Happy Bityhday Noah, 4 years old!!!!! And Gammelmormor 100 years old!

So our sweet, humble Noah turned 4 August 29!! We had gotten him a new (used) bike and I was so exited about it but when he was about to try it we realized that it did not have a foot break and he cannot really handle that yet :-( Well, after some thinking and talking with Noah we decided that Marlee would borrow Noah's new bike until he could use it and Noah would take Marlee's bike to practice on. Noah, sweet Noah, seemed surprisingly happy about that so it will hopefully work out good in the end... Over all I think he had a very good birthday!

Happy birthday!! Breakfast (ice cream) in bed!

The gift from Marlee, a game

The bike...

I meant to update the blog on Noah's birthday but my shoulder started to hurt a lot more than normal so I have been kind of limited. Yesterday I went to the doctor and his guess is that I have shoulder bursitis but they can't x-ray while I'm pregnant so his advise was to rest the arm (!!) and put ice on it since it is an inflammation. I am trying my best to rest the arm and right now I'm in such pain i can't really move it. It is a strange and very unpleasant feeling. Well, enough complaining...

The other day we met a mom who lives with her four children and husband about 3 houses from us  so Marlee and Noah have played with one of her sons a few times this week. Me and her went for a walk around the block with the kids and their bikes on Noah's birthday. Half way the rain came and well back home we were all soaking wet. but we did not mind at all, it was just nice and cool :-)

So it was not only Noah who git older these last day, my grandma, the boys' gammelmormor turned 100!!! the day before Noah's birthday. I am very sorry that we could not be there but at least we sent her a card (that arrived in time :-).

Happy Birthday for the 100 time!!

The card

Gabriel is making sure little brother's babysitter is working

 With three toddlers in the house you never know who wakes up where in the morning :-)
 

Do you see Noah and Gabriel?

This video was taken during Noah's birthday party. Gabriel talking with his friend :-)

Noah's first real birthday party!!!!

It is Noah's birthday on Monday and today we had his birthday party :-) He was really excited!! And no wonder, it was his first real birthday party and my little middle child was the center of attention for once! Just what he deserved! Well at the party he ended up being kind of shy when he got all this attention but he seemed to have a great time! When I asked him what the best part was he said "playing at the playground with his friends" :-)

Everyone singing for the birthday boy! (the wind was too strong for candles on the cake)

Serving everyone cake...

The traditional Pinata

His shadow looks like it is taking off with an umbrella :-)

Before today we have actually done some things that I have taken pictures of! So let me give you a little tour of the past week.

We went to the beach with some friends, similar ages as my boys. Wonderful day and it felt just like vacation, which I guess it still kind of is for us until we start school work...

Nice evening on the beach. It really felt like fall with the wind and rough water.

Found Marlee and Noah sleeping like this, Marlee on top of Noah! Noah was kind of sleeping between the two mattresses.

The other day I got the funniest video of Gabriel in the morning. He can be in a really bad mood in the morning, but I mainly think it is because he his hungry and he does not like to be hungry! The video is in Swedish so it is probably not as funny if you do not understand what I am saying but it goes something like this.

Me: Do you want some butter on your bread?
Gabriel:Yeees
M: Do you want some apple juice?
G:Yeees
M: Do you want some kisses?
G: No!
M: No kisses?
G: Noooo!  Nooooo!
M: Are you sure?
G: Yes
M: Only apple juice?
G: Yes
M: And butter?
G Yes
M: How about a hug?
G: No    Noooooo!    Noooooo!
M: Kisses?
G: Noooooo!
M: Butter?
The end...

I did not think this was possible!

So today we all went to a friend's birthday party and we all had a great time. They had rented a bouncy house/water slide and it could not have been more fun! However, this soft, inflatable thing caused Marlee to loose two teeth that was not even loose!! And it was on two different occasions with no other kids involved!? The first time he was kind of excited and enjoyed all the attention he got, but the second time he was more concerned about loosing another tooth. Poor thing! Well, we all know Marlee and I guess I should be more surprised about this not happening earlier :-) And, frankly, after googling and knowing that it was his baby teeth it does not feel like big thing.

Notice how popular Gabriel is with the girls :-)

After the first tooth...

The cheer leaders!

After the second...

Gabriel has been waking up late at night lately and wanted to hang out with us instead of going back to bed. It is pretty much the only time he wants to snuggle so we have taken the chance :-)

No pictures...but other stuff

It has been a while since I wrote something and it is mainly because I have not taken any pictures at all. Not sure why. We have still done all the things that we normally do - stayed inside, been to the beach, been to the pool, seen friends, baked etc. Tomorrow we are going to a birthday party for one of Noah's friends.

Marlee and Noah have some favorite activities when we are inside so much - building fortes, playing board games and laying puzzles. Of course watching TV and playing computer games are popular, too but not as supported by me ;-) I am very proud of how well they play together when having to be inside so much. 

Soon school work starts, I have not yet decided when exactly, but the two co-ops that we are joining starts in September. I will be teaching at the one we joined last semester (now called Blue Oaks). I will teach Reading in Noah's class and World geography in Marlee's class. I am very excited!!! Other things that they will have are science (M+N), drama (M), art (M+N) and Spanish (N), as long as we manage to stay all day!! The other co-op (Classical conversation) covers all the basics, except maybe math (?) so that is very exciting, too!!

Gabriel is talking A LOT and he copies everything we say. He has some favorite words, such as pappa, mami (don't ask me why he says mami and not mamma, as M and N!?), ice cream, cookie, bil, car, bless you (when someone sneezes), thank you, tack and the most used one oooookay, with a very long o-sound :-D Everytime we tell him to do or don't do something and he obeys he says "okay" as if he does not really want to but does it anyways. So cute! He surely charms everyone!

Good news - mormor and morfar have booked a trip and will come in October!!!

Oooookay, time to go to bed! (Hope to add some pics soon!)

In the memory of a wonderful 13 year old girl

Tomorrow will be a heavy day... A family we know lost their 13 year old daughter last Wednesday and the memorial service is tomorrow night. It is so heartbreaking and we are all in chock. We did not know the girl very well but I knew her mum and one of our best friend's daughter was her best friend. I mainly feel extremely sad about it because I cannot imagine the pain her family is feeling and her best friend.

Something I am "glad" to see is how much people help out. There is a so called meal train set up online where people sign up to make the family dinner one day for the next month. Just to show their support and help. There is also an account set up on "Go fund me" where people can donate money to help them out financially.

One of our close friends had their baby this past weekend, too, so there are not only sad news. A little son. Very exiting!

All this happened while our life has gone by with all the normal things, too.

Building an awesome forte with Lexi.

This guy does not like to snuggle but sometime he lets me snuggle with him in the morning :-)

Last week the boys woke up very early for some reason. Marlee and Noah were up by 5.30am and I decided that we should take the chance to go to the beach and watch the sunrise. It was beautiful!!

Watching the sunrise

Gabriel hanging out with the big boys

My sweet big boy!!

Yesterday we went to see some friends and we ended up spending the whole day at their house. The boys had so much fun!!

Running in the rain!

Marlee lost his third tooth today!

So now he looks like this :-)

It has been all about me this weekend!!!

Normally there are not many pictures of me on the blog, which is totally normal since I am behind the camera most of the time. However, this post will make up for that! The past week has been far from normal and this weekend was amazing. It felt like it was all about me, for several days!! You might wonder why, and you might also wonder why cousin Eli was staying with us (in case you have read the previous post) for a few days... Well, the reason is that his mum, my sister in law, Felicia, was preparing my very first baby shower, together with Aunt Jackie and Cindy (Alex's sister). In Sweden we don't have baby showers like here and when Gabriel was born I did not really think about it. So here I am, pregnant with my fourth son and having my first baby shower! Let me tell you, that the baby shower these ladies organized for me made up for all the baby showers I have missed out on, big time!!! The theme looked just like a Swedish forest!

Welcome to my shower, you can sign the book and take a Lavender soup with you that Felica made

Have you picture taken with the Polaroid camera and hang it up

Have some super yummy food!

Have some home made lemonade, mint tea and make your own Trail mix (like Swedish Jägarsnus)

The amazing people who organized my shower: Aunt Jackie, Cindy (me) and Felica

The cake, with an elk, otter, wolf etc

After we all got something to eat and drink and everyone had a guess of how big my belly was (my friend Norma won who is also due in September :-) it was time for me to open the presents. I am not showing all these pictures to be bragging but to give my Swedish family and friends an idea of what that shower was like. The whole thing was kind of overwhelming for me but after a while I got used to all the attention and the fact that it was all about me :-)

This is what my belly looks like now :-)

Apart from Felica, Cindy and Aunt Jackie I have so many people to thank for this weekend - Kathy and Buddy who lent their house out, all my friends who helped preparing this and who came to make this day so special and all the dads who took care of the children and had a pool party in a close by house so that all the moms could hang out without interruptions :-)

Yesterday I managed to organize some of my new baby stuff that I got and I also put up the Polaroid pictured from the shower.

Gabriel gets to enjoy some of his little brother's things for a while

Even the sun made a  beautiful rainbow for me ;-)

Now everything is back to normal and it is all about the kids again ;-) Just kidding!