The pocket problem

Svea loves pockets on pants - she calls them "pock-pocks" - but unfortunately she only has a couple pairs that actually have pockets. The lack of pockets doesn't stop her, though - she just shoves whatever she wants to carry around with her down into her pants. Here she is, caught in the act of putting a little tub of play-doh into her pants. She eventually got frustrated she couldn't get the play-doh out of her pants, and ended up taking her pants off to find it. We tell her she is so silly and then she gets the giggles!

Viggo's greatest ambition & The baby in the box

All the kids at preschool had these hanging on the wall outside the classroom. Viggo's says, "I Have A Dream . . . To work in a bank." (Other kids wanted to ride a big train, get a puppy,

or be a princess.)

Our new hobby: coin collecting. Viggo is really getting into it! (Soon to be pictured: stamp collecting, as soon as I can capture it on film. Viggo has been more eager than ever to see what came in the mail because of the stamps!)

Today at Target I was thrilled to find the carseat I wanted for the baby. Because of the picture on the side of the box, Svea thought there was a baby in the box and wanted to open it so badly she started to cry. We opened it, and sad to say, Target is only selling carseats - not the babies that sit inside them.

I finished rosmaling the table last night. All that's left to do is a coat of poly. It's not perfect, but it sure beats all the crayon graffiti.

Next up are the chairs . . .

A package in the mail

What a fun afternoon! Aunt Maren sent a package . . .

A fun little toy for Viggo made his day - thanks, Maren :)

I wonder what it could be . . .

Svea's favorite: a bus!

Little diapers for Baby Weeks.

The first official baby gift! Thanks so much, Maren! We love it, and of course Svea was trying to wear the pants :)

A day at home

Today Viggo, Svea and I were at home. We stayed inside all day - it was wet, cold and windy outside, and besides, we are all in various stages of sickness, although thankfully Viggo is on the mend. Here's what we did . . .

Svea wakes up around 7:15. The rest of us are already up (sort of), and Nate has already left for work.

Once Viggo saw I had the camera it was an absolute necessity to pose with Svea.

Svea is changed . . . as you can tell, she has pretty much outgrown the changing table. (Shucks!)

Rose was kind enough to fold the laundry last night, so I had plenty to put away after Svea was all dressed.

While putting laundry away, Viggo played with Legos.

Svea "helps" with breakfast. (These are some of her favorite pants.)

Mmm! Tea for Viggo and I's sore throarts, yogurt for the kids, and instant oatmeal for Viggo. Cereal for Svea and I is already out on the table (Viggo prefers a hot breakfast). The tray might seem dorky, but it saves me a million trips to and from the kitchen to the table.

This is what I found when I came out into the dining room. Svea actually let Viggo feed her for a couple minutes before she had had enough.

They play a game while I get more laundry out of the dryer. Or they at least play with the memory cards! Svea was mostly concerned where the dog cards were. She went down for a nap, I got ready for the day and Viggo entertained himself for a bit. Viggo and I also played a round of the game "Race to the Roof", one of our favorites. Viggo would probably want me to let you know that he was the winner :)

Svea stacks stuff while I sweep and clean the floors. Viggo helps out by picking up toys.

Chef Viggo prepares ants-on-a-log for lunch.

He was banned from making them when I caught him licking his fingers while smearing the celery with peanut butter . . .

Nate comes home for lunch! Lots of hugs!

After afternoon naps, Svea helps out with emptying the dishwasher. This cup went right back in.

Viggo builds a train track to delight Svea. What a kind brother!

Svea finds an empty laundry basket and declares, "My house!" She walked around like this for awhile.

Apparently the Weinermobile got a ride in the doll stroller . . .

Svea's look of happiness when Nate comes home from work!

Viggo sets the table for dinner.

A quick dinner of wild blueberry pannkaka and Nate is off to Lowe's.

Svea gets a quick dip before bed.

Viggo gets ready to read before bedtime. After this, we enjoy some chocolate-peanut butter pudding and watch the most recent episodes of "Little People, Big World." He is fascinated that Matt went to Iraq, and getting to see all the soldiers there is a big deal for him!

I made some granola after Viggo goes to bed (he's all tucked in by 7:30).

This little table and chairs looks naked and I have plans for rosmaling. I am hoping to finish that up in the next couple of days.

~

This might seem like a boring day, but I never for one moment thought "I'm bored," and both of the kids had great behavior, which made a good day for everyone :) I truly am so thankful I can be at home with them all day. Being able to spend this time with them makes all the sacrifices worth it.

~

A few of the things you didn't see:

- Svea falling off a chair and hitting her head on the floor - she was fine, but I think my heart stopped beating for a few moments.

- Viggo running into doorways and several other moments of klutziness. (aka Viggo Bump.)

- Svea's total nap failure this afternoon . . . she was an exhausted mess. And so was I. Where's the coffee?

- Multiple wardrobe changes for Svea thanks to the yuckiness of being sick! Lots of laundry to look forward to. Hopefully Rose will be up for more folding . . .

A handful of photos

We love this photo too much not to post it.

A stroll through Longwood's conservatory.

On the potty! She loves her legwarmers.


Just relaxing in her new pants. Thanks for the yarn, Lois!


She put on the hat and shoes herself
before drawing could begin.



Chalk!



Hot dogs to celebrate Viggo's 5th birthday!

The ultrasound technician loved the baby's ski-jump nose.

I Capture the Weeks

Hello family and friends ~

After spending five years of scrambling to email photos and updates of what is happening in our family, I finally decided it was time to start a blog. Hopefully I will be able to capture what we are all up to and what changes are taking place when they actually happen and not weeks (or months!) afterwards.

Viggo ~

Just finished up a gymnastics class being offered at the preschool he attends. He loved it and was sorry to see it end, but he was in his element showing off all his moves at the program for parents. He was especially proud of walking on the balance beam! Viggo and I have been working hard at reading and it is fun to see him him get more adventursome in reading. He also does math for fun . . . clearly he has inherited Nate's love of crunching numbers, because he certainly didn't get that from me . . .

Viggo is excited about the warm(er) weather and can't wait to ride his bike more and more!

Svea ~

Began potty training on her own accord just yesterday. She was up at 7 a.m. and at 7:05 had already taken care of business! We were amazed but will let her go at her own pace. (I think she is coveting undies because she always hunts those out of the clean laundry pile first when we fold.)

Svea is little but has lots of big opinions. She talks a lot and her vocabulary grows each day. One of our favorite words that she just started saying is "unch" (lunch), and she uses that word for any meal. This morning she was so excited for "unch" that she climbed up to the kitchen counter with a chair, found a clementine, went to the dining room table, climbed up in her own chair, sat there and peeled and sectioned the clementine all by herself, and that's when we caught her. I had no idea this was happening because I was busy making breakfast. Apparently she didn't have time to wait. I'm just glad I was able to get the seeds out before she ate it!

She also loves to draw and crayons are a big part of our daily routine.

Baby Weeks ~

We can already tell we have another active kid on our hands! Baby Weeks moves around a lot. Viggo loves learning about how the baby is growing and I've caught him paging through What To Expect When You're Expecting. (Thank goodness he can't read that well!) He is hoping for a brother, because he has told us that one crazy sister is enough. But he said he would love the baby if it was a girl after all. Thank goodness for small mercies.

Nate and I ~

Just bought a new minivan (KIA Sedona '08). It is weird to glance into the rearview mirror and see a big car full of little people who look like you.

~Marlene