This pretty life

Written on a Sunday

2011-11-20T10:28:00.001+01:00

Sunday 20 November 10:28am: It's a quiet while here at the house, with bigsis out and about with her grandmother, and littlesis asleep next to me in the bouncer. Last night was a good one, as littlesis didn't wake up until 4am for a feed, and then again at six-ish before bigsis woke up and we got up just before seven. Seven used to sound early, but with the run of 5.30am starts we've had lately it feels like a bit of luxury to get to stay in bed that long.

Later today my plans for us is to take some props and head up to a mountain to get some Christmas card photos done. Hopefully our models are up for it, but my guess is at least our big model will be. Taking photos outside makes it so much easier to capture moments where the children are just interacting with their surroundings in the most natural way. I am really looking forward to it, and despite the total lack of late-November weather (it's been very mild and no sign of any wintery weather so far with the exeption of a couple of frosty mornings - suits me fine by the way), we will try to get our Christmas spirit on and start thinking about planning the coming weeks. (I started my Christmas shopping online and am very happy with the progress so far. This year the only place you'll find me in the shopping centre in the week before Christmas is at the coffee shop, laughing at everyone stressing out getting their last minute gifts - yep that's right. Yeah Right.)

...

Monday 21 November 10:22pm: The house is quiet. Bigsis is asleep in our bed, and little sis is asleep in her bouncer. She is usually in her own bed by now, but tonight she woke up as I put her in bed, so she came out with me and I bounced her. She's snoring now, she's soundly asleep. In a few minutes I'll take her to bed, and hopefully we'll all have a good night's sleep.

I look forward to being able to sleep a little longer in the mornings because then I can stay up later. I am actually past my bedtime by half an hour already, normally I am asleep by ten. After getting severely sleep deprived after having littlesis I made a deal with myself not to push myself when it came to getting enough rest. Sure, I have the occasional night where I'll stay up a little longer, like tonight, but most nights I am in bed by ten. And despite waking up a few times during the night to feed littlesis, and getting up at around six most mornings, I actually don't feel too sleepy throughout the day. Sleep is good for many things, and as long as the kids are young any beauty sleep is out, but just enough sleep is in, I'm good. Keeps me doing a decent job of being a mother I think, and that is a thousand times more important than being beautiful. (Did I mention my current beauty scheme in the morning is (as I am on my way out the door to take bigsis to kindy) leaning from the hall into the the bathroom to take a look in the mirror and (with my finger) wipe off any mascara that might be stuck under my eye from sleeping? It's the truth. At least sort of.)

The photos we took yesterday turned out well, but I am behind in posting, so I'll leave you with two from the past few weeks for now.

Tired mama, happy babies.

2011-11-06T22:36:00.000+01:00

I think that summarises us pretty well these days. Oh, and the dad is pretty tired, too. You see, Miss Two greets us early every morning with a loud and happy "godmodedu!" (her version of good morning), directly followed by "stå opp" (get up). And she doesn't show any mercy if I try to hide under my doona, just to spend just one more minute with my eyes closed trying to ignore the fact that getting out of bed is most definitely what will happen next. She pulls off my doona and if I don't jump out of bed immediately she drags it onto the floor at the foot end of the bed.

It is possibly one of the harshest ways to start the day when that warm cocoon is suddenly replaced by chilly air from the open bedroom window. Did I mention this happens well before six am? These days it seems nothing will make her sleep past six am. Today, she woke up at 5.15, and I was so tired when I got up I thought it took one look at the clock on the wall and saw it was 4.15 before I blinked five times and aligned my sleepy eyes enough to realise I was one hour off. Those seconds I believed I had to start my day at 4.15 made the actual time at 5.15 seem almost reasonable. So we got up, left baby and daddy (his turn to sleep in, lucky him) to sleep and went to the kitchen and got breakfast and made coffee. I sometimes wonder what I'd do without coffee.

These first years of motherhood are quite hard that way. Your body has to learn to cope with less sleep, more stress, more running around doing stuff for (little) people and fewer showers. I read somewhere recently that one pregnancy and baby puts the mother 450 hours behind on sleep. And it takes two years to recover from that sleep loss. Does the fact that I've had two babies (and hardly ever a full night's sleep in three years) mean that I am four years behind on sleep? It certainly feels like that sometimes. All mothers I believe will relate to this.

But our girls are growing, thriving. They are happy and little social butterflies, and people always tell us they are just like dolls, just so adorable. Miss Two shows so much affection and love for those around her, and her little sister is just the happiest little girl I have ever met, and so placid. No matter how sleep deprived, or how dark those raccoon patches under my eyes get, my babies always light up my day.

I thought some photos from one early morning would suit this post well. Miss two just pottering around, we have breakfast (if you notice choice of cereal - cheerios are not a standard feature in this house, this must have been a saturday when (some) sweet things are allowed) and she serves me grapes on her little tea set plates. Baby lays on the floor after getting her nappy changed, waiting for me to come pick her up.

Behind the windows

2011-11-01T22:10:00.001+01:00

One thing I like about the darker mornings is that when we walk to kindy we can see light in windows and get a teeny tiny little peek into people's lives.

The light is usually only on in the kitchens, and other rooms are only dimly lit, if lit at all. It draws our eyes to the light, and as we walk past we see people in their first awake hour, sitting at their kitchen tables having coffee or standing at the kitchen bench making breakfast. Sometimes an unwrapped loaf of bread sits abandoned on the kitchen bench, telling the story of a rushed morning.

Sometimes people walk out of their houses in slippers to get their newspapers. Some are already sitting at their tables reading the paper, the stillness of their profile makes me know they're reading it, really reading it. Like they have all the time they want to read the paper. They probably do. Some are not reading the paper but getting ready to leave for work, kindy, school. Kids bent over bowls of cereal, bed hair sticking out the top of their heads. Some windows are dark. Maybe the people who live there have left already. Or better; maybe they are still in their warm beds.

This is what I see when I walk with my girls in the pram, both tucked into their warm sleeping bags. The little one usually asleep. The big one usually singing and trying to touch the hedges at the side of the road.

"Atti-two-de"

2011-10-26T12:27:00.001+02:00

When she was little she'd happily sit/lay/stand and let me take photos, as many as I wanted. Nowadays it is not the same. She wants to be on the other side of the camera, and she is not shy to let me know when she it not in the mood to have her photo taken. Lately that's been most of the time, and I find the best time to photograph her is while she's got her mind on something else, and I get to snap away until she becomes aware of the click-click of the shutter and wants to get behind the camera too. I let her press the shutter and let her choose what she wants to take photos of, but she wants to have the camera all to herself and that is not going to happen. As much as I'd like to see what she'd capture by herself, I cannot let her handle my camera.

So I've been thinking of getting her her own camera. I've seen those toy cameras in the toyshop, but they are only one or two megapixels and the picture quality is less than mediocre. So I decided she wouldn't get one of those. I mean, I want to be able to save those photos for her to see when she's older, and I want them to be a bit better quality than grainy two megapixels. I mean, what if she got a great shot and we wanted to blow it up on canvas for her? Couldn't do that with such a low picture quality.

I also want a point and shoot for us to take when we go on little outings but don't want to or can't lag around my huge camera. If we're at a beach, or in wet of freezing conditions I would like to be active and take part in whatever is going on AND still take photos without worrying about the lens or camera body getting damaged. I haven't tried them yet, but there are a range of cameras that handle all possible scenarios, and when I learnt they are also shock proof from as high as two metres I thought we could get clever here. What about getting one of those cameras for those outings when the big camera isn't needed or could get damaged, and also let miss two borrow it when she wants to take photos, AND get great picture quality? I am this close to ordering one on ebay (way too exy in the shops here I think) but I don't know which camera to choose yet. I will do some more research and let you know when I order one which one it is and let you know if I'm happy with it.

In the meantime, here are some photos of my, as the title says: little miss Atti-two-de demanding I take photos of her feet, not her face:

My girls on canvas

2011-10-17T22:21:00.000+02:00

Tonight I am so proud I finally got my stuff together and ordered baby portraits of the girls on canvas. I wanted two clean, simple and also similar photos of my girls, but the opportunity to get those photos did not present itself until this Sunday when the sun was making the lounge room floor a perfect shoot location. I got my little girl propped up on a soft sheepskin and got almost the same pose. I had a specific photo of my big girl in mind, taken while we were on holidays in France when she was about four months old. I was pretty happy with the results, and now two canvases will arrive at our house in hopefully not too long. I hope the quality is good, and hopefully it will be as I saved the photos with huge resolution to get them the optimal size for canvas printing.

Here are the two chosen ones:

And something cool I saw tonight:

I have many times talked to people about how the camera has taught me to see. I see my world in pictures. I can't help it. It has made me aware of the little things going on around me, the random everyday bits and pieces that most people probably wouldn't mention if you asked them to run you through their day. Even when my camera isn't in my hand, I see moments unfold. I see moments between strangers, loved ones, new friends, old friends, distant family, close family. Expressions, emotional responses, reactions, spontaneity. People and how they interact are immensely fascinating to me.

I came across this poster by random and just had to keep it and put it here on my blog. Thank you Photography Concentrate.

I may print it and put it on my wall, I love it that much.

To the surface

2011-10-16T22:42:00.001+02:00

For a while now I have felt this need to be a bit more open, share a few more thoughts, be a bit more personal. I think I've been holding back because I don't really know who reads my blog and I think I need to find the balance between sharing enough and sharing too much. I don't have any big issues I need to get off my chest, so that is not the reason I'm writing this. But I don't feel like I leave enough of me in the blog most of the time, and don't misunderstand me here - everything I post is one hundred percent genuinely me. I just feel the need to add a bit more.

My photos are personal to me, and I feel they are a window to my life and they allow me to be present in a moment but not interrupt it. I guess in that sense what I share is personal and leaves a lot of me in each post. Most of my photos are of my girls, my family. I always pick up my camera for a reason. I have it nearby all the time, in case a moment happens, or I can see a moment is about to happen, or I see something that looks beautiful in a particular kind of light. There is always a reason. I want to share more of the reason why I post photos. My girls will probably read this in the future. I want them to know why I took their photos, what I was thinking when I took them.

I don't really know who I write for, or who I want to appeal to. But I believe feelings and thoughts makes for deeper connections, and I guess I hope the people who read my blog will feel a bit of a connection. I will write for me, after all nobody has asked me to write and take photos and share anything.

And I'll finish off with these photos. My girl with my lipgloss, holding on to it tight, feeling pretty and having fun being allowed to put on (almost) as much as she wanted. Reason for taking these? Most days I sit back and try to take in how big my biggest little girl is now. I know all parents say this, but it is not without reason. Where does time go? Every single day she learns something new. She is learning, growing, becoming her very own little person so, so quickly. I just have to take moments where I sit back and just watch the wonder that she is. Full of life, always on the go. Caring and sweet one moment and fiery and loud the next. Happy almost all the time, and she loves her little sister and kisses her forehead many times a day. She loves that we do things together, we often dance around the lounge, often animal dances while we watch the Wiggles. I have sometimes thought we must look absolutely silly from the outside when we do kangaroo jumps or tiger crawls in the lounge room in the afternoons, her daddy, her and I. But I have also thought that if I walked past someones house and the parents and kids were dancing around, belly laughing and just having fun being silly and not really caring who were watching, it would make me smile. One thing motherhood has taught me is to play again, to be goofy and not be so concerned with looking silly to other people. It is quite liberating actually. I think as an adult you easily loose the ability to really let loose and play somewhere between letting go of your teens and stepping into real adulthood. But I am ranting, and I could probably elaborate, and I probably will one day. But back to the photos for now. Miss Two loves to dress up, to look pretty and to do everything I do. If I put on my moisturiser, she too wants to have some and she will smear moisturiser into the roots of her hair, onto her clothes, it doesn't really matter where it ends up. If I put on deodorant, she wants to have deodorant (I put the lid back on and pretend to put it on her). When she saw me putting on lipgloss today she was there in a flash, demanding I put some on her, then she put some on me, then she took it and held on to it for as long as I would let her, while she put on gloss every ten seconds or so. I was sitting on the floor watching her do this and I just knew it was such a perfect way to capture her being little and big and everything that she is now. She even gave me one photo with attitude just to prove it's not all sunshine.

Quiet

2011-10-14T10:11:00.000+02:00

The quiet on the blog is a reflection of the busy in our lives. One day melts in to the next and suddenly the weekend is here again. I love this peaceful moment I captured while getting some four-month photos of my little girl one day this week.

Umbrella weather

2011-10-07T11:13:00.001+02:00

A while ago I picked up this umbrella at an op-shop for 25 kroner. I thought its colours would add a bit of fun to photos. When I got home I tucked it away in a cupboard as it wasn't raining then, and fast forward about nine months or so, here we are after we rediscovered it yesterday. I asked her if she was up for some photos, and she happily agreed. I love non-black umbrellas, I mean, why not add some colour to those gray rainy days?

From summer's bliss to autumn's chill

2011-10-07T10:04:00.002+02:00

Today we rugged up in our warm jackets and headed to the car to go to kindy. Light rain in the air and a cool breeze turned the question mark to a full stop after the sentence: "I think maybe Autumn has arrived". It was only last week I rode the bike to kindy in the low afternoon sun and 24 degrees in the air to pick up my girl, wearing only a flowing summer dress and naked feet in my shoes. It was glorious, perfect and it made me warm inside out. I caught myself wishing a few times during those beautiful days: "if only this was the beginning of summer". And as I knew it wasn't it actually made me a little sad. We had dinner on the deck, soaking up the last warm rays of the season and spent all day outside. I wore my summer dress and had that carefree feeling of a midsummer's day. As much as I appreciate how gorgeous all the colours and the light look at this time of the year, I don't think I'd ever get tired of just living in summer.

My little love

2011-10-03T11:16:00.001+02:00

Warm, sunny day. Much like a summer's day, only this was just before we changed into October. A ten minute window in between naps. Grabbed a blanket, a sheepskin, baby and camera and headed to the garden for some outdoor photos with her for once. It was a beautiful warm day, maybe the best we'd had for months, it was just perfect. And speaking of perfect, isn't she every little bit of perfect too?

Thank you for the lovely comments on my recent posts!

Three months sixteen days

2011-09-27T13:36:00.002+02:00

If I was a good blogging mum I'd have posted this on the 11th when she turned three months and officially stepped out of infanthood, but because life keeps getting in the way of internet time, I am a little late.

The days just seem to go faster than ever before, and the lack of internet time might have something to do with a certain little princess who spends all day by my side but who won't sleep for very long at a time when we are at home (thankfully this only applies to daytime sleep...!), so the few windows I have during the day I have to get the main chores done. I have also become good at going to bed when I feel tired, rather than pushing through for the sake of a few extra minutes of me-time. As precious and rare as me-time is, after more than two years of early mornings and unpredictable nights, I know better than to stay up late and sacrifice the sleep I need to keep me somewhat productive throughout the next day. But I do look forward to staying up later as I have always been a bit of a night owl. I find my mind is most focused without the tempo and distractions of the daytime.

But late or not late, the fact is our little girl is now three months old and I wanted to share a little bit about her.

As much as it feels like only yesterday I met my little girl for the first time, three months is a long time in her life. So much happens, she grows so fast and suddenly the little munchkin went from sleeping the day away to now taking an active part of family life, interacting with everyone, trying to grab toys, likes listening to music, outgrows her first baby clothes, beams when she sees her big sister, gets the cutest kissable cheeks and a little double chin, smiles the biggest smiles and melts mummy's and daddy's hearts over and over. And over.

Before I had her, I did not know how I could possibly love someone as much as I love my big girl. I just hoped it would happen so my little girl would share that love with her sister. But she didn't have to share. My heart grew bigger and I learnt the amount of love you can feel for your children is endless. What a beautiful thing. I look into her face and ask her how I got so lucky to be her mummy. She really is such an amazing baby.

Summer face

2011-09-27T08:54:00.001+02:00

I thought I'd enter this week's challenge on I heart faces, and this photo immediately came to mind when I read the challenge was a summer face photo. This photo was taken on one of the very few sunny and warm days we had this summer. I love how she's just popped on her sunnies over her hair and how I captured a moment where something had just caught her eye and she was completely oblivious to the camera.

I miss summer already, but hopefully it won't be more than a "few" weeks until we can soak up the sun at the other side of the world.

Generations connected

2011-09-12T10:14:00.001+02:00

One of the best things about being on maternity leave is the free time I have in the day, and as often as we can we visit the girls' great grandparents.

I love seeing the connection they have with the girls despite being almost a lifetime apart. I have grown up being so close to my grandparents, and still think they are some of the most wonderful people in my life. Life can change so fast, so I am holding on to these precious moments, capturing what I can to preserve the memories for my girls.

Summer turns to Autumn

2011-09-01T22:29:00.001+02:00

I am a summer girl, I really am. As soon as the year ticks over from December and becomes January I start looking for signs of spring and when spring finally arrives I start dreaming of long, sunny days, relaxing in the shade with a cold drink, coffees at outdoor cafés, wearing short-sleeved shirts and skirts and dresses and not feeling cold. Barefoot in green fresh grass. Lounge room bathed in sunlight and sunsets at midnight.

I think I have been in denial about how quickly this summer went past, and today, suddenly, Autumn arrived.

I saw it this morning as I decided I'd put my girls in the pram and walk to kindy instead of driving. I hesitated for longer than normal: should I bring my camera? I didn't have any plans of taking any photos in particular, but I decided it would not do any good sitting at home, so I took it with me, and off we went.

The grass was wet with dew, the green in the trees couldn't block out the sunlight; there were streams of filtered sunlight everywhere. Silhouettes of kids walking to school with the low morning sun behind them.

And my girl. So lovely in her knitted jacket, hair up in a sort-of-bun, her red-rose hairband. We only stopped for five minutes for a few photos and then the battery ran out. But when I got these off the memory card tonight, I thought they were nice.

And you can't deny the unmistakable hint of golden light. It looks like Autumn to me.

When a stranger tells you "no".

2011-08-30T23:44:00.001+02:00

We went for an outing on the weekend and had heaps of fun!

A certain two-year-old girl who got a bit too eager got a bit embarrassed when the staff told her she couldn't swing from the ropes dividing the shop area from the entrance at the science centre we visited.

She walked over the bench, sat down and hid behind her hair. She was on the go literally seconds after this photo was taken, skipping happily down the hall, the embarrassment all forgotten about. Oh, to be two!

PS. The photo is taken in Auto mode on my Canon 5D, lens 50mm 1.4. The light was perfect so I could trust the camera to get a good exposure without any interference from me for once. Normally auto is very hit and miss and I never use it if I am unsure about the light. Here it was daylight but no sun, big windows and surroundings in neutral colours. I might actually grab a "victim" or two and take them here up for some portraits someday soon.

Soft light Sunday

2011-08-24T11:23:00.002+02:00

We spent the majority of Sunday indoors as the weather was not for outdoor play. As much as I love the sunshine, sometimes when it rains it is nice to just slow down, spend the morning in our pyjamas, play quietly with big sister, watching little sister sleep peacefully in her cot, reading, drinking coffee and chatting.

The rain cleared in the afternoon and we went for a walk with our new double stroller and the girls slept under the raincoer (it started drizzling again as soon as we left the house), and we walked in the rain, talking and just enjoying not having to rush to anywhere.

Tip regarding the last photo of little sister: Daytime light can be a bit harsh, but filtered through the clouds (and rain) and a window it is still bright, but soft and very good for photos. Next plop a baby next to the window, set your ISO to high(ish), open your aperture (low number to blur out background and let more light in to the camera) and increase the shutter speed to compensate for any headwobbling and you have yourself a good setup.

Where are your teeth Sinnema?

2011-08-23T21:29:00.001+02:00

Big sister:
"Eye...eye" (points at little sister's eyes)
"Nose" (points at little sister's nose)

Me:
"And mouth..." (she points at her mouth)

Big sister:
"Tenn" (her version of the Norwegian word for teeth - points at her teeth, then mine)

"Tenn?" (Puzzled she can't see any teeth in little sister's mouth. Checks under the upper lip just to make sure).

Little sister: "Eeee" (pretty amused by the whole thing)

I love their interaction, it is so beautiful to see their bond grow stronger every day.

Fun at the park

2011-08-20T09:19:00.003+02:00

What do you do when you've had a day off kindy and done all the fun things there are to do at home but still have a lot of energy left? You go to the playground with your mummy and daddy and let them chase you around while your frequently hear the clicking sound of mummy's camera. It looks a little something like this:

Carefree

2011-08-16T22:57:00.005+02:00

I was looking through some photos tonight and this one caught my eye. Such a happy moment, dancing on the deck in her favourite skirt. Being two, refusing to wear her hair back and feeling pretty in her princess skirt.

She loves this skirt, she feels pretty when she wears it and it twirls so perfectly. The denim skirt she had on the other day was not as good for twirling she found out. This one is the winner so far.

Skirt: H&M

With babies comes busy

2011-08-15T23:39:00.001+02:00

The weekends have become the busiest time of the week after we had kids. So many things to catch up on and people to catch up with while finding the balance where you get to do an absolute minimum of housework while keeping a two-year-old and a two-month-old entertained, fed and happy.

I don't know why, but when I ducked out of the house for a few minutes on Saturday to get coffee beans (I can't believe we didn't realise we'd run out until Saturday morning!) I also picked up the weekend papers while quietly hoping there'd be two minutes of mummy-time to sit down. When I got home and the coffee had been made I poured myself a full cup, but it did cross my mind that it was a little unrealistic I'd be able to drink it all as I never get to have a whole cup of coffee and finish it while it is still warm.

And guess what? My prediction came true and a few hours later the newspaper was sitting there on the dining table, open on page six, with a half-full cup of cold coffee keeping it company. Between feeding the baby, cleaning up spills, changing nappies, picking up toys, folding some clothes, letting the cat in, then out, then in again, mopping the floor, thinking about what to have for dinner, planning when we needed to start getting ready for our afternoon visit to a friend's house, getting clothes ready and everyone dressed (try to dress a two-year-old who has decided that just a nappy is quite sufficient as an outfit!) I was grateful I also had time for this: having a chubby two-year-old hand find mine and being lead barefoot down in the garden to pick berries, and laughing and grinning about how sour they were.

When we got to my friend's house, she told me that she'd asked her boyfriend to get the weekend newspaper for her when he went out shopping that morning. Nine hours later and it was still unread. She told me she usually gets one newspaper on the weekend and reads it when she has a spare moment here and there throughout the week.

But I was lucky, because on Sunday Duplo and newborn-sleep aligned and I got to read both the weekend inserts I got on Saturday. And I had coffee too, not just one one but two cups, warm.

It was a perfect(ly) normal weekend really, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Colour on rainy days

2011-08-09T11:58:00.004+02:00

Rainy days can be long days if it is simply too wet to enjoy being outside. And this summer we've had quite a few of those. We try to do fun thing even if it pours outside, and our darling big sister loves getting out the paint and paintbrushes and unleash her creativity on a blank piece of paper. She paints the paper first, then goes on and paints her hands, arms, legs, any exposed skin will do. Luckily the paint washes off easily so we let her paint until she's call out that she's finished and wants to wash her hands. There is something in it for mum too: when toddler sits still for so long, there is an opportunity for a cup of tea while watching her paint and talking about the colours, drawing shapes for her to colour in and so on.

Summer's everyday life

2011-08-02T00:38:00.000+02:00

Everyday life plots along, and the past week I have been just a bit more appreciative of all that it means: having my family close, hugging my girls a lot and making memories. The camera has been out more too. I have reflected a lot on the importance of making beautiful memories and preserving them the best way I know how. The tragedy that struck last week has been on my mind a lot, and yet I have to go about my days as normally as I can, and I am grateful for it.

We have seen some days with no rain at all and even some sun some afternoons. The nicer-than-normal weather gives me energy and makes me want to start project after project. My mind is spinning with ideas for the house, holidays in the planning, dinners I want to make and fun things to do with missy. She is on holidays and it is important to make the most of the days when we can be outside enjoying this time of the year. Of course I love being with my little girl, too, but at the moment her needs are in the food-nappy-sleep-cuddles department.

She has practiced a lot and this summer my has become quite the trike-rider, she goes fast and she can even reverse with good precision. As much fun as she's having with her trike though, she has been wanting a scooter for a long time. We thought she was a little young for a scooter, thinking the trike was plenty of fun for now. But whenever we'd go to places where they sell scooters she'd have a go at scooting and we'd pretty much have to carry her kicking and screaming out of the shop when she couldn't take the scooter home. I remember her borrowing my friend's daugther's scooter in early spring, months before she turned two.

So when we were out looking for some second-hand gems the other day and she found a pink scooter with three wheels we caved in and got it for her. She scoots around inside and outside every single day. A few falls here and there as she is perfecting her balancing technique, but she's getting really good at it. We are impressed with our big-little girl. We have talked about getting her elbow- and knee protector pads, I think that could be just perfect. Whether she'll agree to use them is a completely different matter.

She is two to the fullest and trying to 'make' her do anything is virtually impossible. We've had to work out clever negotiating techniques and ways to take her attention over to other things when she is really insistent on doing something she cannot do at the moment she wants to do it. We share tips with each other about that works and what doesn't, working our way around tantrums and finding ways to get our way without having to try and convince her when her mind's made up. Two is an amazing age though, and the highs and joys and the enthusiasm she shows when she learns or discovers something new just makes me so happy to see. She dotes on her little sister, and I look forward to when little sister can communicate more and they can really start to bond.

Little sister is seven weeks already, and she is such a little doll. She sleeps almost all night only broken by one feed (luxury, I know!), and she is generally really happy and has started smiling a lot and even making the little baby-talk sounds. She is absolutely adorable and holding her and having her little warm head rest on my chest makes my heart do flips.

A little boost action from one of the Pioneerwoman's free action sets to make those colours pop a bit.

She is eating a cherry in the photos below, and her daddy taught her how to squeeze the seed out before she eats it. Clever girl.

I processed these with a different action ("seventies") from the Pioneerwoman's free actions.

I took all the photos of missy in her purple jacket with my other little munchkin safely tucked into the Moby wrap. Every time I put that wrap on (and put the baby in it of course) I love it a little bit more. It is such a comfy way to carry a baby, and I can tell my little darling loves it too.

Disbelief

2011-07-24T23:26:00.000+02:00

It was a warm, sunny afternoon. We were walking back from town after having spent our day out with the kids, having lunch outside, feeding pigeons and listening to music. For hours we'd played and laughed and watched our big girl dance, twirl and just having the best time. It made my heart happy.

We walked into our street, one pram each, in them our two sleeping beauties. I looked down the street and thought "how lucky we are to live in such a peaceful place". I said it to my man too. "Aren't we lucky to live in such a quiet, quaint street?" He agreed.

We got the girls and our shopping bags inside. Big sister was completely asleep and we put her on the sofa to nap a little longer. The little one stayed in her pram, and she slept too. Blissfully peaceful afternoon house. I started taking groceries out of the bags and turned on the radio to keep me company in the kitchen like I always do.

"Explosion...thought it was inside Gunerius"..."People ran...panic..." "Evacuation...fire alarms". The lady on the phone on the radio sounded upset. What is this? I couldn't quite grasp what had happened. Then a few minutes later:

"Shooting at Utøya...do not call anyone you might know there". The radio voice repeated this a few times. I thought "this is strange. What is going on?".

We turned on the news channel on tv. Images of debris, broken glass, dust, smoke rolles across the screen. Confused people. Blood running down their faces. "I've been in that street." Still couldn't fully fathom what had happened. "What is going on?"

And from there on it was report after report. A bomb had gone off outside the parliament building and shattered several buildings. Later, reports of the shooting at Utøya, at the summer camp for young Labour party members. People had jumped in the water, swimming across to the mainland to safety.I remember thinking "swimming across to the mainland? Something must have been very, very bad for people to do that. Something awful happened on that island." Then the news reported ten people could have been killed. Ten people? At a summer camp for kids? Oh my god. I couldn't believe what I was watching. Complete disbelief. What was going on? Eventually I went to bed, trying to process what I had heard, seen, read.

The morning after I woke up first and put on the TV first thing to see if there were any updates. Reading the line rolling across the bottom of the screen felt like getting the air knocked out of me. "At least 80 people dead at Utøya". I had to stop to breathe, compose myself. I felt hot, cold, sick. Shock.

The whole world knows what happened here in our little country on Friday. I am still finding it hard to grasp. The enormity of what happened to those poor, poor kids. Tears for the parents who lost the most precious people in their lives. Sisters and brothers lost. Sadness for everyone struck by the unbelievable.

I am so grateful neither I nor my family or friends have been directly affected by this, but it doesn't stop my thoughts and tears for everyone who had had their lives turned upside down in a matter of seconds. Those young lives taken. Beautiful souls, gone too soon.

I find myself struggling for words, but one keeps coming to mind. Disbelief.

Sleep

2011-07-11T00:25:00.000+02:00

It's been a month since our youngest treasure joined us and I can't believe how quickly the days have passed. My baby brain has fully taken over and I probably wouldn't be able to tell you what we've been doing for the past four weeks. Our daily life is plotting along, and deliberately we haven't filled the days with heaps of stuff, but rather let the transition to living as four happen gradually. I think it has worked well - there has not been any signs of jealousy from big sister, just love, pride and joy expressed with carefully placed kisses and requests to hold her little sister.

Big sis has been bothered by her two-year-molars lately and has had quite a few nights where she's been sleeping not so well, which is probably the understatement of the year. She has been waking up at midnight-ish and staying up, wide awake refusing to go back to sleep, until four or five am. Needless to say it has taken its toll on me and my man as she will come and wake up whoever is not up with her, and that has resulted in little sleep for both my man and I. We have slowly been getting on top of things though, and last night as big sis slept at her grandparents', we enjoyed a full night's sleep and a sleep in for the first time in a while. Even little sister slept all night through, and only woke up for a feed when the sun was high in the sky already.

I haven't been picking up my camera as much as I'd like to lately. I blame it on a lack of sleep and busy days. As our big girls starts her four week holiday from kindy tomorrow, I am hoping for more time to just hang out with her so I can capture her more, she is in such a fantastic age at the moment, always learning new words, songs, tricks. Funny, beautiful and amazing, that is what she is.

Little sister is easier to photograph at the moment as she sleeps a lot still and here are a few of her sleeping in her daddy's arms earlier tonight. We think we saw the first smiles today, which was very exciting! She looked gorgeous with her little face lighting up when her eyes met ours. Hopefully I can get the smiles on camera soon, but for now here are a few sleepy ones.

Three weeks. New words.

2011-07-03T23:59:00.000+02:00

Where did you come from baby dear?

Out of the everywhere, into the here.

OK, so it's actually three weeks and a whole day, and it feels like our littlest darling has been here forever. It feels so right to be four. I never thought transition from one to two babies would be so easy. Sure it is busy and there isn't much time in the day left over for me, but I am fine with that, I understand that is just how it is going to be for a while. And with all the moments these girls bring every day, I am so proud my heart feels like it could just pop right out of my chest sometimes.

New words, or rather plurals of words, have entered my everyday speech and I probably overuse them because of the joy I feel being able to finally say them:

"my girls"

"our girls"

"the girls"

"the girls' wardrobe"

"the kids"

"the four of us"

"little sister"

"big sister"

"my babies"

(Something tells me the novelty of these words will take a long time to wear off. That is if it ever does.)

Here is a not very successful attempt at taking some photos of our new arrival earlier this week. I caught her in the middle of slightly-upset-tummy-time, and she wasn't very cooperative, and rightfully so. I wouldn't feel up for a photo shoot if I felt a rumble in my tummy either. I will give it another go again this week. But, I still have to share a few I was able to get in between frowns and a red face and I'm-so-not-doing-this-now-mummy. Just because.

Good morning "Cinemma"

2011-07-02T12:46:00.000+02:00

That is what our big girl calls our little girl. A moment this morning, all four of us in the double bed, sleeping in, cuddles and giggles. A whole lotta love from big sister to her little sister.

Mushy squishy

2011-07-01T23:55:00.000+02:00

She is just so goddarn gorgeous. Totally scrumptious and lovable and she makes me swoon every day. As I wrote yesterday, she looked so cute in the morning I just had to get the camera out and capture her. She loves the camera at the moment, she understands that I get excited when she lets me take photos of her, and I show her on the back of the camera as we go along and tell her how beautiful she looks and she gets all pretend-shy and quickly points out, in a very enthusiastic voice, anything else she can see in the picture. Look, Kitty! Look, pus! Look, daddy! Look, mamma! Look, ball! Look, my dress!

This song kind of matches the warm mushy feeling she gives me, being her mum is the best thing in the whole world. And how lovely is the music video itself?

(Did I mention she kept us up all night last night? Although the photos below were taken yesterday, mornings like these more than make up for the night terror she puts us through quite frequently these days.)

Picking pink peonies in a pretty pink dress

2011-06-30T12:59:00.000+02:00

The days go by in the lovely baby haze, and some days are spent doing not much at all. That is, doing not much at all while baby sleeps in my arms. Anyone who has had a newborn knows how you just need to slow down and let baby set the pace. We have a good little sleeper, so the days are peaceful and quiet. It's a nice way to start off our life as a family of four.

Our big girl is changing so quickly into a little girl. But she still comes to snuggle up in my arms with her little doona and wants to just be held. Such precious moments.

I try to chase her around with the camera when I have time. There is just so much in every day I'd like to capture and she doesn't make it very hard to get a good picture. This morning, for example, I looked at her having breakfast at her little table and when she looked at me the catchlights in her eyes were just gorgeous. I was able to tie her hair back for a change - that really brings out her stunning features. And she is not hard to bribe for a photo these days, I just tell her how beautiful she looks and she stops what she does for a moment and lets me make the moment a forever.

What I probably love the most though, is just being there when she plays and is oblivious to the camera, when she is totally wrapped in the world around her and just goes exploring, dancing, twirling, jumping or running. We had one lovely afternoon of sun just over a week ago, and we went into the garden where she picked what was left of the peonies and had a ball taking all the petals off and scattering them around the garden. Her daddy had just moved the front part of the lawn, and what feels better than fresh grass under naked feet in the sunshine?

Welcome Little sister

2011-06-16T23:33:00.000+02:00

Last Saturday we finally got to welcome our youngest princess to the world, after what I'd label a fantastic birth. She is a little dream, so beautiful and placid. She sleeps and sleeps and eats and poops and seems to be very content in her blissful newborn existence. When she is awake a few times a day she lies and watches the world with her big, blue eyes.

Big sister is so proud and so caring, it is beautiful to see. She leans over her sister, puts her face really close to hers and says "hiiii" and "bebbi" and touches her hair so carefully. And she plants butterfly kisses all over her sleeping sister's face, and holds her hand. When she makes the littlest noise she is there straight away, speaking to her in a soothing voice in her toddler language. She is only two and she is capable of understanding so much already. My little wonder.

Just a quick selection of some of the (many) photos we've taken over the past five days.

In focus

2011-06-10T09:21:00.000+02:00

I haven't been taking a lot of belly pics this pregnancy, so I am feeling the need to make up for it now at the end. I'll probably do more later today, just got to work out how I want them.

Yesterday I thought taking a photo in the mirror was a good idea. I had to smile when one of the photos came out like this. The camera obviously knew what it wanted to focus on!

Contour of belly, 39 weeks, 2 days, 9 June.

I am off to the doctor's for a checkup, then I think a coffee and newspapers at a coffee shop might be in order. Later I'm baking as many brownie cupcakes as I can to have in the freezer for the visits we'll have in the weeks after the arrival of little baby sister.

Waiting for a day in June

2011-06-09T22:04:00.000+02:00

In the middle of the month of June I will become the mumma of two girls. It will be a regular day for most people. For us, it will be one of the biggest days in our lives. And it's getting so close now. Any day in fact. Although I don't think she will arrive before her due date, which is next Wednesday. Estimated dute date is the 15th. Fifteenth. Femtende. It could be the big date we will forever celebrate. I know she will pick which day to arrive herself of course. Any day she decides on will be the perfect day for her to be born. She is so welcome.

Although my belly is big and I am definitely feeling very, very pregnant now, I am also feeling great. I have lots of energy, I feel positive and not tired of being pregnant yet, and I actually look forward to the birth, although I know it will be hard work and a lot of pain. It's just the most amazing experience and I wouldn't be without it for the world.

I have been very lucky to go through two pregnancies without any pains, aches or worries to speak of. A friend of a friend called me a "super-pregnant". She explained she meant someone whose body just handles being pregnant really well. I can agree with that. I really love being pregnant, and if you take away a few weeks of queasiness at the beginning, I have loved the whole experience - this time as much as the first.

Although it's been a great pregnancy like the first one, it's also been a very different pregnancy, as my life is very different now compared to last time. The first time there was no being awake at the hour of we-really-should-be-asleep-now, no settling a little girl who had a bad dream, no kindy drop-offs and pick-ups in the mornings and afternoons, no dinners having to be cooked at a certain time of the day and ready for a hungry little girl coming home from kindy. No playtime between coming home from kindy and going to bed. No wakeup kisses every morning any time between 6am and 8am on a Saturday morning.

Last time I'd crash on the sofa any time I needed to, especially just after finishing work. We had late dinners. We slept in on the weekends. I have been able to sneak a nap here and there this time too, but this time I've mostly had to find time to nap after missy has gone to bed, so my nights have basically been spent sleeping on the sofa while pretending to be watching tv and trying to keep a conversation with my man here and there.

I will say the biggest change from the first to the second pregnancy has been the sleep. Everything else has just worked out, even though it's been a lot more busy.

But, my life now is so full of all kinds of lovely, there is no way I'd have it any other way.

I feel our little girl move around in her little world in the belly. Movements are slower now as she is getting bigger leading up to the due date, but she is still very active, and I feel her regularly throughout the day, which is really nice. She jumps when she hears loud sounds, and doesn't like it when I lean forward too much, she tries to stretch out her legs then I think, maybe trying to make more room. She is head down, engaged in the pelvis, her back pushing out towards my belly button, often I feel her stretch out to the side, or push towards my back.

Our little girl is going to be a big sister. "Everyone" tells us she will seem so big when her sister arrives. She is growing up right in front of our eyes, it all happens so quickly. But she is still little. She's my baby girl and we will allow her to be little for as long as she needs to.

Photo: self portrait, 1 June 2011.

Break the rules with your photos

2011-06-06T22:36:00.000+02:00

I always strive to make the photos I take look as good as possible, trying to find the right light, the right focus point, the right settings on the camera which will allow me to capture what I want to capture - this continous learning is what I love about taking photos. And with every little step I take and as I keep learning and getting to know my camera better and better, I find I can challenge myself to take photos which break the classic rules of a perfect photograph with regards to exposure and composition. To me photos do not need to be perfect in the technical sense of the word. Sometimes you can break the rules and get photos you are very happy with.

I think breaking the rules can be very useful when trying to understand who you are behind the camera, and what types of photos you like to take. I like setting myself specific tasks and working out how I can go about getting the photos looking the way I want them to.

The other night we had the most beautiful late afternoon sunlight, and after tidying up in the bathroom after missy's bath, I walked into the lounge room and saw her riding her trike on the deck, hair still a little wet from her bath but quickly drying in the warm breeze, squeals of joy as her daddy cheered her on and she showed off her recently found trike-riding skills.

I immediately decided I wanted to capture her in that moment and get some of that gorgeous, bright light into the photos, so I set my camera to M-mode, found a low ISO, a large aperture, and when I got outside I adjusted the shutter speed to get an exposure I was happy with. I was thrilled to see the photos come out as I had "seen" them in my mind before I actually took them: bright, sun-filled, warm and just a little bit (or a lot!) of hazy.

Feeling inspired

2011-06-02T23:07:00.000+02:00

Tomorrow the weather is promising blue(-ish) skies and warmer temperatures than we've had for a long time. Today we had a picnic with family in a park. Everything was green and the flowers were beautiful.

While we were there it started raining and the light filtered through the grey cloud cover inspired me to give this photo a soft, mellow style. I find I have more time and inspiration to pick up my camera now that I have more time on my hands during the days. I look forward to going back to the park in the sunshine and catching some rays on camera amongst all the pretty pinks, purples, greens, yellows and reds.

In case anyone is interested: I used the Pioneerwoman's actions (free to download for photoshop here) and played around with layers and opacity to get the look I wanted.

Meat-free Monday

2011-06-01T21:49:00.000+02:00

I didn't actually plan for this to be our dinner for Monday specifically, but I have mentioned to my man that I would like us to have one vegetarian dinner a week. The thought behind it is not so revolutionary - first and foremost it is to give our bodies a light meal to work with, and depending on what we choose the meal might be a little cheaper than if we were to have meat with it. Any environmental benefits of not eating meat one day a week are of course an added bonus.

On the weekend I was shopping and came across some great butternut pumpkins. The shop also had sweet potatoes, so I got two pumpkins and one (huge) sweet potato and decided that it was well overdue to introduce pumpkin and sweet potato soup to our girl. We used to have it all the time when we lived in Australia - sweet potatoes and pumpkins are very inexpensive down under, and together they make a perfect easy and light dinner. I have noticed more and more shops here i Norway sell sweet potatoes now, and pumpkins are also easier to find, so it is not such a gourmet vegetable anymore, which is good. (I think I paid just around 50 Norwegian Kroner for the ingredients, which I think is acceptable for a meal for a small family.)

I seeded and peeled the pumpkin, and peeled the sweet potato. Then I cut it all in evenly sized pieces. I chopped a small onion and a couple of cloves of garlic which I sauteed in a pot with some butter (or was it oil - I can't remember) and when it was all soft (I like my onions well cooked - I don't like to put onions straight on the boil, but that is just me), and then I added two stock cubes and the pumpkin and sweet potato and poured over enough water so it pretty much covered the veggies. I set the induction cooktop to a low heat, put a lid on the pot and set the timer to how long I figured it might take to cook through.

When it was cooked and all mushy and puree-able, I spooned out some of the water (or stock which it of course had become after that hour or so of cooking - it may not have needed that long, but mine were definitely done then) and put the water aside in case I wanted to add some back when I saw the consistency of the soup.

I got my stick blender and gave it a good mix until I had a gorgeous orange puré. I like the soup a little thick, so I didn't add any of the stock back, and froze it instead so I could use it in soups and sauces later.

I had garlic baguettes in the freezer, so I served it with that, but it is not a necessity. But if you love garlic baguettes as much as me, you'll probably love them with this soup.

What I didn't add this time, but I normally do, was a spoonful of sour cream in each bowl. And if you want to make it look pretty you can chop some fresh parsley and sprinkle into each bowl.

Both my man and I went back for seconds and thirds and our little girl loved it too.

I know I have written a whole lot of (probably uninteresting) information about this meal, but if you'd like to try it there are just a few steps to remember:

Pumpkin and sweet potato (or regular potato) - any quantity you think you may need - peel, seed and cut
Onion and garlic - chopped and sauteed in a large pot
Stock - one or two depending on how much you're making
Water

Boil - check when pumpkin and potato are soft
Puré with a stick blender or in a regular blender if you prefer that.

Add salt and pepper to taste. (We just added that individually since we had our little girl eating the same soup - we try to hold back on the salt and pepper because of her).

Baby turns two!

2011-05-29T19:43:00.000+02:00

Our little darling turned two this weekend, and it just so happened this way this year that we spread the celebration over a few days. On Friday she woke up to find a batch of freshly baked vanilla cupcakes in the kitchen, which she demanded to have for breakfast. So for one special day for her we skipped the oats and had cupcakes for breakfast.

After breakky we got ready and went to kindy. She wasn't required to bring anything special for her birthday, but I decided bringing something would be nice, regardless. There is a no-cake policy at her kindy, which I think is good. If you just for a moment disregard the slight irony in my daughter having a cupcake for breakfast in the picture above I can tell you I think it is a good thing that she doesn't get fed "bad" foods at her kindy. On birthdays they spend more time on making the child feel like it is their special day by letting them pick which songs to sing, put up a flag outside, make a crown and pop some popcorn. I cut up watermelon, pineapple and strawberries and put them on skewers, I hope they liked them.

Later her daddy picked her up from kindy and I prepared a light snack and some more cupcakes with frosting and sprinkles for the first party of the weekend. We had a friend of mine and her son over first, and later my family came over. Of course we missed having her daddy's family here too. As always on these big days we feel the distance across the continents, and as nice as it would have been, I realise we will never be able to see all of both of our families together in one place at the same time.

She got fantastic presents. We got her a trike, which she worked out how to ride although she's just big enough to reach the pedals. She was very proud of herself and we look forward to testing it outside when the weather picks up a little.

Saturday we didn't have anyone over, but we were out and about getting things organised for Sunday. And Sunday we had another couple of friends over with their kids. After the guests left on Sunday we were exhausted all three of us, and missy decided to use our new "coffee table" as a daybed. A little while later she fell asleep on the sofa while playing with one of her new toys. I don't think that has happened since she was a baby.

We're back to oats for breakfast and quieter weekends to come, but her second birthday celebration was a huge success from start to finish, and she loved every second of it.

Cracking the codes

2011-05-26T00:47:00.000+02:00

There are so many things to learn growing up, and I am impressed with how kids just go for it and try and try until they master a new skill. You could say Missy was just a "little bit" proud yesterday when she finally managed to work out how to play the harmonica she got for Christmas.

Pink flowers from the garden

2011-05-22T00:18:00.000+02:00

Bringing a little bit of the outside inside is always refreshing. So whenever I have the chance, I use what I have around the house or garden for decorations, and today I cut some flowers from two separate plants in the and placed them in my IKEA-bottles (which are actually from the store's bathroom range, but I think they are just as cute as vases with a single flower in each). I also saw the stunning peonies are budding now, so a little warm weather and sunshine and they will be in full flower in no time. Can't wait to pick a few of those hot pink beauties and enjoy them inside.

Just two days left at work now, and I'll be on maternity leave. I cannot believe how quickly this pregnancy has gone, and I have a hard time fathoming that it is only about three weeks left until our due date. My feelings are split though - I wouldn't mind a little more time to prepare, and at the same time I really want to meet our girl who is kicking so lively in my belly every day.

I hope I will find more time for taking photos, sharing them and blogging too, when I am no longer tied up at work. For now, here are the lovely flowers I picked today.

Dancing with the flowers

2011-05-15T13:11:00.000+02:00

Since my last post we have had a lot of sunshine, warm days, family time and a photo opportunity here and there. As tradition will have it (well it is a tradition now, seeing it was the second year in a row we did it) missy had her photos taken at the flower field when the flowers were at their most blooming in all their lovely soft lilac-pink tones. I put on a dress to match too and we wandered into the field - daddy was the photographer for the photos of me and my girl. It was lovely and warm and we had so much fun.

Easter in words and pictures

2011-04-30T10:02:00.000+02:00

Easter was nothing short of perfect this year. Put the ingredients sunshine + around 20 degrees + days off + no big plans + new sandpit together and you have the recipe for a very happy celebration of this holiday. We've had lots of family time, friends and their kids-time, barbeques and eating out, and sleep-ins and chill out-time on the deck in the sunshine. Although it's been busy being almost 33 weeks pregnant and running around with our little girl while her daddy painted the ceiling (yay - it looks so light, airy and fresh in here now - finally! (I'll do a separate post with before- and after photos)). I was in better shape at the end of each day than I am after having sat on my office chair at work for a whole day.

The warm weather has shocked nature into spring, it's like it skipped a step and went from complete hibernation to full bloom - even the birches are green now - pretty early for here I think. The plum trees are in full bloom, so pretty with their white flowers, and the huge cherry tree on a neighbour property is also flowering in all its light pink glory - simply begging me to come over and photograph it (I will!).

I've harvested the first ready stems of rhubarb, and baked a deliciously fresh and tart cake-pie. I am planning to really use the few fruits our garden gives us this year - usually I've just let the rhubarb grow and grow until it is so huge it's almost unusable. This year I will use what we need and also give away lots to friends and family who may want to make their own yummy rhubarb-dishes.

Missy also took a step into little-big-girl-hood and moved from her baby cot to a new bed over the Easter weekend. She climbed out of her cot and we just decided enough was enough, and that it would be safer to move her to her toddler bed, which is actually an old bed I had as a child. The new freedom of being able to race around the bedroom even after we have told her "good night" has been very tempting. The first night we put her in bed 23 times (yes, we counted), but the following two nights were a lot better, and tonight she didn't take long to fall asleep at all, happy and content. We are glad that we have started creating the new routine from baby cot to toddler bed before her sister arrives in just a few short weeks.

Breathing room

2011-04-21T21:53:00.000+02:00

After she falls asleep I always spend a few minutes tucking her in (she doesn't want to have her feet covered as long as she's awake), adjusting her doona and putting her teddies on the floor.

Her "teddies" are Hoppsi Deisi and Iggle Piggle from In the Night Garden, of the type that sings when you press their belly - for obvious reasons we don't want her rolling on to one and setting it off in her sleep, but she loves having them in bed with her before she goes to sleep so we let her and just take them out when she's asleep.

Once her daddy accidentally pressed Iggle Piggle when he was taking it out of the bed. You should have seen his maneuvre as soon as he heard it - he grabbed one of our doonas and wrapped it up so fast, clutching it to his chest to absorb the jolly music playing inside the doona. Afterwards Iggle Piggle spent the night in the lounge room, far away from any little ears that might have been excited to be woken up by their favourite tune).

I think she is so incredibly beautiful when she sleeps. So peaceful, so relaxed. Strands of her long hair across her cheeks. I often think I should sneak the camera in and take a photo, but often I don't in fear of interrupting her sleep. But tonight I took it in anyway, and I got some photos and she didn't wake up.

Having these days off together for Easter is so precious. Life is so busy at the moment, and with a little sister joining us in just eight weeks' time, we need to be in the moments we get and just enjoy spending time with each other. She clearly appreciates being at home with us, and we love these days, too. With a new sandpit, toys outside on the deck and sunshine forecasted for the forseeable future, Easter should be no less than perfect.

Here is our sleeping beauty earlier tonight:

Spring plans and dreams

2011-03-23T23:32:00.000+01:00

Each day we are stepping one step closer to warmer, brighter days, and I can feel the creativity and to-do lists for the house, garden, photography and baby planning bubbling inside me. Until now I haven’t had the energy to put much down on paper/blog and even less to actually put anything into action, but here is my list for spring inspiration that I will do my absolute very best to turn in to reality.

But before I get onto the list, let me just say thank you so much to the lovely Lykkelinn for picking my blog as one of her top-three favourites! Can I say I feel a little honoured, as this is a girl who reads a lot of blogs and certainly had a few to pick from. Thank you so much!

House outside

At least one wall is getting fresh lick of paint; we’re sticking with the same dark(ish) grey but will paint the trim around the windows white. Should look fresh and inviting.

We have two decks that also need attention – haven’t quite decided on the colour, but am thinking a dark colour to avoid worrying about stains.

Garden furniture has been sanded and is ready for painting. We have been talking about a cool blue to add a splash of colour to the garden.

Need new table and chairs for one of the decks. A trip to IKEA inspired me to go for a bright colour there too, after seeing this year’s garden collection. Perhaps I’ll choose something in metal in blue or lime green with a couple of colourful chairs to go with it.

I have plans for my man to build us a big day bed from old pallets. I want them sanded, painted and with a big mattress/cushions on top and lots of colourful cushions on top of that. And maybe on wheels so we can move it between sun and shade as we please.

Garden

We are lucky to have a garden of a reasonable size, and there are a few things we want to do. We are getting a new sandpit ready for missy, should be good to start using this weekend already.

We need to split some huge plants which are very decorative but have outgrown their space. I am hoping it will love it in other parts of the garden as well.

In the next couple of days we'll trim some huge shrubs for their own good, and cutting branches off the red currant trees to allow them a bit more breathing space. I wonder how it will affect this year's harvest - usually we have lots and lots of those beautiful red berries at the end of summer.

I'd love to establish a vegetable garden next to our rhubarb. It would be such a nice thing to do and let missy get involved in.

The grass has way too much moss in it, I don't really think it's possible to rescue it, but you never know. Lots of fertilising and allowing the lawn to breathe is key, I think I read somewhere.

We have a great big garden fence/screen wall that runs along one side of the garden. This will go from a neglected brown-ish tone to a beautiful white.

House inside

Where do I start? Major projects upcoming, we just need to get our heads around the full scale of the work still. In short: new kitchen, completely renovated downstairs area with one new bathroom and huge laundry plus a couple of bedrooms and tv-area.

Minor projects include updating the colour on some walls, more storage in the hall, cleaner surfaces and more splashes of colour. Can you tell I am not an all black/white/grey kinda girl? I like a neutral canvas but I feel happiest surrounded by colours and patterns.

Today I was at a shop to get some red thread to sew on a button on my new coat (which is also bright red - love the colour!), and I found out that the shop had everything on half price. So I was very happy when I discovered they had some butterfly wall stickers in blue, lime and off white. Just perfect for missy's sleeping area (we're all in the same room while waiting for more space to magically appear...) and not unsuitable for the grown ups either, I think. It was just so cute to watch her excitement when she discovered the first few butterflies which I'd secretly put up before she came into the room. She insisted on helping out with the others, and was super happy when she saw the results. It was quite funny when they stuck to her fingers, too.

Fashion focused

2011-03-06T10:57:00.000+01:00

It's a peaceful and sunny Sunday morning, and my baby and her daddy are both asleep after getting up at the ungodly hour of 4 this morning. This means I have had time to tidy up and organise things and now I am sitting here with a cup of hot coffee and a sinfully delicious "Berlinerbolle" (super light and fluffy sweet bun that has been deep fried and rolled in sugar and filled with either jam or custard). Today is the annual Fastelavn-bun-eat-a-thon so we're heading down to my parents later to have some buns with whipped cream and jam, and of course coffee. For now I am enjoying the peace and quiet, I have news on the TV in the background, and real estate pages with lots of dreaming-of-having houses open in my browser.

I wanted to post something about missy and how she has become incredibly picky about which clothes she wants to wear. Mind you, I still get away with the basic indoor outfit, down to the simple reason that she hasn't fully discovered all the clothes hiding in her cupboard yet. Her outdoor clothes on the other hand, my oh my I say. Shoes, jackets and beanies are all hanging on display in the hall, and every time we are about to leave the house she will point to the jacket she wants and pick her shoes off the shelf and makes it clear I-dare-you-to-try-and-change-my-mind-about-the-chosen-outfit. Many mornings I have to sneak the warmest beanie into her kindy-backpack, or carry the clothes she needs to be outside to play while she happily skips across the lawn to the car in her cotton beanie, gum boots and duffel coat. It's very cute.

I can hear someone stirring in the bedroom, here is missy now. I'll finish with a few photos of missy on the morning of her carnival on Friday and her getting ready for a shopping trip yesterday.

Purple ballerina

2011-03-05T23:13:00.000+01:00

Missy got her first tutu-ballerina dress the other day. It's a bit too big still, but I couldn't walk away from it when I saw it at the shop - it was too cute and too purple. And she loves it, she puts it on (or gets help putting it on) and twirls on the floor even when there is no music to dance to. I never had a tutu or ballerina dress when growing up, so I am making sure my girl and soon girls will have girly things and dresses to twirl in if it is what they want.

I haven't been blogging much, the simple reason being that when I do have some time to spend not working, doing housework, playing with missy, cooking, being with friends or my man, I am simply sleeping. Getting past ten pm without falling asleep on the couch is a rare occurence for me these days. It is obvious that being pregnant with another darling and looking after my life at the same time takes most of the energy I have. I hope I'll feel less sleepy at night as the nights get brighter and we move closer to summer. Bring it on I say - I am itching to plant, rake, weed and plan the garden for the season. That being said, I will try to conserve more energy for more frequent updates here on the blog too.

A day for the mum and the baby

2011-02-13T21:47:00.000+01:00

Well, when a little girl stood up in bed this morning at f.i.v.e. a.m and was more than ready to start her day, there was a mum in the house who was very pleased with this day that it was, because it would be against the Law of Mother's Day to make me get up then, right? She kept relatively quiet for half an hour more and then her daddy got up with her. I got to sleep in until 8am, which wasn't bad, considering I fell asleep on the sofa around ten pm last night and then pretty much sleep walked to the bedroom at midnight only to continue my slumber, with my girl snuggled up next to me. Seems all I do is sleep on that sofa these nights. I guess I need it for me and bubs in the belly to collect energy for the busy-busy days we have at the moment.

Anyway, missy was super duper happy and cheery this morning, which was really nice for me and her daddy, who by the way went back to bed when I got up. It's shift work around here you see.

I had spent the greater part of Saturday night reading the recipe for these cupcakes from a bakery in New York called Magnolia. Apparently they are SO good, and me being a bit of a cake-lover resulted in me not being able to stop thinking about making them. So I got my little helper to come to the kitchen when I got up. She is really good at quality checking everything I make, by doing the taste-test before anything is going in the oven, so I knew we'd have fun making these. I didn't use the exact recipe the link shows, I found one which was slightly lower in fat and replaced some of the butter with natural yoghurt. I didn't have yoghurt, but some left over Kesam did the trick. And I made them with spelt. I can't find the page I got the recipe from, but they turned out really yummy, as I am sure the original recipe would too.

After the baking I decided to bake some more to use for little give-aways for my mum and grandmother. So I made a simple biscotti batch, and once they were cool I put them in little home-made containers from empty coffee-bean-tins from Coop that I glued a colourful fabric around. Perfecto! (I saved a few for myself as well, so we have something to have with tea and coffee in the afternoon. Biscotti must be one of the simplest things to bake, by the way. Anything that is supposed to turn out dry and hard is pretty fool-proof if you ask me. I don't know why I don't make them more often.

While missy was practicing brushing her teeth in the bathroom I was able to make some piggy tails on her. Her hair is so long now, it just screams out for elastic bands and cute hairdos. But, she hates any interference with her hair, and most days a hairclip to keep her fringe from falling in front of her eyes is all she allows for. So I was pretty thrilled when I was able to make piggy tails and so of course I had to get the camera and document the moment. Piggy tail cuteness abounds.

Reflections about food and life in the park

2011-01-23T22:31:00.000+01:00

Hope you've all had a lovely weekend!

Our Sunday was a day for lots. Lots of tidying up, organising, moving things around at home. Lots of time with my family. Lots of playtime for missy. And when the afternoon came with (well maybe not lots, but enough) sunlight, we decided to make a little picnic and go to the playground in the park. I made some muffins, this recipe was really nice (mind you I did make some changes to the recipe: I left out the choc-chips and I didn't have natural yoghurt so I used milk, and I used half demerara sugar, half brown sugar, and I only used spelt flour - they turned out great, really moist and so tasty!). I also made a batch of chocolate muffins following a more traditional recipe (sugar, butter etc), which also tasted good. But they were a lot "crumblier" and got quite dry, even when I cooked them for a shorter time than the recipe called for, so the first recipe was definitely the winner.

I have often use rapseed oil instead of butter and substitute the wheat flour for healthier varieties. Barley flour has recently moved into our pantry, and with the success I've had with waffles and pancakes Barley-style, I think we'll stay with it. Today, as mentioned, I used spelt only. I have also tried to substitute butter or veg.oil in recipes with home made apple sauce (core, peel apples, chop up, boil until soft, mash) and had great success with that too. I love baking, but I don't love all the white flour, sugar and fat that a lot of bakery goods contain. And I don't want my daughters growing up munching on unhealthy food all the time. So finding healthier alternatives to the ingredients have become a bit of a kitchen project for me over the past year or so.

Anyway, I digress. I was going to write about our little outing. So, we went to the playground, and although it was wet and still icy in areas (I obviously have spring on my mind, I was actually a bit surprised to find it in such a wintery state!), we had fun. Missy is always a bit shy in settings where there are lots of other (older) kids running around, but with a steady hand to hold and encouragement and cheering on by her mummy and daddy, she had a ball on the swing, running on the grass, stepping in mud puddles and climbing the hill. The light was good, and I was happy I brought my camera.

Our week coming up is looking quite busy, I've prepared for a good start by making tomorrow's lunches ready, that saves about fifteen minutes which I will spend slowly sipping coffee while watching cartoons with my baby next to me on the couch.

I heart Saturdays

2011-01-22T10:44:00.000+01:00

I love Saturdays. Sleeping in a little, if the youngest member of the house allows us to. Putting more effort into breakfast than normally, no rush. Missy sitting on the kitchen bench, helping me mix the pancake batter, sampling the pancakes as soon as they have cooled down enough for little hands to hold. Success as I get the coffebeans/water ratio right, so the coffee taste as good as a good brew from a coffee shop, and slowly sipping it from loved vintage cups during breakfast. White tulips on the breakfast table. Missy running around in pyjamas and gum boots and coming up to steal a cuddle or get a pancake-to-go every once in a while. Cartoons on tv, volume on low so we can chat over breakfast. Making plans for the day, we need some things for the bathroom.
Maybe we'll sneak in a café-visit sometime during the day, and later we have dinner with the grand famille: my parents, sister and boyfriend and my grandparents.

Family girl and a few photos

2011-01-20T22:13:00.000+01:00

Just stopping by to leave a few words before bedtime. Yesterday was mainly a day and night mainly consumed with work, so today I was very grateful to be able to sit down and enjoy a beautiful pasta dinner cooked by my man and then take missy for a visit to her great grandparents. I think it's fantastic to see how she has connected with them, she feels so comfortable around them and they obviously care so much about her.

My grandmother had knitted a wintersuit for missy, size four years, but because the sleeves and legs are elastic at the end, she can wear it already. I must add that my grandmother knits quite tight, so we usually always go up one or two (or in this case - three!) sizes. We use home-knitted clothes all the time, they keep my girl so nice and snug on cold days, and they are comfy and quite unique too. We get lots of comments about her knits, and every time I am proud to tell people it is her great-grandmother knitting.

She's been asking me to pick out something for her next project, and we decided on a very cute and dress with long sleeves in the Fana pattern. I do like traditional patterns in a knitted piece, they are hard to come by in the shops and even if they were available to buy many places they would surely cost a fortune. So again, I'm very lucky. All the knitted garments from when missy was very little are going to be reused by our little June-girl.

On a different note: missy went to bed without any dramas yesterday and tonight, a nice change from the hour-long bedtime routine of frequent trips to the bedroom to calm down and comfort an upset little girl who probably thinks that bedtime should be decided by her, not her parents. Like with so many things at the moment, she wants to do everything herself. She can put on her own gum boots now, and her beanie, and she will attempt pretty much anything we do, but we draw the line at routine-stuff. That is still going to be decided by her mum and dad, even if it means standing next to her bed singing "twinkle, twinkle little star" and rubbing her back until she falls asleep. I don't like it when she falls asleep upset, the quiet nights are so much better, for her and for us too.

Before the night becomes night here, I am going to tackle our kitchen which is in need of a little tidy-up after today, and maybe I'll even be really smart and make our lunches for tomorrow ready tonight. That saves precious time in the morning.

Everyday moments

2011-01-16T21:04:00.000+01:00

Sometimes I stumble upon pure joy unfolding in front of me. I am sometimes a little torn between wanting to stay and join in, or let the two of them share that alone and capture the love from the sideline. When I see these photos I can't help but smile and my heart feels warm and I love that there is so much love in this house.

I went shopping

2011-01-12T23:28:00.000+01:00

It is so rare I post about a shopping trip, but I've got a bit of time on my hands tonight, while watching the flood updates on live tv from Brisbane. We're glad to see the peak of the flood wasn't as high as first expected, but how it's affected our city is absolutely devastating to see. Whole streets almost completely under water, lovely cafés and shops swallowed by brown, polluted flood water. The spirit in the people though, is absolutely fantastic to see. I love how Australians (or at least Brisbanites, but I think this is a country-wide phenomena) come together and support each other with big hearts, comforting words and a joke thrown in there somewhere. It is not so strange I love the country, it's people and their spirit. It is truly heart warming to experience the way people interact. Let's hope this is over soon and the cleanup can begin in the next few days.

...

So I just finished at IKEA a bit earlier tonight. I got so inspired after visiting a friend today, it was the kick I needed to go out and buy some fabric so I can finally make us some new livingroom curtains. After debating with myself and the manly part of the household (yes he's got opinions on interior and decorating, but for your information he only got the option of white or grey, and either of those were fine with me ;-) ) we decided on a light grey linen fabric. Thick enough to give the room privacy, but light enough to filter through the much-loved sunlight, which is a must for me. I couldn't live with dark, heavy curtains. I wanted something neutral because I love to put colourful items and cushions and I like them to get the attention they deserve. So off I went to the sale at IKEA and got myself ten metres (gotta leave some room for errors) for the easy price of just 34,50 per metre (about 6 dollars Australian if any Aussies are reading this).

Aina metervare, IKEA

I also picked up some melamine plates at a bargain price. Soon becoming a busy family of four and with summer on its way (I always mentally skip winter and early spring this time of year and start preparing for warmer days) the are perfect for outdoor dining as they are unbreakable. And I think they look quite nice, too.

Side note - I am always a little sceptical of plastic used with food as storage, and with these plates, I had to look up whether they are safe or not. They should not be microwaved or used to serve very hot or acidic food as it may lead to the melamine breaking down and going into the food. Not sure if this source is anything to go by, but cooled dinner and salads shouldn't be a problem. Not sure how credible these sources are, but here is a little information about melamine plates (not the IKEA ones in particular).

Färgrik Trolsk plate from IKEA

I also got these unbreakable bowls for missy. They will probably do a good job as ice cream bowls for pregnant, sugar-craving mummies too, I think.

Färgrik Trolsk bowl

Oh, hang on I wasn't finished in the fabric section. I have wanted to get an easy-to-wipe tablecloth for the dinig table for a while. I'd like to not have to scrape dried, stuck oats from breakfast from the table with a knife (or worse, my nails!) if I can aviod it. Even if any food escapes the wiping after a meal, they shouldn't get too stuck on this dotty surface:

Lialotta acrylic tablecloth, cut to desired size, IKEA

One more thing I got which is just a small thing, but something I've often thought "oh, I wish I'd remembered to buy one of those" as I stand in the kitchen mixing water and flour to a lump-free mixture and always spilling some on the benchtop. I usually make all sauces, soups and stews from scratch, so to get the right consistency the water/milk and flour mixture is essential. I can't wait to cook something nice soon. I feel inspired already!

Raritet shaker, IKEA.

I got all of these things at the sale prices, so it was a happy shoppingtrip for both me and my wallet.

I'll keep you posted on the curtain project. I suspect it could take a few weeks before completion, but I promise to show the result.

Blog tip from down under

2011-01-12T22:10:00.000+01:00

I have spent a lot of time reading back though a newly discovered blog the past few days. I love her view on decorating, motherhood, and just life in general. Lots of great ideas for projects to do at home and a bunch of inspiration for so many things here.

I can see many of her projects coming to life at our house too, at the opposite side of the world.

Stop by The Happy Home to have a look for yourself.

Hell and high water

2011-01-11T20:58:00.000+01:00

...is how the news in Brisbane described the situation today.

The way Mother Nature is hitting Queensland at the moment, I feel sad as I sit back and watch the flooding get worse and worse. Trying to grab any newsbulletin I can find, get more details, more information, any news that the areas I love and that family and friends live in will stay safe. So far we're lucky and none of our friends or family have had to evacuate, but they have all got the flooding very close to their doorsteps. They say the next 48 hours will be the worst, the river will grow and grow and the streets of my beloved city will be flooded. Businesses will be drenched, people will loose their livelyhood.

Many people will loose their possessions, their houses damaged by the water finding its way inside. So many Queensland families have already lost so much. And many lives have been lost, it breaks my heart to read that half of the confirmed deaths have been children. I can only imagine the terror and panic they would have felt getting caught in the massive amounts of water. It is cruel and the worst thing is nobody can do anything to make it better, only brace for the impact and try to stay safe.

A while ago I was looking through my old photos, and I selected the ones that meant the most to me, of places I've been and I love and pretty things that remind me of our happy life under the sun. I haven't found an occasion to post them yet, but I feel it is appropriate now. Because I love the river under normal conditions, many of them are taken at the river bank or near it, and these areas are most surely closed off and under water by now.

When this terrible disaster is over, I look forward to returning to my Brisbane, taking new photos of the same places, wandering along the river bank. Showing my girls the sunshine dance on the river and taking a trip on the City Cat.

Until I see you again, stay safe Brisbane and Queensland.

2011 so far in pictures (and a few words)

2011-01-09T22:34:00.000+01:00

2011 has well and truly been kicked off. The early mornings, rushed afternoons and the eternal question: "what are we going to have for dinner?" leaves no doubt everyday life is here again. It feels quite OK though. I had a much needed break in pretty much all of December. I wouldn't necessarily recommend not having a summer holiday or break during autumn to achieve that, though. But that's the way much of 2010 rolled - it was busy-busy at work and just settling in to the new routine with kindy drop-offs and -pick-ups and trying to keep the house and everything under control. Pending renovations mean we live very close here at the moment with all of us and all of our clothes and a lot of other things in one (smallish) bedroom. We manage but it leaves little room for anywhere to put anything, so making a mess and tidying and cleaning pretty much the whole house has become a daily chore.

I came down with a little seasonal flu in the beginning of November, and from that followed a month of a horrible cough that just wouldn't go away. At the same time I felt very fatigued and I slept a lot, so a lot of November was a write-off for us. I say "us" because we were all sick with the same thing, it seemed to drag out. I was careful and took it easy though, as I know I have a lot of responsibility right now making sure my daughter doesn't suffer from me doing too much - this time I'm talking about the one who measures an impressive 16 centimetres already and makes the "Mama" section in H&M the only place to shop for a few months. We are thrilled that we're having another little girl, and we think it's pretty perfect that she arrives just weeks after our princess turns two. Life is strange and beautiful. Before we had missy, I couldn't imagine what life with kids would be like, and now that we have her, I couldn't imagine what life would be like without. And I often watch her when she's playing or doing a little dance and I almost cannot believe this amazing little person came from us, from me. Unbelievable. And now we are going to experience this all over again. We are so lucky. Double the love.

I haven't taken as many photos over the past few months as I would have liked to. Being sick combined with the dark and having to stay inside a lot because it's too slippery for missy to walk around has limited the number of photo opportunities. But I've picked it up a few times since New Years. I'll share a few photos here, this is just everyday life of 2011.

We went for a walk on the beach one day when the weather was absolutely beautiful. Crisp, clear. But really windy.

I love how warm the light is despite how cold it really was that day.

It was so windy, people had to rug up like they were going on polar expeditions. Beanies, hoods and scarfs all around. Look how many people braved the cold this day. There were more cars at the car park (and alongside the road) than on the sunniest day of summer. We'll be back when the weather heats up a little.

When there is no one around to take a family portrait, we do it ourselves.

Everyday life. Everyday dinners.Classic "kjøttkaker" (meat balls) with carrots and potatoes. Hold the gravy for missy, she likes her food in pieces, not mashed, and with no sauce. Thankyouverymuch. Can I have my dinner now, daddy?

Happy girl another day, when we had thai takeaway. She loves spicy food.

She got paintbrushes and paint for Christmas. One day we set it all up for her and she created several artworks. Painting is heaps of fun!

Not all the paint ended up on the paper.

A good afternoon's worth of paintings.

Today, the weather was mostly like this. Yesterday I lay in bed thinking how I wanted to take some photos of missy in the bedroom using only the light from the windows. It was so dark today though, that I didn't think I'd get my photos.

But suddenly the sun came out, I mean suddenly. And I was just replacing my camera battery as this happened. And I walked to the bedroom while fixing up the battery. And I came into the bedroom and she was standing there like this. Somehow the planets aligned and I got my photo. And I think it is beautiful.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

2010-12-25T00:19:00.000+01:00

...you guessed it. And I hope you all have a good one. Here is my PJ darling with a snowball bauble from the tree. She thought they served more purpose as bouncy ball than as a nice decoration on the tree. I knew putting non-breakable baubles only on the tree this year was a good idea. ;-)

Time to post

2010-12-19T22:31:00.000+01:00

What can I say. Longest blog-hiatus ever? If not ever then not far away from it, that's for sure.
We've been a bit overwhelmed with so much going on the past two months, it's been hard to sit down and collect any useful words about it. But in short, a month of illness for the three of us, a busy work schedule with no time for any private doings during the workday, a little surprise for us for next year and generally just keeping the household afloat and putting a decent dinner on the table on as many days as possible just swalloed up the hours in every day of November.

December came with a holiday for me, for the whole month. Absolutely fantastic! We jumped on a plane to warmer climates for a week and just enjoyed being together, the three of us, feeling well again and having time for as much or as little we felt like doing each day. Our little darling absolutely loved being in the warmth, and we couldn't keep her inside other than when we were sleeping. The vit-D from the sun brought new energy to our bodies and the whole week couldn't have been more perfect.

After we came home I've thoroughly enjoyed spending time shopping Christmas presents, going grocery shopping and cooking nice meals and I have even baked a little. The house is under control and we have a nicely decorated lounge room with the Christmas tree up and shining. In this dark time of the year it is also nice that we've had a little snowfall which helps light up the streets and put us all in the right Christmas spirit.

Just wanted to say I'm back. If I have any readers left, thank you all for stopping by. Here are some sunny shots from our holiday. I didn't take my 5D, as I wanted the holiday to be free of worrying about getting everything just right (my mind needed a break) so we just pointed and shot and had a ball!

Apples and frost and a beautiful girl

2010-10-24T23:33:00.000+02:00

One Sunday a little girl and her mummy ventured outside in the cold morning.
They saw leaves, they saw frozen grass and fallen, cold apples.
They tasted the apples, walked among the houses and played peek-a-boo behind the trees.

Taking photos - the story of my cameras and me.

2010-10-24T12:31:00.000+02:00

My first digital image was captured in 2003, on my stepson's one (yes one!) megapixel camera. The photos came out grainy and desaturated, but they were nonetheless digital which meant I could have as many as I wanted. The only thing was, I didn't have a computer, so saving them was a bit of a hassle (you'd think this was twenty years ago, not seven. How did I manage without a computer may you ask? Well, uni provided them and I was at the library and could line up to use one - nice and simple as I up until then hadn't really needed a computer for anything else!). Emails were written standing up at the four "open" computers at uni, or for a dollar at an internet cafe while sipping a cold drink. Come to think of it, there was something really nice about dedicating that time to just write emails. I seemed to write a lot longer emails back then. But I digress.

Photo from the one megapixel camera. A view from a home that brings back good memories. (2003)

We eventually got a computer, which meant I had somewhere to store photos, and having tested a few of my friends' digital cameras, I was becoming more and more fond of taking photos and the want for a digital camera got more intense. I was still taking rolls of film to the camera shop frequently and it wasn't exactly free.

So in 2004 I bought my first digital camera, a Nikon Coolpix with 3,2 megapixels. I think I paid about 3500 kroner for it, a fair bit of money for what it is now, but not the most expensive one back then. Just a good, middle range camera for the time, I think, and when I look at photos taken with it I think they are overall quite nice. Acceptable most of the time.

A photo from my Nikon Coolpix from a story I did about homeless kids in Brisbane. (2004)

I took my camera everywhere with me. In 2004 I took 1094 photos, a lot more than I had taken in the years I only used film. It was great for my needs as a walk-around daytime camera, but it soon came to short as I started trying out the various functions and realised both the zoom and the low-light settings started to hold me back. I wanted more.

About a year after I got my first digital friend, I was ready to upgrade. I wanted something with more zoom, something faster and so I researched and researched until I found out that I wanted to try the Canon Powershot S2 IS. We were going on a roadtrip and I wanted to make sure I got the best photos I could. So after a lot of prize-checking and a bit of bargaining, the Canon became mine at a camera shop in Brisbane's busy CBD. I was chuffed! I instantly loved where it would stretch itself in those settings where the Nikon had fallen short. Nikon had retired after having shot another 739 photos in the first half of 2005.

With the upgraded features I quickly found out that the camera allowed me to see what I took photos of in a slightly different way. The ultrazoom and the macrofunction meant I could get close-up where I couldn't before, and so I saw that things that before had only been a part of a photo, now would have a photo of its own, because I could get really up and close. From July to December in 2005 I took 1546 photos. I found myself picking up the camera and taking it with me to take photos of very normal (and some might say, uninteresting) happenings. I was loving the camera and how it allowed me to have unlimited documentation of my life (well, almost, since my laptop which I'd purchased in 2004 only had 40 gigabytes of memory and thus was filling up quickly).

Taken with the Canon Powershot on our roadtrip, from car window, car in motion, swishing by an obligatory photographic opportunity. (2005)

Fast forward another 2493 frames and my trusty Canon was still alive and snapping away. After a year and a half of owning it I had seen my eye develop and I had started to notice that I searched for a photo opportunity, considering and measuring and planning, rather than just snapping away and hoping for a good shot. I loved how I could do both, and how, if I wanted to, I could try to set some of the functions, like Av, Tv and P. I never investigated what lay behind those three programs, I just knew that they had something to do with taking more control of my camera, in different ways.

We moved back to Norway in 2006, and as my Canon came with me pretty much anywhere, I also found that the conditions in Norway in winter, with little light and the frequent need for flash (which I thought took away the atmosphere I wanted to capture) made me wanting to stretch myself a little further. I wanted to control the camera more, not let it decide for me how the photo should come out. I had tried this with my Canon, but it had limited options and it didn't make me any the wiser, really. A friend told me about the DSLRs, and I started to look into them. (It actually took me another year before I decided to change, and by then I had started to see some unwanted performance in the Canon Powershot, the photos didn't look as clear as they used to and the battery "sensors" didn't work as they should. It was time to look at retiring the trusty old Canon Powershot. When it stopped being my regular camera it had taken more than 6000 photos. My Nikon Coolpix actually made a reappearance for a few months until I could decide on what to replace the Canon with. The moral must be to never throw out your old camera even if you think you'll never use it again. You never know what may happen.)

Initially I was sceptical as I thought a camera as large as the DSLR would surely never come out of the house with me, it was simply too big and too impractical to use as my walk-around camera, right? But the more I researched compact cameras like the ones I'd had only upgraded versions, the more I realised that the freedom and opportunities a DSLR could give me was worth the chance. I had never known anything about lenses and everything I read about millimetres, f-stops and shutter speed was like learning a new language. But I decided to take the chance. It was a couple of impatient days as I waited for my Canon 350D with a 18-55mm lens to arrive in the mail from Japan Photo. Again, I'd done my research and gotten the best deal I could find. As I unwrapped my new baby, I promised to it and myself that its size would never be an excuse to leave it at home, it would have to be for the simple fact that the day would not come up with any interesting photographical opportunities (now, that can probably be argued - I mean, most days have something in them worth photographing, but sometimes you just don't have time or the opportunity to get the camera out unfortunately).

I remember one of the first (if not the first) time I took my new lovely out of the house. I went to a grassy hill near our house, and the light was just beautiful. It was at night, the sun was about to set and there were cute pink flowers growing among the long grass. At first click I just knew that I was in love with it. Just the feeling of holding something that weighed more than my other cameras, I had to use both hands and use the zoom on the lens to get the photo framed the way I wanted to. I had to look through the viewfinder - there was no live view on the screen at the back of the camera. I had to get into the moment, dedicate myself to it and focus my mind only on the picture for a moment. The eye that doesn't look through the viewfinder automatically closes and sends you into a world where it's just you, the camera and what you see through that little square. Amazing.

Taken on the day I fell in love with my Canon 350D. Not a spectacular photo, but it was a special moment for me. (2008)

So I was sold. And that summer I took a lot of photos. I saw upgrades of the camera coming out again and again, but I loved my 350D, it took brilliant photos (I was happy with them) and I was even more pleased when I got a 50mm lens that allowed me to completely blur out anything but the subject. 350D and 50mm were soon inseparable. We were a perfect little team of three.

But then the fateful day came when I, pregnant and tired and stressed, by mistake packed the camera in a bag that we ended up checking in when we were going home from Prague. I'd spent the four days there immersing myself in sightseeing, coffees and photography. If I close my eyes, I can vividly remember many photos I took, and how they would have looked once we got home and got them off the memory card. I'd really stretched myself on the trip, trying out new functions and settings and angles. I couldn't wait to get home and see the photos in large on my laptop.

To make a long (and tearful) story short - a baggage handler between Prague Airport and Norway opened the bag, opened the camera bag, took my camera and my memory card and my 50mm. They'd left the camera bag in there, so you can imagine the feeling when I reached into my suitcase and my camerabag was soft, squeesable, empty... Tears and tantrums and furios emails to Prague airport security didn't bring me my beloved 350D back, and still to this day (it's more than a year and a half years since then), it still hurts to think about that someone could be so cruel to steal someone's camera and photos. Memories. Needless to say, now I never ever leave my camera out of sight, ever. I have several memory cards, and I back up my photos regularly.

Our baby was due in a few months and I was without a camera. It was not good. And because I was honest and told the insurance agency what had happened, they told me it was my own fault that my camera had been stolen and refused to pay an øre in compensation. With finances already streched with all the baby equipment we had to get, and renovations undergoing, getting a new camera would have to wait. But, I said, I would not wait until after the baby was born. To have those first photos meant to much to me, so again I researched, checked prizes and scraped together enough to get a new camera. I went with the Canon 1000D, a simple camera with enough functions for what I needed, it would be plenty of camera for me to work with, learn from, evolve with. I also ordered a new 50mm, because after having had that as pretty much the only lens I used for a year or so, going back to the kit lens was just limiting. There's nothing wrong with the kit lens, it is an OK lens for what it is. But it doesn't give you beautiful blurry backgrounds or the same options for low-light photos without flash. My 350D gave me

The day of the birth of our daughter came. And my man was there and photographed. I told him to just click away, and he did. I have 304 beautiful memories saved from the two days we spent in hospital. Moments that I might have otherwise forgotten since giving birth and subsequent sleep-deprivation doesn't put your brain in memory mode (and knowing now that this goes on for another year or so, I am even more glad I have taken so many photos).

The year at home and a beautiful and willing(?) new model in the house meant I could get my camera out all the time, even in winter, and get nicely lit photos without using flash. I love how soft and even skin tones are when flash is not on, and how everything stays as close to how it looked in real life when I took the photo, that is my reason for avioding using it. I also seriously got into researching photography-related material, and read pretty much anything I came across about the topic. I had decided to break the codes of the Av, Tv, ISO for real (with my 350D I had usually shot with Av or P and knew fairly well how a photo would come out when I was in these modes) and how they all work together to make a picture. This meant turning that wheel to M and taking full control of the camera, which is pretty scary and something I hadn't been ready for up until then. But now I wasn't going to give up until I knew how it all worked. My research took me to forums, blogs, inspirational sites, wikis and book recommendations which ended up with an order of a few books from amazon that were recommended as " photography bibles". So I did. One of the books I got, Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure", was probably thebest read I had come across in years, and I remember sitting at night, reading it out loud for my man, amazed with the simplicity Peterson could explain what I up until then had looked at as a tricky topic. I was converted. It was Manual from here on, and I just had to go on a steep learning curve anddive head first into the challenges. It made me love photography even more and I saw how I kept puching the camera further and further, which had been my goal when I bought it. I would not upgrade it I said, until I want more from it then it can give me.

For many months, my 1000D, 50mm and I were a good team. I got beautiful photos of my baby, and I got to experiment and immerse myself in photgraphy related material when she napped and I was pretty much in heaven.

All the research had to lead to something, right? You don't step into a community of people with the same passion as yours and come out of it unchanged. On my quest for knowledge, I learnt about full-frames, and I saw what a full frame could do that my camera couldn't. The photos were simply nicer, and I am always interested in anything that is within my reach and that will help me get my photos looking nicer. I read and I researched, but I never actually thought I need to change my camera now. But then I researched some more, and I took some more photos, and I started wanting more. The ISO values of my 1000D meant I could only go to a certain level of low-light before choosing between a really harsh flash or blurry photos. I didn't want to compromise what could be beautiful photos, and with a baby that was quickly picking up speed, the need for a camera which would allowed me to take photos without flash but still have a reasonably high shutterspeed (which often determines how blurry or not your photo gets), started to surface. Once again, I looked at cameras, I checked out prices. And I decided that if I was to upgrade and it was to be a full frame, it would have to be a second hand one. So the quest on finn.no started. And the quest proved to be hard, as the camera I wanted (Canon 5D - the original version, not the MII) was sold almost as soon as it was listed. Plus, most of them sat at around ten thousand kroner, which really was a lot more than I was prepared to spend on a camera at the time.

I don't know how, or why, but one morning I saw a 5D listed, well below the ten thousand mark, and my heart immediately started pounding in my chest. No time to waste. Was I ready for a full-frame, I mean really ready? It didn't have a built in flash, it didn't have any preset programs except regular auto, P, Tv and Av, and there were a lot of buttons on the back of it. And it was huge, and a lot heavier than the camera I had. But something told me - do it. And so I emailed the seller, and was lucky to be the first buyer to contact him. By the end of the day, I had a 5D on its way to me in the mail. It was used, I hadn't seen it or held it or tried it. But I trusted the seller and I wasn't going to pay for it until I picked it up at the post office. Again, I spent a few impatient days waiting for that slip in the mailbox. When it arrived, I was so full of nervous excitement, I just had to open it the moment I got in the car. I was stoked. The camera was beautiful, well built and heavy and big and sturdy in my hands. I couldn't wait to get home and put in a memory card and start snapping away. And once I did, and that wonderful loud snappy sound came as I pressed the shutter, I was sold. I loved how it makes my 50mm a true 50mm, how reliable it is and how much it allows me to do. I am still learning, it is like having a constant source of learning in my camera bag, it pushes me further and works with me when I try to achieve what I want with the photos I take. I have now owned it since May and I still love it as much as the first time I picked it up. It is big and it does drag attention to itself, so I am very careful when I am out and about with it, but it is out and about with me all the time anyway.

The promise I made to my wonderful 350D which started me on the journey of DSLR and watered the seed of love for photography has not been broken. The thrill of taking photos is simply too hard to resist for me to leave it at home for convenience.

If you read to the end of this - congratulations! It may not make sense why I feel so passionate about my cameras. But I feel they are the tools that have allowed me to find an outlet for my need to create, to document and to remember and save. And to discover what I truly love to do. I look forward to doing and learning even more in the future.

A walk from kindy

2010-10-10T14:50:00.000+02:00

Touching base again, not often these days am I able to gather my thoughts around my blog. It seems my life is lived in little blocks at the moment. Moments lived there and then, sometimes captured, sometimes not noticed with more than a thought in flight ("...remember this for later..."), sometimes too rushed and sometimes I'm too tired to truly dive into the there and then. It's an understatement to say that I am in a busy period of my life at the moment. The shoulds and must-dos are so many. The lists are endless. Not everything gets crossed out. Our house is messy. We have quick dinners. We try to spend our time doing meaningful things. Meaningful things to me do not need to be anything extravagant. To me it is a gift if we have time to truly be together in our daily goings-on. I do belive in big moments. But more than anything I believe in savouring the everyday moments.

Friday I leave work, go home and ignore the loads of washing that needed to be folded. I find the newspapers, I read a few articles and I chat with my man. It is so nice to have a few moments just for us, they are rare these days. He has my heart, I love him. Then I tell him we should walk to kindy together to pick up our girl. And he says yes.

So we walk together, in the beautiful warm sunshine, hand in hand. Talk, reflect, connect. We walk through the gate at kindy. We see our girl, we watch her for a little while before she sees us. She is playing with a bucket sitting on the edge of the sandpit. Her beanie untied, and wearing her pink fleecejacket. Denim pants with sand on the knees. Borrowed shoes on her feet after a misunderstanding that morning which meant she went to kindy without no nice-weather shoes.

Then she looks up. Our heart. Our joy. Our love. Takes a moment to take in what she sees. Her mummy. Her daddy. Both here. The bucket is forgotten. She gets up as quickly as her little legs will allow her. Starts running towards us, arms out. I'm down at her level, arms out. She runs into my arms. Contact. Kisses. The best feeling in the whole wide world. She shares her joy with her daddy. Long hug in daddy's arms. Won't let us go as we go inside to fetch her things. I carry her, she is light. She fits perfectly in my arms. I always carry her for a while after picking her up from kindy. Stealing kisses, rubbing noses. Whisper words. Ask about her day. She just replies with "baow" (ball - hands down her favourite toy).

On our way home. She in her pram, nibbling on a sandwich from her lunchbox. I ask her, "vil du gå litt?". She starts to wrestle her way out of the harness, eager to get out of the pram. She runs on the grassy fields, on the path leading home. No people around, no cars (it's a bicycle track), no bicycles. I walk in front of her, she walks up to me, pretends to want to get picked up, turns around just before I pick her up. Giggle.

She walks in the sunshine, I chase her and throw her in the air. My man takes off his jacket. It's October but it's warm and beautiful and the world looks so perfect right now.

I didn't take my camera so I have no photos from our trip.
Instead, I want to share a song with you, a song I think tells a story of life and family so well.

Saturday O'Saturday

2010-10-02T09:51:00.000+02:00

What a week! Baby's been sick almost all week. Really, really sick with high temperatures and a constant need for cuddles and care. And it has proved impossible to trick her to take any form of paracetamol, although she could have needed the break from the discomfort and lethargy.

We've been taking cuddle-shifts on the sofa as she has dozed her way towards the weekend, and we've juggled days off our daily commitments and have tried to keep to a normal routine as possible. But not having been outside the house for a few days in a row has left us all with a hint of cabin fever I think, especially missy who has spent the morning today as an unusually grumpy version of herself. We are not used to her being in a bad mood, and combined with her not wanting to take a nap has made this a pretty stressful start to the weekend. We caved in and put her in daddy's comfy chair, with a drink and her doona and Barney on the tv. That worked. Now just hoping she'll fall asleep while watching that, so we can enjoy the rest of the day together.

One thing that happened this morning which was so beautiful, was pulling up the blinds and discovering the most beautiful sunrise-sky, so pink and glowing. With miss grumpypants on my arm, I swapped lenses on my camera, pointed it out the window and hit the shutter a few times. This is what I got. Just beautiful, don't you think?

A day at home

2010-09-29T14:06:00.000+02:00

It is a sunny day, temperatures could almost fool me to believe it was late summer. But the golden sun (you'll hear be bang on about this until November, when it gets really dark) tells of autumn and a landscape getting ready to hibernate, a garden where the grass grows a little slower, gardens with no garden furniture, a hint of crispness in the air and the trees putting their autumn coats on. On this beautiful day I am at home with my little missy who is sick, and right now she's asleep outside in the pram. Her temperature had dropped sigificantly so I figured she could do with the fresh air and break from endless cartoons and mummy cuddles that the day has consisted of so far. ;-)

Here are some photos from just before she got sick.

Light in autumn

2010-09-26T20:20:00.000+02:00

Don't you just love the warm autumn sunlight, especially in the afternoon just as the sun is starting to set and the world looks like it's bathing in gold?

I got these a couple of nights ago, the light saturated the birch leaves and the waterdroplets (bottom photo) from the rain earlier in the day sparkled when the sun hit them. Nature in it's simple beauty.

SunDay out

2010-09-24T17:26:00.000+02:00

Just after I posted the last post, autumn arrived. It had rained and rained and we've been stuck inside a lot passing time, doing house work, spending time with family. Missy has been to kindy and gotten all of her clothes (including all her spare clothes we left for her at kindy) totally soaking wet. We were wondering how on earth she could get so wet, and we got our answer when we went to kindy for a parent's meeting yesterday. They had a slide show with photos they take during the days, and in one of them we saw our little princess, sporting her perhaps-a-tad-too-large-raingear, sitting right in the biggest puddle around, gum boots completely immersed in the water. Afterwards they showed us how they hose the kids down when they've been out in the mud, so that probably contributes to the frequent clothes changes too. But you know what, I really love how kindy lets the kids just go wild in the water, that they jump, sit, dig and play with the sand. I'll bring her plenty of spare clothes, and I can see she's enjoying herself, which means more than anything else to me.

On Sunday we had a break from the rain, and so we decided to drive to the city to have lunch and a go for a stroll around the streets. The lunch was lovely, and we were pleased to see that it was a huge hit with missy too, she ate a large plate of rice, vegetables and stir-fry sauce (that even had some chilli in it!).

And she was so happy when we walked out and she got to run around in the pedestrian streets, and I was happy that we were in the area with all the colourful houses. A real splash of colour to finish a pretty grey and dull week.

And with September came Summer

2010-09-07T21:20:00.000+02:00

Can you believe summer arrived now? It took on late-August and wriggled into September and we are basking in glowing sunlight and warm days. What an amazing treat and how unexpected. I even feel motivated to take on next years garden. So on Sunday, in between running on the gravel paths of the garden centre and unexpectedly meeting a friend and stealing five minutes of play and mummy-chat-time, I found a beautiful Hortensia, plump and full of flowers, and just as they were closing Missy and I decided that a Magnolia tree had to come home with us too. And as we were paying for these and Missy was pesting for a children's watering device for the garden, I decided to pick up two 20-packs of Tulips, ranging from deep purple to pink. I thought I'd plant them around the tree, which I want to plant on the lawn, in a flower bed I am planning to make (I can only hope it turns out even remotely like the way I see it in my head!).

When we got home from our little shoppingtrip, Missy wanted to go down in the garden, so I took her down to the plum tree (I've eaten kilos of plums in the past few days, they are SO good, and Missy likes them as much as I do, we're hooked!). When we got around the corner from the garage, I saw the light this afternoon served up. And I immediately ran inside and grabbed my camera. Late-afternoon light is the best, so glowing and beautiful.

Picnic

2010-08-30T15:13:00.000+02:00

What a beautiful day. And it so happens to be a day of her fifteen-month check-up with vaccinations, tears and all. So I took my girl there, then she fell asleep in the pram on our way home. I have stayed at home with her today, she seems to be taking things at a slightly calmer pace than normal. And because it is the most perfect day in a long time, we took our sandwiches to the field and spent some time there.

The talented and generous Annie at Funky Photography has launched some free actions for Photoshop, which were just perfect for the photos I took today. I'm feeling the haze and soft tones at the moment, and so the one I've used is actually called Picnic daze. Could it be any more perfect? Go here to see Annie's work and get some actions for yourself.

Seeing late summer

2010-08-29T16:21:00.001+02:00

On Friday, after having cleaned the house and loud music streaming from the speakers, after having read the newspaper and finished two cups of coffee that were still warm when I took the last sip. After pondering a few work-related things and making a phone call. After checking the weather and deciding that , yes, it may be safe to venture out without rubber boots for the first time in days, my man and I walked hand in hand to pick up our little girl from kindy. Chatting about her, how time has flown, I told how her morning at kindy went. We talked about what we were going to have for dinner. What the weekend had in store for us.

I took some photos along the way. It was cloudy with a glimpse of blue sky here and there. I wore a red knitted jumper because it was a little chilly. The air carried the reality of late summer verging on autumn. The barley fields almost ready for harvest, the almost-too-green greens ready to give in to the season approaching, the grass long, the summer flowers in their last weeks of bloom.

First day of kindy tomorrow

2010-08-24T23:30:00.000+02:00

I am not really ready for this, but I hope she is:
Tomorrow she'll get up in the morning, have her breakfast and get ready for her first day at kindy! It makes my stomach flip a little, I must admit, and it's also a bit of a bummer that I won't be taking her on her first day. I'm flying out to Oslo for a meeting tomorrow, so I'll be leaving before she leaves for kindy and come home just after her bedtime. The next two days I'll be taking her though, so I'm looking forward to that. As with so many new things, you just need to get there, talk to the people and see that everything is perfectly fine and that she'll be well looked after. But handing my baby over to strangers, no, it doesn't feel right. And I'm glad it doesn't, I think the feeling of wrong is just the way it should be.

Here she is, one year ago and a week or so ago.

Beautiful girl, happy first day at kindy!

More of the stuff that matters

2010-08-20T00:20:00.000+02:00

You know, sometimes I get totally lost in the daily grind. Work especially has taken a lot out of me lately. And with that comes thoughts; the brain switches over to solution-oriented mode and keeps playing scenarios over and over, approaching it from different angles and looking at the best way to address them. I guess it comes with more responsibility which I now have been given, but I am not unaware that it also steals my time to be fully present with my little family, of fully taking part in what happens here and now. Those precious hours after work and before bedtime, they shouldn't be filled with thoughts about things I cannot change no matter how much I think them over in my spare time. I need a balance, a switch that allows me to just let it go and address those things at a time I can actually take action and see some change.

When I got home yesterday I looked through the mail, which was pretty much just advertising. But then I stopped at this sentence in a catalogue, just seven words, that immediately struck a chord with me. So simple, so true and yet so easy to forget about when things get a little crazy and the days go a little too fast. The words were actually written on the front page of the new IKEA catalogue (some clever people must work there!), but it didn't matter much where they came from. They are just so true:

"Mer av det som betyr noe."

"More of the things that matter."

I read them, then I read them again. And again. And again. And suddenly, all thoughts of work and solving situations and anything else weighing on my mind just went away.Just like that. Gone. It was like a moment of complete clarity. "This is the truth, this is what I should fill my life with: more of the things that matter." I will not let thoughts about things that will have no consequence for the long-term future steal away my participation and involvement in time with my family, friends or in my own time. It is simply too important to be totally devoted to those moments and to just be in them, uninterrupted and completely present.

Today at work this was on my mind, and when I just repeated them, the stress and everything that really was out of my control and wasn't really that important anyway, just floated away. Clarity that I've been waiting for for a long time. The perfect reason to let go of the things that don't really matter and replace them with things that, do. really. matter. Sure, other people will tell you really those things that don't really matter do in fact matter, but that is for them to work out for themselves.

So, here are some "things" that really matter:

At fourteen and a half months

2010-08-14T10:04:00.000+02:00

What can I say? Time flies, and the days are disappearing as fast as daylight disappears in winter!

I'm don't want to forget things, little details and moments that make this time so special. All stages of our life is special, and I want to remember the little things that make us smile, giggle and sit up with pride and tears filling our eyes with pure joy for all that she is. In twenty years (or even sooner) she will probably appreciate me noting these things down.

At 14 months and a half months she:

- eats her food herself, and attempting eating her dinner with a plastic fork from IKEA.
- gets on and off her rocking horse and little car without help
- walks
- raises her arms up over her head when we ask her how big she is
- loves homemade mashed potatoes
- prefers fruit out of all the foods, so far no types of fruit have been rejected
- has six teeth, four up and two down. the two down are a little crooked
- says da-da to me (takk, takk) and da to her daddy (Ta)
- still doesn't sleep through the night, but goes to sleep at night without a problem
- wears size 86 in clothes and 21 in shoes
- hates changing nappies
- loves biola
- isn't much of a breakfast eater. but makes up for it at morning tea, lunch and dinner
- doesn't like eating porridge
- puts her food in her mouth when we tell her "inn i munnen"
- loves showing off in her chic sunnies
- has hair down to her shoulders at the back
- is not a big fan of going for drives
- dances to just about any rythm, song or jingle
- very rarely tolerates a hairclip in her hair, resulting in her fringe hanging down in her eyes most of the time (I don't want to cut it though, otherwise we won't be able to pull it all back in a ponytail later)
- has a great sense of humour
- is happy almost all the time
- puts all the rings on the IKEA Mula stacking tower (have no idea what it's called, so take a look here if you want to know what I mean)
- is a mummy's girl
- is a daddy's girl
- is sceptical of strangers
- and shy at first when she gets all the attention
- loves pus
- has a favourite pasttime of putting things into containers, taking them out of containers, transferring them between containers and so on and so on
- loves playing in the sandpit
- but eats the sand
- is our cuddlebug
- can spend a long time picking and eating red currants off the shrub
- looks totally scrumptious in pyjamas
- melts her mummy and daddy's hearts on a daily basis
- understands what "no" means but has selective hearing depending on what she's not allowed to do
- throws her food on the floor when she's full
- blows kisses

Tonight

2010-07-22T23:50:00.000+02:00

I went to take photos of flowers, the flowers I pass on my way to work every morning. Beautiful shades of purple, pink and a splash of yellow here and there. Wild flowers, appearing every year on a vacant block that most likely will never be developed. A memory from my childhood; I used to walk past them every day then too. I knew I was cutting it close with the light. The sun had just set, I had to settle my baby before I went outside, and I just missed the low setting sun. Oh well. I looked up at the clouds. A shade of pink covered the sky, with pink hazy clouds like a blanket over the town. So I pointed my camera up instead and got these.

I will return to more blogging. I just need to catch my breath and find some calm and inspiration. The days are a bit too hectic at the moment, and the thought of a break starting tomorrow afternoon has never been better. So hopefully in the next week I can share more recent photos, thoughts and do my regular blog rounds - leaving comments for a change.

Beach life

2010-07-12T22:01:00.000+02:00

Well I will start by telling you all that summer is what it says on the calendar, but we haven't felt or seen much of it so far. But Sunday we decided to defy the changing cloud-cover and gale force wind (maybe a small exaggeration, but it really was so incredibly windy) and try to find a nice little place to play in the sun. The beach was out of the question as it was blowing straight onto land and we would have been pounded by millions little grains of sand. So we drove inland instead until we found a place near a lake I remember going to when I was little. And we were lucky: as we arrived the clouds shifted for a moment and let us have some glorious sunrays and the wind didn't bother us so much where we decided to sit, so we were really happy with the conditions, considering how bleak it looked just a few minutes earlier when we left home.

We were curious to how little princess would respond to all this water and sand she suddenly had at her feet, and we only had time to put our blanket down and kick off our shoes before she was on her way to the water, full speed ahead. Can I just say there is nothing cuter than a beautiful baby in a pink and white polkadot swimsuit, a slightly oversized sunhat and eager feet running into the water while safely holding on to her daddy's hands. I didn't think it was possible to feel any more proud of being her mummy, but I almost melted to a puddle right there from the cuteness. Add excited squeals and the joy of discovering something new and exciting to the mix and you have the perfect moment. Being a mum just gets better every single day!

Bathing in sunlight

2010-07-03T09:06:00.000+02:00

Happy Saturday everyone!
Ours started at 5am and with the sunshine, "bright and early" is probably the most appropriate way to describe it.

We had some breakfast, we played, "we" took all the dvds and books out of the bookshelf, we watched a little kids-tv.

With the light streaming in to the lounge room, and Miss Completely-Unaware-Of-Her-Gorgeousness chilling in the comfy chair while watching some animated kids show, I grabbed the camera and got a few frames. I wanted to get the sunshine, and I did. Lots of it. And a few "normal" ones too.

We're going to do something fun today, we just need to decide which activity will be best. The sun has unfortunately hidden itself behind an increasingly thick cloud cover, despite promises from the weather people that it should be a bit sunny, a bit cloudy, all day today. We might go to the beach if the sun decides to join us again, and I think we'll also go and visit my grandparents this afternoon. They have a great garden perfect for a 13-month-old who loves to explore. I bought some yarn and a knitting pattern for some overalls yesterday, which my grandmother will knit for my princess. I love home-knitted clothes, there is something special about her wearing something someone has put so much thought and effort into making. And if time allows, I can hear a cinnamon bun and a coffee calling me from a café in town.

Oh, my reason for being such a bad blogger is simply that I have been flat out at work, then flat out on the sofa at night. I haven't been taking many photos either. Bad, bad me. I hope times will get a little slower now that July is here and that I can take some time off to spend with my darlings.

OK, I'm off to the garden to chase away the clouds. Wish me luck!

Family fun!

2010-06-22T23:56:00.000+02:00

I just want to share a little bit more of the photos I took the other day. I have so many beautiful ones; they are full of joy and emotion. It really was an emotional time for them. A mix of excited and sad, and instant moments of playfulness thrown in when chasing their son or kicked a ball.

I wanted to get some photos prepared for them as a keepsake of their time here in Norway. I'm thinking of getting a photo printed in Australia (just contact a lab online) and have it sent to their address as a nice little surprise and a late going-away-present.

And I must say I think the mum was pretty brave the next day. I'll just tell you I've done that minimum-24-hour trip ten times now I think, so I am in awe of her daring to travel alone with a ton of luggage and an active almost-two-year-old.

A goodbye | A beginning

2010-06-20T18:30:00.000+02:00

As I'm writing this, a plane is leaving Norway, bound for a new life. It has our lovely friend and her son on board, and I can't help but send many thoughts their way as I can relate to the emotional time they've had lately, preparing to leave everything behind and start a new life at the opposite side of the world.

I guess the nature of our group of friends, which mostly consists of couples from different countries, means we will fairly often have to say goodbye. Less than a year ago we sat in our garden until late at night, making the most of our time together with another beautiful couple and treasured friends who moved to Australia a few days later.

And yesterday the time had come for one last visit to our friends who are moving to Australia today. They have one-way tickets, they have visas sorted and I don't think we'll see them here again for a long time. The next time we meet will be when we all get together in the land down under. It is just the mum and son leaving today; the dad is staying back to tie up the loose ends, then he'll leave in a few weeks.

It feels strange that they are leaving. They have been a constant for us the whole time we've been living in Norway, and through the years a solid friendship has formed. We have a shared understanding of what it means to have one foot in each country, and being able to share our thoughts and find mutual understanding, sometimes without needing many words at all, has been something that has brought us very close over the years.

We've followed each other through finding our footing in a new place, we've shared pre-pregnancy thoughts, pregnancy thoughts, family thoughts. We've been homesick, felt guilty for not being near everyone we love more often, we've watched each other's babies grow up, we've had laughs and we've had cries and we've shared joy and frustration.

As much as I am sad they are leaving, I am also happy for them. I know they are making the right decision and I'm sure they'll be very happy in their new life.

I was so happy when they said they had a bit of time for some photos before they were leaving. I had so much fun and felt privileged I got to capture the last moments of their life together in Norway. They were totally relaxed and had so much fun together, and I'm so glad I got to be there to capture it.

Safe travels and enjoy being back home, sweet T.

Where is summer?

2010-06-20T14:56:00.000+02:00

Well, the sun is shining and the skies are blue. We are past the middle of June and fast approaching July, the summer month that I'll happily give the capital S. July = Summer. And by now we should be feeling like it's time to get ready for summer holidays, spend a lot of time barefoot in the garden and stock the freezer with icecream. How I wish that was our days at the moment.

We are still hovering in the 12-14 degree-bracket, the wind is relentlessly blowing from the north, and the only time I spend in the garden is when I water the summer flowers.

Every once in a while, for a few minutes, I find a spot where the wind cannot reach me, so I have actually spent some time gardening in a t-shirt. But it's definitely the exception rather than the rule. After what felt like the longest and coldest winter ever, I am starting to wonder what on Earth we are doing, sitting around waiting to be rewarded with only a few weeks of warmer weather (I'm hoping here, but there is no way July can be as cold as June has been, is there?).

I know I should just enjoy the fact that at least it doesn't rain, and I am. But I have had a week of craziness at work. It's been so busy, with meetings back-to-back, no time to sit down and write any documentation, and with another two weeks coming when I can expect the same tempo, I just long to sit in the sun with my morning coffee, close my eyes and feel in touch with the elements and with myself. I guess I am just disappointed and there is nobody to blame (except maybe just myself, who chose to move back to this cold land).

One highlight of the week was when I had to take a few hours off to be with my baby (which I am so happy to do, and I have no problem letting go of work those hours). A friend and her son came over to see us, and despite the wind doing its best to keep us indoors, we brought a blanket, watermelon, biscuits and raisins for the bubs and coffee for the mummies and found us a spot on the grass on a field nearby. It was a really, really nice afternoon.

Happy weekend from the bathroom fairy!

2010-06-12T13:22:00.000+02:00

I have a few hours of rare me-time today! So I'm planning to do a little shopping and take however long I want looking at anything I want. That, my friends, is quite a rare thing for me these days.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

It's a beautiful life

2010-06-09T09:40:00.000+02:00

And although I spend more time with Microsoft Office than with my family during the daytime, there are weekends and afternoons and we are loving them. The weather has been good to us lately, serving up sunshine and good temperatures.

One of the things I love the most about Norway is the summer, with its long evenings. The sun is still up at 10.30pm, like last night. (I started this post late and didn't finish it, but as I was typing at 11pm, the sky had a subtle pink hue from the sun setting not long before.)

Outside my window there's thick green foilage, there's pink flowers in pots around the garden. In the afternoons I walk on the grass barefoot and chase my baby girl, crawling on the lawn, I tell her "mummy's coming to get you". And she belly laughs.

I am totally exhausted at the moment, as I have been getting up at a-little-too-early o'clock due to a little tooth making its way through and interrupting my baby's sleep. But she's so happy anyway. She engages in play. She shows me things. She's worked out how to press buttons with her index finger. She tries to say "hei pus". She laughs. She loves. She lives. And my heart is full.

A taste of our early summer days:

After the party

2010-05-31T00:23:00.000+02:00

We had a children's birthday party yesterday. We were seven adults and seven kids and I guess I don't need to tell you that it was a pretty full-on day? Full-on but fun. (Princess and I woke up at 5.30am, so by the end of yesterday both her and I were totally beat, and I gave up on watching Eurovision and went to bed at 10.15pm instead. It was great to get a good night's sleep.)

I made vanilla cupcakes with pink lemon frosting and a red non-stop chocolate for decoration (see new blog header) and a banana-chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting.

I was definitely the most happy with the cupcakes, they were so fluffy and beautifully flavoured while the cake was a little dry because my cake tin and the cake tin in the recipe weren't exactly the same size, so I cooked it a few minutes too many. Oh well, it still tasted good.

I also served fresh fruit that I cut and made little kid-friendly skewers (I used "ispinner" like these, as I wanted something non-pointy for the little ones). The fruit was a huge hit and it didn't take long before all the skewers were gone. I had more fruit in bowls which I also put on the table and most of that got eaten too.

I didn't get to take many photos during the party itself, it was just too much going on and the roles of hostess and photographer don't really match that well. But we got enough photos and a few videoclips too.

After the last guests had left the princess went to play in the garden with her daddy and I got a chance to tidy up.

Here is the kitchen (yes it's an old, 70s kitchen with a green benchtop...we're in the progress of painting it) after most of the cleaning up still needed to be done:

My mantra and reminder I see everytime I go from the kitchen to the hall, which I did a lot yesterday. I hung my grandmother's old sunhat on the frame, I thought it kind of suited the theme. I think she bought it in Italy in the seventies.

Finding time (to do what I love)

2010-05-29T07:48:00.000+02:00

As the days fly by I realise that the hours in my day that I can actually spend on things like blogging, cleaning the house or sitting on the couch with my feet up, are not many. I reckon it's about three hours every day. I feel it's important to fill my time with things worthwhile, so while I've been away from the blog I've spent some time doing my hands down favourite thing (no, not cleaning the house believe it or not.. :-p ). I've been taking photos. You see, those flowers growing up from our lawn also grow on a much bigger lawn at a hertitage listed property nearby. And I've taken both my baby and my sister on separate occasions, put them among all the flowers and started clicking. One thing learnt after taking mostly photos of a baby who for the past year: adults take direction much easier. ;-)

Here's a selection of some photos taken on a beautiful sunny afternoon. There's more in my flickr stream.

One year

2010-05-27T21:16:00.000+02:00

I don't think it's dawned on me that I have a one-year-old today! One year went by so, so fast, and today every hour of 27 May last year has been playing in my head.

In just 30 minutes (it is now 7.30pm when I write this), it will be one year since our little girl arrived and brought with her all the happiness and love we could get in our lives. It's been an amazing year, and I am so grateful that we got her. She's our perfect little dream come true.

We've had a great day. We had breakky and gift opening this morning. She got the coolest Reebok shoes, very very cute and funky jeans and the most goregous little backpack for when she starts kindy. (Starts kindy..? Gulp. Is she that big now? I'm glad it's not until August).

Her auntie came to have coffee and to look after her while I was at work and her daddy at a course. I took a few hours off and came home at noon because we had a birthday party to go to (not hers, but a little friend of hers that turned one earlier this week). It was two hours of fun for the kiddies and coffee and chatting for the mummies.

Then we went home to have a rest and tidy up a little. Then my mum arrived with her present. I nearly fell backwards and gasped and probably squealed and almost couldn't believe it when she came up to the house with this:

WHAT a present! I cannot stop wowing and telling my man how awesome it is. It's like all the three-wheelers' best features packed into one pram. Absolutely fantastic. I've been dreaming of a new, lighter pram where she could face forward (she leans out and tries to look forward in the Simo pram we have today). And this is a breeze to walk. It is tall (I'm tall), has beautiful soft suspension but is very sturdy. It has little pockets in smart places and a fantastic sunshade. I think almost all of her will be in the shade. And in the shade there's two "windows", three airpockets and mesh behind her head when she's laying down, plus a protective cover in case it is very windy or it rains. It is like the people who made it have looked at all the prams in its league and seen what each lacks, and made sure this one doesn't lack any of those things. I.am.stoked!

My grandparents, her great grandparents (great in more ways than just the generational reference) came for coffee and cake, and they had already given us money as her present to get her a new carseat. We got that last week, and I am also so stoked with that, because we were able to get exactly the seat we wanted and it turns out she loves it.

She went to bed in a new purple pyjamas, happy and content. I don't know if she understood that it was her birthday, but we have loved spoiling her today.

I kissed her goodnight at almost exactly the same time I kissed her welcome one year ago.

Here she is, with her daddy. A few minutes old. And below, this morning when waking daddy up.

Teeth, books and sunshine!

2010-05-11T23:42:00.000+02:00

Just a post to share some everyday moments. I have been very busy at work lately, but hopefully it will start slowing down soon and meeting activity will decrease, which means I manage my own time more or less. I'm still adjusting to having so little time to do whatever I want (meaning whatever the princess wants), but I am enjoying the challenges work is giving me too. I like using my education and I feel I have chosen the right path for my 'career'. It's a good feeling, even though I have to keep convincing people my role is actually valuable to the company. Well, I said I like a challenge, didn't I?

And while I've been at work, things have happened in my princess' life too. I'll just make a list of her latest:

Standing without support.
Standing without support and clapping her hands at the same time.
Getting three teeth in one week. She started with one of the top corner teeth, followed by a top front tooth, and then a tooth in the front at the bottom. Not the order they "should" appear, but as long as they appear at all I'm happy.
Taking one, careful step between her daddy and me.
Prefering my oats for breakky instead of her porridge.
Getting really good at eating bread. The pieces now go into her mouth instead of on the floor.
Going to sleep at night without any fuss. (Still awake a few times during the night, but it's not a big problem as she sleeps in our bed after we go to bed).
Growing out of the rest of her clothes in size 74 which means I have to empty out at least half her closet. Good news is she's about to grow into some really cute outfits I have been looking forward to her wearing.

She also loves books. I would say most of the time she'll pick up a book before any other toy. She loves the ones with textured pages, like animal books with "fur" on the horse/rabbit/cat/dog. Some mini-In the Night Garden-books we got her are also scattered around the house, showing how she's taken them around with her and only left them when something else grabbed her attention. It's so cute how she lets out an excited sigh/squeal when she picks up one of the books and rediscovers that it has Makka Pakka, Upsy Daisy or Iggle Piggle on it.

...

We've had some beautiful weather, with long, sunny days. The temperature staying under ten most days is something I won't think too much about. From inside it looks so warm and inviting out there, so I pretend that it is a warm spring night as the sun sets behind the hill, leaving a trace of pink in the sky. I took some photos tonight of the light in the lounge room. I think both morning and afternoon light is so beautiful, I wish I could be out taking photos of pretty things and people every day.

Wondering if the girl in the mirror needs a little toothbrushing too.

Reading one of her favourite books.

Grass so juicy and green I could cut it, put it in a bowl and eat it. That's if I were a grass-eater.
I had to get this photo before we mow the lawn this weekend - it is the moss flowers' yearly appearance. I would say our lawn is fifty/fifty moss and grass. Oh well. I know the flowers would be regarded a weed but I still think they're cute in their subtle purple elegance.

The afternoon light on our bookshelf.

Collection of things for big and small.

I took the light-photos at this time. I love the long nights this time of the year.

I threw the focus out (not literally..haha) and thought the little leaves on the old plum tree resembled green jewels. A green-jewels tree in my garden - now that's special.

My other motherhood

2010-05-09T22:24:00.000+02:00

Today is Mother's Day in the land down under. And because I am am a second mother to a very special boy there, I was so happy to find a Happy Mother's Day wish waiting for me when I got up this morning. I feel bad I'm not there, but thankfully he's got his first mother right there.

He is a big boy now, a young man in fact, but I have been so lucky to come into his life when he was just thirteen and still very much a boy excited about all boyish things.

I have taken him to birthday parties, picked him up from sleep-overs, forced him to go to family gatherings, made him clean the house, not let him have a sip of my wine when he was seventeen and almost old enough to have a drink. I've made him clean his room, told him to go to bed early on school nights, cooked him traditional Norwegian food, sat and watched with excited butterflies as he took on the lead role in his school musical and made it a huge success. I've taken him out for coffees and movies, for grocery shopping, we've sat in the kitchen and had some great conversations. Our talks have always left me in awe of how insightful this boy is at such a young age. We've only had one argument, and we both laugh when we think about it today - it was me not allowing him to have two showers in one day during the period there were strict water restrictions in place where we lived. Who can blame him for wanting to feel refreshed on a hot day? His counter-argument: "but you use the dishwasher". Hehe.

I've seen him with blonde hair, black hair, red hair, bleached hair. I've watched him stumble on his way to find his adult self. Over the years he's grown up so much. He's such a sensitive, funny, handsome and smart young man. And he's taller than me! I have so many reasons to be proud of him.

So this Mother's Day I want to say thank you to my K, who accepted me into his life from day one, who tells me he loves me and who I look forward to being a second mother to for many, many years to come. I am very lucky to have you in my life.

Photo courtesy of K's #1 mum.

Coffee and Saturday flowers

2010-05-01T11:56:00.000+02:00

od morning! After a few days of rain, fog and more rain, I was happy to see blue skies this morning when missy lifted the curtains to check if it was morning yet. (She checked a few times during the night too, when it definitely wasn't morning, and wasn't convinced when I told her to wait a few more hours before trying again. I think you get the picture).

Coffee tasted so good this morning. I bought a cheap coffe grinder a few weeks ago and since then we've had freshly ground coffee every morning. It really is a huge improvement from already-ground coffee that we've been drinking for years. And it isn't much more work grinding the beans either. And the smell of coffee in the kitchen even before you've started brewing it, that is a very nice extra bonus. I wish I had bought it a long time ago. If any of my blog readers are coffee lovers like me, you should really consider getting one. I find that the whole coffee beans, like these, are about the same price as the ground coffee. But so, so much better. Oh, did I already say that? ;-)

Now on to the flowers. I bought ranuncles more than a week ago and today it was overdue that I throw them out. But among all the ones ripe for the compost I found a few that could hang on for a few more days. And because I don't like to waste anything, including flowers, I snipped them off almost at the top and put them in a shallow glass. And just because the sun was shining to happily into my kitchen this morning, I put a few up in the little lantern I have hanging in the window. Now that I see how pretty it looks with a few flowers sticking out of it I might actually try to grow something in it. If I do I'll let you know how it goes.

Happy Saturday everyone.

PS. I have given these a dust of vintage. I'll post some vintage photos from my house soon, lovely summer memories from a time when our house and garden was loved and cared for by two people very dear to me.

Bedtime photos

2010-05-01T00:35:00.000+02:00

I have spent most of this week juggling busy motherhood and the flu. It's been a few days where both I and the man have been sick and we both felt so ill we had to send little missy off with her grandmother's for a whole day. I don't think her grandmother complained about that. I spent that day on the sofa, mostly sleeping, and in between feeling really crap, appreciating the luxury of actually being able to lay on the sofa and doing absolutely nothing. A rare little treat these days, as I am sure any mum (or dad) will understand.

One afternoon I wasn't feeling the flu so bad, I took some photos of my darling in the time from starting to wind down from her busy day to going to bed. It started out with the beautiful afternoon light shining so warm into our lounge room and I just had to get the camera out and take advantage of the amazing natural light. And I took a few photos after she had gone to bed too, as I don't think I've really taken photos of her at that time of night/state of mind before.

Nighty night!

Busy bee

2010-04-25T15:29:00.000+02:00

These are busy times. And unfortunately theblog suffers from it. Maybe I should allocate a timeslot for blogging every few days? Something worth considering. I have photos and thoughts to share, but unfortunately they usually end up staying on my harddrive and in my head respectively.

I am back at work and although I didn't plan to, I ended up having to work overtime this week. I haven't really done anything but be at home to sleep, then at work, then a few hours in the afternoon spending time with my princess, then dinner and her bedtime, then tidy-up before finally placing my bum on the sofa for a little while before going to bed. It's been a little too busy for my liking, with literally no me-time and not much time for photos.

When Friday arrived and I no longer had any deadlines, I told work I wanted to take a few hours off in the afternoon. I got home early and took my girl, the pram and the camera and went to a friend's place for playtime for the bubs and coffee and catch-up for the mums.

We strolled through the park on our way home, my friend walked along with us a bit of the way and I got the camera and finally got some pictures of the increasingly green and colourful nature.

It was such a good afternoon, I am so glad I decided to do something nice in those hours I had off.
Soul food. That's what it was.

I said I took photos. Here they are.

And the reason I got to stop and take all these photos along the way?

After 4pm

2010-04-14T22:36:00.000+02:00

I miss coming here to share bits and pieces from my life. Lately, I've been a bit absorbed by thinking about going back to work. And now I am absorbed by being back at work. It's been strange to focus my attention at something so different to what I've been focussed on for the past year, but very familiar at the same time.

Today I drove home from work and realised a new era has started. I missed my girl. I just wanted to teleport myself home instead of wasting time driving, pick her up, smell her, kiss her on that-spot-behind-her-ear-that-rests-against-my-lips-when-I-turn-my-head-to-kiss-her-when-she-puts-her-head-on-my-shoulder. I came home, she came towards me, super fast and super happy. Demanded to be picked up and gave me a long cuddle. Later the same, a long cuddle while resting against me, our hearts beating so close, I couldn't make out which heartbeat was mine and which was hers.

Later I took her to the shop with me; I needed a 2010 organiser. I put her in the sling, so she sat on my hip the whole time we were at the shops. She loved it and so did I. My girl and I out running errands. Spending time together. Checking out some cute dresses. Tasting some lovely dresses (not me). Buying her a little Winnie the Pooh ball. Making her laugh and showing her things. It was a completely normal trip to the shops, but it was lovely.

I feel like I have a new motivation now, a motivation to get work done effectively and not waste any time. I don't want to work overtime. After 4pm is now my time with my baby. I don't understand how I can not share most of my day with her? I will now cherish 4pm to 7pm more than I ever have. Precious, precious hours with my baby girl.

A snap from the weekend. The weather was beautiful and she was allowed to crawl around on the grass. Lots of fun!

Doll

2010-04-06T10:54:00.000+02:00

A few months ago she got scared when she saw dolls. I had many dolls when I was a little, and I've been planning to give them to Missy once she showed an interest in other toys than just her baby toys. The one in the photos here is not my favourite doll at all, but he's made of plastic and has no parts that can come off. (My favourite is called Elisabeth, has a lot of hair and is about the same size as Missy. She wasn't too keen to play with this strange floppy baby when I brought Elisabeth down from the attic along with nakie boy).

When I spotted her poking the eyes of a doll at a friend's place a week or so ago, I figured it was time for her to meet the doll again. And as you can see, this time they clicked. ;-)

Here they are watching "In the Night Garden":

His foot easily doubles as a teether:

And his nose has little nostrils that are interesting to pick:

Good Friday photos

2010-04-02T16:45:00.000+02:00

Right now the sun is shining, but it's been a day of all kinds of weather with a bit of snow, a bit of rain, a bit of hail and some sun here and there. We've just had a relaxing day at home, and this morning we were very happy when my mother-in-law sent me an sms and asked if we could call them as everyone were gathered at her place for lunch. It was so nice to speak to everyone, we really miss them and it would have been so nice to celebrate Easter with them.

We had a few changes of clothes today too, and on one occasion bubs got away before I could put her pants on. I couldn't resist getting a few photos of those chubby legs and feet, and she was very happy to pose for me, instead of chasing me to grab the camera like she normally does.

Click on the photos to get to my photostream at Flickr to see the rest of the Good Friday pics.

A moment with dad

2010-04-01T22:33:00.000+02:00

Our little girl is always on the go. She's crawling, standing up, walking while holding on to the coffee table, walking us around the whole house, pushing her car around, chasing the cat. I think you get the picture. We get plenty of cuddles; she'll come over to us and plant a kiss on our cheeks, before she's off again. Or she'll 'ask' to be picked up only to have a cuddle and then be put down on the floor again after a few seconds. There's simply too much to discover to spend a lot of time sitting still.

So yesterday when I turned around from my computer and saw her and her daddy sitting on the couch sharing a rare moment of quiet playtime, I couldn't not carefully grab my camera and get as close as I could to get a few photos without interrupting the moment.

A peek at the garden in (early) spring

2010-03-31T00:06:00.000+02:00

Today I am happy to announce that the snow has melted and we are almost writing April, and everything is heading in the right direction. Easter is on our doorstep, and tomorrow we'll be preparing for our stay-at-home Easter, just the way we want it. In the garden we are starting to spot little signs of life, which is so refreshing after it's been covered under all that snow for so long. I was worried about some plants that I wasn't sure could take the cold, but remarkably, they are as green as they were before the snow fell on them. I'm so glad they survived. Photos below.

I love seeing the world through the camera. If I could, I would carry it around my neck all the time. For me, switching on the camera and looking through the viewfinder heightens my senses, and magnifies details. I see things I might have otherwise overlooked. Although, I must say that now that I have fallen completely in love with photography, even when I do not have the camera with me, I see everything as a potential image. I freeze frames in my mind, and notice moments and see emotion. I feel more connected with the world around me in a way.

If you walk past our house and take a glance at the garden, it looks pretty dull and lifeless. But when I took my camera out there yesterday, I saw that it is very much still alive, and willing and eager to bloom. After a long and cold winter, that warms my heart. I love spring.

Back to reality

2010-03-23T17:33:00.000+01:00

It's past the 22nd. March 22nd has been a date I didn't particularly look forward to. It marked the day my maternity leave ran out and I had to really start getting into the mindset of work and spending a lot of my time away from home.I still have a few weeks before I go back to work, but already my heart hurts a little when I think about not being with her for most of her awake hours. It will be a big change for her and for me. I've been focusing on spending as much time having fun with her as possible.

Yesterday her and I went to a café in the city and we had lots of laughs and lots of fun. I had my camera with me, so I took the opportunity and got a little series of photos. Here is exactly two minutes of my happy baby.

Coolest gramps on the block

2010-03-21T22:39:00.000+01:00

My little girl is lucky to have a set of very young-at-heart great-grandparents. My grandfather is turning 85 this year, but he is such a champion. He is the most awesome grandfather I could ever have, and I am so luck to still have him (and my grandmother too, of course) here and in such good health and spirits. To say that he adores the latest addition to the family tree is an understatement. So I try to take her with me to visit him and my grandmother as often as I can. I think memories last even longer when you have them stored both in your mind and on your harddrive, so when we visited earlier this week, I brought my camera and caught some of the action on "film".

Being a big girl

2010-03-17T21:58:00.000+01:00

She gets really excited when we have friends with older kids over, or when we go to visit someone with a two or three-year-old princess. The way she acts, it is like she wants to be older, do more. Staying up on her knees more, crawling super fast, squealing and always wanting to play with whatever the other girl is doing.

The other day we had a friend and his daughter over for the day, which was really nice. We haven't seen them for a while as they have been away, so for us adults it was nice to chat over three(!) pots of coffee (spread out over many hours, I must add), and for the girls it was great fun to play together.

It was so nice to see how well they got along, they just clicked (I can't believe my girl is so big now she can 'click' with another kid, but I've seen it with other kids too). The age difference between them may be very noticable now, but that will even out with time. There is a good chance these friends will be at the same place in the world as we are at any time, so the girls should get a lot of opportunities to bond in the years to come.

An adorable moment: She was sitting on her little car, and the three-year-old sat down next to her, putting her hand out as if she was ready to catch her if she fell off. I love that the three-year-old is still a little girl too, making up her own pronounciation of her name: "Careful, Tiana, careful."

I had to get my camera out as playtime is always so much fun to photograph. The afternoon sun filled the lounge room with warm, beautiful light, and it was a joy to see how these photos turned out.

Baby, will you walk with me?

2010-03-13T22:05:00.000+01:00

Today we went to town pretty early. Daddy stayed home and caught up on some footy, lucky him. ;-) Missy and I headed to a local coffee shop to meet a good friend of mine that I hadn't seen for a year. She was thrilled to meet our baby girl, and the three of us really enjoyed our little coffee-shop chitter-chatter.

When my friend had to leave, missy and I headed to the supermarket and picked up ingredients for a pasta seafood salad that we were going to have for dinner, and then we went home. The snow is almost gone from the sidewalks now, so taking the pram for a walk is a breeze compared to how it's been for the past few months. I am happy to see the snow melting faster than I could have imagined.

When we got home we just played and enjoyed our afternoon together, missy, my man and I. It was nice.
Photos courtesy of my man.

First sign of spring

2010-03-12T08:54:00.000+01:00

A very welcome sighting when missy and I walked home from a playdate (well, she slept, I walked). I have been waiting for a sure sign that spring is coming for real, and this is one of the first signs of spring every year. It also rained yesterday, so now the huge pile of snow on the deck is even smaller. It looks pretty drab here at the moment, but just wait a few more weeks and we'll have green grass, a warmer sun and budding tulips in our flower beds.

For now - these little babies are here to welcome you to spring.

Feed your soul

2010-03-11T09:10:00.000+01:00

My friend in blog-o-land, Lykkelinn, posted the link to this little gem.

Feed your soul is a collection of artwork free to download. I will probably get a few, some are very cute for the princess' bedroom. And for myself I'd love one or two to hang next to my side of the bed.

Here's a few of my favourites.

One of my favourite photos

2010-03-10T23:59:00.000+01:00

took this photo mainly because I thought she looked adorable just after finishing her supper: baby porridge with blueberries (I added those). She was of course completely unaware that she had a face full of blueberry, and that just added to the cuteness. Then "In the Night Garden" came on, and she settled in on daddy's lap before I got to wipe the blueberries off. I took a few photos of her, and they all have what I wanted (that cute blueberry-covered face) but I keep coming back to this one. It isn't great technically, but I love it.

I love how totally happy she looks, she is having a moment of absolute joy.
The reason?
Makka Pakka came on (anyone who knows 'In the Night Garden' knows Makka Pakka) and did his strange little dance. Makka Pakka, akka jakka ikka akka oooo...and so on (click here to see it).
I don't know why the strange pasty-coloured little thing makes her so happy, but I love that it (he?) does.

And I love that I got this photo because of it.

So now, when we watch "In the Night Garden", we don't actually watch the show at all. We watch her watch it, it is definitely the best part of the show.

White foggy day

2010-03-10T09:42:00.000+01:00

On the weekend we went for a drive. We had planned to go to this lighthouse and get some great photos of the coastline from the cliffs the lighthouse sits on. The nature is very dramatic, with the waves relentlessly pounding the rocks beneath the lighthouse, and because it normally is quite windy there, it is a very raw experience of nature. I always feel refreshed when I've been there. It is a very popular spot for Sunday walks, and a great spot to really feel the west coast weather for what it can be - harsh, fresh, controlling and demanding respect. In touch with the elements I guess you could call it.

On thing we didn't know though, when we drove from our slightly inland house on the hill, was the thick, cotton-y fog that had settled on the coastline for the day. It was so thick that when we got up to the lighthouse, we coudn't even see the ocean, we just heard the waves hitting the shore at the foot of the cliffs. We were a little disappointed to not see the view, but we still took photos, and I like how they came out in different shades of white and grey.

Next time I'll go there on a non-foggy day, but for now, this is what I have to share.

Busy times

2010-03-07T14:47:00.000+01:00

My blog posts are few and far between, I must apologise for that to anyone who stops by and finds the same old stuff at the top of the blog. Being an eager blog reader myself (not of my own I must add), I know how nice it is to find a new post when you stop by to check out the latest. My excuse is that I am just a little busy organising life at the moment, both the present and the future. We might be on track to becoming more independent and fulfilling dreams, and that makes me happy, although we still have a fairly long way to go.

Today I am quite exhausted. Missy has been sick for a few days, with a chesty cough and lots of sneezing. With this comes a less-happy-than-normal baby. Poor thing, it's affecting her sleep too, and last night she was up for a while from about 3am and after that she had a few hours of sleep before waking up at 6.30am. I tried to show her what the world looked like outside the window, and told her that we like a little more daylight and a little less night before we call it a morning, but she was convinced it was time to get up. So we did. And two sleeps later and a failed attempt at a third one (she's in the pram next to me, I'm rocking her to no avail), we are about to start climbing the walls. Her energy levels are not affected by the illness, so it's been a busy day. Now we're just waiting for daddy to get ready so we can get in the car and head out. I think we'll drive south to a light house and see if we can get some nice photos.

Here is a couple of photos because I don't like to leave a post bare. Hope you're all enjoying your weekend.