live well. love much. laugh often.

Our Christmas :)

2012-01-11T21:49:00.003+01:00

There are way too many pictures I wanted to share and talk about, but don't have hours to sit in front of the computer to put each one up and describe and explain, so instead you get a slideshow of our past month.

A short synopsis: We had a great Christmas! My sister and two brothers came out and spent 10 relaxing, refreshing days together. Having my family around made me realize how much I love them. Being in a foreign country for so long, I've gotten used to feeling like the "outsider", but every time I get together with my family, it makes me realize once again who I am and where I come from and gives me a sense of belonging that I haven't felt in awhile. They are my roots, my people, they speak my language, share my humor, and it's nice to feel that every now and then!

While they were here, we were able to go on to the shark museum, play games, run a 10K, grill hotdogs in the forest, see the fireworks, watch movies, eat ourselves silly, go out for pizza and just plain relax! I loved every minute of it and I will be eternally grateful that they came out here to see us.

The first couple nights after they left, Samuel kept saying he missed them so much and would lay awake in his bed crying because of it. Luckily we'll be out there this summer. When they left, it felt more like a see-ya-later, than a good-bye. I love my family dearly and feel lucky that I get to be an Alder!

ps. not all the pictures in the slideshow are from when they were here. Some are from before and some after. (and sorry I don't have time to explain them all)

Christmas2012

September/October

2011-10-31T23:11:00.004+01:00

Seriously, I don't know where time goes! Sorry I don't have time to write down and explain things, but a picture is worth a thousand words, right?! So, if you click on the link below, you'll see what's been going on in our lives...Enjoy!

http://family.webshots.com/slideshow/581726659bHVMmi

Sofia-isms

2011-09-07T20:38:00.002+02:00

Sofia: Mom, look a snail in the middle of the sidewalk!

Me: Hmm…

Sofia: Do you think I should pick it up and kiss it?

Me: If you want to, but it looks kind of dirty to me.

Sofia: Oh, but I already did kiss it. Should I put him back?

Me: Ya, but maybe you should put it back in the grass so no one will step on it.

Sofia: Mom, I put him on his back, so he couldn’t move.

Me: Why did you do that?

Sofia: Because he’s a snail, and snails move very slowly and I put him in the grass and if I would’ve put him the right way, he would’ve crawled out back on the road and then if someone came they would step on him because he wouldn’t be able to move so quickly!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We had watched a short clip out of a movie where the parents of a one year old baby get in a car accident and leave their child in care of close friends. Samuel was a bit troubled by it.

Samuel: But, think mom, if you and dad died…who would take care of us?

Me: Good question. I think Grandma and Grandpa would be good at taking care of you guys.

Samuel: But, they live in America.

Me: Ya, that’s right. Maybe you guys would have to move to America.

Sofia: (all excited!) Ya, and if you and dad died and we had to move to America to live with Grandma and Grandpa, could we watch a movie on the plane?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me: Sofia, do you hear those church bells?

Sofia: Ya. Is that our church?

Me: No, that’s the church over there. It’s Ida’s church.

Sofia: So, does Ida go to church ever?

Me: Sometimes.

Sofia: Why not all the time?

Me: Her mommy and daddy just decided that.

Sofia: But it’s good to go to church a lot.

Me: I think so too. Maybe someday you could invite Ida to come with us.

Sofia: No, I don’t think she’d like that. She doesn’t know any of the songs or the people and I don’t think she’d have fun.

Me: But, don’t you have fun at church.

Sofia: No.

Me: Oh, okay.

After a couple minutes of silence Sofia: How did we start talking about this anyway?

Me: About what?

Sofia: About this with churches?!

Stories

2011-09-07T20:36:00.003+02:00

The kids told these stories two years ago. I had written them down, and found them only again today as I was going through old files on the computer. Hilarious! Dripping with personality!

-Samuel Malm-

Once upon a time there were 4 turtles…Leonardo ,Rafael, Donotelo, and Michaelangelo. There were no more turtles. Master Splinter came and there were tons of super heroes. The Ninja Turtles said, ”who are you?” Then they were walking and walking and finally they saw a big balloon and they made a hole and fell in the balloon and couldn’t get out. But then the 4 Ninja Turtles finally climbed out.

Then a dinosaur came when they were walking home. It was a t-rex, so they got all their weapons and killed him. But, all of a sudden there were many t-rex’s and they pushed a rock on top of the turtles and the 4 ninja turtles got their heads hurt. And Michaelangelo said, ”ouch dude, that hurt. I want a pizza. That rock looks like a pizza.” So, he went home and made pizza out of the rock. So, he ate it, but here was poison in the rock, so poison came in him, but he didn’t even die!

Then a stegosaurus dinosaur came and Michalangelo screamed and ran away because he was scared. Then the t-rex came and he ran as fast as he could, but the trex was faster and opened his mouth and almost tasted him, but michealangelo took some rope and tied up his mouth. But, the trex was so strong he broke through it. So, michaelngelo ran fast. Then Donotelo came and Rafael said he would take the mouth and Micahelagelo would tie up his legs up. So they did and they won.

The End.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-Sofia Malm-

Once upon a time, there was a princess named Wilma because that’s a girl. Then a dinosaur came but it didn’t get the princess because she was at home and the door was locked. So, the dinosaur didn’t ate the princess. And that’s the end.

(notice there was a dinosaur in sofia's story as well. It's just that Princess Wilma was so smart (her being a girl and all) that she simply went into her house and locked the door. End of story! Hilarious!)

Late 4th of July post

2011-08-28T23:03:00.002+02:00

Just thought I'd share this picture of our fam taken on the 4th of July. :) Unfortunately Chris doesn't have an American Flag shirt. We'll have to have Grandma send us one next year! (gotta love Wallmart specials!)

Midnattsloppet

2011-08-28T22:54:00.002+02:00

This 10K race weaves in and out of downtown Gothenburg and was the funnest 10K I've ever done. The Midnattsloppet (Midnight Race) started at 10:30pm, pitch black and in the pouring rain! At first the rain was bothersome, but after you're already soaked, you don't really feel it anymore. (I actually thought it had stopped raining until I looked up at the lamp post and saw it coming down faster than ever!) But, running in the rain is so refreshing and cools you right off.

Chris and I are fan's of the 10K run. As soon as it gets hard, it's over. I think I'm gonna stick to running 10K's from now on! No more long, strenuous, tiring, half-marathons! And it was fun doing it together (when I say together, I mean, we were there at the start together and then met up afterwards). There are about 14,000 runners, so it's quite big and is filled with energy the entire way. It was great! We are def. doing it next year!

After Race Pictures:

Goal was under 55 min and I got 54. (Next year, under 50)

Chris's goal was under 40min and he got 38!

(I promise those droplets on my head are rain and not sweat. Don't ask me why you can't see the rain on Chris's forehead.)

Cute little clip we put together yesterday

2011-08-25T21:32:00.003+02:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSUMtTtBF14
(note: bussig=silly and kryp ut=crawled out. Sometimes we speak Swenglish)

Swedish Summer Update3

2011-08-17T23:16:00.002+02:00

(Click on picture to come to slideshow)

Summer for us is now coming to an end. Chris has started work again this week, after a well deserved 4 week vacation and the kids start school next week. One thing that I love about Sweden is the long vacation you get. Swede's get 6 weeks paid vacation per year. Most take 4 in the summer (the month of July) and 2 during Christmas. It's WONDERFUL!!! This summer was a working-on-the-house summer. Although we didn't go anywhere exciting, we got A LOT done on the house (pictures to come). And the kids enjoyed a relaxed, long, summer. Although, the weather hasn't been all that summery here, every time the sun did shine, we dropped whatever we were doing and headed to the beach or the lake. It never got higher than 80F and is now already back down to high 60'sF! It already feels like Fall out there, which since moving to Sweden has become my new favorite season.

Anyway, here are some more pictures to enjoy. Chris's parents were here for a visit from Salt Lake and we enjoyed getting together with the family a little more often because of that. The second to last night they were here, we enjoyed a wonderful family gathering out on the islands with swimming, grilling, hiking and singing!

We miss our American family and wish so badly we could've come again this summer. Last summer was all too good. But, we're excited for Aunt Heidi and Uncles Dave and Steve to come out for Christmas!!!

Swedish Summer Update2

2011-08-01T23:27:00.002+02:00

click on the picture to see a little slideshow of what we've been up to!

Beginners luck or skill?

2011-08-01T21:57:00.003+02:00

A couple weeks ago, I had my first opportunity to go fishing. One a Saturday a month and whenever needed, Chris and I work extra as a Personal Assistant to a 68 year old fisherman. He was in a bike accident nearly 10 years ago which left him sitting in a wheel chair, totally paralyzed from his chest down. Obviously it has been adifficult transition for him as his entire life has needed to be readjusted. However, this past spring, he invested in a handicap-friendly motor boat and has been able to be out on the sea again since his accident. He has taken it a step further and has started a small sight-seeing business with his boat where he takes other wheel-chair-bound passengers on a tour of islands around Gothenburg. It's actually quite popular and the boat's big enough to fit 5 whee chairs!

So a couple weeks ago, I got to go on his boat with him as he took out 2 of his old buddies on a little fishing trip. Thinking, that spending the day on the ocean, fishing sounded quite easy and relaxing, I quickly told Chris I'd be more than happy to work this shift (since we're both employed, we can kind of just choose who goes. It's actually really nice). Little did I know that it was far from relaxing! Because I was the only passenger not in a wheel chair, I kept busy. From making sandwiches and coffee for everybody, to getting the bait, to pouring in more gas because we ran out, to opening the hatch to see what was wrong with the motor when the boat suddenly died. :( I even managed to throw up two times because of the choppy waters! However, amongst the running back and forth, I was able to actually catch 4 mackerel which we fried for dinner that night when we got home (at 10pm!). First time I've eaten mackerel. They're were really good!

Swedish Summer Update1

2011-07-28T22:41:00.000+02:00

Last year Samuel and Sofia enjoyed swimming lessons for 2 weeks with sun everyday at the local pool across from grandma's house. This summer Samuel (Sofia's too young) is enjoying swimming lessons for 3 weeks in the rain everyday (minus maybe 2-3 days of slight sun) at the local beach 7 minutes away. I love that he is enjoying it just as much despite the warm-ups they have to do everyday so when they jump in the cold ocean water, they don't get muscle cramps, and despite having to bring a thermos of hot chocolate and sweatshirt so that after as they're shaking with blue lips, they won't freeze. :) Samuel has been quite the trooper!!! As has his 3 cousins who are in the same class. It's been a fun summer activity for them!

...some days can be like this one day...

...and this the next! So unpredictable!

Can you get more picturesque?! Have you ever "sauna-ed"? (noun: sauna. verb: sauna-ed.) The idea is to jump into the cold water, stay in until you're really cold, then jump out and run into the hot, nearly 160F sauna and warm yourself up, until you're dripping sweat instead of lake water and then do it all over again :). Despite the blue sky in this picture, it wasn't that warm outside, but I have to admit, I LOVED it. So did the kids. Well, all except Emmy who thought the heat-wave you felt from the moment you open the sauna door was too much and "Emmy not like hot". (She stayed in the water for a good half hour until her lips started turning blue and we made her sit in the sauna). It was fun though. First time in nearly 9 years of living here I've done this...definitely will not be the last.

This has summer written all over it! (It was just as good as it looks!!!)

Entrance and Kitchen done (pretty much)!!!

2011-06-19T22:51:00.005+02:00

ENTRANCE

Before

After

KITCHEN:

Before

After

Here are projects number 2 and 3 done (and by done I mean, of course nearly done. Small boarders missing and loose cabling here and there! :)) Next two projects: Splitting our room into two so Samuel can have his own room, and our front yard (and when I say yard, I mean tiny spot in front of our house where we park our car). fun, fun...! (more pictures of the kiddies to come.)

click here to see progression and rest of Final Kitchen

2.01

2011-05-23T20:31:00.003+02:00

Close to 60,000 signed up with high expectations. A mere 45,000 actually ran. Still one of the world's largest half-marathons! I crossed the finish line disappointedly two minutes over my goal. (Chris ironically finished 2 minutes quicker than planned with 1.28) :) Every time I run this race, I think it's the last time I'll do it. It's a tough race. Lots of ups and downs. The main thing that keeps me going is the crowd. This year, I might be serious. I might just stick with 10km races. Those are fun!

Make-up Fun

2011-05-17T19:35:00.005+02:00

So, I have a make-up artist friend. She got a group together. Divided us into 4 teams. Had pictures and let us loose. Now, for someone who only wears make-up on Sundays (and even then, it's only eye-shadow and mascara), I have to admit, I was a bit intimidated by the smörgåsbörd of color and options on the table. However, i found myself slowly getting into it and having a lot of fun!

Our picture we had to recreate...

Final results...

(I had one with my eyes open, but it's too big and won't let me upload...:( )

Easter and BBQ's

2011-05-02T21:48:00.010+02:00

I am in the YW presidency in our Stake and girls camp is just around the corner, so last Saturday we ladies in the presidency decided to have a little BBQ with our families at the place we'll be camping to scout it out and get some inspiration. It was great! I was reminded again how healthy being out in nature is. The kids LOVED being outdoors andit made Chris and I excited to take our kids camping this year!

For the first couple hours, Emmy refused to look up at anyone. She sat there either cuddled with mom, dad or staring at the ground with her "mad face" on. Finally, she warmed up and was the life of the party.

Someone brought fishing poles and the kids had a fun time "fishing" in the near-by swamp. They actually caught a little water lizard!

I forgot we had a couple more Easter pictures I never posted. After church on Easter Sunday the Easter Bunny had left some eggs in our backyard and the kids had a fun time finding all of them!

What kind of big sister would Sofia be if she didn't help shove huge chunks of chocolate in little Emmy's mouth?!

These dresses and Samuel's shirt was sent by grandma (of course!). The girl's LOVED the dresses and Samuel thought he looked pretty handsome in his new Easter shirt. These picture frames were also sent by grandma and grandpa last year for Easter. They've started a little tradition that each year they'll send a new little Jesus picture to put in the frame to remind the kids how special Easter is and how much Jesus loves them. (Emmy refused to hold her picture...she was too busy holding her purse and couldn't possibly hold both...).

I just had to add these two pictures as well. well. This is Emmy's bed-head. I love it! We'll be using these pictures for her wedding or some sort of blackmail someday. :) It just describes her to a tee.

again random!

2011-04-23T23:39:00.002+02:00

So, again, time seems to move too quickly these days! Here is a quick update on our lives through pictures. Last week, I was in Frankfurt for a training meeting. I'm working 8 hrs/wk as a secretary for the CES coordinator and once a year all the secretaries in Europe have a training meeting! I look forward to this trip once a year. Hence, a couple German houses and the German Temple. Also, in connection to this trip, I was able to meet up with Chris in Berlin as our good friend was getting married. The family stepped in at the last minute to help with the kids and we were able to spend a wonderful couple days together down there. The other pictures are simply of different things we've been doing. Including Easter. The weather this week has been amazing! I think it even reached 70F today!!! We are basking in this sunlight and trying to soak up as much as we can, because we never know how long it'll last!

Anyway, hope everyone had a good Easter!

Emmy turns 2

2011-04-23T23:20:00.003+02:00

Newborn

one year old

two years old

Wow, time flies!!! We celebrated Emmy's second birthday nearly 2 weeks ago. She turned two on the 12th of this month! Our little Emmy is getting big!! I've never had a two year old without being pregnant and I have to say, this age is A LOT more fun when I'm not dealing with morning sickness! Emmy is a complete mixture of her two older siblings. Somewhat easy-going, she's still got her will. She's easily comforted and loves cuddles. She's quick to laugh and is quite social! :) It's so fun for me to watch my children grow and get to know their little personalities. Two, Four and Six are perfect ages and I wish I could freeze time and keep my children at this age forever!

randoms

2011-04-02T22:06:00.002+02:00

Chris has been away in France for the past 10 days on business. His company has had a huge conference with all the top-dawgs from around the world. Because Chris works at "headquarters", he got to be on the project team organizing the entire deal. Today was the last day, and he called quite relieved the thing is over and everything went so well. As a thank you, everyone on the project team is being rewarded with an ipad2! How sweet is that?! Chris is in pure heaven and after having an afternoon off to spend at the beach in the sun, he is ready and willing to move to any sunny, ocean-side city in the world! We are both sun-lovers. He just has to say the word, and I'll start packing! (How we've survived 8 years in Gothenburg, Sweden is beyond me :)

So, while he's been off in the French Riviera, we've been keeping busy at home. Last Saturday we had our YW yearly leadership meeting. I'm in the Stake YW, so have been busy with organizing and preparing. I found babysitters for all kids and it went great!

On Monday, my friend Jenny came over and turned our basement into an Egyptian tomb. She's studying social work and is taking a class where she had to create an exhibit of some kind for children. Since she's not married and doesn't have kids, I gladly volunteered mine. The kids became archeologists as they explored the tomb and then later got to even go outside in the sad-pit and dig for dinosaur bones! It was great!

Samuel has created a soccer book for Chris when he gets home. This is just the first page. A couple weeks ago, Samuel decided that he loves soccer and that when he grows up he's going to play professional soccer. (when he found out that the "guys on tv who are playing soccer" actually do it for their job and get paid for it, there was no convincing him otherwise). He promised to practice every day Chris was gone because he wanted to surprise daddy at how good he's gotten while he was away. He's held true to his promise, and everyday after school, he's put on his soccer clothes and we've got out to the park.

Today Samuel had a birthday party to go to, so the girls all got to go to the local swimming hall. All 3 of my kids LOVE the water. I found myself really having fun with Sofia and Emmy today as they fearlessly went down the slides, jumped off the edge and dove in the water (both with and without their puffs! Which of course Sofia was quite proud of). They're literally like fish in water.

The yearly half-marathon is quickly creeping up on us. A mere 7 weeks away and I am training religiously for it. This year, I am more determined than ever to get under 2 hours (as some may recall, last year I got 2 hours 16 seconds!). This week I've ran 35 km (almost 22miles) and I'm feeling pretty good.

In other news, for the past year or so, I have been trying different bread recipes trying to find one that is easy, healthy, and yummy.

This is by far the most delicious bread I have ever made! It's rye and whole wheat and it's delicious. (I found it at my friend's blog-but obviously it's all in Swedish--maybe you can google translate?)

Anyway, I'm sure Chris will have some pictures to post when he gets home. We are all ready to have a daddy and husband again!

happy st. patty's day

2011-03-18T09:38:00.002+01:00

So, yesterday as we were driving in to pick up Chris from work, it dawned on me, today is March 17th, St. Patrick's Day! My mom had sent us a great St. Patty's Day grandma package filled with green shirts, green pencils, green princess crowns and green notepads. The kids were (as always) excited to get it and we made a big deal of, when the day comes, to celebrate. (As the years go on, I find it more and more important to celebrate American traditions and holidays, big or small). But, we got the package a week early and by the time yesterday came, we had all completely forgotten about it.

So, as we were sitting in the parking lot waiting for Chris to come down, I made a decision. I suddenly said, "guess what we forgot, guys?!" All excited, they wondered what. I quickly said, "We forgot that it was St. Patrick's Day...tomorrow!!!" Sure, some may say it was a lie, but in my mind, it's just another perk of living over seas. You get to pick and choose when and what you celebrate. So, today we woke up and had green pancakes for breakfast and everyone put on their grandma-shirts (we even convinced Emmy she could wear a skirt with it instead of a dress).

Anyway, although this day has never really been a big day for me personally (besides elementary and jr. high years where you actually did pinch those not wearing green), just wanted to wish all you Americans out there a Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Seriously?!

2011-03-18T07:36:00.003+01:00

Just when you dared to hope that Spring was finally here after 5 long months of winter, you wake up to this:

Playing dress-ups

2011-03-13T00:00:00.001+01:00

One of the kids' favorite past-time activities is dress-ups! They LOVE it! Sofia particularly as a princess and Samuel particularly as some fighting-dude. Here are some pictures from a couple days ago.

2011-02-28T19:40:00.010+01:00

So, the weeks just fly by and it's already March! When did that happen?! There is still a lot of ice on the side-walks and grass, but the 4-inch layer of snow that we've nearly constantly had since November is finally gone! (A couple weeks ago, as we were driving, Sofia excitedly shouted out and started giggling , "GRASS!!! I see grass!!! That means it's almost summer!!!" That right there was a sure sign to me that it has been winter here way too long!). We are all looking forward to the warmer months ahead. And although it's still about 0C (32F), it actually feels a bit "warm" outside compared to what's it's been.

We have been busy bees these past two months. Our newly renovated bathroom had been giving us some problems. They're all fixed now, but we can assuredly say that we won't be contracting with the same company again. Chris has been working diligently evenings and Saturdays to finish our entry way. Tonight, we will be laying the floor...heated tiles. It's exciting to see things transform in this wonderful little house we live in. (We will send pictures after it's all done).

Emmy is growing and learning so much. She's always coming out with phrases and words that we had no idea she knew! Yesterday Chris was playing with the kids and she turned and looked at me and said, "Silly daddy!" She has such a determined personality. Her and Sofia both love to sing and dance, but they don't like singing and dancing together. So, they take turns and when it's Emmy's turn, Sofia is not allowed to sing at all, or Emmy'll will tell her a big fat "NO Fia!!!". So, she sings her little song and when she's done, she gladly says, "Fia's turn". She's also very keen on her Sunday coat and shoes. She never wants her snow coat and boots on, which makes every morning getting dressed a real struggle (every morning except for Sundays). It always surprises me how such a little person can have so many opinions about things! (watch out teenage years!)

This is our new way of getting around the grocery store. Plop her in a cart, give her a banana, and we're good to go!

Sofia is also growing! She is now 4 years old and that's only one year away from an entire hand! In her little mind, 4 is pretty big and she acts like she's the queen of the world! Yesterday we were going to take the bus home from the mall and as we walked outside, we saw all the buses pulling away. We started running so we could catch ours, and just as it was starting to pull away, we flagged it down and the bus driver, seeing this crazy mom running with a baby in the stroller and a four year old in hand, kindly let us on. I was quite proud (and surprised) that Sofia had run all that way and complimented her on her speed. "Sofia, I can't believe we caught the bus. We made it because you had run so fast!!! You're like the fastest 4 year old I know!" She proudly replied: "I know!!!" That girl has got confidence! Sometimes a little too much. Last week, we were eating sandwiches. I had made a nutella (chocolate cream, kind of like peanut butter) for the girls and a ham and cheese sandwich for me. Sofia looked at my sandwich and asked, "don't you want a nutella sandwich also?" "No, I like ham and cheese better." "Oh, but I don't. I like nutella better." I explained that sometimes two people can think two different things and both be right. After thinking about it for awhile, she said, "But, Samuel says sometimes that I have to think what he thinks or else I'm wrong." "Hm...I wonder why he says that?" I asked. "Ya, I really don't know." "Maybe when he comes home from school today, we can ask him and then we'll know why." Sofia initially accepted that answer, but quickly changed her mind. "No, that's not a very good idea. I have a very smartidea. How about I ask him when you're not there, then I can come to you and tell you what he said." "Oh, ya, that sounds like a much better idea. You know, you're really smart Sofia." And again, the over-confident little reply, "I know."

The other day Sofia asked if I could be her grandma instead of her mom, and I said that I couldn't. I could only be a grandma to hers, Samuel's and Emmy's kids and that it didn't matter anyway because they already had two great grandmas. She was still a bit disappointed, but quickly added that she was definitely going to have kids (Samuel's definitely NOT going to have kids) because then she could decide everything and that she would decide that her kids could have candy EVERY saturday, not just on Easter, Christmas and Birthdays like we have it now

This is Sofia at her dance class. Emmy and Samuel sometimes gets to come along too. Samuel sits quietly next to me, playing with some toy he brought, but Emmy can't sit still. Every now and then, she just can't fight the urge and has to simply run out on the floor and start dancing with her older sister. It's adorable.

Samuel is, believe it or not, also growing! Not, only in age, but in size! He's actually quite tall. Most people mistake him for 7 or 8. Samuel is also very inquisitive. The other day, after reading scriptures, Samuel asked, "So, wait...is God the King or is Jesus the King?" I tried explaining that they were both kings and that hopefully someday we too can become kings and queens. He really liked that idea!

Samuel is extremely creative. His fantasy takes over all the time and when he plays, he really plays! He not only plays Star Wars, he becomes Star Wars and is pretty good at entertaining himself for hours on end. Last week our friend Jenny came over and helped with some crafts for the kids. She talked about a couple different animals and showed different pictures, then the kids got to create their own homes for the animals. This is Samuel working on his creation. He took it seriously and was very detailed oriented.

On Saturday we got to go to this huge Sci-Fi convention. Samuel was ecstatic! Sofia, not so much, but Samuel convinced her to come along by letting her choose the movie we'd watch that night. She reluctantly came. Samuel was in heaven and had a hard time concentrating with everything totally awesome going on around him. They had tons of stands full of Star Wars, Legos, SuperHeros, movies and books everywhere. And not only that, but PEOPLE everywhere as well. Why I thought it was a good idea to bring 3 kids to this place alone was a good idea, is beyond me. So, before we even got there, I made sure Samuel understood that we weren't there to buy anything, just to look at all the cool stuff. Samuel has a hard time being satisfied with what he has and is always wanting new toys. Although it was hard, and it took a couple reminders, he accepted the fact that we were just there to look pretty well. Finally, towards the end, there was this stand full of random star wars figures just laying there. Samuel so desperately wanted one, but was trying to be good. Finally, he said, "can't we just ask the guy how much they are?!" So, I flagged down the guy behind the stand and asked him. When he said 50SEK (about 7USD), Samuel sadly knew that was too much. He wanted me to ask if there was anything for 10 SEK (1.5USD). I knew there wasn't and I tried to tell him and move on, but he wanted to hear it from the worker, so I finally said, (mostly out of frustration) that he needed to ask himself. With all the noise and shuffle of people there, it was hard to get the mans attention and Samuel being the somewhat shy guy had an even harder time. He turned to me frustrated and asked if I could just ask. I told him I wouldn't. So, finally after awhile, he timidly asked if there was anything for 10SEK. The man looked at him and then at me and smiled and said, "sure, if you look through that box, and find a guy you like, you can have it for 10SEK." Samuel couldn't believe it! He was almost too excited to look through the box. I'm not sure if he was more excited that he actually got to buy something or if he surprised himself that he had dared to ask himself! Needless to say, it took another 10 minutes to look through the box and find just the right one. He did find the perfect one. (Sofia a bit jealous, quickly asked the guy if she too could have one. She could, and within 30 sec found the perfect one.)

Samuel standing proud. (Emmy was terrified and clung to me crying saying "scary" over and over. Hence, the somewhat fussy picture).

Anyway, that is probably more than anyone ever wanted to read at one go. But, there it is anyway. We will be better at posting...i promise!

Christmas vacation

2011-01-10T19:02:00.004+01:00

Here's a couple pictures of what we've been up to. We had a great New Year's celebration with some family and friends. It's been snowing A TON, so we had a couple fun snow days. And since we can't be outside all the time, we've had some good making-desserts-as-a-family-days. In between everything, Chris has been taking every opportunity to continue with our entrance way. It's pretty much only the floor and painting the walls left! I don't want to show pics until it's completely done, so you'll just have to wait. Hope Christmas vacation was great for everyone!

Picture Slideshow:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58104106@N02/show/with/5343076020/

Sofia Turns 4!!!

2011-01-10T14:57:00.006+01:00

Wow, yet another year has come and gone and our little 3 year-old is no longer 3, but 4! This year has been great for Sofia and she is blooming into quite the little lady. We love our Sofia!

Dance Stop

2011-01-10T12:54:00.002+01:00

You know the game when you have to dance, then when the music stops, you have to freeze?

2010-12-29T18:43:00.001+01:00

2010-12-29T18:33:00.000+01:00

2010-12-29T16:01:00.000+01:00

2010-12-29T15:54:00.001+01:00

Because both my parents and Chris's parents are in the States this year, we had the opportunity to have our "own" Christmas and invite whoever we wanted and do whatever we wanted for it. We choose to have the missionaries over plus a couple friends who were away from family. It was one of the best Christmases we've had. Unfortunately, our camera was low on batteries, so we don't have that many pictures and no pictures of Christmas Day...:(

We have the best of two worlds here and got to celebrate a Swedish-style Christmas the 24th with a huge smorgasbord of food quipped with all the swedish favorites of meatballs, prinskorv, janssons frestelse, cold ham and brussels sprouts. We enjoyed eating together then after everything was cleared away, our friend Erik said he was going out to get the newspaper, and we heard a knock on the door. It was Santa (or rather, Santa's helper...the kids are catching on)!!! He had come bearing gifts. We all sat around as he, Samuel and Sofia helped hand them all out. Everyone was excited and had a good time. After he left, we played the White Elephant Game where Sofia got a flashlight (exactly what she wanted...seriously...no one dared steal it from here because she really, really, really wanted it) and Samuel walked away with 3 Donald Duck comic books!!!

After desserts and games, the kids went excitedly to bed because as soon as they feel asleep, they knew that the American Santa (or as the kids say, the real santa) would come and leave the rest of their presents. Christmas morning, we woke up to a tree full of presents and we all took turns opening.

Christmas has been good this year as I've been trying extra hard to focus on the true reason for the season.

Samuel's Christmas Program

2010-12-28T22:47:00.005+01:00

Samuel's school had an end-of-the-term closing social where grades K-3 and their parents gathered in the local church and had a little program. It was really cool.

Here is Samuel's class singing

And the girls standing and watching.

Santa has come!

2010-12-16T20:39:00.004+01:00

Last Tuesday we got a note in our mailbox letting us know that Santa had come to town and that on Thursday everyone who wanted to could meet at a certain point, and walk with torches into the forest to find him and leave their Christmas wish-lists! So exciting! (I guess there's some neighborhood organization that does it.) The kids were thrilled and excited and filled with wonderment to see if it really was the real Santa. We spent all afternoon baking sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies to take to him along with their wish-lists.

Emmy wasn't such a fan, and didn't even dare look at him when he tried saying hi. She was quiet content staying in her stroller, holding her dolly.

Afterwards Samuel and Sofia had a long drawn-out conversation about whether or not it was the real Santa. Sofia was sure it was but Samuel wasn't so sold. He thought it must've been one of his helpers because he saw him play with his beard and it moved a little and because he asked what their names were ("the real Santa obviously knows our names, right mom?")...smart kid.

Our first project complete!!!

2010-12-16T20:24:00.002+01:00

Our bathroom is now DONE!!! (albiet, the toilet doesn't flush without leaking...). These poor guys. We've had some Polish workers here for the past 3 weeks working 10 hour-days trying to get this done before they head back to Poland for Christmas. They've been excellent, but today, as they were finishing up, they ran into one minor detail. When they flushed the toilet, it leaked a tad in the back!!! You can imagine how frustrated they were, minutes away from jumping in the car back to their family and homeland and then stuck. Because they were pressured for time, we decided it'd be okay to have some "other guys" come look at it on Saturday. So, although our bathroom is done, it's not quiet usable until after that minor problem is fixed :-) But, doesn't it look nice?! It's been a pretty interesting experience, especially for me since Chris has been in India for the past week. I've been running around to stores I never knew existed trying to find parts for them I never knew existed (with three kids in tow...). But, now it's done and we're happy.

Before (tiny bathroom, plus small room next door)

During (big open space!)

After...YEA!!!

Happy Luica

2010-12-13T20:10:00.005+01:00

Luciatåg (Lucia train). Happy Lucia everyone!!! Yep, the 13th of December is already upon us. We got to go to Sofia's preschool and watch them put on a little performance...and despite Sofia's unenthusiastic face in these pictures, she actually was very excited to be a part of it and spent many-a-days practicing all the different little Swedish songs they sang!

I promise, this is the best shot I got...what is so difficult with standing next to a tree, looking at mommy all at the same time and smiling?!?!? Come on, guys!!!

Sorry it's so fuzzy, lighting wasn't the best, but at least you get a little taste of it...

Samuel turns 6

2010-12-12T21:13:00.002+01:00

This is our 6 year old! Because his birthday's in December, he's the youngest in his class (unlike the States where the cut off date for school kids is sept, here the cut off date is December. Which means all kids born the same year start school the same time...ie. all kids born 2004 start kindergarten sept 2010 (the year you turn 6)). So, he was super excited when it was FINALLY his turn to turn six!!! Everyone in his kindergarten class is now 6 and that's pretty cool.

Samuel is a great kid, full of energy and imagination! Being the oldest of two sisters, can sometimes be a bit rough, but he's pretty good at convincing Sofia to play Star Wars and Legos, so it works out okay (I wonder how it'll be when little Emmy gets a little older and the girls will want to start playing "girly" things together...!)

His birthday cake wish was a candy cake, so that's what he got!

Everyone waiting patiently for a piece of it! (You can't really see it very well, but his shirt is a Star Wars shirt sent by Grandma and he is just in LOVE with it! So, thank you Grandma!!!)

And this picture I just thought was cute. The longer we wait to wash Emmy's hair, the curlier it gets :)

Napolean Dynamite?!

2010-12-07T23:35:00.002+01:00

Hilarious! The kid must've been high from all the julmust or maybe he's just got a hidden talent. Samuel stood on that stage for a good 20 minutes, shamelessly dancing his little heart out. It was awesome!

work party vs. church party

2010-12-07T16:55:00.002+01:00

This past weekend has been full of parties for us.

Friday we got to go to Chris's Christmas work party. This if the first time in 11 years that spouses (or significant others) got to come, so we were quiet excited to get all dressed up fancy and get out (with no kids!). Chris wore a suit and tie and I had on a black dress, and we felt pretty sheek. The party was held at this amazing castle owned by SKF (Chris's company) and is grand and brilliant in every regard. It made us feel even more important. When we came, we were served "glögg"-alcohol free (no idea what that is in English, sorry, some type of wine I think) by waitresses in black and white and got to mingle until everyone had arrived. Around 8pm, we were brought into the dinner area where there was a long white table placed with nice china and silverware and candles all around. I felt like we were in some sort of movie. We ate, all very properly...Chris and I faked it pretty well. While we were eating, we got to experience "shots". Everyone got a little shot glass and every now and then our toast master would announce that we needed to sing a song, and then everyone would take a shot. It was fun to be a part of...we happily took our "julmust" (type of soda) while everyone was getting more and more tipsy. We even got to be entertained by a professional opera singer! Afterwards, we went into another magnificent room and had coffee and wine (again, we took julmust) while just mingling with each other. You could tell as the evening went on, that people were getting more and more loose. They had all ordered a taxi to pick them up and asked if we needed one, but we simply said that we had driven, and we were okay. The whole evening was new and exciting and so interesting to me. I'm glad we were a part of it.

The next night, we went to our ward party. Talk about night and day!!! Kids running around, busy RS members running back and forth from the kitchen, people coming in jeans and sweaters, bringing casseroles and cakes, cute primary children singing Christmas songs and sweet Christmas plays. It was so heart-warming to see how everyone helped out. The night before, I felt like we were being pampered, first-class, and yes, I'm not going to lie, it was nice. But, Saturdays party was more economy class and although it's not as "fancy", for some reason, I couldn't help but feel more at home there and happy to be a part of it.

Santa Lucia

And Santa's helpers

FREEZING!

2010-11-25T19:45:00.003+01:00

How cold is it where you are? Here we've been averaging 20-25F for like the past week. It's freezing and it's started early this year. Which is perfect cause it makes it that much easier to get into the Christmas spirit of things when it's white all around! Hopefully because it started early, it'll end early (wishful thinking...). Here are some pictures on our way to school the other day.

I feel like such a viking trudging up this hill twice every day with two kids and a stroller. The kids are awesome to walk so much, especially when it's cold and windy.

Sofia outside Samuel's school just after we dropped him off.

Emmy wanting to walk instead of sit in the stroller.

Right outside our house (the yellow one in the background with the new entrance (no, we're not done yet, but we're getting there!)

THANKSGIVING

2010-11-22T21:02:00.003+01:00

Again, one great thing about living overseas is that you can pick and choose when to celebrate American holidays. Kind of what ever's convenient for you, you know?! So, this year, our Thanksgiving celebrations have already come and gone. We gathered yesterday at our American friends place with two American/Swedish families and had a GREAT T-Day Feast! So now, for us, at least, we have given our respects to the bird, and can put our focus and energy into CHRISTMAS, which is just around the corner!

18 months

2010-11-06T16:25:00.006+01:00

A couple weeks ago, Emmy hit the 18 month mark. (Finally made it to nursery!!!) I know it's always like this, but I can't believe how fast these kids are growing!

Samuel - the pleaser

Sofia - the pixie

Emmy - the personality

HALLOWEEN!!!

2010-11-02T21:26:00.002+01:00

Swedes, like most Europeans, are a little unsure how/when to celebrate when it comes to true, American holidays, like Halloween. Not that this particular holiday is anything to be proud of, but it seems every year it gets bigger and bigger over here. Most people think Halloween is a floating holiday like Thanksgiving and isn't on the same day every year. I think mostly because there's a similar holiday called "The Day of the Saints" which is not always on the same day, but is always within a week or so of Halloween, so Swedes tend to get these two holidays mixed up, and it results in about a week long trick-or-treating episode. You never know when you could get a knock on the door. That combined with only every fourth house or so actually having candy to give to the kids, always makes trick-or-treating exciting.

So, this year we decided to do a trunk-or-treat at the church. SO MUCH FUN! Granted there were only 6 families that showed up (4 of which being Chris's siblings), but it was great and I really think it could be the beginning of a great tradition! The kids loved dressing up, and running from car to car and the parents had fun being a part of it knowing everyone was prepared instead of having to follow your child timidly to your neighbors house and hope they had something to give :)

But, we're lucky because we get double-whammy over here. Friday we're heading over to some American friends where they have a huge Halloween party every year. They've prepared the neighbors and sent out flyers weeks in advance warning people that anyone who wants a knock at the door should put out a little candle or pumpkin so the kids know where to go. Smart! I remember so clearly last year, walking up and down the streets (freezing our tails off!) with my kids in hand going from door to door (nearly every other house was in on it!) and I felt such a nostalgic feeling come over me. When I do real American things over here, it's hard for the tears not to come and I feel grateful I can give my kids a small taste of my childhood.

We'll post pictures after Friday's festivities. :)

Happy 30th!!!

2010-11-02T21:10:00.003+01:00

Last Sunday (yes, on Halloween Day) Per Gustav Christoffer Malm celebrated 30 years of life on this earth as we know it!!! We got to celebrate two nights! One with friends and one with family (not to say that family isn't friends...there were just too many of both). Although Chris isn't a huge fan of being center of attention, he did great and everyone had a great time! We love you Chris!

Renovating in all it's glory

2010-10-12T18:45:00.002+02:00

We have now started the process of renovations! Besides the small things all over inside the house (ie sandpapering floors, painting walls, windows, etc...) we have 3 major projects we want to do on this house. The entrance way, the upstairs bathroom and the kitchen. Last Saturday the digging began for the entrance way. As it is now it's too crowded when you first come in, so we want to knock down the front door/wall and extend the house out a couple meters to make a small entrance hall. A lot of the other houses in the area have it and it really makes a big difference. We hope to be done soon, so it doesn't get too chilly! Wish us luck. We'll keep you updated!

How it looks today from the inside. A bit tight with 3 kids and winter shoes and coats and hats and gloves coming!

You have to dig down a couple cm to be able to lay the foundation. This is the kids helping.

After about a half hour, the kids came in cold, and tired. Chris is still working...

Isn't the best picture, but you can see somewhat how we want it (from the outside anyway). You see blue house has an entrance hall extended out from the house.

And we're back!

2010-10-04T16:20:00.003+02:00

Let's just say life has been pretty go-go-go since we've been back. Which, I think has been a blessings. With so much to do, I haven't had much time to think about missing "home". (But, every now and again, that feeling of homesickness creeps back and I enjoy thinking of all the great memories we had this summer).

As I sat here doing some work on the computer, I realized how unusually quiet it was for a Monday afternoon. Something must be wrong. So, I got up to check on the kids and there sat Samuel with his legos, Emmy was in the kitchen playing with the dishes and Sofia was downstairs with her barbies. At that moment there was peace. But, it made me realize that this is kind of how my life seems sometimes. Three different kids, three different directions, with a million and one things on her to-do-list. It feels like I'm being tugged and pulled sometimes. But, the secret is to find those moments of peace. Life is good.

I also just wanted to say that I LOVE our little townhouse! It is so great. It's not a "dream house" but we just love it. There are projects and renovating that we're working on every night. I feel like Mary and George in It's a Wonderful Life. It's great!

Anyway, more will come. Life as a mother is a busy one.

The rest of the story...

2010-08-17T22:27:00.002+02:00

Sorry for the absence the last couple weeks of our vacation. Chris came and he started taking way too many pictures to organize and go through and put up here. Now that we're back, I've had a little time to be able to go through them and make a slide show. These are the highlights!

Our summer has been perfect! Sun nearly every day, FAMILY, friends, BBQ's, swimming, sleeping in, running, the mountains, camping, everything you're supposed to do during the summer. We're not sure when we'll be back, so it was wonderful being able to be there for such a long time. The kids are happy to be back "home", but for me, Farmington Utah will always be home. I loved every minute of it!

a couple I missed...

2010-07-09T04:44:00.002+02:00

Was a bit quick with adding these. For the 4th of July, my grandpa was honored in the Malad parade as the Veteran In Honor in recognition of his World War II experiences as a B-24 bomber. It was touching for me to be able to be there and watch him as people stood and clapped at this wonderful man!

update

2010-07-09T04:08:00.002+02:00

So much has been happening, I haven't had time to update this thing...Here's simply a slideshow of the past couple weeks. They include a trip to Uncle Steve's work to play on his super-cool-jungle-gym, A midsummer celebration in SLC where we happened to run into a couple in our ward back in Sweden :), 4th of July celebration up in Malad, celebrating Father's Day with Great Grandpa Alder, the Oakley Rodeo, the Dinosaur Park, Swimming lessons, and playing in grandma's pool.

Square Foot Gardening

2010-06-24T22:09:00.002+02:00

Have you heard of this? Supposedly you can plant more in less space and not have to worry about weeds! Some people refuse because it seems too easy, but it was perfect for Grandma and Grandpa who this year didn't have any gardening space and who love gardens. They have 3 4x4- squares (each divided into 16 smaller squares) filled with dirt and fertilization and have planted peas, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, potatoes and flowers. :) Samuel and Sofia each got two small squares of their own and have to help grandpa water it each night. :)

Dates with Mommy

2010-06-24T22:00:00.002+02:00

The other day, I realized I kept running out every couple days leaving Samuel and Sofia and Emmy with Grandma or David so i could do some shopping. So, the other day, I decided to take two days and take my kids out for lunch separately. It was a lot of fun and they felt so special. On mine and Samuel's date, he confided in me that he wanted to take dance classes, so he could dance real cool with an electrical guitar and have everyone cheer for him and that he no longer wants to be called Samuel, but only Sam. Sofia didn't confide anything, but found a "super cute care bear t-shirt that she just loved so so much and wanted to get because Grandma has so many cute care bears!" My mom was proud of her. :) It was fun. (we obviously went to Taco Bell on both occasions so I could give my children that American experience...not many taco places in Sweden.)

Wheeler Farm

2010-06-20T04:18:00.005+02:00

On Friday we invited my good friend, Maria and her son Max to go to Wheeler Farm with us for the day. It was a beautiful day and a lot of fun seeing all the animals and going on a wagon ride. And although Samuel is NOT a fan of animals, he enjoyed being able to play on all the tractors!

What's More American?

2010-06-20T04:10:00.003+02:00

The other day Samuel and Sofia saw our neighbors having a lemonade stand and curiously wondered what they were doing. When I explained, they got super excited and wanted to have one of their own. So, the next day, we cut up fruit into small bit size pieces and put them on a toothpick like a fruit-shish-kabob and had cold water. We put out a sign for free fruit and ice water. I went inside and let them work their magic and within 45 minutes, all the shish kabobs were gone and they had earned $3.25! (so much for free!) They were super excited and I had loads of childhood memories coming flooding back to me. Sometimes I miss being a kid :).

Farmington Pool!

2010-06-17T03:47:00.003+02:00

Grandma bought summer passes to our local, across-the-street city pool. We have been thoroughly enjoying our time there.

Farmington 2010 Chocolate Chip Cookie Bake Off!

2010-06-17T03:31:00.003+02:00

Last Monday Heidi, her boyfriend, and I gathered for our traditional bake off. Heidi is a two-year champion and I thought for sure I'd pull ahead this year. However, sad as it may be, she won yet again this year! She and her boyfriend had come up with a killer recipe that apparently I simply couldn't compete against.

Our judges. We invited the neighbs over and had a 5 man panel of judges equipped with score sheets and glasses of milk. We had them rate appearance, taste, texture and overall. Last minute we threw in a third cookie in the running comprised of both doughs (it came in last).

My results (let it be known that I did come in a close second!) I don't have any pictures of Heidi's unfortunately....

Cousins get-together/Sleepover

2010-06-12T20:09:00.003+02:00

Yesterday was a fun day for us. We had a little cousin get-together and it was so fun seeing all my cousins' kids. There are so many of them! And it was great getting caught up on everybody we hadn't seen for so long. (unfortunately, our outside, fun BBQ/swimming party turned into an indoor crazy house cause it was raining and cold all day! Today there are East Winds!!! I came out here for the sun, come on Utah!!!)

After everyone went home, Samuel, Sofia and I went to Heidi and Steve's for a sleepover. Dave came too, but ended up going back home to grandma's at 1:00 am, so he could be home to help with Emmy in the morning cause Grandma and Grandpa were leaving early (she wasn't invited to Heidi's cause she's not 3).

The kids got to have pizza and watch Cars! They LOVED it! After they were asleep Heidi, Dave and I went out to Olive Garden and then came home and played games. It was so great hanging out with my siblings.

Scripture Hero Parade

2010-06-09T05:15:00.002+02:00

Samuel and Sofia got to participate in the primary activity this month. They had a parade and had each kid dress up like their favorite scripture/church history hero and walk up and down the street as all the parents were on the sidewalks waving as they went by. Samuel was set on being Helaman and Sofia just wanted to be a princess, so she got to be Queen Esther. It was adorable and they had so much fun!

Pedicures!

2010-06-06T04:37:00.002+02:00

For my mom's birthday Heidi and I gave her an afternoon of pedicures and manicures...here's the results :). The French nails are mine, the red ones are Heidi's and the little ones are Sofia's. We came home and showed off our cute little tosies to Sofia and she was so envious she just had to have hers done too. Aunt Heidi was all too happy to help her out. (Sorry Chris, this is what your girls are doing while you're home in Sweden working your little heart out!)

Trade in Lagoon for hiking any day!

2010-06-04T18:59:00.004+02:00

So, for Christmas Uncle Steve gave the kids a day at Lagoon (Utah's version of Liseberg) as a present to be cashed in when we came out this summer. Yesterday was supposed to be our day to cash in, so we packed a lunch and headed over all excited to go on some rides. However, once we got there, we found out it was Lagoon Day, which means, it was only open to the different schools for field trips. We also disappointingly found out that Farmington residence no longer walk into the park for free! It pretty much costs the same for an all-day pass, which is ridiculous! So, we decided to boycott the whole idea and went on a short little hiking trip instead. I was in my element. I love the mountains and have sorely missed not having them in my backyard in Sweden.

Grandma and Grandpa's swing set!

2010-06-01T17:51:00.002+02:00

The kids are loving it!

Memorial Day

2010-06-01T17:39:00.004+02:00

This year for Memorial Day, we all went up to Great Grandpa Alder's and spent the morning doing yard work and the afternoon having a BBQ and enjoying our cousins we haven't seen in a long time! It was so great for me to be able to be around the cousins again and just hang out. I really like my family.

When we went to the cemetery and Samuel saw all the American flags, he wondered where the Swedish flags were. It's been interesting being here, especially celebrating this American holiday. I'm glad my kids are being exposed to their American roots. Yesterday Steve took Steve out and taught him baseball and American football. Samuel's a fan.

Wish I had more time to write. I have had so many thoughts and feelings....

I'm re

We have arrived!

2010-06-01T17:31:00.003+02:00

After a literal 24-hour long trip we have finally made it to America. The kids did pretty okay on the long flight, but I am soooo glad Uncle Dave was with us. I could not have done it alone. We are so happy to be here and I think we've finally made it over our jet-lag. So, let the summer begin America, we are here!

May

2010-05-01T12:38:00.003+02:00

Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, 1/2 Marathon, USA....HOUSE!

That is what our May looks like: Next week I'll be heading to Germany for 3 days for a CES Secretary Training Meeting. Week after that Uncle Dave comes to Sweden!!! Week after he comes, Chris is off to Switzerland. The day he gets back is the 1/2 Marathon, and then 3 days later we're outa' here for the entire summer!

Consequently a week after we fly to the States, we get to move into our new home! Yep, you read right, we are the proud new owners of our very own town-house! Luckily, Chris isn't coming with us quite so soon and will be able to move everything, start a couple projects, paint and maybe do the bathroom before he heads out mid-July. We are so excited!!! It's a bit of a renovating project, but this house has got potential and Chris is doing everything he can to contain himself before he's let loose on it June 1st. Over the years, we have watched Chris's siblings one by one buy houses and renovate...now it's finally our turn and we're thrilled! (Of course this done mean, we'll probably be here in Sweden for another 5 or so years, which is both sad and happy. Chris's company however has a lot of international opportunities, and I think/hope there will come an opportunity for us to live in the States some time).

We'll try to post some before and after pictures once we start going.

Emmy turns one!

2010-04-13T10:24:00.002+02:00

Yesterday was Emmy's birthday! This year has FLOWN by! I remember thinking last year at this time how nice it'd be in a year when we'd have a 5 yr old, 3 yr old and 1 yr old and I'd be over the post-pregnancy stage and Emmy'd be old enough to crawl and stand and whatnot. And now we're here and I'm lovin' it! Not that I don't love new-borns, but 1, 3, and 5 are just such fun ages. Emmy's old enough to actually start playing with Samuel and Sofia and it's finally starting to feel like we have 3 kids and not just 2 1/2. :)

We celebrated with cake and presents after daddy got home from work. Farfar and farmor stopped by and joined us. It was fun mostly to see Samuel and Sofia get all excited about Emmy being BIG now cause she's 1!!! The party was mostly for their sakes since Emmy really had no idea all of it was for her :) We love our Emmy!

1 yr shots!

2010-04-13T10:02:00.000+02:00

Samuel

Sofia

Emmy

A Sunny Day!

2010-04-11T15:45:00.004+02:00

The past couple days have been really nice here. Although still jacket-weather (50's F), the sun has finally found it's way to Gothenburg and our winter snow has all melted away and we have been outside pretty much the entire time ('cause you never know how long it'll last). Here's some pictures of the kids biking...:)

A taste of Swedish Easter

2010-04-03T18:34:00.003+02:00

For some reason that I've never quite understood, all the kids dress up like witches (happy, colorful witches, not green and black, scary witches like at halloween) during Easter. (I'll have to do more research on why). It was fun dressing the kids up and seeing them get all excited. Our apartment complex has a little gathering each year with hot dogs and games. In the morning, we had our own little easter egg hunt in our little yard and then headed over to the festivities. The kids have had A LOT of candy today. They get to eat it tomorrow and Monday as well, then we've decided all the extra candy, we couldn't eat, we'll put back in the easter eggs, hide them again in our yard and have the bunnies come and find them and let them have the rest. After that, all the kids are committed to going the rest of the year without candy. (For some reason, they think it'll be fun). If they can go all year, they get a surprise! That goes for mommy and daddy too :)! HAPPY EASTER everyone!

This is how it went down....

2010-03-10T15:22:00.004+01:00

(note: Sofia says, "Vem's walking on my bridge?!" Vem=Who in Swedish. Sofia's fluent in Swenglish)

Our crazy ninja family!!!

2010-03-06T19:51:00.000+01:00

A day at the lake..

2010-03-06T19:39:00.005+01:00

...the frozen lake! It was a gorgeous day today, so we decided to head out and spend the day on the local frozen lake. We headed out equipped with sandwiches, apples, muffins and hot herbal tea! The kids loved every minute of it and although it was still freezing (literally), it didn't seem too cold since there was no wind and the sun was hitting us directly the whole time.

Emmy loved riding the Snow Racer and everyone loved being able to hold her on it :)

Cousin Christoffer (10yrs) pulled the kids running all over the ice.

Cousin Alexander teaching Sofia how to cross-country ski.

Playing with the cousins.

Samuel's turn to try.

The whole gang (almost)

Amazing blue sky.

At the end of the day, the men had to prove their manlihood...their sons quickly wanted to follow suit! (remember it was 32F out there!) It didn't last long.

Hairdos and Sleeping

2010-03-06T19:31:00.003+01:00

Cool dude!

This girl's got attitude!

It's always a surprise when we go in to see how our kids have ended up falling asleep.

Random

2010-03-06T19:28:00.002+01:00

Emmy loves standing. She's starting to walk holding onto furniture!

Our budding photographer.

We have had a crazy-snow winter this year! It's been awesome! But, now we're ready for spring!

Where's the coin?

2010-03-06T19:27:00.001+01:00

One of our favorite games it trying to guess what hand the coin is in. The kids LOVE it!

Pajama Party!

2010-02-15T10:23:00.003+01:00

Our wonderful sister-in-law, Matilda, offered to come over with her 3 kids and have a big pajama party with all the kids last Saturday so Chris and I could go on a date :) The kids thought it was so fun. Everyone came in their pajamas and got candy, popcorn, and chocolate milk and watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Såååå mysig!

Emmy's got hair!

2010-02-15T09:42:00.003+01:00

check out this bed hair :)

I've been noticing little wisps of hair on the Emmy's sides and decided to test it out with pig-tails yesterday. I thought she looked adorable. Samuel and Sofia got so excited and squealed with delight at the thought that Emmy was getting big enough to put her hair up as well as being able to stand while holding on to things. They're so proud of their little sister :)

Saturday Jobs

2010-02-13T14:39:00.004+01:00

After baths this morning, we made a list of jobs for Samuel and Sofia and for the next 2 hours our whole family was hard at work on our Saturday jobs. I was really surprised at how much Samuel and Sofia actually enjoyed doing their jobs and it just made me realize how important it is that kids help around the house! Not so much so that the house will be clean quickly, because really, what we did in 2 hours Chris and I could've done in an hour, but for their own sake. It made them feel important and gave them a sense of reponsibility. They carried their little lists around with them as we worked and crossed off each job after it was complete. At the end, Chris and I went around and inspected their work and they got to choose 1 piece of candy to eat.

This was their job list.

Contrary to what this picture may suggest, Sofia actually enjoyed cleaning that toilet.

Samuel, hard at work.

butt-scooting

2010-02-11T09:19:00.002+01:00

That's what they call this way of "crawling" in Swedish :) She absolutely refuses to crawl. Even putting her in the crawling position freaks her out for some reason. I guess as long as she can get from point A to point B, right? What a funny girl.

Samuel's Hero

2010-02-08T21:00:00.001+01:00

Last Sunday, Chris knelt down to say his evening prayers and Samuel suddenly needed to as well. :)

SamuelSofiaEmmy

2010-02-07T17:17:00.003+01:00

Our feeble attemps at getting a good picture of all the kids together. Grandma sent these adorable outfits for Christmas and we've been meaning to get a picture, but haven't managed until today. It is NOT easy to get a good shot with 3 antsy kids...This is the best we could come up with today. (note: We bought a little sweater to go over the dresses since it's still so cold outside, but Sofia refuses to wear hers because it covers her "cinderella sleeves".)

Let there be snow!

2010-02-05T08:50:00.003+01:00

This is what's been happening while mommy and Emmy were at the hospital:

We had a snow storm for 2 days...looks like they had a fun time with it.

All bundled up!

Building blocks.

And a brownie bake-off.

Our Sweet Emmy

2010-02-03T10:42:00.002+01:00

Our sweet little Emmy caught the RS-virus. Apparently something very serious in small babies. She had a fever for 2 days and had refused to eat anything but my milk, so we brought her to the emergency room and they immediately took her in because she wasn't breathing very well.

After 3 intense days at the hospital of Emmy not having the energy to do anything but sleep, we finally got to come home last night. Because it's a virus, there's no antibiotics for it, so you simply have to let it run it's course. However, while at the hospital, Emmy got continuous help with controlling her breathing and was feed through a tube. Her breathing is back to normal and now we just have to gradually help her be able to eat again, so her little body can have more energy to get better.

She became such a cuddle bug and became best friends with her thumb. I'm so glad we're back home again and hope she gets back to herself soon!

This is pretty much what she looked like for two straight days. All she wanted to do was cuddle up next to mommy.

Waiting at the hospital for a room. Her thumb became her favorite friend throughout her stay.

Because she hadn't eaten in days, they had to put a tube in her nose, running into her stomach and feed her through that.

Nine-month shots :)

2010-01-12T10:04:00.002+01:00

Samuel

Sofia

Emmy

do you think they fit?

2010-01-08T18:04:00.003+01:00

When we brought out Sofia's old shoes to see if they fit Emmy yet, Sofia quickly grabbed them and was sure they still fit her. Even after trying them on, she wasn't convinced they were too small. Then we showed her this picture and she finally decided she had grown out of them and that it was okay if Emmy borrowed them (after all she is 3 whole fingers now, you know. :)

Birthday Slideshow

2010-01-04T20:07:00.001+01:00

Sofia turns 3!!!

2010-01-04T19:45:00.003+01:00

(2007 - new born)

(2008 - 1 year)

(2009 - 2 years)

(2010 - 3 years)

When your child has a birthday, you usually think, "wow, I can't believe so-and-so is getting so big!" (at least that's how I am with Samuel). But, with Sofia, it's just the opposite, I can't believe she just BARELY turned 3 last Sunday! She has always seemed so much older and has been talking and running around forever it seems. (I'm sure having an older brother has a lot to do with it). But, now our little Sofia is officially 3 whole fingers (which she is very proud of). We had a little birthday party today with just girls (besides two brothers that got to follow along with their sisters and Samuel of course) and it was so fun to see the difference between how a group of little girls play compared to how a group of little boys play. Everyone had fun today and by 7:20pm all 3 kids were out! :) We love our Sofia and are soooo happy she's in our family.

Ice Skating

2010-01-03T21:49:00.002+01:00

Last week, we went out to a lake that's close to here to find it frozen solid all the way across. So, the next day, we got on our skates, brought hotdogs and hot chocolate and spent half the day there. Besides it being -10C (14F), we all had a great time! Unfortunately, I couldn't skate because A. I didn't have any skates that fit and B. Emmy slept most of the time snug in her stroller and I had to stay close to her. But, Sofia and Samuel got to go out with daddy and try their skates and loved it. Sweden really has been beautiful this winter with the snow. Cold (freezing cold), but beautiful!

Christmas in a slideshow

2009-12-30T08:26:00.003+01:00

This year, we had a quiet Christmas, with "only" 16 people. Most of Chris's siblings went to their in-laws, so we were a much smaller group. Because there were only 6 grandkids (of the 19), it seemed like a small group and was quite cozy and nice.

I love living in Sweden and celebrating Christmas because we get double the fun as we get to celebrate it Swedish style on the 24th, and then again American style when we wake up on the 25th. Santa came and delivered presents on the 24th and the kids just loved every minute of it! Each time he'd give out a present, they'd run up and give him a hug.

After a nice relaxing evening, we came home, layed out cookies and a carrot (for Rudolf), and hurried to bed so Santa could come again. The kids were so excited the next day when they had even more presents! :)

I think the best part about Christmas was teaching the kids the importance of GIVING and not only RECEIVING. We tried to focus on that and it was fun to see the kids get excited about it.

Anyway, hope all had a great Christmas and is looking forward to the New Year!

SNOW!!!

2009-12-22T16:27:00.002+01:00

I've been in Sweden for 7 years, and I don't remember a Christmas that we had snow on Christmas Day. I know we still have 3 more days to go, but they say it's supposed to stay and maybe even come some more!!! The kids are sooooooo excited! We have the perfect sledding hill just outside our apt, and it's been fun and easy to go out and enjoy this beautiful weather!

Birthday Slideshow

2009-12-14T23:33:00.001+01:00

Samuel Turns 5!!!!

2009-12-14T23:08:00.005+01:00

(2004 - newborn)

(2005 - 1 year)

(2006 - 2 years)

(2007 - 3 years)

(2008 - 4 years)

(2009 - 5 years)

Last Tuesday our little Samuel turned the big 0-5! Suddenly this week he can do so many more things by himself than he could last week. I can not believe that 5 years has already passed since this guy was born! We had a big birthday bash last Saturday complete with 13 little kids, balloons, and a spider man birthday cake! Samuel loved every minute of it and what quite the little host! We love our Samuel!

Christmas!!!

2009-12-14T21:43:00.001+01:00

Gingerbread houses, Lucia and Christmas tree

2009-12-14T20:37:00.005+01:00

Here's a short slide-show of what's been going on this month. It's been crazy busy! Two weeks ago, we decorated gingerbread houses for FHE. Girls did one and the boys did one. (Emmy slept). I think Samuel and Sofia had more fun eating the candy than making the actual houses. It was a lot of fun!

Then, last Sunday was Lucia day. Tradition has it that Lucia brought light to a darkened country centuries ago, so every year on the 13th, children dress up in Lucia-dresses and Santa clothes and carry candles, singing songs, bringing lightness and joy to Sweden. The kids had a little program each at their preschools on Friday and yesterday we went to farfar and farmors to sing to them. I love this tradition!

Tonight for FHE we finally put up our tree and decorated it with Frosty and Jingle Bell blaring in the background! The kids thought it was so exciting and it makes our little apt look so nice and cozy. My mom told me about a tradition that a family she knew did last year that I wanted to try. Samuel and Sofia both got to choose 6 books each which we wrapped and put under the tree. We put numbers on each book, and everynight they'll get to open one book and we'll read it under the tree together (12 day countdown to Christmas). fun!

Count down...

2009-12-14T20:19:00.002+01:00

This is our count-down chain. First to Samuel's birthday (Dec 8) then Christmas, then Sofia's birthday (Jan 3). December is a pretty exciting month. Lot's happening!

Thanksgiving and Frankfurt

2009-12-11T20:13:00.004+01:00

My oh my time sure flies! Wow, it's been a busy little while. Lots of things have been happening here at the Malm residence. First off, we got to celebrate Thanksgiving with a bunch of American friends at a church about an hour away. I think the best thing about getting together for American holidays is letting my children taste a bit of what I grew up with. It's of course nice for me to get a little nostalgic too, but mostly, I love exposing my kids to their American roots.

A couple days later, I got to spend two days in Frankfurt, Germany for a European CES Secretarial Training Meeting. I was obviously a bit worried how we'd solve it with Emmy (I'm still nursing) but everything worked out great! I hadn't been to Frankfurt since we lived there 12 1/2 years ago! So, it was extra special for me to be able to go back and see our chapel. Everything seemed surprisingly familiar and it was fun explaining to the other secretaries there that it was there in Frankfurt where I met my Swedish husband :) It was also GREAT being childless for 48 hours!

School Pictures

2009-11-16T16:34:00.003+01:00

These pictures were taken in Samuel and Sofia's schools this year. I just took a picture of the picture, so they're not so great quality...anyway, they're growing up so fast!!!

Samuel's Family

2009-11-09T10:34:00.001+01:00

(notice daddy's big "Yoda-ears")

"I'm so happy that I'm sad"

2009-11-03T09:37:00.002+01:00

Yesterday, Samuel was having a tough day. Things were just not going his way. Little things would make him blow up and he was just struggling (I think Halloween parties+candy probably did a little number on his body and made him extra tired). At one point of the day, he started bawling because Sofia got to stir the pumpkin muffin mix first. He ran to the playroom and shut the door and bawled. After letting him cry for a bit, I finally went in to talk to him. When he had finally calmed down, I asked him why he was crying. He answered that he didn't know. So, we decided to try to figure it out. "Are you crying because you're mad or because you're sad" "SAD" "Are you sad because it's raining outside?" "No" "Are you sad because you want Sofia to play with you?" "No" "Are you sad because daddy's not home?" "No" "Are you sad because Sofia got to mix the pumpkin muffins first" "YES" Hmmm...Recently, Samuel's started to notice that sometimes people cry because they're so happy and not only when they're sad. We've explained that sometimes you can be so happy that you cry. So, he quickly added his explanation "Actually, mommy, I was just so happy that I got sad." Mystery solved.

Happy Birthday Chris!

2009-11-01T21:46:00.004+01:00

Chris just happens to be born on the scariest day of the year! Having your birthday on Halloween never seemed to be a conflicting problem for him since Swedes really don't celebrate Halloween (especially when he was growing up). However, now, that he's married to an American who grew up not being able to think of anything else but Halloween the entire October month, it's been sometimes challenging. Actually it's never been a problem until we had kids, and not until our kids were actually old enough to go trick-or-treating. But, these past two years, having daddy's birthday on Halloween has posed somewhat of a problem because it's taken the spotlight away from Chris and onto those ghosts and goblins and CANDY. I am trying to drill into my children's heads that the 31st October first and foremost daddy's birthday and that Halloween is just an added bonus.

We had a pretty good, relaxing day. Chris got presents and cake in bed and then breakfast of his choice. We were going to go swimming with the fam, but the pool closed early, so we didn't make that. Instead we had a nice family day of just hanging out and playing. In the evening, we got to go to farfar and farmors for a Halloween celebration and when we got home, Chris and I went out to a nice restaurant for a nice birthday dinner. Our friends came over afterwards and we stayed up till midnight talking and laughing and eating birthday cake and pumpkin pie (in honor of birthday boy and Halloween).

Today after church, we had some friends over for dinner. The kids LOVED having them here and playing with them. (And I finally learned how to make the perfect rice!) Afterwards we were invited over to Chris's sisters house unbeknownst to Chris for a little surprise b-day party. His family had all gathered and when we got there everyone had hidden and jumped out singing happy birthday to Chris! He was genuinely surprised and we ended up having a really nice time talking and laughing with his family.

Anyway HAPPY BIRTHDAY Per Gustav Christoffer Malm!

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T21:45:00.000+01:00

(Chris's pumpkin creation)

So, this weekend was Halloween weekend and this year more than any other we celebrated. We started off last week actually with a mascarad party at the kid's preschool. (Why an entire week early, I'm not sure...). Sofia loved dressing up like a princess and Samuel a pirate. Then this Friday, we joined all the other American families in the area for our annual trick-or-treating party.

There's this family in our ward who sends out flyers every year to their neighbors saying that if they want to be part of trick-or-treating then they should put out a candle or pumpkin outside so the kids know which houses to go to. It ends up being maybe every 3rd house or so that has a pumpkin out, but it's really fun for the kids to get to go around door to door. This time Sofia wanted to be Pipi Longstockings and Samuel...a pirate.

Sofia thought the entire idea behind trick-or-treating was completely fascinating. "You mean, I say, 'trick-or-treating' and then what?" "And then you put up your bag and they put candy in it." "They put candy in my bag because I say 'trick-or-treating?'" "Yep!" "Then can I eat the candy?" "Yep, then the candy's yours" "And I don't have to give it back?" "No, Sofia then it's yours and you can eat as much as you want tonight." :) Keep in mind, this is an especially novel idea since our kids usually don't get to eat candy...she just couldn't understand why we all of a sudden went door to door and got candy for free that we could eat! After the first door, she thought it was over and in her little innocent mind, she would've been totally satisfied. However, when I explained that we got to go to another house, she couldn't believe her luck! And then another one after that. At one point she said, "wow, I like this trick-or-treating, this is too much candy!!!"

Needless to say, they had their fair share that night. Saturday was Chris's birthday (the big 2-9) and in the afternoon we were invited over to farfar and farmor's for some more trick-or-treating. This time Sofia wanted to be an Indian and Samuel....a pirate :). (He sticks to what he likes). It was fun getting together with the cousins and seeing everyone dress up. Halloween is not very big at all over here, but it's slowly making it's way and it's fun for me to be able to give that to my kids and let them experience a bit of America clear over here in Sweden.

Just hangin' out

2009-10-24T22:13:00.000+02:00

Halloween is in the air

2009-10-20T19:51:00.003+02:00

I found this great web-site that has some fun masks you can print out and color for the kids. They have LOVED being able to do this and play and be different things in the spirit of hallowen (slash Chris's b-day)

Six-month shots :)

2009-10-11T00:21:00.003+02:00

Samuel

Sofia

Emmy

Stories

2009-10-10T23:32:00.002+02:00

Soon-to-be-Uncle Dario (Chris's sister's fiance!)