Samuel 3 år // Samuel 3 years old

Samuel turned three today. The first birthday that he understood - marginally anyway. He knew he'd be three and not two - and therefore big! And he'd decided that dinner was going to be rice pudding - his favorite Christmassy meal.

When asked if he had any wishes he'd answer "a parcel ... and a letter". Preferably brought to him from Santa Claus. So obviously the concepts of birthday and Christmas have been mixed a bit. Then, you can't really blame him with the two things being so close together!

For breakfast we had pancakes the american way (= thick, tasty things). The boys had theirs shaped like hearts. Also the birthday candle was on the table.

Presents and letters were opened this afternoon where we had plenty of time to look at them. And good thing too. He opened the present from us first, finding a yellow Lego bus and immediately started playing with it. I think, he spent quarter of an hour on that before he was ready to open anything else. The clothes were looked at, pj's with bull dozers, lorries etc. were examined - then back to the bus!

All cards were opened by Duncan and I. (Thank you all) I think, the little man has really enjoyed himself - mostly because of the attention and the amount of presents than for anything else. He's a contended little guy, luckily!

Min James // My James

At the end of October James came to visit. It really was good to see him. Especially he and Duncan enjoyed having time together - not surprising as it's been a couple of years since they've even seen each other shortly. It's agreed it won't take years before we next see each other again.

James kindly brought Duncan's presents from a far - needed things like hobnobs and tea, I think it was.

And as Samuel is a great judge of character he soon decided that James is "My James". A title not every one is deemed worthy of :-) But then James understands the importance of playing as is seen below. Samuel and I drew James to the airport (so, so early) and as we got out of the car Samuel needed to run. Enthusiastically he shouted: "Come, James. Run!" And so they did.

Samuels dåb // Samuel's baptism

A month before Samuel was to be baptised Samuel and I went to see a friend of mine's little boy be baptised. Samuel was very excited about it, as he knew, he was going to be baptised too. In fact, he was ready for the minister to put water in his hair there and then!

So, needless to say, he was very excited when it was finally "my turn", as he said. so much so, in fact, that he wanted to know when it was his turn, as soon as the service started.

Our good friend and collegue Thomas had come to baptise. He and Duncan had split the service between them. It worked really well, and the service really was special, as one of Samuel's very best friends, Joel, was also going to be baptised.

Here's them hugging before the service:

We were a bit nervous how the two little ones would react, as they have a nag of winding each other up. We hadn't had to worry at all. They behaved so well and took it all very seriously. The only outburst came when they were both presented with a little book of bible stories and prayers, and they happily shouted "Present!"

I was filled with such gratitude during the service. Gratitude that we could stand there as a family with this precious child. That he's well and happy. That I'm getting well too and that we have friends and family surrounding us, encouraging and helping. God is good!

Here's Samuel looking up at Thomas as he prayes after the baptism it self.

After the service we had pictures taken. Samuel had to stick a finger into the baptismal font and try to put a bit of water on his own head :-)

And here's the cake we had made for coffee in the afternoon. Samuel's mad about Postman Pat, and this cake made a huge impression. We still haven't been able to eat the cat.... It is amazing, tho. A girl/woman from our congregation gave Samuel the cake as her present. Very special in deed!

Samuel blev døbt // Samuel's baptism

Here's some more pictures from our day. Samuel enjoyed all of it - opening presents (though he had some questions as to why he didn't get a tractor as Joel did), the cake ("Can't eat Pat, mum") and his visitors. It was a joy observing him and how he thoroughly took pleasure in having his "best" people around him all at once.

Here's the lavish table of presents:

The children from both our party and from Joel's family had fun playing with each other - and Ian :-) Lina caught it on camera.

After lunch in the church we went for a walk - we were so fortunate that the sun was out and shining. It was lovely, and I think everybody enjoyed having a chance to stretch their legs!

Samuel and Andreas plays with leaves in the park.

Lisette and Lasse.

Samuel's quickly becoming a big boy. Not only is his group at daycare changing from being playschool to being kindergarten (vuggestue til børnehave), he's also skipping his midday naps. And THAT is hard!

One minute he was moving about on the ottoman, the next he was fast asleep :-)

He nows naps on Monday, Wednesday and sometimes Friday too.

The first week of our holiday was spent in Sweden at the holiday centre Framnäs, the methodist church in Sweden runs. Close to a lake there is plenty of possibility for bathing, splashing, fishing, sailing in canoos or just walking in the woods or enjoying the view. The stay comes with five meals a day (yes, five!) following old swedish dinner times.

We went there with the Gaarde family - Lina and Mikkel with their two daughters Anna, 7, and Thilde, soon 5.

The kids played and explored, and by the end of the week, Samuel was gone for hours at a time, going around with the "big girls". Bliss.

Here he's helping Anna explore a puddle:

Father and son canooing: (Please don't ask about the first part of the outing. It was a test of our marriage.... We'd placed our selves all wrong in the thing, and I couldn't stear and Duncan couldn't paddle and...) Samuel sat perfectly still for two hours just talking about the scenary, the birds and the water.
In the evenings we sat out side the door to our little house and read, knitted, ate chocolate (which only appeared at night post-children's bedtime) and talked while fighting off the moscitoes. Here is Lina with a new cook book bought at our "big girl's outing" to a real town centre.

Nearby is a little village called Grenna, that is famous for a man, who tried to reach the North Pole in an air balloon and failed miserably; the airballoons lost air after about a week of the expedition, they continued by foot and a month later they had all died. This man is celebrated with an air balloon festival once a year. Why, I ask, why?!

The other thing the little village has is a production of "polka grise" (literal translation: dansing pigs - a boiled sweet that's a bit like Blackpool rock). Lovely!

And here's Duncan and Samuel at the ferry on our way over to Sweden. The ferry was so big, that Samuel never quite accepted it as the boat, we'd been talking about before we went.

(See next post for pictures of Framnäs)

Framnäs is an old summer residens that belonged to a baroness. She wanted to donate the place to a church, and the Methodist church of Sweden was the only of two candidates, that agreed with the terms: the place was to be used for the recreation of retired ministers. And the poor people of the area was to be fed - at the usual dinner times :-) Hence the bizare times of meals: light breakfast at 8.30 am, then actual break fast at 10.00 am, coffee with three types of cakes at 2pm, dinner at 5 pm, and tea with bread and jam at 8 pm.

Several new houses have been build around the site to facilitate meal times and people sleeping. This is the view from the kithcen and dinner house:

The baroness' house is still on the grounds, decorated as she left them. The baroness' maiden name was Nobel, and several famous peoples have stayed in the house such as Rudyard Kipling.

This is the lounge upstairs:

This is the sitting room downstairs:
And this is the library:
We stayed in a little house with three rooms. Duncan, Samuel and I had the room down stairs. The Gaarde family stayed upstairs. All rooms had their own bathrooms.

Here's Mr. Thompson showing off:

July in the summerhouse is a real time for relaxing for us. And also a chance to see family and friends.

Here Samuel and I are enjoying the sun, each other and the red currants (ribs). He's delighted at all things you can pick and eat outside!

The little gravel road outside our house leads down to a big farm, that produce milk. Duncan and Samuel went down to see one day and met the farmer, who showed them around. They saw his tractors, the cows and a little calf who was only a couple of hours old. It couldn't even stand up yet!

The farmers name is Allan, and because that is also the name of the farmer in Postmand Pat, I'm afarid he thinks that's what all farmers are called! :-)

One the workers came to repair the little road - huge lorries drive in and out everyday, so it takes some maintanence. We wathced, and Samuel was captivated. A real tractor working on "his" road!! We even plucked up the courage to ask, if Samuel could drive with the guy in the tractor. He drove about ten meters with him. All along having an arm out for me. Afterwards he's been so excited telling everyone willing to listen about him driving the tractor - alone.

Uncle Lasse came to spend a day with us. He was also placed in the hammock :-)

His girlfriend, Lisette, came and we all had dinner. Here Lisette and Samuel are taking pictures of the two of them.
And, off course, we saw mormor og morfar. Samuel and I went to visit a couple of days, and they came over for dinner at ours. Here morfar is helping Samuel crunching little biscuits into his youghurt (koldskål).

Summer-holiday is over. I'm tempted to say it's summer, that's over. It sure feels like it with wind and rain, but Duncan refuses to let me take August away from him as a pure summery month. So I won't mention, that I think summer is past us.

Still, it's been lovely as long as it lasted!

Uncle Alistair and auntie Sam also came to visit us in our little summerhouse. This was the first time either of them saw the house. Samuel particularly enjoyed having them around - constantly dragging one or the other by the hand to show or get help for some thing or another.

Here Samuel is helping or hindering Sam in making dinner.

We went to the sea a couple of times, as it is quite close to the house. At a particular beach we had icecreams and ended up being rather wet, as Samuel ran away from the waves.
Alistair and Sam went all in to try the much-talked-of icecreams!
Being full-time aunt and uncle takes its toll. Luckily we have a hammock!

Here everyone is captivated by the adventures of Postman Pat - or Bob the Builder...

In June several new things saw the light of day. Most importantly our friends became parents to little boy Frode. (The name is rather difficult to pronounce, Duncan tells me, as the d is "soft".) The picture is from when I took Samuel to visit in the middle of July.

Our little house had a new front door put in. Oh joy! It is no longer necessary to kick the door a little to get it opened. It is easy to lock, and it is in fact completely tight.

And Samuel cracked the secret to riding a three wheeled bicycle (which I guess is then a tricycle?) And had great fun making morfar ride it too!

Jens' Birthday

A very concentrated Andreas eating his ice cream:

Samuel and Lisette are playing guitar - though Samuel insists it's a bass. (kontra bas)


Kjeld, Henrik og Jane

The birthday boy him self
Fun and games in the garden.

A happy day!

Splinten // The splinter

It all started so nicely with a barbecue at my parent's to finish off a weekend at the summerhouse. After dinner Samuel was running around in the garden, when he fell on the terrace and got a huge splinter in his little hand.

Much attention was paid to the little piece of terrace now lodged in his hand. Though daddy and mormor tried, it wouldn't move. (mainly because of Samuel's wriggeling). Two day's later it still hadn't moved, but had become rather infected. So mor and dad

dy decided to be brave, and put a needle in the thing to get it out. We didn't succeed, but did get most of the puss out. And now had a little boy who would look at us at tell us NOT to touch his splinter :-)

A little week later, we finally managed to get it out with a pair of tweezers, many tears and much protest. After some cuddling and an ice cream later, Samuel was very proud of the whole in his hand, where the splinter once lived. It now sits on a piece of paper, so be put in his book!

Lisette's birthday