Musings from Norway

1. How do you say no when a 4-year-old takes your face in her hands, tilts her head just so, bats her long eyelashes, and says, "pllllleeeeeeeeasssse, Grandma....."???? The answer is, you don't!

2. This is how I woke up this morning: all three kids are crawling in, on, around, over, and under my bed covers while I'm trying to create a warm and cozy moment that can be remembered for some time in the future when Daniel says in his sweetest little-boy voice, "Grandma, remember your rule about no screaming?"

I say, "Oh Daniel, you remember!"

He replies with, "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGAAAAAA" at volume 10!

3. As Emma and Daniel are arguing about one of the finer points about family rules, Daniel thinks he's made the deciding point by saying, "Daddy says so!" And ever-wise Emma says, "That's just a rule Daddy made up. It's not really a rule unless Mama says it." End of argument!

4. Yesterday we went for a walk. Not much walking got done as I stood back and watched all three kids hunched over as they made their way up a hillside to pick wild blueberries and strawberries. After every mouthful of blueberries, it was a contest to see whose tongue was the bluest. I called them Heidi 1, Heidi 2, and Peter. This doesn't happen in Utah. And there I was without my camera.

5. We went for pizza earlier in the week. Sounds like a simple family outing, right? Wrong! Since the car only seats 5, somebody had to take the bus there. It was raining like crazy, but Torbjørn and Amanda headed for the bus while the rest of us headed for Os. We all met at Peppe's, sat near the fire looking out at the open sea, and consumed 2 pizzas, 2 beers, and 4 sodas for about $135. After some negotiation about who would take the bus home (Jamie agreed to do it), we started back with Grandma driving and Torbjørn in the co-pilot's seat. I'm sure I was making him cringe (he kept using an imaginery brake pedal and leaning heavily right or left around every curve), but since I'm not a beer drinker, I became the logical designated driver. Meanwhile, Jamie was being accosted at the bus stop by a crazy lady and had to call for moral support. Torbjørn was rethinking his decision to have a beer. And still the rain poured down. I won't be taking for granted the ease and convenience of going out for pizza again.

6. I read to each of the kids individually every night. It's my favorite part of the day because they're calm and easy and oh-so-sweet. Amanda likes to hear fairy tales (she cried when I told her about Hansel and Gretel), then we sing each other a song. Daniel's into the Magic Treehouse books and has a hard time sitting still while I read. He's constantly playing with something else, but he knows in a heartbeat if I say something that doesn't make sense.

Then I get to go to Emma's room. She's deeply involved with the American Girl series and says Native Americans are her favorite people that ever lived. This was a surprise to me because it's something that seems so far removed from her life here. When I stumble over phrases like "Katsee-yow-yow" and "Aa-heh, tawts" Emma says, "Grandma, when you come to those, you can just tap me on the shoulder and I'll say them for you." I love reading at bedtime!

That's just a sampling of my daily routine. I'm having a great time.