First Visit to the Doctor

We managed to make it six whole months here without needing to see a doctor for anything, but Zach and I broke our streak today with a visit to the "fastlege" or general practitioner for some coughing and congestion.

The Norwegian health care system is what we in America would probably call "socialized" (anyone living here is given government-subsidized healthcare, so there is no charge for care for kids under 16 and adults pay about $25 for an office visit). Our doctor was friendly and helped educate me about the system, but definitely had some negative opinions about Americans and our overuse of antibiotics and over-the-counter cough and cold remedies. According to him, coughing is good for you when you're sick and you shouldn't try to supress it with syrup. Maybe he's right, but I'd really appreciate a good night's sleep at this point!

Springtime in Paris

Granny arrived to our place in Oslo on Wednesday, then we flew to Paris early Saturday morning. Her head is probably still spinning from the trip, but we all had a wonderful time!

We landed, ate lunch, checked in to our hotel and then headed straight for the Louvre Museum. It is the largest and most visited museum in the world and houses the Mona Lisa (pictured with me) and Venus de Milo among other sculptures, paintings, and antiquities. After soaking up a little culture, we headed to a nearby cafe for some French specialties like omelettes, quiche, and croque madame, and finished off the meal with some yummy crepes.

Sunday morning was devoted to the Musée de l'Armée. We visited Napoleon's tomb, which was suprisingly interesting and educational, and then the World War I and II Museum. Zach had not been feeling very well and unfortunately left his own little exhibit on the floor there.

So I nursed him back to health at the hotel while Granny and Kelly went to Sunday evening mass at Notre Dame. The service was in French and we are not Catholic, so I'm sure it was a bit hard to follow, but the building was gorgeous and they said they enjoyed it nonetheless.

On Monday morning we toured Paris via double-decker bus, snapping tons of pictures all along the way. We enjoyed every minute of the 2-hour ride scenic drive around the city before stopping at the Arc de Triomphe for some lunch and shopping along Champs-Élysées.

We hopped back on and rode to the Eiffel Tower for more sightseeing. The line was long, but Zach killed time chasing pigeons and the incredible views from the top were worth the wait.

We made one more stop at Notre Dame (so I could see it up close), did some more shopping, and then headed home for the evening.

For our final day in Paris, we took the train to Versailles to visit the ridiculously ornate royal palace and former home of Marie Antoinette. Every inch is covered in marble, gold, feathers, murals, or some other expensive or absurd embellishment. Way too much of a good thing if you ask me.

After that it was a rush back to the hotel and then on to the airport for our evening flight. It was an exciting and exhausting trip!

My impression of Mona Lisa's smile

Zach, obviously totally impressed by all the stuff at the Louvre

Cheers with Granny at a Cafe

Granny and Kelly on the Tour Bus

Chasing pigeons at the Eiffel Tower

Dancing like a wild man at Versailles

Granny and her boy

Granny is Here!

So Much Fun in Scotland

Our whirlwind tour of central Scotland was a blast! We were blessed with some unusally fantastic Scottish weather, and only saw it sprinkle once during our whole trip. From Glasgow to Edinburgh, Stirling, the Trossachs and back, we explored it all!

After landing in Glasgow on Thursday evening, we promptly located a Pizza Hut (thank God for GPS!), and savoured (with the "u" since we were in the UK) the taste of the good American junk food we'd been missing for so long. Kelly re-familiarized himself with the "wrong" side of the road (and I re-familiarized myself with "holding the door on," as Kelly calls it) and we made the short drive east to Edinburgh and settled in for the night at our hotel.

The next morning we headed out to explore Edinburgh Castle. The castle sits right at the center of downtown and overlooks the whole city. We enjoyed some gorgeous views, learned lots, and had fun roaming around.

Afterwards we stopped at a local pub for some authentic Scottish cuisine (no Haggis though---we are not that brave!) and then checked out Camera Obscura. We strolled down Edinburgh's historic main street called the Royal Mile and toured John Knox's house, then walked further down the road to Holyrood Palace, the Queen's home when she's in Scotland.

After a little souvenir shopping and a yummy dinner of "bangers and mash" at a diner, we went splashing in the hotel pool (probably Zach's favorite part of the day).

On Saturday morning we took a drive through the country north of the city. On our way to Stirling we stopped by the Falkirk Wheel, this really amazing boat-lift-slash-sculpture thing. After having our minds blown by that for a while, we continued on to Stirling Castle where the boys had their fill of making my heart stop by running along the steep unfenced castle walls. From the castle we could spot our next stop, the Wallace Monument.

High high high, very high on a hill sits this gigantic memorial to William Wallace (a.k.a. main guy in Braveheart). We climbed and climbed and finally made it up the steep hill...sat in the sun for a while and enjoyed the view...then climbed and climbed some more up the stairs to the top of the tower---not easy to do with a little guy in tow. The view from up top was truly breathtaking :) though, so it was well worth it.

Not suprisingly, the whole family (and especially the one with the tiny legs) was wiped out after that adventure, so we headed back down the high high hill to our comfy car and rode back to Edinburgh for the Scottish version of Tex Mex (which was as not-good as we expected, but we still had to try), some more splashing around in the pool, and then a good night's rest.

The next morning was Easter, so we had a hunt for a few eggs around our hotel room and then went to morning worship service at St. Giles' Cathedral, the High Kirk of Edinburgh that has been around since the 1100s. Zach doesn't understand yet why he doesn't get any bread or juice, but he did great through the whole service and even earned some compliments from a couple of parishioners.

After lunch we left Edinburgh and took another drive through some beautiful green countryside to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. We found a great little playground and lots of trails and paths on top of a small peak at Queen Elizabeth Forest Park.

After running free and getting dirty for a little while we continued our drive south to Ayr, a little harbor town on the west coast. We had a fun dinner and some awesome last-night-of-vacation desserts at Frankie and Bennys and then cozied up at our little bed and breakfast. Then it was up and at em at 5:30 a.m. to get to the airport for our flight back to Oslo.

We're resting up and looking forward to Granny's arrival on Wednesday, then it is off to Paris this weekend!

A Drive to Drøbak

We took a driving trip with friends Kristin and Thomas to Drøbak, a small coastal town southeast of Oslo. Even after nearly two months without use, our car started up without needing a jump (we had even parked it rear-first in our spot after our last drive anticipating the need for a jumpstart)!

Zach, Casper, and Edvin played on the playground and tried climbing some trees, then we took a walk up and down the snowy hills along the water. We made our way to the little town full of cute shops and an outdoor market, and lots of cafes.

A Fort Built For Two

Helicopter Attack

Zach and I met up with Kelly for a picnic at his office. Zach was amazed by Thomas's toy helicopter, until it came after him...

I'm No Dog Whisperer

We got to dog-sit our friend's labrador, Kaya, for a few hours yesterday. Zach helped her perfect her tricks:

Mighty to Save

Zach's version of Hillsong's "Mighty to Save" (his new favorite song)

The Week in Review

We've been busy having fun this week. On Monday I had my mom's Bible study group, then Tuesday through Thursday Kristin came over to the apartment for what she nicknamed "scrap and nap" -- we scrapbook while Zach naps. It is our new obsession!

She and Marlon came over last night to let us beat them at Blokus (Kristin did manage to beat everyone at a round of "Zingo" with Zach though) and then we all went out for pizza. Kristin had the fantastic idea to try and grind up a bit of our American candy stash (like Reese's pieces and M&Ms, etc.) with a handheld blender into some vanilla ice cream---a stroke of genius! So, not the most nutritious night ever, but a lot of fun.

Snow Soup

My future chef at work:

A Worthwhile Sacrifice

Kelly and I broke a longstanding tradition last night...we skipped our regular Sunday night dinner at the tandoori in favor of improving our marriage at a new course offered by our church. I'm embarassed to admit that this was not an easy decision for us :)

But of course we're glad we chose to attend. We met with about 10 other couples to watch and discuss a video seminar on marriage by Gary Smalley. The series is from the 80s, but luckily the advice (unlike the outfits) is timeless.

We had fun getting to know some other couples better and eat some yummy dessert, and Zach enjoyed the extra play time with his friends. And we still have chicken tikka masala to look forward to tonight!

There's No Place Like Home

Zach and I had a great time visiting family, friends, church, and playgroup buddies in Houston. It was so nice to be back in our house and driving our car, and we enjoyed the break from the cold Norwegian winter. It will be a while before we are able to wear sandals again!

We've been back in Oslo for nearly a week now, but I feel like we are just starting to get back into our routine. Please continue to write, Skype, and call... we miss you all!

Here are some of my favorite pictures and videos from our visit:

Singing his version of Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" in the Amsterdam airport

Hanging out with buddies Nicolas and Jase at Freebirds after the Valentine's party

Hugging/attacking Pastor Woo at church

Biking with Little Elly

Multitasking two of his favorite things: talking to Daddy on the phone and playing trains at Barnes and Noble

Thrilled about Aunt Gigi's belated birthday celebration in his honor

Playing airplane with some playgroup ladies

Soliciting treats from Grammy's coworkers

Spoiled rotten by his Grammy

Celebrating Holmquist Elementary's Teacher of the Year, Aunt Lacey!

Getting a lift from Uncle Zach

Climbing Michael

Rebecca's Birthday Dinner

Beating up Uncle Spencer (while cousin Mitch and Papa cheer him on)

Learning military push-ups and "the worm" from Uncle Spencer

Cousin Katie's luau birthday party

Too short to limbo properly!

Hugs for Nicolas

Climbing and bouncing with Elly

Ice cream!

Hiding out and playing horses with cousin Katie

Dining with Granny

Getting a zerbert from Aunt Gigi

Saying goodbye :(

Playing with "tiny Grammy" at the airport