Fishers in the water

Almost every night in June and July we go swimming. I brought the camera for once. But only Isak and Elina got in the water. Mark was putting in a new alternator in our van and Anja and I remained dry on land so we could take pictures.

Election Year

This is not supposed to be a political blog. But it seems I get a fair amount of anti-Obama emails with you tube clips featuring Barack Obama as the anti-Christ, anti-American, radical Muslim, terrorist friendly, etc. It is also apparent to anyone who has spent just a few minutes searching reliable and fair sources that none of that is true, AND that the makers of said you tube clips very well knew this when they made the clip. This same strategy was employed against Mitt Romney during the primaries featuring him as everything from a polygamist to devil worshiper. Only the ignorant are swayed.


On a humorous note, this video says it ALL, and equal portion to both parties. Hope it works. If not you can find it here.

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hello, china?

Here's two of Anja's true loves: phones and dolls. (She also loves purses, books and balls, any size.)

Alingsås

I kväll innan Elina somnade sa hon, "Jag känner i mina lungor att jag tänker på Alingsås, jag känner det i lungorna, mamma, här!" (pekar på bröstet medan hon ligger på mage i sängen). "Kanske de kunde skicka ett paket på flygplanet som vi kunde öppna, och när vi öppnade så kunde hon komma ut."
"Vem kunde komma ut?"
"Mormor. Och så kunde vi öppna paketet och så kunde hon komma ut och då kunde vi leka med henne. Då kunde vi leka att hon var en bäbis, hihi, och byta blöjor på henne och på Morfar också, hahaha!"

Where's the swimming?

Some recent pictures. But as I upload these I wonder, "Where is the swimming?" The OU pool dominates the Fisher summer but I never bring the camera because of the wet. Well, this week I will bring the camera, so swimming pictures and maybe even a little video will be posted by next weekend.

Above: 1. Uncle Craig, ever the favorite. Anja clung to him. 2. Elina in her boots and dress from cousin Eliot. 3. The trio wearing shirts from Mormor and Morfar. 4. Elina and bosom buddy, Clarissa. 5. Isak painting the horse shoe gold, that he got from Sweden when we went with my aunt Hanna the blacksmith and watched her work. Elina got one too, and they are both golden now.

"If you think I am five you are wrong, for I am six."

Those have been Isak's exact words to various adults on no less than three occasions since Saturday. He is now six. As one of the youngest in his Kindergarten class he has waited long for this day, July 5th. "First we watch fireworks, then I go to bed, then I wake up and it is my birthday." We thought we would have a 4th of July baby when labor began on July 3rd six years ago, but he must have wanted his own day very badly and thus let me endure 50 hours of labor, sweet thing.

Isak with his black widow and his other birthday Legos in the bookshelf

Lego. That is what he wanted and that is what he got. He is pille-sjuk - in other words he has 'fiddle sickness'. He cannot leave anything mechanical alone. He's been this way since he was 6 months old when he learned how to use the remote control. When he went to see the apatasaurus at the Sam Noble Museum for the first time, at age 3, he was in AWE - over the elevator, not the world's largest dinosaur skeleton. I am afraid he's got The Knack. But he says he is going to be a Dentist. Perhaps these powers can be transferred.

Skvätt inte på Anja

I dag lekte vi hemma med vattenslangen, för vi har ju ingen bil att åka nån stans och värmen är så HET att man inte vill gå nån längre sträcka mitt på dan.

Safety Town

Elina receives her graduation kit

To people in Norman Safety Town needs no explanation. It is part of summer for 5 year olds. A [free] one-week course, one hour per day, [free] bike helmet, and [free] t-shirt and diploma on the last day and lots of bike riding (with training-wheels for all, mind you). What do they learn? Bike-safety, pedestrian conduct, basic traffic rules and other safety issues related to visiting an ambulance and a firetruck.

There are lots of people at Safety Town and many volunteers. The first day nice, nice Tyler walks around with his hand gently on Elina's shoulder for the entire 20 minutes of bike-riding, in the hot Oklahoma sun while Elina chatters without drawing breath about everything and nothing. She has reached some emotional block against bicycling that was not there last year! A soon as he removes his hand, Elina stops pedaling and cries in anguish: "You have to hold me!" This was repeated with a different volunteer each day. I apologized and thanked him and was assured Tyler had done this with many kids.

Isak viewed Safety Town as a racing track and all thoughts of safety were sacrificed in the interest of speed and style - at least a few times.

Elina helped by Tyler.


Isak, having just crossed a double yellow line at great speed...


Isak, left, waiting at the red light. Good that he knows some of the rules

Swedish Midsummer in Dallas

According to Fisher Family tradition, we packed ourselves in the car and went down to Dallas to celebrate Midsummer this weekend. There is a fairly large Swedish population in Dallas (compared to Oklahoma City metro) largely because of the Ericsson plant and IKEA. Not all of these Swedes participate in these celebrations, but some do. We go down twice a year: Midsummer and Lucia (Dec 13th). The kids LOVE it. I need to mention that Helene Honeybone and other wonderful women from SWEA (Johanna Davis is president) are key in arranging these events. They have been extremely welcoming to us Okies.

Several things happened this day:

1. We danced around the Midsummer pole and played the traditional relay games associated with Midsummer.

Helene helps Elina in the potato-on-the-spoon balancing relay.
Helene's daughter Emelie looks on.

2. I, Victoria, sang with the SWEA choir at both the Shawnee Park and at IKEA later in the day. (Free lunch at the cafeteria was the incentive, ha!)


SWEA kören på IKEA from Victoria Akselsen on Vimeo.

The choir downstairs at IKEA, Frisco. Elina, future choir member, participated.

3. Anja took her first real steps. Sure, she has taken three or four steps here and there for some time, but even though we knew that she could walk if she wanted to, she has not been confident enough in her own ability until Midsummer Day. Video footage shows first the finale of the Midsummer dances (which is the human rocket, or firework, depending on translation) then the camera pans to Anja who is doing her own thing.


Midsommar raketen och Annias första steg from Victoria Akselsen on Vimeo.

4. Isak, almost 6, lost his first tooth Saturday night. Well, lost... I finally pulled it. The new tooth has been coming in behind it since before we left Sweden, over two weeks ago. It was about time. He placed it in a glass of water and put in on the window sill, according to Swedish tradition. Over two or three days money builds up in the glass. You get to keep the tooth. At least, that is how my mom did it, so it has to be right. My mom is seldom wrong.

Click to enlarge and behold the wonder of tooth-lessness

5. A kind, older Swedish lady at the Midsummer celebration told Isak he must pick seven different kinds of flowers, place them under his pillow on Midsummer Night and he would dream about the one he will marry. (An old Swedish wives tale). Isak, who has been concerned about his single status since age 3, did exactly that. Elina followed suit. At church he suddenly remembered about the flowers and frustrated realized that he could not remember his dreams from last night at that point...

Summer Games

Summer is officially in full swing. Swim lessons began on Monday and it rained/was overcast, but on Tuesday it thundered and lessons were canceled. Since we were already in our swim suits we went to the splash pad, and we were the only ones there because of the rain. It was only, what 78 degrees (25 C), and I guess most people deemed it too cold? It was heavenly.

Today Anja got to swim in the baby pool for the first time and loved it. It has to be at least 82 (28 C) degrees in the water for the baby pool to be open, I was told, so today was the first day. The olympic pool was 80 degrees. I could not help but think back on the beach in Sweden where we were just two weeks ago, and the water was 62 degrees and no one complained. Isak and Elina swam for two hours, then had to be forced to get their butts back on land. Anja played in a slightly warmer puddle (68 degrees?).

Elina in action

Isak

Anja the ball lover. That is Elina's hair, as straightened by the water! Wild!

the splash pad

Elina taught Anja how to do this: Pull out drawer, climb in on top of the bed spread that is stored in it, and lay down. I walked in on them : Elina and Anja were both sitting in the third drawer from the bottom, (has quilts in it). I could not believe the IKEA quality held up for that kind of weight. I thought the bottom would fall out. Elina has promised not to do it again, but Anja did not. She does it all the time.