspråkiga barn inte kommer på. Elina skrev till exempel ett engelsk ord som 4 åring:
"Papör" (papper)

Detta var det första i raden av underbara stavningar av Elina. Här är några meningar som vi sett i veckan. Kan ni uttyda dem?

"Ya can fulåta day Mamma" (fick jag efter att jag varit arg på barnen och sedan bett om förlåtelse)

"Du är välkomen på gosäyurs krig"

"Du är enbyuden tel tekalas"

Family Pictures

Inger took these family pictures at Isak's baptism, on July 10th.

Mark, Victoria ( and Julia), Craig, Cecilia, Troy, April

Merritt, Isak, Donna, Elina, Eliot, Liam

Anja, Sebastian

All four brothers: Mark, Craig, Jim and Troy. (and Jesus, too!)

Elina's First Lost Tooth

Overjoyed, Elina comes running into the kitchen, blood dripping down her chin: "Sofia pulled out my tooth! Sofia pulled out my tooth!"

"You look like a vampire!" Sofia cries back, and then adds: "Hopefully that tooth was already loose, right?"

As we snap some pictures Sofia remarks several times what a pointy and long root the tooth has. "I've never seen one like that before," she says.

Sofia, The Tooth and Elina

The Tooth and The Gap

Then, as I go to take the close-up, below, I realize that the tooth that got pulled out was not the tooth that was loose (hence the longer root - no permanent tooth had shaved away at it yet). The loose tooth is still somewhat firmly in place, with the permanent tooth coming in behind it (Elina is no less ecstatic), but Mamma wanted the loose one out to make proper room for the new one.

Sofia, can you help?

Världen enligt Anja

"Jag har ingen snippa, jag har bara en jumpa." Så sa hon för ett par veckor sen. Tur att hon har äldre syskon som snappar upp sådana feluttalanden på en millisekund och kan klara upp hur det egentligen ligger till med detaljerad och hands-on utbildning.

Den här veckan sa hon i stället: "Du har ingen tnopp, mamma. Den ha jamlat av." Och även: "Pappa har en tjock och stor tnopp. Isak har bara en liten." Så svårt att inte skratta när hon säger sånt med sina stora blå ögon uppspärrade och seriöst diskuterande sina nya insikter. Ja, svårt för en vuxen. Totalt omöjligt för en sex- eller åttaåring att inte skratta i minst femton minuter efter en sån kommentar.

Och nu ikväll innan läggning: "Jag är en prinsessa. Jag har min prinsesskrona." (sånt säger hon flera gånger om dagen)

Jag: "Mmm, prinsessor behöver sin skönhetsömn. Klockan är över nio."

Anja: "Nej, mamma. Jag phöver bara dansa. Jag måtte dansa på tlottet. Mamma, var E tlottet nåntans?"

Här i sängen, tänker jag då.

"Bäbisar kan inte ha klänningar."

Jag: "Jaså, kan dom inte det?"

"Nej! Dom måtte bara ha bäbiskläder. Dom kan inte va prinsessa. Dom har inget långt hår. Dom har bara inget hår."

När man frågar Anja hur gammal hon är säger hon alltid SEX! "Nej, Anja du är tre." "Nej, jag är bara sex år," rättar hon då. Fast hon vet hur gammal hon är. För hon kan visa tre fingrar och konstatera att det är en, två, tre fingrar. Men hon vill helst vara sex år i de allra flesta lägen. "Jag är en stor plicka, mamma. Jag är ingen bäbis." För det mesta.

När det är dags att städa lekrummet är hon abslout inte sex år. "Jag kan inte städa, mamma. Jag är så liten. De e så fårt för mig. Elina och Ika kan städa."

Men att hon var så LITEN när Elina fick sin lilla, lilla Öprinsessan-docka med tillhörande elefant (när hela familjen var i Sverige, 2008) DET kan hon inte acceptera.

"Varför jag inte fick en plicka barbie i Ferige?" frågar hon bedjande. När det inte funkar: "Jag fick den plicka barbien i Ferige, mamma!" Kanske kan lite bestämdhet ge resultat? Nehej, då kanske det funkar med sympati: "Jag hade ingen plicka barbie i Ferige! Jag är så lessen så jag kriker." Och med sina allra ledsnaste stora, blåa ögon och hängande mungipor gör hon ett så ynkligt ansiktsuttryck så att jag inte vet om jag ska skratta eller rusa i väg till närmast leksaksaffär och se om det finns en acceptabel plicka barbie.

Ja, hon är den abslout goaste lilla treåringen i hela universum. Måtte hon aldrig bli stor.

Summer Camp

Elina did a one-week riding camp this summer. Just a day-camp, but she loved it. I took a few pictures on the last day. Having ate, slept and drank horses in my youth, it eased my sore-spot in behalf of my animal-crazy daughter to see her there.

Learning body parts

Elina and Ronnie, the horse she liked the best.

She knows how to muck a stall, too.

In all fairness, Isak attended a camp, too. Because Elina's was a pricey one, Isak was able to go to four days of both soccer camp and basketball camp and still be cheaper. If you had to venture a wild guess, which one of those camps do you think our next-in-line Anja would prefer when her time comes? Pray for me that Julia cares nothing for horses, but follows in Isak's steps and loves soccer.

I have no pictures of Isak's soccer. I was not able to see him at his camps because it was during the month I went to school. I sent the camera with grandma on his last day of basketball, and here is the result:

Pool time

We have been regulars at the university pool for the past 6 years. But we never go during the heat of the day. Instead we opt to late afternoon/early evening swim lessons and stay until it closes. This suits the Scandinavian skin better. Before we moved we had the luxury of just being able to walk or ride bikes there and back. Not so anymore, really.

The last three are taken in the baby pool. 

Julia, the baby who HATES baths, LOVES to swim and is a menace in the pool because she does not like to be held, but wants maximum freedom. When she sits in the baby blow-up-ring, she BITES it and lunges forward to escape. The lifeguards are always watching us wondering why the baby is so unhappy. Isak acted similar at her age, and learned to swim on his own with arm-puffs at just over a year old. I'm thinking Julia may be taking after her big brother.

 Julia with 'aunt' Inger

Elina and Sofia (can you spot the part-Italian?)

Sam and Isak

This picture above of Anja is funny to me. It was taken in June, one of our first evenings at the pool. She is whining here because she is cold. It was easily 34 Celsius /93 Fahrenheit in the air (in the shade, hotter in the sun by far, of course) and the water was a mere 79 F/26 C. Where is your Viking blood, woman? You must be related to your Mormor Ingunn. (And so is Elina, I think, because she asks that we stay and take hot showers every night after we are done!!) Thankfully, now that it is closer to 85 F/29 C in the water Anja doesn't complain anymore. Yesterday they had to throw a block of ICE into the baby pool to cool it down, one of the lifeguards told me. It got up to 99 F/37 C, and counting!!

Splash Pad

No summer is complete without Splash Pad visits. Last summer is a blur in my mind. We moved two weeks before I had a baby, and then proceeded ten weeks of sleep deprivation, newborn care and around the clock care for 3 additional kids while getting settled in a new house, while Mark worked. I think we went to the Splash Pad at some point - but I have no pictures or actual recollection.

One thing I DO know is that Julia did not play at the Splash Pad last summer. But this year she has. And don't let the funny faces fool you. She just LOVES it.  She is completely fearless and is as tolerant to 'abuse' as ever.

Those eyes!

Kallsup. (as we say in Sveeeden)

Isak loves it too.

 Ah, those eyes.

Really - she loves it.

So fun!

Isak's day

Isak was baptized today. I did not get a before-picture, but here is one with dad after.

My men!

Cecilia, Craig, Troy and Liam.

CHECK BACK  FOR MORE, SOON.

Guess who?

Raindays in July...

...are few, usually. There is flooding in much of the state and for this reason I wish it would stop.

Anja and Isak ditched the rain gear for umbrellas. Julia was DYING to get outside. Like a little dog, I had to push her back with my foot each time I slid open the door, to her complete frustration. And like a dog, she may employ her teeth and a strong jaw.

 Wet, but warm.

 It was absolutely POURING.

Elina is having her first fever-free day in over a week, but I quarantined her in her room today, as well. We're very grateful, because she had temps above 105 several times. She is so rarely sick, but this time she was sicker than any of the kids have ever been, complete with delirium and all. Scary.

Isak got his very first suit in anticipation for his baptism on Saturday. Size 12 for an 8 year old, with some room to grow. I gave everyone haircuts, too. Elina's is most noticeable. I took 3 inches, and layered slightly. Anja says she does not want long hair, and has repeated this multiple times. "Jag vill bara ha lite hår." But sitting still is not her forte so I just trimmed it. Another day I'll cut more since she seems to like the bob. It looks good on her, anyway. Julia did not get a haircut, though it is worth mentioning that one can now SEE hair on her scalp, as opposed to before.

This one climbs. She gets up all by herself.

Happy Birthday, Isak!

Eight years ago, on this day, it rained in Borås, Sweden when little Isak made his entrance into the world in the early evening after some 50 hours of labor (contractions began on July 3rd while Mom, Dad and Aunt were at the movies in Alingsås watching Attack of the Clones - Isak must have been a Star Wars fan even in the womb...).

It's been raining here in Oklahoma the past two days, reminding us a little of that weekend after Isak was born and the several days we spent in the hospital as brand new parents, except it was so cold in Sweden and Mark missed his fleece jacket so much he finally donned my PINK long-sleeve maternity shirt under his t-shirt.

Anyhow, no parents could ask for a better son. So glad he came to our family. <3

Isak (2008)