Cousin Jennifer is finally here!

Yippe, yea, hoorah...Cousin Jennifer is finally here! She didn't exactly get a large crowd at the airport like we got in Tulsa in April, but Lexi and I were there to welcome her to Norway. On the way into the airport, Lexi said that we should have made Jennifer a sign like Aunt Kristy and Cousin Mark had made for us. Hmmmpphh...yep, should have thought of that. Or, at a minimum, should have had some mini Norwegian flags to wave like some others had that day at the airport. Oh well.... she's here!

Forget about jet lag, we can't exactly let grass grow under our feet; so, we have been trying to tire Jen out with plenty of activities (mainly kid-related) and plenty of fresh air. The weather is still variable. Some days of gorgeous sunshine and some days of clouds. When the sun shines, it is hot, if not, well, you need a light jacket or fleece.

Jen has nearly been here one week and here are some of our favourite pics (spelling is for you Jonathan :) ).

It's true...second children get to do so much more, so much faster than the first. I don't think Lexi tasted ice cream until her first birthday party or well after her first birthday. Lillian had her first taste at the ripe old age of 7 months. She wanted more and got mad when we took it away.

We had a playdate with some friends last Thursday at one of our local beaches (Ølberg Strand). Jen was happy to get some fresh air after being couped up on the plane for so long. Here are Jen and Lillian on the swings.
I LOVE this picture. Lexi wanted to roll her jeans up like Jen (quite practical really because of the sand). Anyway, they climbed a sand dune to look out to the North Sea.
Lexi quickly had a wardrobe change...jeans were way too hot.
Here is Jen Saturday morning at Sola Dager (Sola Days). She is eating some fresh Norwegian strawberries from one of the local strawberry farms. Sola is the name of the town that we live closest to. Let the strawberry season begin!
Yes, I do pose for the occasional pic....
Here is Lexi taking a horse and carriage ride
Jen couldn't wait to strap on the Baby Bjørn. Lillian loved going through the grocery store with Jen.
Saturday afternoon, we went into Stavanger. Here are Jen and Tim with Old Stavanger (Gamle Stavanger) in the background.
Lillian got her second taste of ice cream
Even though Tim (and Lexi) could (would) eat ice cream 365 days a year - come rain or shine... I can't. But, I must admit...nothing beats a yummy ice cream on a gorgeous, sunshiny, warm day.
Lexi went down the slide zillions of times. (Please ignore the fashion statement...)

So, many of you have heard us talk about "Lørdags Godt". This is directly translated to Saturday treat and basically means that every Saturday, we get to have a treat. Lexi will pick out some chips or some candy from the store and she gets to eat it in the evening - usually with the Saturday movie night. This is very common in Norway amongst Norwegian familes. I think it is a great thing to do as it means Saturday is something special. It's not as if we don't ever have sweets and crisps during the week, but in general, it is something we reserve for Saturdays. (Ice cream is excluded - see above comments about Tim's passion for ice cream.)

Anyway...long story longer...Jen loves Dr. Pepper. Well, Dr. Pepper is not marketed here, but you can find it at some speciality grocery stores. So, Jen chose Dr. Pepper for her Saturday treat. We - in typical Allen fashion - had to take a picture. So, Jen tells Lexi "hold up your drink for the picture". Er, um...apparently, Lexi has yet to learn the meaning of some English phrases. So, she quite literally held up her drink. Duhhh!

On Sunday, we spent the afternoon at a local farm/picnic area (Soma Gård). It is super fun for kids as they can look at the animals, hop on zillions of trampolines, play in the sand boxes, ride tractors, play on swingsets, etc. Here are Jen and Lexi on a display tractor.

Here they are petting the lambs

Slides are fun

Yes, Lillian woke up and here she is in the swing

Lillian loves to walk...everywhere. The only problem? She still needs help :)

Lexi and Lillian in our wagon with refridgerator bag that contained our lunch for grilling.
Lexi got to ride a horse and loved it. (The green thing is like a shower cap since the helmets are used by all.)
Today, Jen, Lillian and I went on a 3 hour boat ride from Stavanger harbour to Lysefjord. Lysefjord is where Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) is located. Jen and I hiked to Preikestolen when she was here at Easter 2009, but today, the goal was to see it from below at water level. Unfortunately, the weather was a bit gray today and there was lots of low-lying fog/clouds in the fjord. So, we didn't actually see the top. Nonetheless, it was a great trip with lots of beautiful scenery. Here are Jen and Lillian at the beginning of the trip when the boat was leaving Stavanger harbour.
Lillian and I had been on top of the boat looking at the beautiful scenery. The wind was blowing and it was a bit cool for her...so, I bundled her up in her hat and suit.

Jen is sampling the fresh mountain water from this waterfall.

Jen is posing in front of the sightseeing boat that we went on.