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Christmas in Mt. Morris

2011-12-31T15:49:00.005-08:00

Once we'd made it through the Christmas weekend, we hopped in the car and headed for Grandmother's house to stretch the holiday a little further. We had another terrific visit, with laughs and delicious desserts and Myrna bouncing off the walls. My grandma recorded a reading of The Night Before Christmas for Myrna on one of those electronic recordable story books. Myrna listened to it over and over while we were there, and continues to do so now that we are back home. She recites along with Grandma's voice now, and is well on her way to having the whole thing memorized.

Grandma also introduced Myrn to a Burkhalter holiday fixture: her reindeer Kenner, which friends had made for her some time ago. Myrna really wanted to ride on it, and probably wasn't too big to try, but only her new teddy bear was allowed climb onto Kenner's back.

We also drove down to Princeton, IL to meet the Gamages for pizza. This was the first time we'd seen them since Becky's wedding this summer, which Myrna remembers all too well. Myrn talked everyone's ears off, and the adults did some catching up too.

I'm sure Grandma's house is still recuperating from Myrna's very hands-on explorations, and we've come home with a couple more Myrna-vetted recipes. We had such a great time. It's so nice being only a car-trip away!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-30T07:51:00.007-08:00

Myrna had her Christmas Pageant debut this year - as a beautiful angel. She was extremely excited for the chance to dress up, and took her role very seriously:

She referred to her other angels as her "flock of angels"

After the pageant (at the Gospel reading) the kids all took off their costumes and returned to the service - well all the kids except Myrna, as she continued to play the part of an angel. We finally got the costume off of her as we were leaving, convincing her that she should show off her new Christmas dress, that she so carefully picked out herself in Chicago (the key requirement of the Christmas dress, according to Myrna, was that it needed flowers).

We had a leisurely two days of opening presents on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Myrna is at the stage where she wants to play with each present before moving on to another. She was intent on getting her mother "a thousand nutcrackers" but settled on just the one:

If Santa really had his act together, he would have had the entire Nutcracker battle scene reenacted under the tree for Christmas Day, but that idea came a little too late for the elves to carve all the soldiers.

And what Christmas Day could be complete without some kicking of the new "outdoor" football? My parents bought the soccer ball when they were here at Thanksgiving for us to give to Myrna at Christmas. The only problem was that Myrna spied the ball shortly after they left, and has been asking about it since then....

All Smiles for Santa

2011-12-23T07:00:00.005-08:00

Yesterday we took a train to the North Pole (known to most, as Chicago) to see Santa. Myrna was very excited, especially after Santa had called her on the phone and informed her that he liked ice cream sandwiches too. We've been seeing lots of pictures of kids crying on Santa's laps and Myrna remembered being scared last year - but this year was different.

More photos of our Chicago adventures are on the December Picasa page.

At Long Last...

2011-12-09T12:48:00.008-08:00

In the morning, Myrna asks, "Is it snow today?" After lunch, she asks, "Can we play outside when it snows tonight?" Before bedtime, she asks, "Is it snowing yet?" This has been going on since around Thanksgiving.

And so Myrna was exceedingly pleased when she looked out the window this morning.

Just a light dusting, but fun all the same. We enjoyed it this morning til the tears started, and we had to rush Myrna inside for some warm lunch. Looks like most of it'll be gone by the end of the day, but I'm sure we're due for more soon.

Christmas Trees and Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-06T20:23:00.006-08:00

We are in full Christmas decorating mode here. Saturday we ventured out to find that perfect tree (well, we didn't really venture out, but instead got as far as our local Home Depot). But finding a tree suitable to me is quite a challenge, as I'm a bit picky - not too bushy, must be taller than me, nice needles, etc. Myrna did her best to help, but she soon was distracted by the hot chocolate.

Then it was off to Target to get the necessities, like lights and a tree stand, two items that got thrown out when we left Seattle. It was way too easy to put up our tree (usually we can't get it straight or it doesn't quite look right and some bickering is involved). Myrna was really excited to decorate it (partly because she got to stand on a chair) - and frequently asks when we can decorate it some more.

You may notice the Nutcracker scene on the tree - we are in a full Nutcracker obsession over here. Myrna can't get enough of the Mouse King, and we've watched the American Ballet Theatre's rendition multiple times now (the one from 1977 starring Mikhail Baryshnikov).

Also on the weekend list was gingerbread house making. In elementary school I always missed the Christmas party in school (back when you could still have such a thing) in which we made gingerbread houses, as our trip off school to Santa's Breakfast seemed to always conflict. And the few times I tried to make one myself, they ended in a disaster. So I was really excited that there was going to be gingerbread house making on Sunday after church. I was even more excited when we arrived to see that all the houses had been assembled, and we were left with only the fun part - decorating. It certainly was hard for that end in a disaster.

A Green Bay Thanksgiving

2011-12-04T13:26:00.006-08:00

We broke our 5-year Thanksgiving drought this year - we missed the last 4 by living in Germany and Sweden (in case you have forgotten, Turkey day is not a worldwide celebration) and in 2006 Chris and I passed on trying to juggle various family dinners and spent the day by ourselves. So we had a little catch up to do. My parents were here in Valpo for Myrna's birthday and after the birthday celebrations we all drove up together to Green Bay for Thanksgiving with my grandfather and the Benos. We enjoyed many of our Green Bay favorites, like the fish fry dinner at Van Abel's and coffee at Luna. But mostly we had fun playing - as Myrna and Nick were still the best of buds.

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner over at Grandpa's, and since the Packers were still undefeated by the time dinner was served, we were all in great spirits.

Myrna Is Three

2011-11-30T19:20:00.000-08:00

From Myrna - November 2011

Myrna's third birthday was a big one. Has been a big one, I should say. The gifts keep coming, to the point that when Myrna hears noise from the outside stairs, she no longer asks, "Is that Mom?" but sing-songs, "Could be a package!" To my thinking, #3 is the first birthday that really counts. #1 I'm sure just confused her, and while she wholly enjoyed #2, I don't think she really understood what a birthday was until the presents and cupcakes and candles were all laid out in front of her. This year, she knew it well in advance. Several days before the big day, she put in a request for an ice cream cake, and she even discovered one (exceptionally poorly hidden) birthday present. A second reason that #3 seemed bigger is that it's her first birthday back in the U.S., and gift-giving no longer comes with the problem of packing it across the ocean on a plane. Those things Kelly and I vowed to provide for our child once our living situation was more stable? We were ready to get them. So come Sunday, it was "Bring on the presents!"

As a special treat, Kelly's parents flew out for the weekend, in advance of the trip we all made to Green Bay for Thanksgiving. Saturday was action-packed with taking in the local sites and, mostly, Myrna soaking up some grandparent time. Saturday evening was my Dad's birthday - number 60, if he doesn't mind my saying so - and so we had a good Skype talk with my parents. For dinner, the five of us feasted on paella and wine, and even broke out the fine china for the first time in ages (they'd been in storage). Kelly still had the wedding gift tags bundled with the individual place settings, and we each mentally thanked our dining benefactor.

Sunday morning Myrna discovered that a red oven had "just appeared" in the living room, and that kept her busy for most of the morning. She wore new birthday clothes to church, and after that we're a little jumbled on the precise timeline. There was ice cream cake with M&M's, balloons, party hats, picture-taking, and lots of presents. There were dancing dresses to try on and puzzles to assemble and new toys to try out. It was a big day. And Myrna is pretty darn proud of herself for being three. A frequent topic since her birthday is when she can get back on an exercise bike she encountered last month in the basement of one of Kelly's colleagues. Myrna's legs had been too short to work it. But she was two then -- and now she's three!

Halloween Fairy Princess

2011-11-05T12:56:00.008-07:00

We had a full week of Halloween fun. Much to my dismay, I was not one of those parents that made my kid an awesome costume, and we waited until the Tuesday before Halloween to browse the aisles of Target. Myrna immediately fell in love with a pair of wings and wand that she could wear with her tutu, and I joined on in on the fun and too got wings. I think Chris and I had an agreement about how we would wait until Thursday (the day of her first party) to break them out (for fear that she might destroy them), but at 6:55 am on Wednesday, I gave in and the wings had their debut.

Myrna's first Halloween party was at her library story time. She was very excited to don the whole outfit, and since it was an indoor party, she could fully enjoy the costume with out a coat.

She got her first taste of trick-or-treating and was hooked. In addition to candy, she got some awesome glasses, to pair with her pre-7 am costuming.

Friday afternoon, the downtown businesses were giving out candy and the main street was closed to cars. It was definitely the social outing, as most every kid was there. Myrna used her cute little charm to avoid standing in lines (she really is German). Almost as exciting as the candy was the fact that she could run down the street, something that is never allowed when cars are around. I sadly didn't get to debut my wings as I had come straight from the dentist for a pre-Halloween double filling.

Once Monday finally came, Myrna was thrilled. I had fun wearing wings to school, though about 5 minutes into my first lecture, I realized that my wings were attacking me, so they had to be removed. That evening we joined the festivities on Washington Street. Remember how there was always that really cool neighborhood everyone went trick-or-treating at? Well, in Valpo that neighborhood is the street we live on, so there was no shortage of decorations and trick-or-treaters. At the second house we visited, Myrna's wings got hooked on a smaller boys pumpkin bucket, and within a minute he had let go and Myrna had successfully stolen his loot. She wasn't shy about running up to houses while we waited in the street, and as soon as she was heading back towards us, she was announcing what type of candy she got. Most exciting, though, was a little jar of playdough. She warded off the scary teenagers trying to scare kids with skulls, by announcing that "they looked like her grandparents" (which we really couldn't figure out) and they were laughing too hard to continue.

It's been almost a week since Halloween and the wings are still a daily phenomenon - she's even managed to rope me into the wing wearing for our evening dance parties. Though, on Thursday the theme at Library Group was "Kings, Queens, Castles and Knights" and Myrna is now more interested in the role of "Princess Knight."

Selbstporträt in Grün

2011-10-26T13:14:00.008-07:00

It's been a while since we've shared any of Myrna's artwork. Here is my favorite of her recent drawings, a picture of herself that she sketched on Monday. She was very satisfied with it, and I was too, and so we agreed that I should draw a frame around it.

A Weekend in Mt. Morris

2011-10-26T12:38:00.011-07:00

Last weekend we made a long, long overdue trip to Mt. Morris, IL. Now that we're in Indiana, that destination could be reached in just a few hours. I think the last time I was in Mt. Morris was around the time I'd finished college. Kelly and Myrna had never been - though of course they'd both met my terrific grandmother.

We were spoiled the moment we arrived. In the week leading up to our visit, Grandma had baked a pie, brownies, and a batch of snickerdoodles. But even before those were on offer, Myrna had warmed up to Grandma pretty well on her own, sometimes calling her "G.G." (as K.K. and Abbie do) and sometimes simply "Grandma." Myrn roped her into reading stories, and had most of the livingroom upended by the end of the day Friday. Grandma had picked out a fine pumpkin for us too and after dinner that night, Myrna carved her very first jack-o-lantern. We named him "Jack," and he's since followed us back to Valparaiso, where he sits in our window.

Saturday we took in some of the local sites. We looked in on Lorado Taft's 125-foot Black Hawk statue, and even forded the river at the White Pines Forest State Park.

Grandma graciously did not kick us out after Saturday's Illinois - Ohio State game (Kelly being something of a Buckeyes fan), and Sunday morning we all attended St. Bride's Episcopal Church, where there were more than a few familiar faces. St. Bride's is also my grandfather's resting place, and it was nice to bring Kelly and Myrna around for a visit.

We had such a fun weekend with Grandma. And Myrna's been talking about her ever since we got back to Valpo. Of course it helped that Grandma loaded us up with cookies and brownies as we headed back Sunday, but I know Myrna's fondness goes much further than that.

Sunny Chicago

2011-10-10T16:04:00.006-07:00

We've been enjoying a proper Indian Summer (as I was recently told, you first must have frost (which we had a little over a week ago) and then hit temperatures in 75-80 degree range). We took advantage of the sun, for an action-packed weekend.

Saturday we drove into Chicago, enjoying the beautiful Chicago Skyway toll booths, and headed to the Lincoln Park Zoo. Myrna was extremely excited to see a wild boar, and I discovered on Friday night that the zoo was lacking in wild boar, and we would have to settle with warthogs and/or pigs. But the animals were kind of the least of her concern. She was much more interested in snacks, running around in the sun, and the "Kid's Zoo" attractions. An 8 foot high system of platforms and mesh siding was the key attraction to all the kids. The problem was, of course, there was no way to "rescue" a stuck kid, and Myrna got stuck in a bottle-neck led by a terrified girl, being cheered on by a crowd of parents.

Myrna then found the zoo splash pad, for some mulching leaf collecting fun.

Even if we didn't see each and every animal, we wore Myrna out so she could nap and we could enjoy lunch at Goose Island Brewery.

She would wake up during a much anticipated Trader Joe's shopping spree. Then we made our way downtown to get coffee at one of the few Intelligentsia cafes. The Chicago Marathon was on Sunday, and the city was filled with runners carrying their grab-bags. Pre-Marathon race days always make me jealous. (Sunday was also the day of the Portland Marathon - and it was 10 years ago that I first ran that - how time flies). Myrna too was in "running mode" as she has adopted the UW football jersey as her "running shirt" and insisted on wearing it.

Sunday at the Orchard

2011-09-25T19:37:00.006-07:00

We joined a group from St Andrew's to head out to County Line Orchard, for apple picking and more. Myrna found trouble as we waited for everyone to arrive, and tried hard to steal a staff cart (sadly it was empty, and not full of apple cider).

Then it was off into the orchard on a, as Myrna describes it, "really scary ride" (a tractor) "so scary that we needed to have a service man" (a priest). The big kids all got off for the corn maze, but we headed straight to the orchard to do some exploring. Immediately Myrna was picking apples off the ground to taste, and her parents finally gave into temptation and tasted a few off the trees (I needed to know what a Blushing Gold tasted like before we put some in our bag to buy). We didn't, however, break the rule "no climbing in trees," though we came fairly close, letting Myrna climb up on her dad.

We picked only 3 lbs of apples - 4 Jonagolds and 4 Blushing Gods - which set us back a good $5. Then it was into the Kid's Area for lots of playing in hay.

Chris and Myrna tried the hyped up apple donuts - and later that evening we enjoyed some apple pie (made by the orchard - not me). I think come lunch time, I'll be ready for another apple.

Indiana Dunes

2011-09-21T19:24:00.003-07:00

We waited until a misty and cool Sunday to get ourselves to the giant Indiana Dunes on Lake Michigan. So, it wasn't a perfect weather day, but we had lots of fun. Myrna was a bit nervous at first

But in no time, she was frolicking in the water and stripped of her clothes (at which point our public sharing of photos stops). I guess it wasn't that cold, but we certainly were not looking forward to having to jump in the water to grab her.

And as an excuse for why we are so behind on the updates; after sitting through endless Myrna accounts, we're just tired:

White Dresses, Cakes, and Dancing Shoes

2011-09-01T18:59:00.008-07:00

An added bonus of moving to Indiana was that we were able to attend my cousin Becky's wedding in Peoria, Illinois - something that certainly would've been more difficult had we still been in Sweden.

It had been over ten years since I'd been back to IL, and entirely too long since I'd caught up with all the good folks on my Dad's side of the family. And so, in addition to going to the wedding, we had a great opportunity to spend some time with my grandmother, catch up with aunts and uncles, and sort of meet my cousins all over again as adults. The wedding turned out to be a very thorough family reunion, and Myrna got the full Burkhalter introduction in one quick weekend. This was, in fact, even her first time meeting my grandmother. Here's four generations of the Burkhalters:

Here's Myrna with the adorable Martin girls, inspecting Aaron's camera.

And a nice shot of Aaron and Norah with my grandmother ("G.G.," she's called these days).

Meeting the full Burkhalter clan wasn't Myrna's only first that weekend, either. She pulled her first fire alarm - but let's pass over that story for now. This was also Myrna's first wedding. In the month leading up to Becky's wedding, Kelly helped form impressions of all that a wedding is, and Myrna definitely took in the ceremony and reception with keen interest. Dresses, cakes and dancing seem to be the salient points she walked away with. She talks about these things often and in detail, and also pretends to talk with Becky and her husband Toby on the phone. They are usually invited over for dinner.

As for the dancing, well...

Ben even caught a video on his iPhone:

Myrna was doing this til about 11:00. She even got in a request (Rihanna's "Umbrella," one of her car stereo favorites). A month later, she still dons her pink dress and starts bouncing around the livingroom every time she catches a danceable rhythm. And she was quite irritated to find that, with all the records I have crowding the walls of our new apartment, there's not a copy of "Boogie Shoes" to be found.

The whole weekend was a great time, and we were so happy to be there for the wedding. We took a couple pictures during the weekend, but Aaron's are way better, so I've stolen some of his for this post. Further documentation can be found here.

We've also finally put up a few photos for August, which you can see here. We'll try to catch the blog up as we settle into the new apartment, job, etc., u.s.w.

Master Gardner

2011-07-30T05:30:00.004-07:00

My grandfather has a beautiful garden and Myrna is extremely interested in it. She loved helping with the watering, composting, and daily (or more like hourly) she was on a hunt to find the bunny rabbit that calls the garden home. She is very insistent though that the tomatoes are for little girls, not bunny rabbits. If we were lucky, we might get a taste of the cherry tomatoes she would sneak off the vine.

Over our time there, she learned the names of the flowers (much more quickly than I did). In fact for a few days, the word of the day was hydrangea. There really isn't anything cuter than hearing a 2+ year old talk about petunias and hydrangeas with her great-grandfather.

National Railroad Museum

2011-07-28T05:23:00.010-07:00

While still in Seattle we stumbled upon my old photo albums. We found a photo of myself at 8 and my sister Christina with the caption "at the train museum in Green Bay." One of Myrna's favorite spots in Stockholm was the Transport Museum, so there was no question that we would be visiting the National Railroad Museum. I guess I don't really remember what it was like 25 years ago, but I'm fairly sure it got a lot bigger and a lot cooler since then. We were fans of the drumhead collection.

There were lots and lots of trains to run around in. Myrna tested out a sleeper car, but only after she stopped to take off her sandals, as shoes are not allowed in beds.

She's still learning how to work the engine, though.

And what trip to a train museum wouldn't be complete without a ticket for a train ride.

This was the first outing just the three of us took in the midwest, and we were thankful that Myrna wasn't too disappointed about the lack of non-parent-company. Keeping in the railroad theme, Chris and I enjoyed a late lunch at Titletown Brewery (housed in an old train station a few miles away) while Myrna slept off her train frolicking. Not quite sure which would be more (un)-comfortable: her stroller or that sleeper car.

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary

2011-07-28T05:10:00.005-07:00

By Tuesday, July 19, most everyone had headed home, with the exception of Chris and Myrna and me and my mom. The house quieted down a bit and we were so lucky to take a trip to Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary. We were accompanied by the best guide, my cousin Kristen, who knows the park inside and out and could tell us all about every animal we saw.

We had a great time running around the park, meeting an opossum, giggling at the otters and feeding the ducks shelled corn.

Bay Beach Amusement Park

2011-07-28T05:00:00.005-07:00

Before everyone left Green Bay, we did get in a trip to Bay Beach Amusement Park. We were spoiled as the Monday heat kept the crowds away, and Lisa, Nae, Myrna, Chris and I never had to wait for a ride. Of course, Myrna now thinks she can always get her first choice of color of lady bug, or airfighter jet, helicopter, or race car...

And it's always nice to return to an amusement park where the price or rides hasn't changed since I was a kid; Myrna got lots of 25 cent rides.

Happy 90th Birthday, Grandpa

2011-07-26T12:44:00.005-07:00

My mom and her 3 siblings (plus their families) descended upon their childhood home to help celebrate their father's 90th Birthday. We were no exception and as I write this we are still sitting in the beautiful sun on the patio in Green Bay. We had a "great big party," as Myrna would say, to mark the day.

We had lots of fun visiting with family that we don't see often, and Myrna not only had Isaac and Nae to keep her busy, but also her second-cousins Kristen, Grace and Nick. Stay tuned for more on our Green Bay adventures (or just check out the July picasa album, as the photos are always more up-to-date than our blog).

Door County

2011-07-26T12:22:00.009-07:00

Our first stop on our midwest adventure was Door County, Wisconsin. My grandfather's 90th Birthday brought everyone to Green Bay, but before we celebrated that, my parents arranged a few nights in a "cabin" in Sister Bay. We (my parents, Nae, Christina & Eric & Isaac, and Chris & I & Myrna) relaxed in a large house and explored Door County.

We basically did what you are supposed to do in a vacation town: eat at fun restaurants, golf, make s'mores on a campfire,

watch the World Cup, go boating,

play at the beach, ride bikes, and ride on funny horses.

Fun times indeed without super hot weather (it was only in the low to mid 70s) or mosquitoes.

Belated Update

2011-07-24T07:19:00.009-07:00

July has been a busy month for us, juggling family, friends, vacation, and preparations for a move to Indiana. At the beginning of the month, Kelly and I spent a healthy chunk of time working on this project:

Our boxes acquired variously from the Episcopal Bookstore, Zumiez, and the Washington State Liquor Control Board, we found ourselves wishing we'd invested in uniform boxes, or at least spent more time playing Tetris. Myrna, meanwhile, spent some quality time with her Oma, gardening, feeding squirrels, and even visiting the elephants at the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma.

From

After our boxes and furniture were finally rolling eastward, we still had a weekend left to see people and more or less relax. Among many others, we got to spend an afternoon with Douglas, Kim and Davis, which yielded this adorable photo.

From

And then we were on a plane to Wisconsin. We'll have to save stories of those adventures for another day, but there are already lots of pictures in our July Picasa gallery.

When Mom and Dad Are Not Around

2011-06-28T21:24:00.004-07:00

Myrna is just really, really cute. More photos from a trip to the park with Grandma and Grandpa are here.

Rockin out at the Harbor Steps

2011-06-26T07:46:00.008-07:00

For about 90 minutes on Friday the sun came out and there was no rain, and we were at the Harbor Steps to see the Maldives play at the Out to Lunch Series. Myrna's experience with rock shows is close to none, so it was a good thing that Davis showed up with her parents, Kim and Douglas, to show Myrna how it is done.

While the band played, the girls did some serious running up and down Post Alley.

But once you got caught by Dad, something like this might happen.

Or even this.

After the set, Mom and Dad schmoozed with friends we hadn't seen in ages, and Myrna and Davis compared belly buttons. But all that running had taken its toll, and Myrna was fast asleep very shortly thereafter.

Pacific Science Center

2011-06-26T07:37:00.008-07:00

We took an outing with Opa and Oma (or "Other Grandma" as Myrna has been calling her) to the Pacific Science Center. It was Myrna's first trip there, and she had a ball. The butterfly house was a big hit:

It came as no surprise that Myrna liked the water play the best

Chris and I could impress her with our awesome bike riding skills

And the perfect end to the afternoon, was getting a hold of Mom's umbrella

Kelly's Birthday vs Father's Day

2011-06-19T21:08:00.009-07:00

This year was the first year I had to share my Birthday with Chris's Father's Day - sure it's happened lots that Father's Day was June 19, and I shared my birthday with my dad, but I never really minded then. Thankfully Myrna was in the know this year, so when people around town wished him a "Happy Father's Day," she replied with "It's Mom's birthday!" (or more likely, "it's Kelly's birthday"). She gave us the best present she could:
A nap for us to enjoy some brunch at Blue Star cafe

Later that night, we feasted on some crab for dinner. Myrna was a little wary at first and refused to touch the crab meat I had put on her plate before we sat down. But then she saw how much fun it was to crack the crab, and she was all game for cracking and eating.

Our little girl is developing some expensive tastes (she loves scallops, eagerly slurped down oysters on the half-shell last week, and now crab) but we are happy she's such an adventurous eater. About half the time she referred to the crab as lobster, and once it was even a stegosaurus (now that would be some really expensive taste).

At gift time, Myrna was convinced that what I wanted (and needed) was a tricycle - actually Chris and I needed matching His & Her tricycles. But instead they surprised me with a picture we had admired many times in Stockholm; and if I had been smart enough, I would have known that Myrna had told me about it a few times, but I was clueless to it all.

It seemed like a good idea at the time

2011-05-29T13:53:00.005-07:00

Twice in the last 72 hours I had these great ideas, that after I enacted them I realized that perhaps they were not the best 2.5-year-old-safe ideas.....

Exhibit A:
Here Myrna was a little miffed about there only being four cribbage pegs. My remedy? Bring out a box of matches for her (and yes, she did strike one of them on the box).

Exhibit B:

In Belgium they put cute flags in the cheese - and I just found a package of Swedish flags - Myrna will totally dig it.

20 months in Stockholm

2011-05-29T02:45:00.014-07:00

As we're are slowly getting our stuff packed and ready to leave Stockholm, here is a little comparison of our favorite things in Stockholm.

Picture Book

2011-05-01T13:06:00.006-07:00

One of Myrna's favorite activities is reading books, and we're happy to relive old faves from our childhood and see what the new cool books are. Seeing as Chris and I were born in the same year, you'd think we at least would have heard of each others favorites. Last summer there was huge debate over which Maurice Sendak book was better: Where the Wild Things Are or In the Night Kitchen. Both circulate into the apartment frequently, thanks to a healthy English kids book collection in Stockholm. Myrna's a fan of them all: Here she is as "Max" (at least the crown is like Max, not quite sure what the rest of the get up is).

But I was unfamiliar with Maurice Sendak's Nutshell Library, which is also now quite popular here (though that may be that our copy is cute hand sized, red, hard-cover books, which double as "cookies", as seen above on the tray).

Another favorite of Chris's that I had never heard of is Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel. The title might explain why we never crossed paths, as I never had a thing for heavy machinery. But it's a new family favorite. Mary Anne (Mike's steam shovel) has now an even more special place, as we have named a large construction apparatus near our apartment "Mary Anne." It's not quite a steam shovel, but it's pretty cool looking, you can run under it, and Myrna now constantly asks to go see "Mary Anne." On our last trip, she even took the book, so that she could match them up.

It also helps that seeing Mary Anne means walking along the water, past the awesome "mountains" ("fountains," Myrna) and past the library.

We've also done our best to see what all the Swedish kids are reading (via English translations, or attempting to depict the illustrations). We all know Myrna loves her some Bridget and Pippi, but lately she's become devoted to Mumin. She see's Moomintroll's sidekick Little My everywhere - the first was a sand mold, that actually was Little My, but I certainly hadn't spotted it. The second Little My spotting was with a cookie cutter that I believe was a bell, but you might be able to spot the resemblence.

Day One

2011-04-25T08:23:00.014-07:00

Myrna and I are spending quite a few quality days together while Chris is in the US. Instead of pacing myself on this first day, I aimed for the most extravagant Södermalm park tour I could think of. This was partially spawned by the fact that we have had a beautifully sunny warm Easter weekend, and tomorrow the 70 degree temperature will be replaced with rain. The way too detailed (but I was going to tell Chris) chronicle is as follows:

4:00 am - a taxi picks Chris up to go to the airport.

5:00 am - I get a call from Chris regarding a surprise baggage limit (and weighing) of hand luggage, and he is forced to repack at the airport (thankfully our two checked bags were not quite 50 lbs, but there wasn't a lot of give).

5:45 am - Myrna comes shuffling in, announcing that "there is no Dad - Dad went on a trip." We try to snuggle a bit, but by 6:00 am we have relocated to the living room, where we see the "night bus" drive by.

6:30 am - We wish Grandma a Happy Easter (and postpone the inevitable cartoon watching). Myrna is very excited to tell her about "the boy and his dad who made a mess in church" giggle uncontrollably. Translation: the priest had one of the kids help him sprinkle baptismal water on the congregation. Myrna found this hysterical (and probably a bit confusing since whenever she shakes her water bottle about showering everyone we aren't so pleased).

7:00 am - I finally give in to the cartoon watching. We snuggle up on the couch for some Thomas the Tank Engine and for a minute I think we both might doze a bit. But then we get to the ending Sing-a-Long (Myrna's favorite) and it is hard to sleep when you have to replay the video every 3 minutes. Charlie and Lola is next, and the perfect excuse for me to shower and start on breakfast. I make the mistake of mentioning my plans for a picnic, and before breakfast is on the table, Myrna is informing me that it is "time to go."

9:46 am - We board a bus to Södermalm to head to the park that will eventually be our picnic site. As soon as we are off the bus, I realize it is already warm and time to shed the "spring jackets" (which is really all for the best, as Myrna's freshly washed jacket stayed sand-free).

For the next 2 hours, we enjoy the sun and the crowds of kids (Easter Monday is a holiday). Much time is spent in the sandbox, where Myrna immediately finds the watering can, and holds on to it for dear life, no matter which toy she is playing on. As much fun as digging, sliding and swinging is, the picnic is definitely the topic of conversation. As a last attempt to keep lunch until after 11, I suggest to the very tired looking girl that we get out the new skipping rope she got in her Easter basket. She really wants to be able to skip rope, but inevitably this is as far as she gets.

Noon: It is picnic time! We find grass (far enough away from the big toys and the sandbox) and spread out our blanket and Myrna is ecstatic. She quickly peels a purple Easter egg, inhales the white part, comments that it is a "great picnic" and then realizes she is not in a high chair and can instead run around, rub her hands in some dirt and then come back for a sandwich. What is there not to love about that?

12:30 pm - After the expected fuss of getting into her stroller, Myrna is out for her nap in less than five minutes, and I'm on my way to Drop Coffee for a much needed time-out. Then it is my turn for a picnic (as I didn't even try to enjoy my lunch with her).

2:00 pm - Myrna is happy to wake up in a different park, Mariatorget. After a little play, I convince her that we need to find a slide (as this park didn't have one). Miraculously the bus home happens to be starting it's engines as we pull up to the stop, so I convince Myrna that instead we need to go home to have ice cream (really not such a hard argument to win).

3:30 pm - Mango ice cream on the deck! plus seconds!

3:45 pm - A quick change of clothes and it's back outside - this time in our courtyard. Notice the (different) watering can Myrna has snagged.

We're loving the playground in our courtyard, as well as the water in front of our place and the fact that there is a playground/courtyard every three apartment buildings. If you need to look for ducks, you only have to go a few feet!

5:15 pm - I finally get Myrna back to the apartment for a bath, in which I am informed that I need to "get laptop computer and book" (two essential bath items Dad usually has). As soon as she is out of the bath, she is back on the deck coloring, and reluctantly comes inside for dinner prep, an hour later.

The rest of the evening is as usual, and I'll spare the details. Let's just say this is not a day I'll be repeating tomorrow. More pictures are, as usual, on her April Picasa page.

Dyeing Easter Eggs

2011-04-17T20:27:00.006-07:00

Myrna is a huge fan of "white eggs" - that is, hard boiled eggs minus most of the yolk. It's one of her favorite lunch requests, and so we were very excited to dye some Easter eggs with her. She was only a little cautious at first

And, as expected, she wanted to whack the egg with her spoon. But she quickly got the hang of it

Only one egg escaped the dye (landing on her high chair). Fortunately, it didn't break, or make a mess. And, lunch time was lots of fun, this time with a green egg.

Jumping on the Couch

2011-04-16T10:46:00.001-07:00

Myrna's favorite post-bath activity is to jump on the couch. Be sure not to miss the roll of the eyes at the very beginning.

Spring Jacket

2011-04-14T13:11:00.003-07:00

Today was our second or maybe third sunny day of the year. You can see spring on the lawns and smell it in the air, but feeling it on your goose-bumped skin is still largely a matter of faith. It's an alluring fantasy, though, and as we were heading out to the backyard sandbox this afternoon, I grabbed the polka-dotted blue jacket (a gift from Aunt Lisa) that Myrna wore in fairer weather last year, to at least see if it still fit. It did, and she was so thrilled that there was no chance of taking it off her.

"Remember this one! With Grandma Grandpa. Myrna little baby. With Dad's grandparents too."

Something along those lines, anyway. Myrna loves to look at photos from last summer/fall's visits from both her sets of grandparents, and this jacket features heavily in those photo sets.

Her excitement hardly abated once we were outside in the sandbox, and she informed anyone who'd listen that "Myrna wearing spring jacket!"

Was it actually spring jacket weather? Maybe so earlier in the day, but I was freezing. Myrna, however, reported that her hands were not cold, that she didn't need to go in, and would stay outside for "a little bit longer."

Meeting Bridget in Uppsala

2011-04-11T11:45:00.016-07:00

We've been in Sweden how long now? and still haven't been outside of Stockholm (and its suburbs). We thought we should actually check one other Scandinavian city off the list, and headed 40 miles north to Uppsala.

The real impetus of the trip was to go to the Bror Hjorths Hus for a special exhibition of Pija Lindenbaum's illustrations. For those of you not up on your Swedish children's illustrators, Pija Lindenbaum is the author and illustrator of one of Myrna's favorites, a series of books about a little girl name Bridget (or Gittan, in Swedish). And I admit, Chris and I have become fans too. We also were missing the good old days in Germany, where we'd just hop on a train and spend a day or two exploring a new city.

As expected, the exhibit was a hit. There were lots of dress up clothes, though Myrna was "a little bit scared" of the dresses, and instead insisted that I was the one to wear the scarves, tiaras and tutus, and she would stick with shoes, a necklace and a purse (which she then wore for a bit to look at the paintings).

Since it was an exhibit aimed at kids, all the paintings were nicely placed at "kid height," and sturdily anchored to the walls. We missed getting this on video, but Myrna definitely did a good job describing this painting:

"The moose brothers are drinking out of the toilet. Disgusting!"

After a tasty lunch (with lemonade), we headed down to the basement, for some watercolor painting. Myrna, of course, was much more interested in wetting the brush and mixing the paints, than actually getting paint on the paper.

It wasn't so cold, and we spent some time walking around town. Also some chasing, and quite a bit of not-really-walking-at-all. And we were regularly reminded of the fact that Myrna is a two-year-old, and one who has nearly perfected the art of tantrum-throwing. Just when we were beginning to think that our plan to spend the afternoon in Uppsala was overly ambitious, though, we happened upon some sort of kayak race in the city canals. I realize that may sound pretty tame, but it was actually pretty intense. The merger of several waterways made for some powerful rapids and even a small waterfall. And, just to make it interesting, there was an obstacle course. We sat along the water and watched this for a while, and Myrna was enthralled. It consumed enough of the afternoon that we were able to finish off the day with a visit to the cathedral and a pub dinner. After the busy day, she fell asleep waiting for our return train.

Spring Cleaning

2011-04-03T02:53:00.003-07:00

In between a trip to coffee, gourmet ice cream and playing with Alexander Alan, Myrna found a kid sized broom along the gallery strip on Södermalm.
She certainly was going to make sure there was no snow gravel left lying about on the sidewalk.

The Airport

2011-03-19T09:25:00.003-07:00

I was a bit slow getting unpacked from my quick jaunt to Philly, and left my suitcase for Myrna to find. It was all for the best, since she has been entertained for two days straight, "going to the airport." She packs the bag, wheels it around, and announces where the airport is, so we can join her. Most importantly, she looks just about as ridiculous as we do, when all three of us go to the airport.

Going Postal at the Postal Mueseum

2011-03-11T13:18:00.005-08:00

Last weekend we checked out the Post Museum. The key attraction is that on weekends they open up the kids area (normally only open for school groups during the week). Myrna first worked on a postcard. She's really into painting right now, so she had a blast.

Then it was on to the mail room. If we knew she was so good at filling out customs forms, we would have been sending gifts to the US ages ago.

The kids room closed an hour before the rest of the museum, and seeing as Chris and I hadn't seen any of the exhibitions, we were ready to explore. As we get done with the last one, Myrna eyes the back entrance to the museum cafe, and immediately has it in her mind that we are going to go get a juice. Chris and I had already had a great coffee date while Myrna napped before the musuem, but I was feeling a little indulgent, and let Myrna pull us in to get a "juice." Imagine our surprise, when we find out that the museum cafe has one of the best Belgian beer selections in town, thanks to an owner who just really likes beer. So, we had a completely unexpected Tripel Karmeliet (on tap) and Myrna excitedly gulped down her pear juice.

Guess we really now do need to think twice before telling Myrna that it's not treat time.

"Funny looking baby"

2011-03-03T12:22:00.006-08:00

Myrna really likes to look at photos of babies and kids. This morning we were looking through a very old picasa album from Myrna's first trip to the US, two years ago (about 3 1/2 months old).

The conversation went something like this:
Me: "Do you know who that is?"
Myrna: Blank stare
Me: "It's Isaac's Dad"
Myrna quickly runs over to the refrigerator, takes down the Christmas card from Eric, Christina and Isaac, and returns saying "Isaac's Dad!" and agrees that the picture on the computer is also "Issac's Dad"
Me: "Is that Isaac with him?"
Myrna looks at Christmas card, looks at screen.
Myrna: " "No, that's not baby Isaac... That's funny looking baby"
Me: "Yes Myrna, you were a very funny looking baby"

February in one fell swoop

2011-02-25T22:58:00.009-08:00

As Aaron pointed out, we've fallen a bit behind this month. But I'm using the excuse that February is such a short month to justify the measly number of posts. So we'll just settle for one mega-update.

Myrna is a chatterbox. She narrates everything, and it's our job to put the pieces together and figure out what she might be saying. Favorite words are "delicious" (like the lasagna I made from scratch last week), "disgusting" (thankfully not referring to food we serve her, but to Moose Brothers drinking out of the toilet) and "ridiculous" (referring to anything we do). She has picked up a few Swedish words (probably more than we know, but our Swedish vocabulary is limited to about 4 words). But more entertaining is the British English she's learning. She is fully aware that Lizzy has different words for things, and Myrna to add a twist to her daily routines by enjoying a snack of biscuits or riding in her pram or pushchair. Myrna knows I'm no fan of the word "nappy," but likes to remind me that "Lizzy calls a diaper 'nappy.'" Speaking of annoying reminders, every time Chris helps her into her coat he's warned, "not like at Elliot's house," referring to a one-time incident over a month ago when Chris caught her chin in the zipper.

After a "package" came from her Grandparents with a Thomas the Tank Engine DVD and a Percy train, we took a trip to Ikea, specifically to buy her some train tracks from Ikea's line of Biro knock-offs. She's spent the last week enthralled with the train set. It's kept her so busy that I think we even had two mornings without Charlie and Lola. I'm slow to learn about the curvature of the train tracks (I didn't grow up with any) and I'm really good at forming a closed loop, only to have one or two tracks not in the configuration. Pretty soon, we'll be turning this in to a good math problem.

The trains haven't replaced the blocks. Recently they have been cookies (baking paper was necessary for that one), sometimes they can be baby strollers, and then there's the usual "churches" and "houses." It's fun to see the world through her eyes - all her "houses" are clusters of vertical apartment buildings. As most kids, there are some things she picks up on and you wish she might just forget about. The other weekend we were coming home on the bus and Chris and I were amazed with the long line of people waiting outside the System Bolaget (Sweden's State-operated liquor store). It was 10 minutes to two on a Saturday, which meant there was only 10 minutes left to buy your beer and wine before Monday. Later that afternoon Myrna was playing with her blocks, lining them up as she often does and then declaring them to be a "System line." She frequently now wants help making a "System."

That's at least some of February in a nutshell. We might hit 30 degrees today, a pleasant surprise after a few weeks of single digit (F) degrees and a snow storm in which a foot of snow came overnight and shut the entire city down by canceling all the buses (though the subway still ran).

A Tour of Winter Sports

2011-01-30T22:35:00.006-08:00

Yesterday we spent the day with our good friends Sam and Elliot, who made sure that we got a handful of winter sports checked off our "To Do in Stockholm" list. They recently moved to Bromma, just south-west of the city center, and the water way connecting them to Stockholm is one thick sheet of ice (see above photo). Myrna started with a sled ride to get to the skating track
As Elliot took a little snooze, Myrna got to try a few rounds of skiing.
She really enjoyed it - especially the sticks - and loved saying "Myrna skiing!!!"
Behind her, you can see the skating track. It is just a small part of the track that starts in Uppsala and ends in Stockholm, for a big race in a few weeks. (The race is 80 km long, about 50 miles). As it was a beautiful sunny weekend, there were lots of people out. It just happened that Chris and I have the same shoe size as Sam and his wife, so we got to try on some skates for a bit, and pretend to ice skate, while little kids skated circles around us. There, however, was no photographic evidence of such.

Trains, Cars and Trams

2011-01-24T11:01:00.007-08:00

Myrna is fascinated with transportation of any kind: cars, trains, trams, boats, airplanes...

She loves going to the Transport Museum to ride the train
and certainly to play with the trains....
(note the hoarding of the trains). And I admit, I'm guilty of taking her to Polarn o. Pyret just so she could play with the trains there (while I glanced at the kid's clothes Sales Rack).

But what she really has been into is making "cars," "busses," and "trains" at home. For example, here is a car
You can tell it is a car because all the chairs are facing in the same direction. Turn a few 90 degrees and leave room for a stroller, and you've created a "bus." The bus is the most popular right now - Pig drives it while wearing a hat, next to him is a stool, where you place your bus pass (and make the appropriate beeping sound). There are buttons to ring when you want to get off - and if you ask Myrna which stop she gets off at, it is always "next stop." There certainly is room for Baby in her stroller (Baby also can ride the bus herself, as Myrna often leaves her alone - she certainly isn't mimicking any of our actions with that one). Many backpacks, purses and diaper bags come into play. And just to make it more ridiculous, Myrna likes to wear her hat, and keep it on (something she certainly doesn't do on a real bus)
The newest addition is "bus jacket," and if she is really lucky, she'll convince us to put baby in her slightly small snow suit from last winter.

So Many Photos

2011-01-10T12:36:00.002-08:00

We had to upgrade our picasa storage space to start the New Year.... beware. Lots more pics from Belgium are in the new January album.

MB in BE: 2011 Edition

2011-01-10T06:57:00.013-08:00

We took a post-Christmas holiday to Belgium. With the temperature around 50 degrees and the snow long since melted, it was a welcome break from the cold and snow of Stockholm. We spent two nights in the most wonderful Bed and Breakfast in Leuven, called Lodging at 8, and two nights in Brussels.

We were a little worried about finding stuff for Myrna to do, but she loved Leuven. There is a beautiful city library, complete with a large kids room full of toys, coloring and storytelling (free changing tables too - a big plus). We spent much time there.
But much more exciting was the Winter Festival boat rides.
Basically a carousel of boats, Myrna loved it! She asked for the boats regularly, and we had to concoct complicated detours to avoid glimpses of them if we didn't want to stop for another ride. In fact, if we got a little discombobulated about where we were, we could ask Myrna to take us to the boats. Curiously, she always pointed us in the right direction. Each ride was a Euro, and we wondered who was enjoying their Euro treats more? Myrna with her boats or Mom and Dad sipping on tasty Belgian beer while she napped.

She was taken with the beautiful breakfast too. Even though she didn't always eat much of it, she seemed to consider the visual presentation and wide variety of food on offer a real treat. (We don't usually light candles at our own breakfast table.) The egg cups were a particular favorite, though the chocolate penguin lollipop certainly wasn't a flop either.
There was also a cat about, and Myrna was very impressed with it. She saw it leap through its cat-door, and talked about it all day.

After two days in Leuven, we headed to Brussels. Myrna was already talking about the "airport" by then (a bit homesick), but we aimed to entertain her. It didn't hurt that everywhere we went, she was given treats - cookies at a cafe by the waiter, chocolate at Neuhaus (her parents certainly weren't given any tastes), even chocolates by the guy in front of us in a grocery checkout line.
She also got to tromp around the cobble-stone town center which, after a little drizzle, was rich with muddy puddles. I guess we wore her out, because that evening she soundly slept through a pick-up jam session at the Bier Circus.

Saturday, Chris started Myrna's dinosaur lessons at the Belgian Royal Institute for the Natural Sciences, home to a staggering number of nearly-complete iguanodons skeletons. Here's Myrna regarding a nest of fossilized dino eggs.
A few cones of pommes frites later, we were packing our bags and, early Sunday morning, enjoyed an uneventful trip back home, where Myrna was exceedingly glad to be reunited with Baby.

An Unsettling Exchange

2011-01-09T10:16:00.006-08:00

Myrna, clenching her teeth and clutching frantically onto Kelly's neck: "Head off off off!"

Kelly: "You want to take my head off?"

Myrna: "Yes."

Kelly: "How are you going to take my head off?"

Myrna: "Scissors."

Myrna Ballerina

2011-01-01T09:45:00.006-08:00

This morning Myrna wanted to wear a tutu. Seeing as we didn't have anything planned on this fine freshly snow-covered New Year's Day, I said "why not." Myrna got a tutu last Christmas, and I think has worn it twice. We squeezed the 6-9 month-sized tutu on her (she's tiny, but not that tiny), and she was ready to perform, all day long.

Sure, the long sleeves are now 3/4 length, and there was no way the snaps to the onesie bodice were getting snapped, but she didn't mind. She was too busy learning "Me and My Teddy Bear," my debut dance recital piece.

She wore the tutu the entire day, pairing it with leg warmers later in the afternoon (a fine choice), and she was always telling us about her "cute tutu."

Myrna's First Snow Angel

2011-01-01T06:18:00.002-08:00

We finally convinced Myrna that making Snow Angels was fun, and she agreed. But what was even more fun was animating her by clicking the cursor button between two photos.

God Jul!

2010-12-26T08:04:00.011-08:00

Although this was Myrna's third Christmas, one could argue that it really was her first. At least it was the first in which she might start to understand what was happening. We had a wonderful Christmas - of course white, small and peaceful (well, as peaceful as can be managed with a 2-year-old). Myrna awoke Christmas morning and, once in the living room, headed straight for the tree, just as she usually does (to "help" plug in the lights). Only this morning, there were presents under the tree. She immediately grabbed two of them, raced back down the hall to "show Dada." Returning to the tree, she was distracted by the new coffee set Santa had brought her.

She immediately started on the coffee service - not a bad idea at all, since it wasn't quite 8 a.m.

Another exciting surprise was the yellow building block we'd placed under the tree, after finding it under the couch the night before. She'd been searching for it with grave concern for several days. Worried that the block could become the highlight of the day, we soon commenced the unwrapping, Myrna helping everyone with their gifts (and, in turn, requiring help for her own too) in the unwrapping. Here she is with one of her Christmas presents, ready for an adventure.

After coating herself with blueberries at breakfast, we moved onto playing with the new presents. Her friend Lizzy had given her some playdough, and we all attempted to make some holiday sculptures.

Myrna even managed to model her parents' gifts - both dad's scarf and, here, mom's legwarmers. (She got her own pair today - I really don't like sharing that much.)

Besides coffee making, she also is perfecting her pasta with her new veggies. She even combines the two for her still life exercises.

God Jul! (that would be Swedish for Merry Christmas, though I have absolutely no idea how one pronounces it)

A Monday Walk In The Snow

2010-12-23T13:55:00.009-08:00

From Myrna - December 2010

Monday morning, Myrna and I suited up and took a stroll around the neighborhood, with the stated goal of finding some ducks. This past month, we'd tried to do this a number of times, and failed. Virtually all water in Stockholm having thickened to concrete slabs of ice, the nearest duck community has been pushed an additional block from our building, where they must swim in perpetual circles to keep the water in motion and unfrozen. That added distance, combined with the cold, the icy pavement, and Myrna's intolerance for snow on the toes of her boots has ended previous duck hunts at about the halfway mark, Myrna carried home in tears, whimpering "cold" at pathetic intervals.

From Myrna - December 2010

But this time, as you can see, we made it. The ducks are doing well, but it looks like a rough business protecting their home and food supply from the elements. We saluted them, and then went on to check out the Christmas trees. All the courtyards to the (staggering number of) apartment buildings in this area feature their own holiday trees, and they're looking quite lovely under nature's glaze.

We also tried to go to the playground but, uh...

And then something rather surprising happened. Myrna quite deliberately led me back towards home, then right past our apartment and past the Nativity scene in the chapel window to... yup, the Konditori, pushing open the door and waltzing in like she ran the place. Which is kind of funny, because we'd only been twice before. So, okay, we bought a bulle. Myrna carted it home, hugging the bag, and shouting "treat!" and "home!" all the way back to our place.

There was some discussion of saving a bit for Mom. But that didn't pan out.

Meeting Santa

2010-12-23T04:06:00.008-08:00

We've been enjoying pictures of many little ones meeting Santa this Christmas time. We found the one Santa in the city for Myrna to meet, at the big department store NK. We started by looking at the Christmas Windows, and we should have known we were in for a treat, as Myrna seemed quite unsure about them all. She actually asked to get back into her stroller - we weren't sure if she was cold or scared, but either way we weren't going to dawdle.

Once inside, she was much happier - pointing out all the Christmas trees. We wandered up to the kids floor, and had an hour before Santa would actually arrive. Myrna worked on a list for Santa, before she led us around the toy department, destroying any toys in her path.

Visiting Santa here was a bit different than in the states, as there was no photo session with Santa, just a haphazard line of kids and parents snapping photos. When Santa arrived, we were ready to go, but as soon as we were "next in line," Myrna started wailing, and there was no way she was getting anywhere near Santa.

What I love about this photo (other than all the kids staring at Myrna) is that you get to see Santa's ever so stylish threads, certainly not the same-old red suit. I do remember my sisters getting scared of Santa and crying, but we still managed to get that photo, and I have no idea how my Mom did that.

Myrna the Swedish Chef - Christmas Cookie Episode

2010-12-20T12:22:00.006-08:00

We took our first foray into baking in Europe this weekend. For two-and-a-half years, I've skipped out on the baking, with the very valid excuse that American recipes don't translate. Sure, you can convert cups into metric, but there is the problem that flour and baking powder are ever so slightly different that straight conversions don't work (or so I've been told). But decorating cookies seemed like something Myrna would like, and we were getting a hankering for good old American Christmas sugar cookies (Pepparkakor are good, but you can only eat so many ginger snaps). Furthermore, we had lots of American-Swedish families that we wanted to get together. So Saturday, while Myrna napped, Chris and I rolled out dough and cut out sugar cookies (from a German recipe, just to keep things complicated).

First, I should point out that pigs are a big Christmas decoration. So we can all blame my Swedish heritage for my love of (Christmas) pigs. Any pack of Christmas cookie cutters you buy, includes a pig - isn't that just wonderful?

We had just taken the last batch out of the oven when Myrna woke up - so far so good. But then we started get messages from our Sunday guests, and all the kids were running temperatures. Needless to say, we were alone for the frosting, but we still had a ball. Myrna's first icing:

She's very concerned when icing gets on her fingers

After each successful icing, she announces "clap" and we are all to clap at her masterpiece

At first she was very careful with the sprinkles

On her second go, she dumped half the bottle on one cookie. It resulted in very right-side heavy sprinkled cookie, not unlike her recent paintings (and if you haven't read the recent review of her work, you are really missing out - it's far more clever than this account). She still made quite an effort to retrieve the bottle

And what batch of Christmas cookies wouldn't be complete with out a cookie ode to Piggy Wiggy?

We now have lots of Christmas cookies. Wish we could send boxes to you all, but I don't think the trip to them would be kind.

Easter in December - Why You Don't Argue with a 2-Year-Old

2010-12-17T13:19:00.006-08:00

We've had at least a month of snow and cold. Nevertheless Myrna has recently found her Easter dress* from last year in the closet and insisted on wearing it today. (I just learned from Chris that she has been asking for the last week to wear it, but little did I know when I said ok.) We squeezed it on (over a turtleneck), and let her run around the apartment. There was no telling her that she had to change to go out and about, so we stuffed the tulle and big bows into her snow pants - a truly funny sight.

If she had her way, she still would have that dress on, instead of her pajamas. Though, to Myrna's defense, when she wore it last year on Easter Monday, it actually was snowing.

*A quick look back at photos reveals that this wasn't her Easter dress - rather her Father's Day dress - oops (and it certainly wasn't snowing in Seattle on Father's Day).

Your thumbprints are on the paintwork...

2010-12-16T04:46:00.018-08:00

We've been taking Myrna to play at the Kulturhuset for some time, but it's only in the past several weeks that we've taken advantage of the arts studio in the back. It's terrific. They have a full stock of paints, brushes, smocks, and easels. And, crucially, it's no big thing if paint finds its way onto floor or furniture - something you can't always say about home.

An avid colorer, Myrna plunged right into the new expressive prospects afforded by painting. Her earliest work with paint was characterized by heavy brushwork, dense fields of earthy color, and gritty impasto. Though her work to date falls in the realm of the abstract, there's more than a passing similarity in her first work to the hues and application of paint found in the portraits Myrna refers to as Modigliani's "Mamas." Perhaps a legacy of her 2008-2009 residency in Cologne, Myrna additionally liked to cut into the wet paint with pencil or with the back tip of a brush handle à la Gerhard Richter. These disquieted scratches, combined with the clay reds of the paint, give the below composition a brooding, anxious quality that belies the giggly enthusiasm that went into its making.

If I have one criticism of this painting, it's that the thick application of paint led to a dampness-warping of the paper that's made it difficult to properly display.

It's telling that, for sketches and studies at home, Myrna's shifted from thick crayons to soft color pencils. Her latest painting - finished just yesterday - follows suit. There are links to earlier work - a concentration on the right side of the composition, for example - but here she opts for a lighter touch and airier mood. The handling color is more considered, and the lion's share of Myrna's creative process is now devoted to the mixing of colors to meet her acute demand. This is no doubt a product of Myrna's growing understanding of color. She spends much of the day pointing out the pinks, reds, blues, yellows, and greens of the world around her. And, more and more, these correspond to the adult world's chromatic taxonomy. The brighter feel of this latest piece probably also benefited from the unfussy approach Myrna took to painting it. Far from over-thinking the finished product, she completed this one in half the time needed for her first painting. This time she was, it seemed, very eager to wash her hands and brushes in the row of toddler-level sinks she'd discovered on her last visit to the studio.

It's tricky gaining a concrete foothold on Myrna's work and methods, given the abstract nature of the compositions and her reluctance to discuss her art in any satisfactory detail. I took a stab, though. "What are you thinking about," I asked her as she added a few rapid pencil accents to her last piece. Her answer was enigmatic, but certainly in character. "Ducks," she said blithely, reaching for a brush and resuming her work as though no longer aware that I was in the room.

Ohhhhhhh Christmas Tree...

2010-12-14T13:07:00.007-08:00

For the first time since moving abroad, we decided to attempt a Christmas tree. Our first Christmas in Germany, we didn't spend at home in Köln, but instead in Berlin. The second Christmas, we had our hands full with Myrna, and last Christmas, well I guess we had our hands full with Myrna too.

Sunday we made the trek to Ikea. I was pretty sure we were setting ourselves up for a disaster - Ikea on a weekend before Christmas sounded daunting. But it actually was just like any other day at Ikea and Myrna was having a ball - starting with ice cream at lunch, and then pure fascination at the Ikea floor displays. If for a moment, we actually believed that she would sit in a kids sized chair while she watched Pippi, we would have easily bought her a miniature lounging chair - but we knew better. Then we hit the kid area, and she was in heaven.

But the real reason for our trip was for Christmas decorations. We had decided a full sized real tree was not for us. A planter sized one was tempting, but we opted instead for the designer metal tree. Of course, the idea in my head hasn't quite been realized. There were no Christmas tree lights at Ikea under $40 a strand (some special eco-friendly power saving fancy things), and once we found some a day later, they had their own surprise. Apparently Christmas tree lights are not available in single strands that you attach together, but instead in one self contained loop (thankfully our tree is tiny and only needed one loop). I'm now conducting a survey to find out what other countries mess up Christmas lights.

Here it is in all it's glory, sitting atop a new red end table. We're still hoping to add some more green garlands, but it's at least a start.....

We did the majority of the decorating after Myrna had gone to sleep. The next morning, we had the celebratory hanging of Piggy-Wiggy. Myrna got excited and tried to put some other pigs on the tree, but we convinced her to put them near the tree instead. She did quite a good balancing job with one of the pigs. This arrangement, by the way, is a family portrait of "Baby, Momma and Dada" (as is any arrangement of animals or buses and staircar).

Myrna still wants to take off the ornaments and hold them, remove their hooks, etc, but we've at least made it two days without it toppling over.

"Who's in charge of scheduling?"

2010-12-07T12:48:00.005-08:00

We've found one more reason to cling to our German habit of buying bottled sparkling water from Lidl: they make decent bowling pins. Admittedly, we've never had a full set of ten pins, but Myrna's not exactly rolling a lot of strikes either. And certainly no spares, as she charges into any bottles still standing, kicking them over before I have a chance to explain that she's entitled to a second roll.

Anyway, it's a fun way to pass fifteen minutes on a cold, dark mid-afternoon. I do, worry, though that she will overexert herself -- just look at the heft of this nerf soccer ball!

Ah, and the title to this post does relate to bowling. If you know how, the next round of White Russians is on me.

-17 deg C

2010-12-01T22:48:00.003-08:00

We ended November with a bang here in Stockholm. The chill came on and we hit a low 0f -17 deg C on the 30th, the lowest November temperature in Stockholm since 1965. I'm still not able to switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit without a calculator, but -17 deg C is 1.4 deg F. Actually I don't think either of us really realized it was that cold. Myrna and Chris still played outside in the snow for a bit (that's just how Swedish we have become). Today's forecast has us at 30 deg F (sadly not C, that would be really nice) and we're totally excited.

Live Blogging Myrna's Second Birthday!

2010-11-20T06:57:00.009-08:00

We enjoyed some gourmet cupcakes this afternoon, starting the Second Birthday celebrations. Myrna was uninterested in napping after lunch and soon cupcake eating won over (now at 4 pm the sugar crash has ended and she is in the midst of a very late nap - we may be partying until the wee hours tonight). She wasn't really quite sure what to make of the candle preparations at first.
But then she was quite interested
She then opened up presents from Mom and Dad
and she was very excited about her new Pippi doll.
Big Birthday Hugs! More photos are on her picasa page too.

The first of the birthday celebrations

2010-11-19T11:21:00.005-08:00

Today the Birthday celebrations began. Myrna had her afternoon play group and we celebrated not one, but two birthdays. Myrna's new best friend, Elizabeth, turns three on Thursday, so we got to sing two rounds of "Happy Birthday!" Elizabeth brought balloons, and we baked cupcakes (and by bake I mean we added water to a cupcake mix). They were both a hit! Tomorrow we are planning on gourmet cupcakes, though Myrna will only get one, instead of the two she helped herself to today. Here are the cute Birthday Girls.

Father's Day

2010-11-15T13:26:00.004-08:00

Sweden celebrated Father's Day this last weekend - which meant Myrna and I got to buy some shirts and sweaters for Chris on Saturday. Sunday we checked out the new
Robert Henke exhibit Transition Machine at Färgfabriken. The plan was for Myrna to fall asleep on the tram ride there, but she was just way too excited to be on the "choo choo." However it was dark in the gallery and we sat on a comfy couch, so about two minutes later she was sound asleep. She did wake up in time for treats and coffee at Vurma.

Finally, the Moderna

2010-10-23T14:00:00.010-07:00

This morning Kelly hammered out an ambitious Saturday itinerary and, rather to our surprise, we pulled it off without a hitch. Kelly started the morning with a run, while Myrna and I spent the hour "making coffee." I should explain that. See, a week ago I picked up an adorably realistic toy coffee percolator at a second-hand sale, and it's catalyzed Myrna's favorite game of the moment. Her barista ritual is quite well-developed. She smells the (pretend) coffee grounds from an empty bag of Da Matteo beans we gave her, scoops them into the filter, adds (so far, also pretend) water to the reservoir, and flips the brew switch. Then she pours two dainty cups, served with stirring spoons. We stir, remark on the aroma, sip loudly, and groan our approval.

Anyway, after we did all that, Kelly returned, and we did some real coffee drinking, and then headed out for, naturally, coffee. We passed a relaxing hour at Drop Coffee, and then bused north to the Nationalmuseum. But not for their fine collection of pre-20th Century Swedish art (I'd seen that already), just for lunch. The vegetarian buffet in the Nationalmuseum's cafe, as we discovered during Kelly's parents' visit, doesn't kid around. Tables were scarce, and lines were long, but we elbowed our way to a hearty lunch.

And then we walked on to the Moderna Museet. We've been wanting to check this out for a long time, but balked at a string of temporary exhibits that weren't appealing enough to brave a visit with a toddler in tow. We hadn't dared wish it out loud, but Kelly and I secretly hoped that Myrna would doze off after lunch and give us a little peace at the museum, and she did just that.

The temporary exhibition focused on Mary Kelly. I'd been pretty interested in her work back in the day, and it was nice to revisit this. Kelly (Jabbusch, I mean) was maybe a little more ambivalent, and there was one piece that we had already seen twice, but we had some good - dare I say stimulating - conversation on the material, especially her Post-Partum Document.

There was also a show of contemporary Swedish art (both art produced in Sweden, and by Swedes in Berlin abroad). I was quite keen on a couple pieces in there. In particular, Kajsa Dahlberg presented a project wherein she borrowed every Swedish-language copy of Viriginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own held in Sweden's library systems. She then transcribed each margin note and copied every text underlining into a single volume - a very particular "annotated" edition, which is now available in a number of Swedish libraries. I wished I could actually read the language, but was pleased by the concept alone.

After we'd been through that showcase, Myrna woke up, and we hurried through some highlights from the permanent collection, including favorites from Marcel Duchamp and Vladimir Tatlin, and a few exciting new (to me) discoveries.

We were home in time for dinner and more (pretend) coffee, and couldn't even recall too many tantrums for the day.

Another Stockholm Winter

2010-10-23T12:58:00.002-07:00

Bypasing autumn altogether, Stockholm is crisp, frosty, and very much in the early stages of winter. Yesterday we woke up to healthy flurries of snow - enough for a light accumulation on the rooftops. There was even Christmas music at Drop Coffee this morning. It's all exciting for Myrna, but a little daunting for Kelly and I. Myrna, however, has yet to meet a climate she wouldn't gladly meet in the park. And with the burly armor of polar gear we've lately been amassing for her, that's not likely to change any time soon. Dads, regrettably, have a tougher time justifying snowboard pants on weekdays downtown.

Dragon Face

2010-09-29T22:42:00.003-07:00

A few months ago, Myrna found a plastic dragon toy in the sand box. She was really scared at first, but immediately grasped onto the face of the dragon. Since then, if you ask for a "dragon face," she'll immediately show you her impression. Sometimes she takes it so far that she is shaking while she is doing it. Here she is in a new rendition of one of her favorite songs:

Ridiculous?

2010-09-26T13:23:00.005-07:00

One of Myrna's favorite day-time activities is removing each pair of shoes from the shoe rack, trying them on, and strutting around the apartment. She's not at all discriminatory, as she's chosen my smelly old running shoes plenty of times. The only important thing is that the two shoes form a pair. I guess I should be thankful that she's helping me break in the new pair.

Skansen

2010-09-14T03:40:00.013-07:00

The day after the race, Myrna, my parents and I gave Chris six hours of undisturbed quiet and headed over to Skansen, the first open air museum and zoo. The idea is to give you a glimpse of pre-industrial Swedish life, and there are houses you can go in to see potters and glass blowers at work. But the real treat for us was watching Myrna trek through the park.

This was a "bike" to her

She wasn't quite sure what to make of the horse, but when one of the riders told her she could pet the horse, she answered with a very stern "no!"

She had a similar timid reaction to the petting zoo goats, but I maintain that she was scared more of the kids all trying to pet the goats, than the goats themselves. As soon as she found an unoccupied window into the goat hut, she was fascinated with them. And, in fact, yesterday's word of the day was "goat." Seals being fed fish was also pretty impressive.

She, really though, liked the statues of the animals that you could climb on better than the animals themselves, as seen with the pig and the bear.

We did get to hear and see some of the traditional Swedish singing and dancing. I've never seen Myrna so seriously watching anything.

More photos of September are finally up on her Picasa album, and we'll try to write more about the last week too.

A Tour of the City in 108 Minutes

2010-09-13T03:45:00.007-07:00

With all the visitors, we are finally getting a chance to see some of the highlights of the city. My parents have spent the last ten days with us, which gave us the perfect excuse for lots of fun outings. Of course, you have quite a different view when you are chasing a toddler around, but she does look cute in pictures so it balances out.

As expected, Stockholm has lots of tours - Hop-On-Hop-Off busses, boat tours sailing through all the islands of Stockholm, walking tours based solely on Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, etc. But the tour I enjoyed this weekend required only a pair of running shoes - the Stockholm Half Marathon - with a scenic route hitting most of the sites. At the end of June, after getting a little lost trying to run around our island (a feat that I admit is very difficult to do, since in theory to run around an island, all you need to do is make sure you are next to the water), I thought it could be fun and possible to train for the 13.1 miles in 9 weeks. The one caveat is that I pretty much hadn't been running with any consistancy since Myrna's arrival, but still mentally thought that I could run a half marathon given four weeks notice. So, I got busy training, hoping I could sneak out in the morning before Myrna woke up, letting Chris sleep, a fleeting thought that worked only about 1 in 10 times. But, we some how all made it work, and I felt ready for the big day.

I wasn't so thrilled about the 4 pm Saturday start time. But I had a great cheering squad, as my parents were still in town (to date they have been at every 1/2 and full marathon I've raced in, traveling to Portland, San Diego and Boston and now Stockholm). Myrna stayed occupied by watching the runners and playing with a balloon.

The rain and wind thankfully stayed away, and I finished the race in 1:48:45 - not my fastest time, but not my slowest time either, so I was happy. I think I can even claim the spot of "Top American Woman Finisher" if I read the results correctly. Though, I felt completely Swedish as I enjoyed the post-race Bulle (basically a cinnamon roll), and it never tasted so good.

Strutting her stuff

2010-09-02T01:50:00.004-07:00

Last weekend we bought Myrna her first foul weather rain set - a staple here in Stockholm because, after all, why let a little rainfall prevent your kid from playing outside at least 3 hours a day? Myrna was so excited she tried to sprint out of the store in them. Since it's been paid for and made it home, she's put the pants on numerous times, even over her pajamas. And sometimes they even make it outside to tromp through the puddles.

Bellmanstafetten

2010-08-31T03:40:00.008-07:00

We've had the first round of visitors (Chris's parents) here, and the second round (my parents) due to land in a few days. Suffices to say, we've been a bit busy and haven't blogged in a while (though we have kept the photo albums up to date). That said, I'm actually not going to attempt to report on all that fun and excitement, but instead fast forward to this last Saturday for the Bellmanstafetten 5 x 5 relay race (5 people each running 5 km (~ 3 miles)). Two of the graduate students here in the Math Department at KTH, Katharina and Kathrin, put together a KTH/SU Women's team. We look quite stunning in our matching blue uniforms
We were treated with beautiful weather (a pleasant surprise) and a fun picnic basket to enjoy after the race. Chris and Myrna were a grand cheer squad - and Myrna has declared the word "Mama" to mean any woman in running garb.
You can watch a video of each our finishes here; I'm runner 1. I guess all this training gave me a little extra spring in my step, as I finished in 23:21. I can guarantee that I won't be running that 7.5 minute mile for the Stockholm Half-Marathon.

MMR-tastic

2010-08-05T23:46:00.006-07:00

Two weeks ago we woke up early to get out of the door by 8:30 (that's a push for us) to get Myrna to the doctor. We had another immunization scheduled, but little Myrna thwarted that plan by waking up with a fever. We were pretty sure she got that fever on purpose, just to avoid a needle. She spent that weekend sleeping a bit more, eating a bit less and very warm - but other than that she still was full of energy. Little did she know that she couldn't put off the inevitable, so yesterday we took a second stab at it. She was so excited about our morning adventure (she must have seen us setting alarms) that she woke up at 4:45 and was rearing to go. At the doctor's office, she immediately started in on the toys and slide. All was well until she saw the needle come into the room and she knew something was up. Thankfully it was all done in just one go, and we celebrated by going to the park and playing in the wading pool.

Here she is showing off her band-aid (something she likes to remind us that she has).
More photos are in her new August Picasa Album.

Bananas in Pajamas

2010-07-30T12:31:00.003-07:00

We bought Myrna some new pjs when we were in Seattle, but it wasn't until last week that it was cool enough to wear them to bed. We were happy to see that they still fit, and have provided Myrna with lots of fun hearing the skid-free rubber feet squeak as she walks.
Here she is at our pre-8 am photo shoot, carefully navigating down the stairs without hands. The last of the July photos are on her July Album.

A Long Weekend in Köln

2010-07-21T11:37:00.011-07:00

We spent last weekend in the sun and heat visiting Köln. We definitely got a little nostalgic for all our favorite German treats. We stayed close by to Kaffeebaum (which was not on summer holiday) and made our way through the coffee selections. Even Myrna enjoyed herself there, as Anna gave her a creamsicle (after which clever Myrna led us back behind the counter to find another). Here's Myrna enjoying a glass of bubbly water after some ice cream in the Altstadt.

Other favorites included plum cake, only just barely in season. Here's Myrna asleep and oblivious as we enjoy some cake.

Other nap-time treats were enjoyed at Päffgen Brauerei. Remember when our blog looked like this?

We also had some new treats, now that we had a toddler in tow. We'd always seen the fountain on the Rhein, but hadn't ever used it before. It was a huge hit!

Myrna also reminded us of the many uses of staircases in art galleries while we were at our friend Noa's exhibition.

One of Myrna's new things lately is sharing and giving gifts. When we go the park, other day-care-acclimated parents marvel at Myrna's friendly overtures of shovels and sticks to other children. And that sounds all cute and such, but Sunday she "gifted" someone with a dead fly. This all went down when we were at a video shoot for our friend Latanya's music video.

But they say you can't go home again, and of course a lot of things in Köln had changed. We couldn't get any Belgian beer, due to the closure of the gourmet Belgian supermarket chain. Other favorite restaurants had changed management. Even the English school I used to teach in had moved. Things change... Returning to Stockholm, though, the baby ducklings in the pond behind our building were just as tiny and fuzzy as we'd left them, and we were glad that at least things didn't change that fast.

4th of July

2010-07-04T12:24:00.006-07:00

I've never been one for big 4th of July celebrations, and I don't think I ever attended one of the enormous fireworks shows until I was taking a bunch of math campers. But, we got invited to the American Club of Sweden's 4th of July Picnic, so we thought we'd jump right on into the celebration. It also didn't hurt that we're in the midst of a sunny and hot run of weather, so after a morning cup of coffee at Drop, we headed just north of the city to Lidingö to hit the beach. This was Myrna's first beach trip, but as a beach is a giant sandbox, she was as happy as a clam.
Her favorite activity was running into the water to fill a bucket, which she would bring ashore and dump on herself.
The breeze from the sea kept us nice and cool (though we'll see if we all got tricked into sunburns despite the sunscreen).

We had fun playing with our toddler clan and meeting people who, get this, don't have kids (or at least not toddlers). No fireworks for us though - seeing as it doesn't get dark here until way too late.

More pictures from the weekend and the beach are on Myrna's July Picasa Page - and see below (the previous post) for Chris's account of hiking with four toddlers.

Tyresta National Park

2010-07-04T11:09:00.004-07:00

From Myrna - July 2010

Despite my best intentions, at bottom I'm a creature of routine. When we moved to Stockholm I vowed museums, beaches, field trips. Instead, Myrna rarely gets further from home than the nearest playground. At least I can take comfort in the fact that the story's the same with plenty of other parents.

So when a friend had the initiative to propose a light stroller-hike through the Tyresta National Park (about 20km outside of Stockholm), the idea caught on quick. Myrna and I headed out around 8am on Friday, and before long we'd assembled a four-stroller caravan of dads and toddlers. The excursion wasn't without hiccups. My research on transportation was less rigorous than, say, Kelly's might've been, and we all missed a connecting bus that only ran once an hour. We also didn't plan for the problem of loading four strollers onto a single bus. And I lost a book I was in the middle of reading. But eventually we were walking through the woods on a gorgeous sunny day. We played on a see-saw, inspected a dragonfly, found a corkscrew ramp, checked out Lamborghini tractors, and petted a couple ponies. The kids ran around, traded snacks, and napped in shifts; the dads talked soccer, big game safaris, and global economics. It was an altogether nice time. For some reason, though, I only took my camera out once.

These are a few of my favorite things

2010-06-30T10:55:00.007-07:00

Sandboxes (in the courtyard of our new apartment, as well as a very fun slide)
Trampolines in public parks (though perhaps not with other kids - she's not quite sure what to do when other kids want to play on the same toys as her)

Cell phones still, and she inherited a new toy one too.

Ducks! Good thing there is a duck pond near by.

And dress up! We recently learned that our friend Davis likes to dress up as a ladybug. Myrna isn't so interested in "cute" dress up clothes, like tutu's - instead she's going for the WWF look:

Jet Setter (a bit updated)

2010-06-25T22:38:00.010-07:00

Wow, more than a month since our last post.... To be fair, we've been quite busy, with a move literally the day before we set off to the US. Sadly, we never quite get to see everyone we want to on our whirlwind trips to the west coast, but it was fun all the same. Myrna was a rockstar plane traveler and took jet lag in stride. We had a great time meeting her cousin Isaac in person for the first time.

And speaking of Isaac, this morning she came running into the bedroom from the kitchen just at the words of "there are new pictures of Isaac."

Myrna also got to meet her great-grandmother for the first time (Kelly's Oma).

As well as the Beno clan from Green Bay

We had a good afternoon with Douglas, Kim and Davis. It was fun seeing the two of them together.
I'm sure the photos we have say much more than anything I can write. So I'll just direct you to Myrna's June Picasa album - at least half the photos were taken by others (all the good ones that is). Any other pictures would be greatly appreciated!

Myrna at 18 months

2010-05-21T12:06:00.004-07:00

On Thursday Myrna turned 18 months. We shared some ice cream cones with her to celebrate. We'll continue the fun this weekend (hopefully in the sun), all the way through Monday when she gets her 18 month check-up. Don't think she'll consider the shots a celebration.

Spring has Sprung

2010-05-15T13:55:00.013-07:00

At last the spring has started (or so we hope). We were in for quite a treat today as the sun came out and the Swedes flocked to the parks and water to soak up every last ray of sun. We took a walk to Vurma for an afternoon fika, which Myrna just loved (well maybe not the coffee, but the walk and the running around).

On the way home we saw some ducks - which right now are on the top of Myrna's Favorite Animal list. Here she is showing her dad the ducks:
and the squat helps her get an even better view

She even tried to get close, but had no luck

We just were really on a roll with photos today. Lots more - including her happy in her crib and showing off her new chair climbing skills - are on her May picasa page.

Flock of Seagulls

2010-05-11T01:11:00.003-07:00

I came fairly close to snorting cereal out of my mouth, when Chris seriously told Myrna that there would be no auditions for Flock of Seagulls at the breakfast table. She had applied some cereal to her hair in an attempt to recreate this do.

Sadly, we didn't get a shot of her rendition. Though we did start a new May photo album, which (for now) only contains civilized photos.

Tasting at Drop

2010-04-26T13:26:00.004-07:00

This weekend we went out for coffee - what a surprise. Two trips to Drop Coffee, in fact. Saturday we had the pleasure of meeting Samuli from Estate Coffee in Copenhagen. He brought six different coffees for us to try - and here's another shocker, we loved the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. It was lots of fun - informative and tasty, of course. Myrna took over the cafe, like she was in charge there. Oscar even gave her a few coffee beans to play with (little did she know that she was getting a treat from one of the top baristas in Sweden).

As Saturday's tasting was a special event, we had to return on Sunday. Chris had taken the 6 a.m. wake up with Myrna shift, so we were happy to plan our coffee excursion during her nap time. She slept and we properly caffeinated ourselves. A lovely weekend all around.

5:30 am Wake Up Call

2010-04-23T11:20:00.004-07:00

Only one of us got to enjoy this 9:30 nap after a 5:30 am wake up.

At the Spårvägsmuseet

2010-04-21T14:59:00.007-07:00

It's becoming more and more important to find "no"-free zones for Myrna. At home in our apartment, most of what she wants to do is strictly forbidden, or just impossible without the help of parents reluctant to spend more than a minute hoisting her up to flip a lightswitch on and off. And if, say, we take her to a café, as we regularly do, her every move is answered with a firm reprimand. Simply put, this makes her crazy. To counter all this negativity, we try to get her to a park or an indoor play space as often as we can, so she can run around and scream and grab at things without reminder of abilities that don't yet equal the strength of her will.

Today I'd planned a trip to the Spårvägsmuseet, Stockholm's transportation museum. But let's be honest, that was more for me than Myrna. Pack a room with a century's worth of buses and trolleys and subway cars into a room, and I'm there. I wasn't sure if there'd be much for Myrna to do there, but it turned out to be an ideal "no"-free zone - complete with dark corridors and push-buttons and levers and exposed cable and not a little dirt.

We were there for over three hours, and Myrna spent most of that time racing through old buses and trams, crawling up stairs, climbing onto seats, smacking windshields, and generally enjoying the echo of her own noise.

Probably due to the snow pounding down outside (c'mon, Stockholm, it's late April already!), the museum was mobbed with daycare groups, and one pack of five preschool kids took quite a shine to Myrna. She was a bit overwhelmed by the attention, and understandably so. What started as stroking hair and admiring shoes rapidly advanced to hugs and kisses on the forehead. The whole pack bearing down on her all at once, Myrna fell over a couple times , but she was a good sport. The kids knew enough English to say "Hello" and "Bye-bye, see you!," but I think that may have been it, because they repeated those two things over and over each time our paths crossed. But then, if you asked them, they'd probably tell you that all I said was "Hej, hej" and "Adjö."

There's also a toy museum housed in the back of the transport museum. We checked that out too, but it mainly consisted of display cases of vintage toys, and that wasn't as interesting for Myrna. (And, if I may say so, I can outshine their collection of Star Wars action figures any day.) She'd worn herself out, and napped on the next bus we climbed into - the route 66 we took back home.

April Showers

2010-04-11T05:28:00.002-07:00

A showering of photos for April.

Easter Holiday

2010-04-02T05:44:00.005-07:00

Like any European country, Swedes have a long Easter holiday. Thursday was a half day for most and Good Friday - Easter Monday is one long holiday. Plus the sun has started to shine and we're warming up to the mid 40s! The snow mostly melted and the sidewalks cleaned, we enjoyed a nice long walk today (during which Myrna slept) before stopping at the park by our apartment. It was a first for all of us (as it has been buried under the snow for the last few months). Even post-nap, pre-lunch Myrna had a blast.

We'll continue to have a fun-filled weekend - with Chris's Birthday on Easter and the hope of a new cousin on the way any day now!

Crazy Footware Part II

2010-03-28T05:16:00.005-07:00

Yesterday we bought Myrna some new bigger socks. She was really excited about trying them on this morning. I think I might have mentioned that when I was in middle school the cool think to do was to wear two socks on each foot. But it was she who insisted on wearing both pairs this morning...
Yesterday she also debuted the shiny black shoes out in public for a dinner party. They were all the rage.

Recently Played: Joker

2010-03-25T13:43:00.003-07:00

Once upon a time, Chris would write about music he was listening to. In fact, one of those "Recently Played" posts has proven quite popular, with lots of anonymous comments from Googlers anxious to get their paws on some disco edit mp3s. Today a new reviewer joins our staff to give you her take on the new track by Bristol "purple" artist Joker.

Part 1: The video camera in her face is far too distracting, and her only goal is to get hold of it...
Part 2: The midrange buzz line kicks in and she is feeling the groove. (Don't know where she actually got those moves - certainly nothing she sees in this apartment. Maybe one night she snuck out to a Skream show or something.)
Part 3: The dancing takes it toll, a slight balance check and she remembers the video camera, and that it is not in her hands. (I'm too lazy to launch the editing software and trim the footage of her looking bored at the end.)

Enjoy!

Shiny Black Shoes: Updated

2010-03-22T15:29:00.013-07:00

Myrna has always loved taking her shiny black shoes out of the drawer - but today it reached a new level of ridiculousness. She's worn them around the apartment a few times, but they slightly change her balance and she tries to remove them. This morning, though, she was eager to get them on (with her pajamas), and strutted around with the biggest proud grin. I'm sure she likes the "clomp" sound that they make, but I suspect it's really the extra centimeter of height that impresses her, as she made her way into a kitchen drawer with great ease.

Somehow, Chris got them off her by nap time. But later that evening (after the pizza covered pants had been removed), she topped the pajama and shoe combo - going straight for the onesie + shoes look - Söder here she comes...

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Tuesday Update: Chris snapped some much cuter pics of Myrna in her shoes this morning and sent them my way:

Frisör in Stockholm

2010-03-15T05:13:00.006-07:00

This last week was the week of hair cuts. Back in November, I got my hair cut at a random salon here in Stockholm - not awful, but certainly not the best. I was happy to wait it out for the next cut back in Seattle - a great haircut indeed, but that was expected. So, now it has been a few months and time again. I searched around and last Monday decided it was time to check out another place. It was a gamble again, but it turned into such a pleasant surprise, when I ended up with one of the best haircuts ever. So, for anyone doing a google search for - recommendations salon Stockholm - I'll add in a plug for Alex at Snagit. It was definitely a great way to spend International Woman's Day.

Kelly "After": Myrna "Before"

More desperate in the hair department needs was little Myrna. We had yet to take scissors to her little locks and she was looking a bit shaggy, with bangs in her eyes and the start of a baby mullet. Other parents weren't super excited about kid salons and we figured we could do the deed ourselves. But finding hair scissors seemed an impossible task (Stockholm is lacking in the Target or even drugstore type stores). We finally got a tip that a new pair of sharp nail scissors may do the job and that we could find. So Sunday after a bath, we took on the moppet top. We hit the top priority - the bangs - first and then armed Myrna with a cell phone to occupy her, while we started in on the back. She lasted for about five minutes (the battery on my phone was dying), but it was enough time to at least get her "after" pic better than her "before" pic, and that's all that really matters.

Myrna "After"

California Raisin

2010-03-06T13:50:00.004-08:00

The grocery store in our neighborhood gives boxes of raisins to kids. Myrna kind of likes them
Key to note here is that she just returned from a jaunt outside, and the sun tricks us into thinking that we've gotten above freezing, hence no snowsuit.
More photos of the day are in her March photo album.

Charlie and Lola

2010-02-26T04:31:00.006-08:00

"I have this little sister Lola. She is small. .. and very funny." And so begins our newest obsession, Charlie and Lola. On our many trips to the library we noticed that there were lots of Charlie and Lola books, and a quick internet search gave us lots of information about Lauren Child and her great creations. Lola is an energetic, imaginative little girl; Charlie is a patient and kind older brother always willing to help Lola learn and grow. The books are great and the illustrations are mixed media. Then we discovered that they made it into a tv series. What could be better than an inquisitive animated little girl? how about one that speaks in a British accent. Myrna likes it, Chris and I love it (though we haven't watched it without her, yet), we can't wait to watch them all!

The hard part was picking out just one episode for your enjoyment (it's 10 minutes well spent) and sadly this episode is missing Lola's imaginary friend Soren Lorenson.

Ayo Technology

2010-02-24T13:07:00.010-08:00

Sometimes I wish Myrna would spend more time with her wooden blocks. She's always been one for the electronic devices, and we still try to keep them away from her (yes, she does drop the camera when she's playing with it) but they do tend to come out. It's pretty obvious when she does get a hold of them (the screaming stops) and one of the following is bound to happen:

I suddenly have an "On the Go" playlist with one song repeated six times on my ipod
There are new voice notes on my phone (a feature I've never had any need for)
There are lots of photos of the ceiling on my phone
Chris's phone is ringing (thankfully he's really the only one I call, and she likes to dial the last number called - though this weekend she did try to call NYC)
The computer screen is on zoom and we have to consult the Help menu to figure out what 6 stroke key combination she managed to type to achieve such a feat

She's also a huge fan of the camera on our computers and the big mirror that the computer becomes (definitely a top selling point for me too). This weekend we really wowed her with a video skype conversation between our two macs sitting side by side.

Thankfully, she'll also become distracted by an discarded envelope, or by spinning around in a circle until she falls, only to stand up and begin again (a new favorite activity of hers) - just enough time to quickly steal back her new "toys." Then, just maybe, she'll go back to her blocks, and drop them into the subwoofer.

Picture Book

2010-02-20T08:34:00.004-08:00

As previously mentioned, we have difficulty snapping any photos of the girl, since all she wants to do is confiscate the camera and view the old pictures of herself. The video below is proof of these endeavors - and if you look real close you can see that she is successfully advancing through the photos on the view finder.

Shrove Tuesday

2010-02-16T13:30:00.010-08:00

This morning, as Myrna and I wandered out for a semla (a delicious adjunct to local Shrove Tuesday observances), the sun was more or less out, and the snow came down in big soapy chunks. It was pretty and, immersed in the cavernous Rhythm & Sound record playing on my headphones, I gave the camera a rare opportunity to take a couple pictures without a blurry little girl in them. This is how our neighborhood looks these days (note that there's water somewhere beneath the snow in the first picture).

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T10:13:00.007-08:00

Myrna's blurry, but it was the one shot we got in her Valentine outfit before the pants got dirty and she rocked some crazy tights. Better camera skills would help us, but moreso we need a daughter who doesn't bee-line to the camera as soon as it comes out, and we're left with pics like this (not even the cell phone would distract her)

More recent photos of the weekend are in her February Picasa Album.

Saturday at the Bibliotek

2010-02-06T11:16:00.005-08:00

Earlier this week Myrna and Chris had visited a new library to, among other things, check out a novel for me. As it happened it was quite the kid friendly library, and they were looking forward to returning. Wednesday morning on my ride into KTH, I started in on the book, only to realize I had actually read it before. So this Saturday Chris and Myrna took me to the Kungsholmen Bibliotek. Myrna wasn't so interested in a morning nap so we bundled on up for our outing.
Of course, she fell asleep on the 15 minute bus ride, but was happy to wake up in a place for her to play.
Lots more snapshots from the library and earlier this week are on her new February Picasa page.

What's Up with Myrna?

2010-02-02T03:10:00.006-08:00

I realized I haven't written much about what new things Myrna has been up to. Of course she's now an expert walker (though with walking we sometimes think she has forgotten how to crawl - so maneuvering under the kitchen table can be difficult as she bonks her head if she's upright).

She's mastered the hug, and loves to give both Chris and I cuddles. She even hugs her stuffed animals, which is just adorable. She still loves electronics - she's figured out the flipping open of my cell phone and gives her (creepy) 3-tooth grin when she sucessfully get's Chris's phone to ring (thankfully that's the only number I call). Yesterday, in one of her rare "get to play with Mom's ipod" moments, she was fascinated by the fact that she could make music come out of the headphones (previously, the ipods she'd played with didn't have the headphones attached). She gets all smiley when she hears the ringing of a Skype call (and we hope it is because she's happy to see her grandparents, and not just to see herself on the computer screen). That same funny grin always pops out when she gets to help with the unloading of the dishwasher - still her favorite morning activity.

And speaking of her 3-tooth grin - that figure will soon double, as we see three more upper teeth breaking through.

Her table manners are drastically improving, and we now can give her a plate of food without her necessarily tossing it about. She still gives us this amazed smile which seems to say "really? I get to be in control of the plate?" She will challenge any of you to a Cheerio eating contest - the object being to fill your mouth with Cheerios, but only picking up one at a time, and making sure to somehow eat them before you start laughing and they fall out. She'll take the same challenge with peas. She'll gladly eat pieces of crackers - but only after defiantly throwing them on the floor at dinner and finding them on the floor the next morning.

I'm sure there is a ton more I forgetting, but I'll just leave you with this great fashion pose of her in her awesome jacket from Christina and Eric.

Café Napping

2010-02-01T12:18:00.004-08:00

This weekend was full of café hopping. Saturday we joined the crowd at String Café for the weekend breakfast buffet. Myrna fell asleep on the way and stayed sleeping as we transported her onto her chaise lounge. Her parents got two plates full of breakfast goodies before she woke up to join in the food shoveling fun.
Sunday afternoon we visited our friends at Drop Coffee. Once again, Myrna dozed off on the bus, and put up no fuss when repositioned inside. Coffee grinders and milk steamers are lullabies to her.
She certainly isn't always napping at Drop Coffee. Sometimes she is even the special invited guest at espresso tastings, as seen in this video. Lots of new photos were added to her January photo album, and soon a February one will be up.

Definitely Back in Stockholm

2010-01-24T12:44:00.003-08:00

Pictured: Myrna insulated by fleece-lined jeans, a fleece-lined snowsuit, and a fleece-lined sleeping bag. Also note the flattened cardboard box positioned just inside the doorway. This originally housed the stroller sleeping-bag, and laid there for several days waiting to be taken down the block to the recycle station. But now it's just one more tool for keeping the slush and sand at bay.

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

2010-01-16T11:25:00.004-08:00

Just about to check out of our hotel after a whirlwind trip to Seattle and San Francisco. There are a few more things to do before we board a plane (coffee figures prominently on this list), but I believe we're all set for what will hopefully be another smooth flight. It's been an incredibly busy visit to the west coast, and certainly we wish we could've stayed longer and seen more people, but it's been nice to be back.

BluRay

2010-01-05T07:34:00.003-08:00

Yesterday I caught Myrna trying to load this cylindrical block into the DVD player.

The New Year

2010-01-02T06:57:00.005-08:00

We're still covered under a blanket of snow, with highs hitting 20 F if we're lucky. I've been a bit stir crazy these last few days. Many places (like our favorite café) closed for the Christmas - New Year's week, and Myrna is (hopefully) getting over a nasty cold and fever, so we've been staying in mostly. But this morning we drank the last of our delicious coffee, so we had to find a new place to buy some more (as Drop Coffee was still on break). So, we bundle ourselves all up in hats, mittens, snowsuit for Myrna, legwarmers for me and head out into the beautifully sunny (and freezing cold) Stockholm. I'm all excited for Myrna to try her new sleeping bag/foot muff that attaches to her stroller (and I'm totally jealous of it too). Well, all those layers on her makes the securing of the straps a difficult process, and we miss the bus we are aiming for, and Myrna is quite vocal with her dissatisfaction at being manipulated into so many layers (not realizing just how lucky she is to be all swaddled up).

We find a great bag of beans - a favorite Ethiopian blend from Åre Roasteri. Not surprisingly, another one of our favorite cafés is still closed, and at this point I'm admitting that leaving the house was a dumb idea. We're even ready to just call this outdoor adventure a bust and head home, when we stumble upon the breakfast buffet at String Café, a place that has been on our "To Visit" list. Myrna has now woken up from her snooze and ready to help us out on our multiple plates of crepes, sandwiches and eggs, if she doesn't get distracted from people watching and trying to climb out of her high chair. We pack in the food and coffee like we're gonna hibernate for the winter, and when it comes time to bundle back up, Myrna doesn't find it so objectionable. As it was still light out when we came home, we got to check out the layer of ice and snow that once was the water surrounding our little island.

As I mentioned, Myrna has been suffering from a fierce cold that started to escalate on Tuesday (probably in protest of me going into the office for a day of work). We are so hoping that she will be mostly healthy for our travels on Wednesday. Between the cold and the wonderful new carry-on restrictions for flights to the US, we have the odds stacked up against us. Oh yeah, she's also started to walk, more than 20 steps in a row.

Step By Step!

2009-12-25T05:38:00.004-08:00

About a month ago, I had Chris get some New Kids on the Block, just so I could have Step by Step for Myrna's first steps (that and to relive my junior high years). Myrna has taken a step or two totally on her own a few times now - though I don't think Chris and I have seen the same steps, and they have not been documented. She has been having fun with her little wagon and on Christmas Eve she was looking so cute, we had quite a bit of fun with the video camera. On Christmas Day, when she was napping, we spent that quality alone time uploading, editing and blogging (see below for her Christmas Eve dinner and her December album for more festive photos).

Big apologies to those in Germany - as this video is blocked there due to copyright issues (though not anywhere else - very odd).

Squash All Beef!

2009-12-25T03:50:00.011-08:00

We've come full circle on Myrna's tastes. At the beginning of the summer, squash was the first food that Myrna emphatically and consistently rejected. Be it puréed butternut from a jar or baked zucchini from the garden, squash in all its forms was her sworn enemy.

Nowadays, though, it's a rare food that our growing girl turns down. For dinner last night we topped a pizza with butternut squash and chèvre cheese, and set a plate of cubed squash aside for Myrn. We had to refill it midway through the meal.

Christingle Carols

2009-12-21T08:59:00.006-08:00

Sunday afternoon we visited St. Peter & St. Sigfrid's for the Children's Christingle Carols - a simple and imaginative telling of the Christmas story for (English speaking) kids with Christmas Carols. Myrna was interested in sitting on our laps for about 5 minutes before she was crawling down the aisle - a great preview of our cross Atlantic journey in a few weeks. The service ended with each kid getting a Christingle (bonus points to anyone who knows what this is)
After the service she got to meet her first Father Christmas (the church definitely has more British English than American). She wasn't quite sure what to make of it
As Myrna nodded off on the bus, we thought we could fit in a quick shopping trip. Unfortunately the Swedish H&M equivalent of "Santa Baby" foiled our plans, and we could only convince her to be civil for a moment. I did, however, manage to get a new hat and mittens, and am now a proud owner of legwarmers.