Catching up from January...

Whoa, has it really been almost 3 weeks since I last posted?

We were back to full health a day or two after I last posted. Boy did it feel good for "normal life" to begin again after both the Christmas/New Year's holidays and our week of sickness.

L is happily back at school, enjoying his classmates and teachers and learning. (Can I just take a moment to say how thankful we are for the little elementary school here on the island and the teachers and staff who work there?)

This is Per the Penguin, L's snow creation from yesterday.

E has undergone a big change in the new year - she started going to a little Norwegian kindergarten/daycare 2 mornings a week! (She's still at home with me the rest of the week, and we're still plugging away at the English kindergarten curriculum. She's able to read more and more words each week, and I've gotta say, it is so much fun to be the one teaching her!) 

This is Bouncy, E's giant snowball. 

We were a little apprehensive about how she would transition into it, but she's done fantastic. Already we can hear improvement in her language, and she's soooooo much enjoying making friends. Last fall was a lonely time for her as all the children in her age group were attending this kindergarten/daycare, and sometimes several weeks would pass before she would have the chance to play with a friend. We're thankful for this opportunity for her, and feel that it will be a good "soft transition" for her (and us) before she makes the bigger jump into school this fall.

And how does the mamma feel about all of this? Hmmm.... Well, it's not been the easiest transition for me. I have to admit, on E's second day when she told me that I could leave her all by herself, I went out to the car, called Markus, and bawled my eyes out.

I never imagined that we'd hit this stage of having no little ones so quickly. It never occurred to me that E would still be our baby after all these years, nor that I'd struggle with multiple miscarriages and secondary infertility from my early-20s and onward. And I don't write that with bitterness or anger, although I've felt both of those emotions a lot in recent years and some days still battle with giving in to them.

So this transition of E growing and becoming a big girl has brought out a lot of emotions in me, and reminded me that I desperately need to be daily connected to the Source of life, hope, and joy. I am so thankful for my beautiful family - for Markus and our two precious children. And I know that my Heavenly Father can be trusted with my dreams, wishes, wants, and tomorrows - whether we are able to one day have another biological baby, whether God has us grow our family in another way, or whether our family is complete.

This has been our biggest snowfall of this winter so far. We are hoping for a bit more snow and some stable below-freezing temperatures so we can bring out the sleds and ice skates!

And now I have experienced, for the first time since becoming a mom almost 8 years ago, two childless mornings a week! I am going to the office with Markus those two mornings, and will gradually take on more responsibilities as the fall approaches and I have more free time. I'm still teaching a few piano lessons in the afternoons, but am trying to decide if this is something I should pursue even more (there are quite a few people who have asked if I could teach their kids, but I've not agreed to take on any more yet) or if I should wait a few years. The biggest problem is that afternoons are not the greatest time for me to be occupied because of L & E. I don't want them to be at school in the mornings and then come home and have me occupied all afternoon. So we're still thinking about what is best to do...

And this is turning in a very long update!

Here are a few older pictures I downloaded from my camera this morning:

Here we are at a Christmas party, Norwegian-style! Singing Christmas songs while holding hands and walking in alternating circles around the tree. This is such a fun tradition, and of course it's super fun for the kids. :-)

So I know Wii's have been around for many years now and probably aren't that cool anymore, but we are content to be waaaay behind the times. :-) We found a cheap, older model for sale right before Christmas, and that was our gift to L & E. It's been a huge hit with cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents alike! I think we need to plan another family bowling tournament like we had on New Year's Eve...

Last Saturday was one of the funnest days I've had in a long time. I got to spend the day with these two dear friends, and most of it was spent baking in the kitchen. Here we are eating...what else?? Chocolate chip cookie dough! :-)

And now I need to go and get this wonderful, dark and snowy Saturday morning started!

I think we're going to have a quiet day at home today. Markus has been in some pain in the last 30 hours from a kidney stone. He's been in touch with his doctor, who faxed a prescription for some painkillers to the pharmacy late last night which I will go pick up today. I feel so bad for him. He's still sleeping right now, which is good since he hasn't slept much the last two nights. We're praying that he feels better today. Anyone have any tips or advice for dealing with this besides drinking lots? His dad and brother have each dealt with this multiple times, so he's gotten some good advice from them... 

Happy weekend, everyone! :-)

-Sarah-