More Fun in the Snow

So our sledding adventure this past weekend was pretty intense, probably way beyond our level of sledding expertise (note the fully grown men behind Kelly in the picture with enormous sleds, ski goggles, and all!), but fun nonetheless.

The course is over a mile long and takes about 8 minutes to complete at full speed. We certainly were not going full speed and we only completed about a quarter of the course and it took us about a half hour, LOL!

Then we got totally lost on our way back to the train and thought our fun little outing might turn into something more like the Donner party's expedition. Luckily we eventually found our way and made it home safely.

Videos from Grammy's Visit

Click the links below to see some new videos of Zach uploaded by Grammy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WujCqBmXNY0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRY8nsg17mk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnM-uVfbl4k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le0agu397Ew

Happy Birthday Gigi!

Sick Zachy

Zachy woke up sick this morning. I don't want to gross anyone out with details, but I've now got my new favorite Zachy quote---"Mommy, I'm sorry I burfed on you." I'm not sure where he picked up the word "burf," but I think it is pretty cute.

More Snow!

Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Grammy yesterday morning. Luckily her flight got out before several inches of snow came in---we're guessing nearly 2 feet in about 7 hours. We've had a lot of fun playing in it!

Nobody paid Kelly to do this; it was his idea, and I think he actually enjoyed it (what a weirdo!):

The result:

Zach and I did some more sledding this morning, but it was a little harder to climb back up the hill:

Bonus Pictures from Grammy's Visit

Sledding

We had so much fun sledding down the hills behind our apartment yesterday! Since we were so inexperienced, we started out on a "hill" that was nearly flat.

After a few good runs, Zachy moved on to a steeper slope.

Even Grammy took a turn!

Happy Birthday Zachy!

Sorry that I'm a so late posting this...

We had some friends over for a game night on Thursday and stayed up way too late playing dominos and eating American candy (they were amazed at our abundant supply!). After everyone left, we got busy decorating for Zachy's birthday so he could be suprised the next morning.

We enjoyed a big pancake breakfast and then went bowling. We only got 3 balls stuck in the gutter before the bowling alley attendant insisted on clearing them out (oops). Zach bowled a 20, an impressive showing really when compared to my score of 53 and Grammy's 58.

That evening we all went out for pizza at Dolly Dimple's and then had a little birthday party back at our apartment. Thanks again to all of the friends and family who sent gifts and notes for Zach---it really made his day special.

Our Little Photographer

Zachy is enjoying his birthday present from Grammy---a new toddler-proof camera! He's even started his own Facebook page to show off his skills. Here are a few of his better shots from today:

Movie Night

We took Grammy out to see a little more of Oslo yesterday, this time near central station for some good old fashioned souvenir shopping. Then we met up with Kelly for an American style lunch at Friday's, our Wednesday lunch tradition.

Last night was a special treat for our upcoming 5th wedding anniversary. Zachy and Grammy stayed in for a Kung Fu Panda movie night while Kelly and I went out to the movies to see Body of Lies.

Exploring with Grammy

Grammy and Zach got some quality time alone together yesterday morning while I escaped to my Bible study. Afterwards we all played at Frognerparken. A little girl with purple cheeks was chasing Zach down the slide until he and Grammy decided to do some sand engineering.

Later that evening we all went for a chilly walk around Bygdoy Peninsula. The boys had fun picking out the largest sticks they could find and zooming up and down the hills in Zach's red wagon.

Today, after a quick visit at Kelly's office, we explored at Akerhus Fortress. Though the pathways were more than a little icy and slippery, we managed to stay upright (mostly) and enjoy the views of the Oslofjorden below.

Kelly met us for lunch at Aker Brygge and then Zachy got to show Grammy one of his favorite playgrounds by the boardwalk. We did a little shopping and then headed home for a much-needed nap time.

Grammy Time

Grammy made it! After a very long journey, we had a nice dinner and then let her rest up for the evening on Friday. On Saturday we took her out to Huk beach where the boys entertained us by throwing huge ice chunks into the ocean:

Zachy Trying to Toss an Iceberg

Kelly Impressing Us with His Climbing Abilities

Grammy and Zachy

Today we went to church and then stopped in at Lucia's and Pim's house for Maurits' third birthday party. Zach had a great time playing trains with his friend, and it was a good warm up for his own birthday this Friday. Tonight we're headed out to get some awesome Indian food at our favorite place!

We thought it was odd...

to see a bunch of people walking down the street carrying torches on our way to Bible study at a friend's apartment last night. We also noticed a helicopter circling above us and saw a reporter and her camera man walking by. But we had no idea we were walking right past the beginning of this:

As we walked back to the train station afterward, we noticed all the overturned trash cans and some cops with gas masks on. Our Norwegian friend Karen was with us and got the scoop from a cop blocking the street that it was a demonstration for the nearby Israeli Embassy (click here for more pictures). Thankfully we had managed to miss nearly the whole thing.

Snowy Soccer

Bonus Christmas #2!

Thanks to Aunt Gigi, Uncle Bryan, and cousins Katie and Mattie, we had yet another round of gift opening yesterday evening. Zach adores his new train set that plays music, and we are thankful for all of the yummy treats!

One last Christmas song...he picked this one up in Barcelona and won't stop singing it!

Happy New Year!

Godt Nyttar!

Shortly after getting Zach into bed, we started hearing pops outside. First it was just a few, but as it got later we started seeing them out of every window. We were surrounded!

We ran back and forth from one room to the other to watch the shows in all different directions. Some neighbors even set off some really impressive fireworks right behind our building. I braved the cold in my pajamas to get some pictures. We were thankful to be watching them from inside!