Photo session

Believe it or not but today we made it to the childrens centre before 12 noon, we were there as early as 9.15 am!! I didnt want Mina to miss the yearly group picture. They also posed for some individual sibling shots (you dont have to buy the pictures) and it was the traditional school photo set up with a fluffy sheep skin rug and a blue backdrop with clouds on...so horrible! but we will see maybe they will turn out nice.

Maybe I'll get some mums together and get Peter (a photographer friend) to take some more creative shots.

Here are some I took at the childrens centre and later in our garden.

Before we left I found this leopard slug on the veranda...handsome for being a slug dont you think 

Back at home and straight into the pool together with our neighbor Alvin

Maja our next door neighbor 

Paul after a 5 km run

Dressing up

A little something for our garden

Now all the trampolines in the world are forgotten....I dont know which made Mina  happiest. the new pool or the fact that Daniel came to visit.

Mastitis is back

Now I remember why I told myself I would stop breast feeding when Eliza turned 6 months. Its amazing how quickly you forget all the difficult times, it was weeks upon weeks I last had mastitis. For the first 3 1/2 months I constantly had it in one or the other breast. I felt pretty shit and it was difficult and it felt like I had the flu all the time. Then when I cut down on the breast feeding and started giving formula as well its been ok and it didnt seam so bad after all.

Wake up call! I am defiantly winding it down now.

A lonely strawberry plant we found in our hedge, could this be a survivor since my childhood?

Mina cycling on our street

Evening walk

Midnight yoga

Another one of those days....I dont know how to fit everything in to one day.
Spider (the cat) has not been to the box for 4 days and as usual I cant make a decision, shall we take him to the vet (which we really cant afford) or self medicate, that is always a horrible experience (for everyone involved).

This is todays summery:
- Loading the car with one 5 year old, 1 baby and a mewing cat in the boot we drive of to nursery (I just had to ask for help from Paul to be able to be at nursery for 9, could not manage by myself getting 2 kids and a cat into the car this early in the morning).
- Drop Mina off
- Taking cat and baby (baby seat plus massive cat carrier, extra large as it has to be big enough for 2 cats) and its baking hot and we have no air-condition. Spider is staying to the end of the day to get drip.
- Back to nursery to pick Mina up so we can go to the doctors. Yes all clear! She can come of the medicine.
-Back to nursery and drop Mina off
- Home to feed Eliza
- In to town to do some essential shopping (got less then 1 hr, including the drive there and back)
- Pick Mina up
- Celebratory and cooling ice cream
- Vet calls just as we have paid for the ice cream, Spider is well and want to come home.
- Pick Spider up
- Drop car off at home so that Paul can do a weekly shop
Then the usual afternoon / night routine

Midnight yoga on the balcony - so difficult to find some Me Time!

Poor Spider, here sleeping in our bed with his bandage. He has to go back to the vet tomorrow to get more drip, but at least he got to sleep at home.

Welcome Folke!

Here is the latest addition in the cousin klan, little Folke only a week old. Eliza looks huge!! I cant even remember she has been that small. Time really flies, but its now they start becoming interesting, babies really are quite dull before 4 month. Sorry Folke but I am sure you will grow up and be full of beans before Xmas, now you'll have to settle with being cute  ;-)

What a perfect summers day (in May) we had, eating sausages (the strongest one I have ever tasted, it even made me cry, but quite tasty never the less) on their veranda watching the horses gracing just outside. This is perfect, summer on a farm  - but only for a day or so, this would be a bit too far away from the next door neighbor for me.

The two youngest in the family only 6 months apart

My sisters amazing view from her kitchen window

Folke wasnt the only new arrival in the past week, Palettes foal only a few days old

The cats check out the garden

We cant quite agree whats best for us (or the cats). Paul thinks they should be let outside, me on the other hand cant face having 'the-worst-case-scenario' thoughts in my head all the time so we had to meet some where in the middle.

 Spike on the lead... 

....and Spider is having a sneaky sniff off the lead.

Old feet and granny shoes

Must be the first time I am NOT excited to go shopping. I have just spend 1700 kr on a pair of insoles (see pregnancy doesnt agree with me). I felt I aged a bit after Mina and could see a few more wrinkles but second time around...I dont know where to start, if my hear doesnt stop coming out I will be bold before the end of summer.
And now thanks to my stupid feet I cant walk without limping unless I wear my running shoes so I had to get these soles and they dont fit in any shoes apart from trainers or old lady shoes ;-(

These are just horrid!!! but almost comfortable.

Wow! looks like I might be able to wear some normal shoes after all. They seamed comfortable enough in the shop. Its a start, fingers crossed.

Can you believe it - granny shoes with a little heel, maybe these are the 1!?

Evening walk

Eliza is really enjoying her food - todays lunch a organic tomato-pasta puree..

 ...or is it an unevenly applied fake tan?

 mixing Elizas bedtime with some fresh sea air 

 walking along the sea on a warm spring evening must be one of the best things in the world. So so glad we got out of Uddevalla.

This tree made me laugh out load - have they purposely cut it into a parasol? or have they just given this birch a fashionable haircut? Either way it looks ridiculous!

Take me game

One of Minas favorite games. And even better when Eliza is chasing.

She sits!

I cant believe that our little girl is so big that she can sit up all by her self!! (well this was a rather scary moment taking this picture as she is sitting on the changing table and only for a split second before tipping over).

Preparing my sisters starter kit - babygrows with feet in sizes newborn (probably lasts for couple of days before its too small, if not already), 56 cm and 0-3 months. Pair of socks and mittens plus an first outfit. 

Here is the ready kit, ugly looking but didnt have time and or money to find a nicer packaging - hope she likes it. It contains most of my 'cant-survive-with-out' items. 

Story time

Mina is being such a good big sister, even better than mummy! 

Today she picked up all her old baby books and had a story time for Eliza while I was preparing lunch.

Eliza is just at the right age to start being introduced to books...

...and it has a mirror too, Elizas favorite thing right now!

lunch time

Grötån - Anders 70s

Lovely Sunday morning, its been raining for 3 days so we are really enjoying every bit of the sunshine. Later we're off to celebrate Anders 70s, or Morfar Anders as we call him (one of my best friends dad, we spend all our spare time in the summer in and around their house so we kind of feel like we're part of the family) and no change there..... naturally we make ourselves at home and are the last to leave 7 hours later (together with with Camilla and Andreas, and Sally of course). 

 A lovely spring picture of a flying baby and our beautiful hedge.

 How Mina loves trampolining....

and a family pic

 and some more fun.... 

  everybody look to the left.

Sally got a second wind after having a nap and Mina was delighted there was time to play with the Barbie dolls

Baddaren

So glad the car is fixed, otherwise it would have been a very very early start to make it into swim school today (starts at 8.15 and the buses are not running as frequently on a Saturday). There was no way we were gonna miss Minas first swim diploma so the whole family got up nice and early and I even got breakfast in bed to make sure we were on time ;-)

Marching over to the cafe area where ice cream and diplomas are being handed out.

An excited Mina, wonder what she is most excited about...

Vampire baby

The afternoon was spent in the garden where makeup (using a dandelion) was applied to little sis. 

Our overgrown garden, but we quite like it.