Cut and color

When my mother-in-law comes to visit, I always have to clean the house before she arrives so everything is spic and span. (In fact, Espen was not very old when he saw me get out the vacuum and asked "Grandma is coming?") When I go to see my mother, I have to do the equivalent of cleaning the house to myself, so that I'm all spic and span for her inspection. I'm not sure why this is, as they are both lovely ladies who aren't prone to making harsh judgments about my house or my appearance, but nonetheless, near the tippy top of my to-do list before we head off to Norway, was getting my hair cut and my eyebrows waxed. 

So today Espen got an extra long play date with one of his very best friends, and Mama got a trip to the salon. I should mention that I haven't dyed my hair or had bangs in over a decade, and yet somehow, that's what I ended up deciding that I wanted. And this is what I walked out of the salon with: 

Photo fancily taken with my phone, but you get the idea. 

I'll be honest, it's taking a little bit to get used to the highlights and the bangs, but I've never been scared to do new things with my hair, and it feels good to switch things up a bit. It's going to take a bit more maintenance (Roots! Trims!), but I think it will probably be a good thing for me to get myself through the doors of a salon a bit more regularly.

Are you a regular salon goer, or does it take superhuman effort and coordination to get there (like me)? 

One week!

This time next week, we will be on a plane on our way to Norway! I think this is the fastest we have ever pulled together a trip, and friends, it's going to be a good one! Two and a half weeks at home with my family, and then three days in Stockholm with just the three of us. Nick and I spent a few days there when I was pregnant with Espen, and decided it would be fun to go back as a family, because it is such a beautiful city, and so kid friendly too. Three years later, and off we go!

A view of Gamla Stan (the old town) in Stockholm. 

We'll arrive just in time for May 17th, which is Norway's national holiday. It's a holiday I've always loved and looked forward to in its own right, but of course it's extra special for me to be able to share something so Norwegian and dear to me with Espen. And he remembers from last year that it involves waving flags and shouting "hurra!" so he's onboard! You can read more here about our celebration in Norway last year.

Watching the parade in our national costumes. It's hard to get more Norwegian than that, even if none us were actually born in Norway! 

Of course, the most important reason why we're going is to spend time with my family. My parents are enthusiastic and loving grandparents, and Espen asks several times a day if its time to go to Granny and Granddad's yet. It doesn't hurt that he has seen his room on Skype and knows that he has a bookshelf full of books and toys to explore when he gets there!

On the beach in England.

It's been almost exactly a year since we saw them last, so I'm really looking forward to a little time with my mummy and daddy too. I'm so grateful for phones and the internet and Skype and being in a position to see them as often as we do, because I know it could easily be so much worse. Still, I often wish that world was a little bit smaller so we could see each other more often. We'll enjoy each other while we can!

I want to try to blog a bit more faithfully while we're away, so hopefully stay tuned for some more updates next week. This week, I'm sure, will be devoted to frantic packing and cleaning before we ship out for three weeks.


Stockholm image borrowed here. 

Beautiful

This morning I sat cross-legged on my bedroom floor while my two year-old son brushed my hair. Espen was serious and focused as he worked long strands into a large tangle on my forehead. Then he stopped and studied my face and his work for a minute, before exclaiming: "beautiful!"

I laughed out loud. Unshowered, in my underwear and with my hair in a knotted mess, I was surely about as far from beautiful as I could get. Kids, eh?

Then saw that I had got it all wrong. For a few brief seconds I saw surprise, unhappiness and maybe a trace of hurt cross over my son's face. He had shared an idea, put his feelings into words and got laughed at for his efforts. That's when I knew that in his eyes, his hair brushing skills are unrivaled. In his eyes, clothes, make up or whether or not someone has showered doesn't matter. In his eyes, Espen has a beautiful mama.

I saw him battle his emotions for a moment. I saw him waver as one of the most important people in his world disagreed with him. Then Espen looked at me again and said decidedly: "beautiful."

And with a grateful heart, I agreed.

Project Make You Smile Again, Thursday

At risk of being one of those parents, I wanted to show you something that has been making me smile lately. This is Espen and his two little partners in toddler crime. Espen was cheesing it up for the camera, much to the bemusement of his friends. Their little faces crack me up!

OK, recurring theme: kids make me smile. You cool with that? I'm cool with that. 

Project Make You Smile Again: Wednesday

This video always makes me smile and then sob my eyes out. It's so sweet! For some context, it shows two little kids unwrapping a huge present, only to find their dad inside, home early from deployment. And that little girl handles her emotions exactly like me :)




What's making you smile today?

Project Make You Smile Again: Tuesday

This one just sends me straight to my happy place every.single.time. If you must, insert your own take on materialism vs. joy found in barren landscapes and simple living here. I just like to imagine having this little girl follow me around and react like that to my every action.

And the camel? Don't even get me started on the camel.


Image borrowed here. I searched and searched, and this is the closest I've found to an original source. 

Project Make You Smile - Again

About this time last year, I did a simple little project here on the blog that I called Project Make you Smile. The idea behind it was simply to post a new thing on the blog every day to bring a smile to your face. Well, I liked that project so much that I am bringing it back this week! The last couple of weeks have been tough, but this weekend has been filled with so many reminders that we have a lot to smile about, including family, good friends, oh, and three plane tickets to Norway! Yup, we are lucky, lucky people. 

Well, first up to make you smile is this little guy. Not satisfied with simply making me crack a smile, this kid makes me laugh until I cry. I wish I had moves like that! 

Do you think I could teach Espen to dance like that? :)