Madi: 17 Months

This month has been a lot of fun and learning for Mommy and Daddy! We have always known how smart you are, but are starting to see it daily in the things you do and say. You also really like to do things yourself - you want to help with dinner, go get the diaper for a diaper change, and brush your own teeth like Mommy and Daddy. It's so fun to have you "helping" us around the house.

A couple weeks ago we were wrestling with you for a diaper change and you started shouting at us "nei nei nei nei nei". (For those of you who aren't fluent in Norwegian, "nei" means "no". It's basically Madi's new favorite word. ;-) ) You even shake your head no at the same time you say it so we know you understand!

We also realized you were asking for "va" when you wanted water. We think you are trying to say "vann", the Norwegian word for water. Barnehage has said you are doing really well understanding them and I think that's spilling over for us to witness!

In addition to your speaking Norwegian, we've also had a boom in two word sentences. The best were when we were Christmas tree shopping and you said "nei" to every tree we pointed at. Finally, in frustration, I said "Madi, we need to pick a tree. Do you want this guy (motioning to a tree) or that guy (motioning to a different tree) and you pointed at the second one and said "that guy!". We busted up laughing!

The next day you were asking for something and we didn't understand what. I asked you to show me what you wanted and you go "show me" and then proceeded to take me to what you were asking for. It's truly amazing to see you understanding so much and interacting with us!

Your favorite things this month are marshmallows and Peppa. You ask for a "mashama" and walk over to the cabinet where they are hidden. We asked Grandma to bring us one bag when she visits this weekend and rumor has it she bought you four...

You are also obsessed with Peppa Pig! It got us through the hours of flights to Spain for the WRC rally and you ask for it every night. We are limiting how much you watch, but it's so hard to resist you when you ask for Peppa so adorably. ;-)

Bedtime has gotten so much better this month. You still don't want to read our bedtime books, but you are snuggling up with Mommy or Daddy and letting us sing to you. We snuggle for 5-10 minutes and then ask if you are ready to go to bed. Sometimes you point at the bed and sometimes you say "nei", shake your head, and lay back down on us for a few more minutes. This is a welcome change from the bedtime screaming we had for so long the past couple of months!

Okay last one... this is my favorite :-)

Sometimes during those bedtime snuggles you lift your head up, look right at us, and say "hi" in this happy and sweet and content voice and then just snuggle back into us. It's soooo precious and I cherish those moments! You do it during the day too (just say hi to us in that sweet voice), but for some reason the bedtime one just gets me. You sure know how to melt our hearts baby girl!

We love you Madison Rose!
Mommy and Daddy

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Weekly Wrap-up: Back Pain and Birthdays

This was a tough week! On Tuesday I went to pick Madi up and immediately felt a sharp pain in my lower back. I've had this happen maybe three times before (in the past four years so not often) and let me tell you - it's not fun.

However, this time felt so much worse. I was able to get into my chiro that same day and she told me to go home, ice, rest, and come back tomorrow for a massage. Well as soon as she saw me the next morning, I burst into tears. She ordered an MRI. I was barely able to walk (definitely couldn't drive) and was not doing well.

Long story short - the MRI revealed I have/had a bulging disc, prolapsed disc, annular tear and beginning signs of osteoarthrosis (something which I should not be having until like 45 years old). Not a good diagnosis. :-/


Fortunately, I was able to take the rest of the week of work and rest and by Friday was able to move so much better and in a lot less pain. I had also read three books, watched two movies, and was going stir crazy just laying around - ha!

Friday morning I was able to have my friend Kara over with her son Ty (it was a planning day for barnehage so Madi was out of school). We took it easy and let the kiddos watch a movie while we chatted. It was so nice to start feeling normal again!

That evening we had friends over for dinner planned long ago. Liza was bringing over the stuff to make her delicious curry so all I had to do was basically let my friends in and they cooked! The boys watched the littles while Dora and I helped Liza prep.

Dora's birthday was a week ago and mine is coming up in two weeks so Liza made an absolutely divine chocolate cake with ombre icing. Soooo good!  Then we just relaxed in the chaos that is three kiddos under three years old. ;-)

Saturday morning we were able to go feed the ducks near Stokka. The walk was a bit much and I was pretty tired afterwards so Madi and I napped with Jason had to go into the office for a few hours.

I hope your week was wonderful and injury-free! Thank you to everyone who was praying and checking up on me. It was very appreciated!! :-)

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WRC Catalunya

Jason took a guy's trip February 2013 to attend WRC Sweden. Standing in below freezing temperatures to watch cars? No thanks! I told Jason if he wanted me to attend one of these races, then he had better find a warmer location... enter Spain!

We flew into Barcelona and drove about an hour south to Salou, where the race was headquartered. We enjoyed three and a half days of watching car races at different spots around the area. It was beautiful countryside and we got to see parts of it we wouldn't have otherwise!

Madi enjoyed watching the cars almost as much as she enjoyed people watching I think! We also got to do a little sightseeing at the beginning and end of the trip in Barcelona.

The Sagrada Familia was on the top of our list of places to see before the race began and it was worth it! The church was beautiful inside and out. I highligh recommend buying your tickets online beforehand and downloading to a smart phone or tablet. We were able to skip the long lines for tickets and walk right in!

The race began Thursday evening in Barcelona and continued through Sunday midday. We drove to different locations everyday to watch different stages of the race. We also got a chance to visit the service park which was close to our hotel. I went a bit overboard on the matching shirts this trip and got some for me and Madi, Daddy and Madi, and even the whole family. ;-)

We visited the Barcelona Zoo on Monday and watched a punk meerkat kick his friend off the perch. Reminded us of our own meerkat at home...

On our way back to our hotel we missed a turn and ended up at the most amazing overlook of the city! Talk about a great mistake. :-) We walked around for a bit and enjoyed the scenery - you can even see Sagrada Familia in the background.

It was a wonderful vacation! The best part was getting to do something as a family that Jason loves and spending time together. Here's to another race soon! :-)

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The Art of Marriage and Hern Visit!

Remember back in August when we announced that The Art of Marriage was coming to Stavanger?? Well it happened ya'll - October 17 and 18th! And it was a wonderful weekend!

We were nervous leading up to the event and could feel our marriage under additional stress and attack. (Seriously, so many friends shared with us that they faced some hard times when doing something for the Lord - which was reassuring, but still challenging!) We leaned on friends for prayer support and encouragement and it was so appreciated!

Bret and Elizabeth Hern were able to come visit Norway for the week and were a tremendous help with the conference - I really don't think we could have done it without them!!

They also brought lots of fabulous pumpkin desserts for us to share during the conference. Pumpkin spice bars with cream cheese icing? Yes please!

I think they had a fabulous time visiting Norway and we enjoyed catching up with them. :-)

We feel so blessed that they were able to come and excited that we were able to help coordinate the conference here. The feedback we received from couples was very positive! If you are in the Stavanger area and didn't get a chance to attend, we have extra manuals and the DVDs that we can get to you - just let us know!

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Weekly Wrap-up: Halloween and Texas Party!

We arrived home from vacation on Tuesday making it a short work week! I've still got to sort all of the pictures from the trip, but hopefully that will get done this week. :-)

In the meantime we had a busy and fabulous weekend! We celebrated Halloween on Friday at our friend Courtney's house. She is an amazing host and did a fabulous job with decorations and hosting - all of which I forgot to take pictures of along with the pumpkin spice cheesecake I made. :-/

We dressed Madi for Halloween Thursday and Friday in two cute outfits. This year she dressed as a ladybug for the party.

Last year and this year Halloween outfits.

From a little duck to a little bug - she's getting so big!

Saturday we were able to attend a Texas Party hosted by the chamber of commerce. Our friend Jenny babysat Madi for us and we are so grateful to have an evening out with friends! Madi took to her right away and didn't have any problems... hope she's up for babysitting more in the future, ha! ;-)

Kelly brought her camera so most of these pics I stole from her. You can see it was a fabulous evening!

Hope you had a great Halloween weekend also!

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