For a while, I got to be a stay at home mom and I realized that it is hard work!!! A full time stay at home mom is a superwomen in my book. But, staying at home with the little ones definitely has its rewards as well...and at the end of the day, the rewards outweigh all the hard work.
I sometimes wondered if I cared for the same kids from day to day.... sometimes, from hour to hour as well. I got served cake and multiple refills of juice one minute...only to get kicked out of the playroom with: "Weave me awone" the next minute. Anyone, who ever considered attending an anger management class, should instead stay at home with their little kids. The first objective would be to keep it cool for one hour and go from there!!
This summer was very eventful: going from busy days at work and daycare in Texas to an international move with a couple of apartments on the way and all the chaos that comes with it to our "home" in Norway where the kids got to spend a lot of time at home with mom and each other. The kids have handled things very well and have adapted to the new life style, and they seem less restless now. While they miss their friends and family in TX and soon will miss the sun too, the freedom and nature makes turns out to be a big plus in their minds. Of course, it helps that they only go half a day in school and daycare and get to spend more time at home.
I wish, I'd have taken notes of all the things, the kids say. Here are a few: Benjamin, out of the blue told his dad: "Babba, do you know that when you die, you turn into one of those flying thingies." and "Mamma, when you die, can you swing?". Annika has a wicket sense of humor and likes to tease her older brother. The other night we went to bed late and I ended up putting the kids to bed at the same time. Annika to my right and Benjamin to my left. They finally settled down and Benjamin was halfway asleep. All of a sudden, I see Annika's hand slowly reach around me and hit Benjamin. Benjamin was irritated and told Annika to stop. Annika's reply was simply: "Sshh, go to sweep, Ben!!". This happened one more time and I finally had to stop her. It's sometimes very hard to discipline your kids when you want to laugh so bad.
Benjamin attends a welcome class at a local school. There are about 8 kids in the class: One Texan, One Lithuanian, Two Icelandic and Four Polish kids. The welcome class is for kids who do not speak Norsk and it follows the regular curriculum some and at the same time emphasizes Norsk. There is singing, stories, games, movies, trips in addition to the regular classes. This week, Benjamin came home with a library card, two books and a dvd. Homework is awesome and is usually completed within 30mins after he comes home from school. He understands amazingly well Norsk, but is still not saying very much. The teacher says that Benjamin is very social at school, very friendly and talkative. He does very well with homework, all though he has to concentrate on writing the letters and numbers well and not rush through the pages. And finally, he is doing very well in Math and is solving all the tasks for 1st and 2nd grade. So, we have a couple of websites to practice on, this way our little math whiz will get his challenges.
Annika has now attended daycare for 2 week. It started great. She woke up in the morning and wanted to know when we could go to school. Not a tear shed. Then the excitement wore off and reality set in: This week, she cried her heart out when I left in the mornings. But... she is always smiling from ear to ear when I pick her up and she tells me about her fun day. Annika goes to an outdoor daycare. It's a setting where they have a little house for indoor activities as well as a covered bbq pit. Otherwise, most of the day is spent outside. It is very relaxed with a total of 5 teachers for 17-20 kids. The kids are from 3 through 6 years old and all play with each other. Soon, Annika will join the other kids for walks and bus trips!! I had a start up meeting with the daycare director today. The director wanted to know about Annika, personality traits, her first years etc. so that they can get to know her better and help her out when there are problems. Of course, the director commented on Annika being headstrong, determined, independent and some temper (!) as well as good motor skills........yeah, we know all about all those things, especially the temper.....
All in all, the kids have done great and I hope to hear some Norsk soon.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Are we there yet??
The past three weeks have been busy, challenging and enjoyable.
One June 21st we flew to Denmark to spend a couple of weeks with Moss and Omma. We met at the airport and from there went straight to Tivoli. The kids had a blast, especially Benjamin. He was in Tivoli last summer and still remembered all the rides and where they were. Moss, being the good trooper that she is, followed Benjamin around and rode all the rides with him. Annika rode a few rides, but eventually fell asleep while eating her fries. After a day of fun at Tivoli, we took the train to Odense. The kids pretty much have things figured out when it comes to Moss and Omma: Benjamin is Omma's boy and Annika is Moss' girl.... it's clear cut with no gray areas and makes a lot of things a lot easier. After a week of relaxing, bike riding, playgrounds, yard work and Legoland, I flew back to Norway while the kids stayed in Denmark. Now, Omma and Moss were free to spoil them and to break all the rules that mamma and babba set:)
Back in Norway: Pre-, during and post-move-in have been a roller coaster ride with some ups and downs and loops as well. So far, dealing with utility companies has been a pleasure, people are friendly and helpful. Dealing with the government....well, that has not changed much... The kids and I are still waiting for our registration numbers and even re-applied a few days back. So, right now we cannot do practical things like setting up a doctor, dentist, bank account, insurance etc, because our paperwork is somewhere in the system and probably will be for a while because it's vacation time!!! Ggrrr...... On the brighter side: We have a car now!! Yeah!!. I have to admit, I was getting to be quite the expert there for a while on the bus, train and tram schedules. For what we sold two fairly new cars for in the States, we purchased one old car here in Norway. Also, because we have two car seats, any passenger riding in the back of the car, between the car seats, must have a rear less than 12 inches. For an older car, it is a very well maintained Toyota Corolla.
Move in was.... well, it was a disaster. Even with a three months notice the previous tenant in "our" house was not ready to hand over the keys and do all the final formalities until the morning of our move in. The agent was running late and when she showed up, she failed the house as it was not ready to hand over.... it needed major cleaning. Then, we had to wait for some people to come over and clean the house...all this while three men and a container waited and a clock was ticking. A group of young people came over and with in the hour turned a failed-house into a move-in-ready house. With that kind of speed and efficiency, I envisioned them all with a magic wand and true "Higitus Figitus" Merlin style. Unfortunately, this turned out to not be the case. The house looked more like an authentic post-spring-cleaning of a bachelor pad: floors, tables and windows were clean. Behind, under, over, corners, cabinets, fridge etc were filthy and the trash was overflowing with junk and beer cans. Since we had no choice, we moved in and spent the next several days cleaning and unpacking from dawn til dusk. This was the biggest dip on our roller coaster ride.
We have finally reached a point where the "fun" begins and we get to make it our home. Pictures are now on the walls and we are planning on blinds and paint. The kids love the house and the area. Inside, they now have a game room and outside there are a lot of kids to get to know. There is definitely more freedom here for the kids to roam around. We are making an effort to meet and get to know our neighbors, as people here are not as open as people back in Texas. The area itself is.....perfect (however, I reserve the right to change my mind after winter hits). We live in a small neighborhood between two small villages, about 15 mins away from the nearest small town and about 30-40 mins from Oslo. Things are laid back here and so far, two of our main "hobbies" are to enjoy the view from the back patio or to sit by the breakfast table in the kitchen and watch our neighbors go on with their lives. Our street is a dead end street, so traffic is limited. Back yard is a wooden deck, wild natural area for a short stretch, a fence and a 100ft-ish drop into a small lake..... Not bad for someone who used to have a view of a handful of trees in a cul-de-sac.
I guess we can finally say: Yes, we are here now.
One June 21st we flew to Denmark to spend a couple of weeks with Moss and Omma. We met at the airport and from there went straight to Tivoli. The kids had a blast, especially Benjamin. He was in Tivoli last summer and still remembered all the rides and where they were. Moss, being the good trooper that she is, followed Benjamin around and rode all the rides with him. Annika rode a few rides, but eventually fell asleep while eating her fries. After a day of fun at Tivoli, we took the train to Odense. The kids pretty much have things figured out when it comes to Moss and Omma: Benjamin is Omma's boy and Annika is Moss' girl.... it's clear cut with no gray areas and makes a lot of things a lot easier. After a week of relaxing, bike riding, playgrounds, yard work and Legoland, I flew back to Norway while the kids stayed in Denmark. Now, Omma and Moss were free to spoil them and to break all the rules that mamma and babba set:)
Back in Norway: Pre-, during and post-move-in have been a roller coaster ride with some ups and downs and loops as well. So far, dealing with utility companies has been a pleasure, people are friendly and helpful. Dealing with the government....well, that has not changed much... The kids and I are still waiting for our registration numbers and even re-applied a few days back. So, right now we cannot do practical things like setting up a doctor, dentist, bank account, insurance etc, because our paperwork is somewhere in the system and probably will be for a while because it's vacation time!!! Ggrrr...... On the brighter side: We have a car now!! Yeah!!. I have to admit, I was getting to be quite the expert there for a while on the bus, train and tram schedules. For what we sold two fairly new cars for in the States, we purchased one old car here in Norway. Also, because we have two car seats, any passenger riding in the back of the car, between the car seats, must have a rear less than 12 inches. For an older car, it is a very well maintained Toyota Corolla.
Move in was.... well, it was a disaster. Even with a three months notice the previous tenant in "our" house was not ready to hand over the keys and do all the final formalities until the morning of our move in. The agent was running late and when she showed up, she failed the house as it was not ready to hand over.... it needed major cleaning. Then, we had to wait for some people to come over and clean the house...all this while three men and a container waited and a clock was ticking. A group of young people came over and with in the hour turned a failed-house into a move-in-ready house. With that kind of speed and efficiency, I envisioned them all with a magic wand and true "Higitus Figitus" Merlin style. Unfortunately, this turned out to not be the case. The house looked more like an authentic post-spring-cleaning of a bachelor pad: floors, tables and windows were clean. Behind, under, over, corners, cabinets, fridge etc were filthy and the trash was overflowing with junk and beer cans. Since we had no choice, we moved in and spent the next several days cleaning and unpacking from dawn til dusk. This was the biggest dip on our roller coaster ride.
We have finally reached a point where the "fun" begins and we get to make it our home. Pictures are now on the walls and we are planning on blinds and paint. The kids love the house and the area. Inside, they now have a game room and outside there are a lot of kids to get to know. There is definitely more freedom here for the kids to roam around. We are making an effort to meet and get to know our neighbors, as people here are not as open as people back in Texas. The area itself is.....perfect (however, I reserve the right to change my mind after winter hits). We live in a small neighborhood between two small villages, about 15 mins away from the nearest small town and about 30-40 mins from Oslo. Things are laid back here and so far, two of our main "hobbies" are to enjoy the view from the back patio or to sit by the breakfast table in the kitchen and watch our neighbors go on with their lives. Our street is a dead end street, so traffic is limited. Back yard is a wooden deck, wild natural area for a short stretch, a fence and a 100ft-ish drop into a small lake..... Not bad for someone who used to have a view of a handful of trees in a cul-de-sac.
I guess we can finally say: Yes, we are here now.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Weather
Before we moved to Norway, someone reminded us: There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad choice of clothes. While we expected more rain days and cooler weather, a change of mindset is still required. It is so much easier to just dress up in t-shirt and shorts and head out the door, knowing it'll be a warm to hot day with only a remote chance of rain. Now, we check the hourly weather forecast for the day and plan the days events and dress accordingly. Rain is just a very likely possibility, and the good days are savored.
Yesterday, the kids and I went to Oslo Reptile Park. It is a small reptile exhibition in downtown Oslo and occupies the basement and 1st floor of a building that looks like it also houses apartments and offices. (Hopefully the tarantula and snake cages are locked well at night!). The kids loved it and Benjamin could not check out all the displays out fast enough, while Annika took her sweet time. The alligator Brutus was a big hit and at one point, Annika proudly pointed and announced: That is my daddy! (She likes to assign names to all sorts of things. Several of the tiles in our bathroom are family members. Posters usually are "Mamma, Babba, Benjamin and me!" in the form of cartoons, animals etc). The over sized, hairy Tarantula was not one of the popular displays. Both kids froze, Benjamin backed away and refused to get close and Annika started crying. Past the tarantula, we saw all sorts of snakes, frogs, monkeys, a macaw and exotic Madagaskar cockroaches (there is nothing exotic about them and reminded me about the the Texas tree roaches). We even got to touch a snake, a harmless little python. Back outside, the return bus was 25 minutes away, so we decided to walk home. The kids did good and it was the usual walk: Benjamin ahead, impatiently wanting to move forward. Annika behind, slowly making her way, looking at every window and every person passing by. No water puddle was missed either.
This morning looked brighter with fewer ominous black clouds. It gave us the courage to venture a little farther away from home and we ended up on Bygdøy. First stop was the Vikingmuseum with three wiking ships on display along with other items from the viking area. Very impressive. We then walked over to the Fram Museum. The building looks like a big tent and houses Fram, the ship used to explore the north and south pole region in the late 1800 to early 1900. We were able to walk on board the ship as well.
Since the day turned out to be so nice, we took the little ferry back. It was only a short 10 minute ride, but we passed up sailboats, kayaks and girls in bikinis paddling around on boards.
The rain is supposed to return tomorrow and we haven't decided what to do or where to go..... but what ever we do, it'll be a fun, little adventure.
Yesterday, the kids and I went to Oslo Reptile Park. It is a small reptile exhibition in downtown Oslo and occupies the basement and 1st floor of a building that looks like it also houses apartments and offices. (Hopefully the tarantula and snake cages are locked well at night!). The kids loved it and Benjamin could not check out all the displays out fast enough, while Annika took her sweet time. The alligator Brutus was a big hit and at one point, Annika proudly pointed and announced: That is my daddy! (She likes to assign names to all sorts of things. Several of the tiles in our bathroom are family members. Posters usually are "Mamma, Babba, Benjamin and me!" in the form of cartoons, animals etc). The over sized, hairy Tarantula was not one of the popular displays. Both kids froze, Benjamin backed away and refused to get close and Annika started crying. Past the tarantula, we saw all sorts of snakes, frogs, monkeys, a macaw and exotic Madagaskar cockroaches (there is nothing exotic about them and reminded me about the the Texas tree roaches). We even got to touch a snake, a harmless little python. Back outside, the return bus was 25 minutes away, so we decided to walk home. The kids did good and it was the usual walk: Benjamin ahead, impatiently wanting to move forward. Annika behind, slowly making her way, looking at every window and every person passing by. No water puddle was missed either.This morning looked brighter with fewer ominous black clouds. It gave us the courage to venture a little farther away from home and we ended up on Bygdøy. First stop was the Vikingmuseum with three wiking ships on display along with other items from the viking area. Very impressive. We then walked over to the Fram Museum. The building looks like a big tent and houses Fram, the ship used to explore the north and south pole region in the late 1800 to early 1900. We were able to walk on board the ship as well.
Since the day turned out to be so nice, we took the little ferry back. It was only a short 10 minute ride, but we passed up sailboats, kayaks and girls in bikinis paddling around on boards.The rain is supposed to return tomorrow and we haven't decided what to do or where to go..... but what ever we do, it'll be a fun, little adventure.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Mode of transportation
Now, we are still on a novice level when it comes to commuting here in Oslo, but we are catching on and have a general idea of which buses, trikk (electric trams), t-bane (underground train) and regular trains we need to take to get to places. $40 for a weekly pas for an adult while kids travel for free - and we are free to travel anywhere, anytime in Oslo. Trains out of town require an additional ticket. Buses, trikks, t-bane and trains run all the time and we have never waited for more than 10 minutes for the next ride.
With all the public transportation options, there are plentiful of regular cars around too. Cars are...well...smaller than what we were used to in Texas. There are not that many duallys or large SUVs around here. And then there are these...
They are little, two person, electric.....thingies. I wanted to post a picture of our favorite "Buddy", which is light blue, covered with clouds, but it was not there when this picture was taken. According to this article, Oslo aims at being the leading electric car capital and has special parking areas, free of charge, for these little electric cars. I can already envision the four of us stashed inside the little car with all of our luggage stacked on top of the car like an Ikea commercial......
With all the public transportation options, there are plentiful of regular cars around too. Cars are...well...smaller than what we were used to in Texas. There are not that many duallys or large SUVs around here. And then there are these...
They are little, two person, electric.....thingies. I wanted to post a picture of our favorite "Buddy", which is light blue, covered with clouds, but it was not there when this picture was taken. According to this article, Oslo aims at being the leading electric car capital and has special parking areas, free of charge, for these little electric cars. I can already envision the four of us stashed inside the little car with all of our luggage stacked on top of the car like an Ikea commercial......
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
The best of both worlds
"The best of both worlds" is what came to mind earlier this evening when we enjoyed a good Norwegian supper with cured leg of lamb, potatoes, dark bread and at the same time caught up on the US baseball stats.
Yesterday, a couple of maintenance guys knocked on the door and wanted to upgrade our cable. Carl had only one question: ESPN?? So, thanks to the upgrade, I now have a choice of two channels: ESPN and Disney! The furniture needs an upgrade or two as well and the drain from the washing machine needs to be unclogged so that the bathroom floor does not flood again, but aside from that this is a great place. We are close to everything and even Benjamin is able to find his way to and from the bus, train and mall. There is an abundance of restaurants, theaters and malls in the area.
The kids seem to have settled in and Benjamin likes Norway, all though he still misses his friends back in Texas. Annika is just happy to get to ride the elevator, trains and to follow her older brother around. They haven't caught on to the language yet, all though we faithfully watch Mikke Mus speak Norsk every morning and Annika says "Vær så god", but we'll get there.
We also made the trip out to the sticks earlier this week. We wanted to see our house and the area. After one tram, one train an one bus ride, we were there. We stepped out of the bus with a mixture of "where on earth are we?" and "now what?". The bus driver must have thought we took a wrong turn somewhere, because he stalled the bus as if offering us to step back on and take us back to town. Behind us were a few houses and in front of us a hill with a paved path. We decided to take the path, determined to see our house. After a few minutes we found our street and then our house. Yeah!! At that moment, we decided that this house was a good choice after all. Yes, we are far far away from everything, but this is the perfect spot for kids. There is a little play area across the street, the area seems very quiet (but that is only until our kids move in), the view is great (with Oslo and the fjord in the back ground) and we have a lake right behind our back yard (and a 100ft drop down to that lake). Of course, we have not (in person) seen the house on the inside nor have we lived there during dead of winter, so I reserve the right to change my mind about any of the above mentioned positives:).
Yesterday, a couple of maintenance guys knocked on the door and wanted to upgrade our cable. Carl had only one question: ESPN?? So, thanks to the upgrade, I now have a choice of two channels: ESPN and Disney! The furniture needs an upgrade or two as well and the drain from the washing machine needs to be unclogged so that the bathroom floor does not flood again, but aside from that this is a great place. We are close to everything and even Benjamin is able to find his way to and from the bus, train and mall. There is an abundance of restaurants, theaters and malls in the area.
The kids seem to have settled in and Benjamin likes Norway, all though he still misses his friends back in Texas. Annika is just happy to get to ride the elevator, trains and to follow her older brother around. They haven't caught on to the language yet, all though we faithfully watch Mikke Mus speak Norsk every morning and Annika says "Vær så god", but we'll get there.
We also made the trip out to the sticks earlier this week. We wanted to see our house and the area. After one tram, one train an one bus ride, we were there. We stepped out of the bus with a mixture of "where on earth are we?" and "now what?". The bus driver must have thought we took a wrong turn somewhere, because he stalled the bus as if offering us to step back on and take us back to town. Behind us were a few houses and in front of us a hill with a paved path. We decided to take the path, determined to see our house. After a few minutes we found our street and then our house. Yeah!! At that moment, we decided that this house was a good choice after all. Yes, we are far far away from everything, but this is the perfect spot for kids. There is a little play area across the street, the area seems very quiet (but that is only until our kids move in), the view is great (with Oslo and the fjord in the back ground) and we have a lake right behind our back yard (and a 100ft drop down to that lake). Of course, we have not (in person) seen the house on the inside nor have we lived there during dead of winter, so I reserve the right to change my mind about any of the above mentioned positives:).
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Tourists
Oslo is said to be one of the most family friendly destinations in Europe....which is good, when you live in a small apartment with two little energizer bunnies.
This past week, we've seen numerous attractions and have reached them by foot or train. Walking is a way to de-energize our two little bunnies...all though, I am not sure it really works. The kids still have energy in excess by the time we come home. And all the train rides are still for (my) educational value as well as the kids' entertainment. Benjamin seems to pick up on the train schedule too. See, we live right between train stops A and B and yesterday, we were supposed to meet up with Carl at train stop B. Instead of walking straight to B, Benjamin guided Annika and me to train stop A and wanted to ride the train to B. So, our otherwise 5 minute walk turned into a 5 minute walk, 10 minute wait and 2 minute ride. But, he was happy and very satisfied with himself.
Vigeland Park is a very interesting park, filled with over 200 large and small sculptures. Of course the perfect weather and big playground worked out in our favor too. We brought a lunch bag with us and got to enjoy a European style picnic, surrounded by to-go-grill-boxes, bikes parked in the grass and people of all ages enjoying the sun, as if recently coming out of hibernation.
Here is another picture from our trip to Holmenkolbakken. It was a 25 minute tram ride and 15 minute walk to get to the ski jumping hill. Seeing this hill up close makes you appreciate the athletes standing up top, ready to make their jump. The view over Oslo is also great from this location too. This will be one of our destination spots this winter for sure.
We've passed the opera house several times traveling to and from our apartment and the main train station. It's structure and bright white color impossible to miss. So, today, we got to finally "climb" it. It's designed so visitors can walk up a ramp and onto the roof. The kids loved the big ramp and got to run and jump up on the roof too. 
So far, we are enjoying being tourists here in Oslo. With all these big American cruise ships coming in to port, we really blend in with our sneakers (all though not bright white), jeans, backpack and camera going "click" "click" "click"...
This past week, we've seen numerous attractions and have reached them by foot or train. Walking is a way to de-energize our two little bunnies...all though, I am not sure it really works. The kids still have energy in excess by the time we come home. And all the train rides are still for (my) educational value as well as the kids' entertainment. Benjamin seems to pick up on the train schedule too. See, we live right between train stops A and B and yesterday, we were supposed to meet up with Carl at train stop B. Instead of walking straight to B, Benjamin guided Annika and me to train stop A and wanted to ride the train to B. So, our otherwise 5 minute walk turned into a 5 minute walk, 10 minute wait and 2 minute ride. But, he was happy and very satisfied with himself.
Vigeland Park is a very interesting park, filled with over 200 large and small sculptures. Of course the perfect weather and big playground worked out in our favor too. We brought a lunch bag with us and got to enjoy a European style picnic, surrounded by to-go-grill-boxes, bikes parked in the grass and people of all ages enjoying the sun, as if recently coming out of hibernation.
Here is another picture from our trip to Holmenkolbakken. It was a 25 minute tram ride and 15 minute walk to get to the ski jumping hill. Seeing this hill up close makes you appreciate the athletes standing up top, ready to make their jump. The view over Oslo is also great from this location too. This will be one of our destination spots this winter for sure. 
We've passed the opera house several times traveling to and from our apartment and the main train station. It's structure and bright white color impossible to miss. So, today, we got to finally "climb" it. It's designed so visitors can walk up a ramp and onto the roof. The kids loved the big ramp and got to run and jump up on the roof too. 
So far, we are enjoying being tourists here in Oslo. With all these big American cruise ships coming in to port, we really blend in with our sneakers (all though not bright white), jeans, backpack and camera going "click" "click" "click"...
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Norway!!!
After months of preparation, decisions and mixed emotions, we are finally here... in Oslo, Norway!!
Omma and Abbi took us to the airport and it was hard to say good bye. The flight was ...well, it had its ups and downs. Benjamin is older now and he got a new Nintendo DS for the trip, so he enjoyed the flight, played and slept through most of it. Annika, having higher standards when it comes to comfort and entertainment,... well, she did not enjoy it quite as much as her older brother......! The first view of Norway was snow covered mountains...my first thought was: Pilot, turn around..we made a mistake!!! But eventually snowy mountains turned into lush green woods and fields...Phew...Oslo it is, Pilot!! Entry and luggage was no problem. Trains are no problem either. Taxi drivers are CRAZY!. Our temporary apartment is very nice and we like it here...our downstairs neighbor may not share that opinion after cars and airplanes crash landing on the wooden floor. We are a few minutes walk from just about everything downtown and just a short block from the harbor. Immigration...well, sucks and this appears to be a global problem..... but we will get set up one day and from there, it will be piece of cake!! So far, so good....
Today, we have played our tourist role here... with camera, backpack and the tourist look. We walked down Karl Johans Gate, saw the castle and change of guards and later made a trip up to Holmenkolbakken. The kids did good. Considering all the walking, they did great!! We've been riding on trams and trains and Carl questioned and educated me along the way on the Oslo public transportation system. Yes, the American showing the European how to use public transportation!
Tomorrow.... The kids and I will have a go at the immigration service. Well, it should not so much be an issue, as all we need is a SSN. Good luck to us and hope, things turn out well.
Time to get used to the long summer days... it's 10.30pm here and almost full daylight....
Omma and Abbi took us to the airport and it was hard to say good bye. The flight was ...well, it had its ups and downs. Benjamin is older now and he got a new Nintendo DS for the trip, so he enjoyed the flight, played and slept through most of it. Annika, having higher standards when it comes to comfort and entertainment,... well, she did not enjoy it quite as much as her older brother......! The first view of Norway was snow covered mountains...my first thought was: Pilot, turn around..we made a mistake!!! But eventually snowy mountains turned into lush green woods and fields...Phew...Oslo it is, Pilot!! Entry and luggage was no problem. Trains are no problem either. Taxi drivers are CRAZY!. Our temporary apartment is very nice and we like it here...our downstairs neighbor may not share that opinion after cars and airplanes crash landing on the wooden floor. We are a few minutes walk from just about everything downtown and just a short block from the harbor. Immigration...well, sucks and this appears to be a global problem..... but we will get set up one day and from there, it will be piece of cake!! So far, so good....
Today, we have played our tourist role here... with camera, backpack and the tourist look. We walked down Karl Johans Gate, saw the castle and change of guards and later made a trip up to Holmenkolbakken. The kids did good. Considering all the walking, they did great!! We've been riding on trams and trains and Carl questioned and educated me along the way on the Oslo public transportation system. Yes, the American showing the European how to use public transportation!
Tomorrow.... The kids and I will have a go at the immigration service. Well, it should not so much be an issue, as all we need is a SSN. Good luck to us and hope, things turn out well.Time to get used to the long summer days... it's 10.30pm here and almost full daylight....
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Saying goodbye to our little friends
The big day is just around the corner now and we are counting down.... only 13 more days until we fly out. Lately, Benjamin has been restless and wearing his heart on his sleeve. I guess, this is his reaction to the big changes in his little life. Trying to help with the transition, we have made an effort to say good bye to our little friends.
Cole and Trinity used to be our neighbors on Tree Trail Ct. Benjamin and Cole used to race their electric cars around the circle and eventually, the girls got big enough to join them. I wonder if the girls would eventually have beaten them?
John and Ellen used to go to our daycare, but they moved to Dallas. Benjamin and John met in Ms. Maggie's nursery class and had a bond even then. We drove to Dallas one weekend and got to spend some quality time with them. We watched John play soccer, fed the ducks, played in some pretty cool parks and visited the zoo. Benjamin was heartbroken when we said goodbye and headed back to Houston.
Last week Benjamin and his class graduated from Pre-K. It was a big event and they had a great performance with sight words, numbers, letters, names and songs. Here, Benjamin is posing with Travis, Gabriella and Emma.
One evening, we went to Travis' house to hang out. Travis has a pool, trampoline and so many cool halloween outfits: Batman, Ninja Turtles, Storm Trooper....you name it.
We still have a few more friends to say goodbye to and we will make our way around to them as well..... I am curious to see if Benjamin will remember anything from his life in Texas and what he might remember. Annika is too little to understand anything and she tends to happily tag along and copy anything end everything Benjamin does. I doubt Annika will remember more than images without context.
Hopefully, we will be able to keep in touch with all our little friends.
Cole and Trinity used to be our neighbors on Tree Trail Ct. Benjamin and Cole used to race their electric cars around the circle and eventually, the girls got big enough to join them. I wonder if the girls would eventually have beaten them?
John and Ellen used to go to our daycare, but they moved to Dallas. Benjamin and John met in Ms. Maggie's nursery class and had a bond even then. We drove to Dallas one weekend and got to spend some quality time with them. We watched John play soccer, fed the ducks, played in some pretty cool parks and visited the zoo. Benjamin was heartbroken when we said goodbye and headed back to Houston.
Last week Benjamin and his class graduated from Pre-K. It was a big event and they had a great performance with sight words, numbers, letters, names and songs. Here, Benjamin is posing with Travis, Gabriella and Emma.
One evening, we went to Travis' house to hang out. Travis has a pool, trampoline and so many cool halloween outfits: Batman, Ninja Turtles, Storm Trooper....you name it.
We still have a few more friends to say goodbye to and we will make our way around to them as well..... I am curious to see if Benjamin will remember anything from his life in Texas and what he might remember. Annika is too little to understand anything and she tends to happily tag along and copy anything end everything Benjamin does. I doubt Annika will remember more than images without context.Hopefully, we will be able to keep in touch with all our little friends.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The beginning of a new adventure
Where to start....
It's been a while since the last blog entry and we've been quite busy on Picasa instead. Since there is more to blog about these days, I've decided to give the blog one more chance.
Since the last blog, we've had birthdays, graduations, travels and lots of other events. The kids have grown.... alot! There is too much to sum up, too much of a gap to fill. Therefore, we are starting fresh on the blog.
We are currently living in a one bedroom apartment. We just sold our house , packed the rest of our belongings in a container and will soon sell our cars too. We have two weeks left of our normal lives here in the US. After that, we start our new life in Norway. Once in Norway, we will move into another apartment while we wait for our house to become available. It will be a little hectic for a while, but so far, so good.... with mixed emotions :)
Our apartment complex has a pool. We LOVE the pool. There we find the space, the apartment lacks. There is lots of fun, sun, friends to play with and refreshing water. The kids can spend hours in the water and are exhausted at the end of the day. I try to soak up all the sun I can handle. Somehow, I convince myself, it will last through out the Norwegian summer and winter... atleast until we have a chance to come back here to visit and bottle up some more sun.
We threw out half of our summer clothes and bought jackets, jeans and ski outfits. Not much of a selection in Houston in the middle of summer, but we managed to find a few things here and there. So, Norway....here we come.
It's been a while since the last blog entry and we've been quite busy on Picasa instead. Since there is more to blog about these days, I've decided to give the blog one more chance.
Since the last blog, we've had birthdays, graduations, travels and lots of other events. The kids have grown.... alot! There is too much to sum up, too much of a gap to fill. Therefore, we are starting fresh on the blog.
We are currently living in a one bedroom apartment. We just sold our house , packed the rest of our belongings in a container and will soon sell our cars too. We have two weeks left of our normal lives here in the US. After that, we start our new life in Norway. Once in Norway, we will move into another apartment while we wait for our house to become available. It will be a little hectic for a while, but so far, so good.... with mixed emotions :)
Our apartment complex has a pool. We LOVE the pool. There we find the space, the apartment lacks. There is lots of fun, sun, friends to play with and refreshing water. The kids can spend hours in the water and are exhausted at the end of the day. I try to soak up all the sun I can handle. Somehow, I convince myself, it will last through out the Norwegian summer and winter... atleast until we have a chance to come back here to visit and bottle up some more sun.
We threw out half of our summer clothes and bought jackets, jeans and ski outfits. Not much of a selection in Houston in the middle of summer, but we managed to find a few things here and there. So, Norway....here we come.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Mobil 1 No 77 Nascar
Unfortunately, we are not big Nascar fans. Otherwise, we could probably have told you all kinds of cool stuff about this car. This is a real race car and it stood outside our daycare last week. Here is a link to their website. As for me - I was in race car heaven and could only watch the car and repeat over and over what a fast race car it was.
Birthday at Seaworld
Benjamin, 4 years old
We celebrated Benjamin's 4th birthday in Seaworld, San Antonio and it turned out to be a super day. Perfect weather and not too crowded. This was our back seat on our way home.
We celebrated Benjamin's 4th birthday in Seaworld, San Antonio and it turned out to be a super day. Perfect weather and not too crowded. This was our back seat on our way home.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Better at walking
I love to walk and practice every day. I walk around the house with my new walker and soon enough, I will catch up to Benjamin. Also, I am brave enough to let go on my own and walk about 5-6 steps.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
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