Week 30 - Sonal

Swim School

Week 30 - Linda

Every morning every day all year around the kids eats kefir and musli for breakfast. Sugar free of course. This is our favorite musli for the moment it has peach, raspberries and little ceral hearts in it. Usually the kids request raisins in their musli but when we have this kind they dont.

Blogging.

I guess it is only me left here, I don't know if anyone still visits this blog. Anyway I do this for me and hope to continue documenting the whole year. I just did some catching up as you can see after a few weeks on the move without good internet connection.

If anyone of you wants to continue just pick up at any week please don't feel that you need to catch up with a post every week.

Week 29 - Linda

This box have been over the Atlantic and back again. When J were unpacking it he told me how he remembers packing it on Nicks' driveway in Cali over 1,5 years ago. At that time we had no clue when or where we would unpack it. And today we were standing on our own driveway finally able to unpack it. On the box we found a label from the first move from Sweden to Cali.

Everyday we are thinking about Cali and the life we had there, both of us really miss it. As much as we love our house here and to have family and friends close by we still think about moving back. When we talk about it it is not a question about IF only WHEN.

Week 28 - Linda

For a week we been in our new house. There have been some problem with the water but other than that it feels great. Since we already been living in this house in our mind for over a year while planning everything it feels like home right away.

Week 27 - Linda

Ab and S lives in the north suburbs. This week we move in to a place on the opposite of our city, it is a different world from this place. I think it is sad that our society is still as segregated as it is. I am so happy that we can introduce our kids to this world too, it gives them another dimension in life. Although I wish that they could grow up in a neighborhood with people with different backgrounds mixed with Swedes. Unfortunately there is no such place here it is kind of all or nothing.

Week 26 - Linda

While me and the kids stay with Mormor och Morfar J is living in Farfar's caravan. This week we celebrated Ab's birthday there with a chocolate cake from IKEA. Our house is just a few minutes away from an IKEA so we stop by everynow and again for supper. It is really kids friendly, cheap and convinient for us for the moment.

Week 25 - Linda

SAVE THE TIGERS! Our Swedish diaper company has an campaign for tigers, some of their profit goes towards saving them from extinction. So this summer C is running around with Tigers on his behind.

Week 24 - Linda

Everywhere these little handprints. I guess one day we will miss them.

Week 23 - Linda

Some of our stuff is now in storage in our garage. I am really looking forward to have a place where we know we will stay for a while. We can unpack our stuff and do not need to keep the boxes. I am really tired of not knowing where anything is.

Week 29 - Sonal

Fishing at Palisades Lake near Donner.

Week 28 - Sonal

Boating on Lake Tahoe

Week 27 - Sonal

4th of July

Washington D.C.

Week 26 - Sonal

We're still in Baltimore and my uncle's next door neighbor has a pony and horse. It was a slow process to get the kids to feed the pony, but they finally got it. Beautiful Blue Eyes.

Week 25 - Sonal

Family Reunion - Baltimore 2009

I set up the shot from the balcony of my uncle's home really late in the day. By the time I rounded up everyone, coached them into getting in frame, took test shots,and ran downstairs to get in the shot (had a family friend take the picture), the sun went down and had to use flash. I'm surprised the flash worked from such a long distance. Anyway, we all stayed in one house for three days. Good Times.

week 22 - Linda

This is the last evening before we are leaving the city. We spent a few hours in Slottskogen and after we went to my favorite ice cream place.

I will defiantly miss living in our neighborhood, Linnestaden, it is so nice to be close to the coffeehouses, bakeries and all the little shops. Me and the kids will miss our friends even if we will live pretty close we cant just call and say lets meet in 15 minutes. I will also miss the Botanic garden we have close by. I love that I can just walk out and have everything I need around the corner. I hardly ever use the car during the weeks I did not grow up in the city but I really like living there.

There is great things waiting ahead. But for now I have to say good bye to this part of my life.

week 21 - Linda

More schoolwork....

week 20 - Linda

Schoolwork, schoolwork, schoolwork........

week 19 - Linda

Sharing a Mom, sharing a Dad, sharing a ball, sharing a book, sharing a room, sharing the mornings, sharing the evenings, sharing the everyday life.

Sharing a CHILDHOOD!

Four days you spent apart this week. When you are not together you miss each other and asks for each other. When you are together you have lots of fun, of course there is some disagreements but you usually forget about them fast. I love to see the way you care for each other.

Week 19 - Sonal

Miss Garden

There is an amazing sculptor who puts together scrap metal into garden people. We're planning to go to his show this weekend in Fairfield. Admission - anything metal. I would love to have Miss Garden live here but I'm sure its alot of $$$.

Week 18 - Heather

Glowing Mama's

Week 18 - Sonal

my little garden ballerina

Huckle Cat - Heather

Huckle Cat

I actually took this picture way back in Week 3 of this year but Linda's post struck a cord in me and I wanted to share it. My daughter is also totally obsessed with cats! And this little guy, "Huckle" travels everywhere with us!

week 18 - Linda

All the boys in the family LOVES cats. J grow up with one, Ab has his own cat that he got last summer (which lives with S), A has been a big fan of T & E's two cats Max and Sam since he first meet them. A has a pretend Max and a Sam that last fall followed him everywhere, now they just come for a visit every now and again. C does the cat sign as soon as he sees one and gets all crazy when he sees one in real life. A & C has some stuffed cats that they play and cuddle with. They often wants to bring them when we are going somewhere, that's when the bag on the photo comes in. When we go for an outing it is often filled with cats, some little books and sometimes some other small toys. The small cat in the bag we have had since Ab was little the big one C got from his paternal grandma a few weeks ago. Of course A got one too, but in another color.

Myself I am not really a big fan of cats. They are cute and all but really I don't want one in my house. I hope I can manage to talk the boys out of having one of our own when we move to the house.

Week 17 - Linda

Since we live in the middle of the city and have a very functional public transportation system we don't really need a car in our daily life. Our car has been on winter rest for the last 5 months but now in April we took it out from the storage to enjoy. We mostly drive it to our house to be, but we only use it a couple of times every week, mostly during the weekends.

It is not perfect for family life, but J and the kids loves it. For the moment we are trying to decide if we should keep it or sell it and what we would buy instead. When we move to the house it will be more convenient to have two cars.

week 16 - Linda

It almost feels like summer. It is really warm and sunny everyday. The newspapers says we have never had such beautiful weather in Sweden during April for as long as the record goes. This part of the year we really missed while in US, the spring when the world around us transform from grey and cold to varm and green in just a couple of weeks.

We can't wait to move out to the forest to enjoy this even more than here in the middle of the city.

Week 17 - Heather

An Egg of Every Color!

I bought some organic farm eggs and wound up with the whole spectrum of egg shells in one basket, what are the odds?

Week 16 - Heather

A friendly Butterfly

This butterfly landed on this lady's hat while we were in the rain forest exhibit at the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Actually they were landing all over us!

Week 17 - Sonal

Sunday Night Dinner

My husband and I started a Sunday Night Dinner blog. Check it out if you're looking for some comfort food. (still in progress)

Week 16 - Sonal

My David Austin Roses are in Bloom!

I just bought a 50mm lens for my Nikon off Craigslist today and I'm already in love with the results. This particular rose is the Heather Austin.

Week 15 - Heather

Bubbles

Week 15 - Sonal

It's moving day in Dublin. The old Kolb family homes are finally being moved over into Dublin from Pleasanton.

Week 15 - Linda

We spent Easter week in "Little land" where me and J grew up. The Easter egg's did not contain any candy since we are still trying to keep the kids away from that stuff as much as possible. Before two years we have a zero policy in our family when it comes to sugar. Little C got a sweet little cat and some snacks. A and Ab got lights for their bicycles, some grapes,raisins and nuts.

There were still a lot of sweets eaten during the Easter week, lots of cinnamon buns, a chocolate cake for my birthday and another European style chocolate for Easter Sunday. So the kids surely got some sweets, just not the candy (except for C who still is on the Zero policy).

Week 14 - Heather

Colorful Eggs

Week 13 - Heather

Birthday Pizza!

Week 14 - Linda

A two wheeler! Someone is really happy. The whole family is enjoying the spring and we have started to spend much more time outside.

Week 13 - Linda

The sun has finally found it's way into our home and A has started to do some gardening in his window. We can now see all dust in the corners, the place need a big clean up.

Week 13 - Sonal

Afternoon Sun

Week 12 - Heather

Is that a bench on your car?
We've been debating whether or not to buy a bigger car since the baby was born and the double stroller takes up so much darn cargo space. But I think we can hold off a little while since we have so much roof space!

week 12 - Linda

Latte Mamma!?!
I don't know but I like to bring a Chai latte while walking with the baby. Almost everyday after leaving A at preschool me and C takes a little longer walk, especially if the weather is like this (sunny). Sometimes in the big park next to where we live or we run some errands in the city. We have a 15 minute walk to the center of town and our neigberhood have lots of little cute shops.

(Do you have the expression Latte Mom in US and Australia?)

Week 12 - Sonal

RIP

Dead Pine Tree

You were so brown

So we put you down

Don't worry, it's not so dire

Until we put you into the fire

Week 11 - Heather

Alphabet Oops!

Week 11 - Tammy

I had my first newborn photoshoot. These little feet are from the mom that did the jump shot for me in Week 8. Baby Hiro was born the next day :0)

Week 10 - Tammy

Daffodils

Week 9 - Tammy

Chloe : Blooming
Kelis: Beautiful

Week 11 - Sonal

It's St. Patrick festivities this weekend. What's a parade without bagpipes. I'm in the mood to watch Bravehart now.

Week 11 - Linda

Our life surrounds about the making of our house right now. It is lots of fun but at the same time stressful. We are trying to be there every step of the way making sure everything ends up the way we want it. All decisions from the placement of the power outlets to the color of the roof is made by us.

Week 10 - Heather

Reno mud and muck!

Week 9 - Heather

See how our garden grows

Week 10 - Linda

Early spring. Snow mud, wet snow falling, grey sky, lots of gravel on the streets. Going for a walk in new spring clothes.
Every morning we are trying to figure out what to wear, is it going to be cold, a little warm, rainy, sunny, something in between or all in the same day. Hopefully we can storage all the winter gear in a month or so. We are surely looking forward to do so.