Fun Fall Weekend!

We spent this last weekend in Feda for a 3 day weekend. We had beautiful fall weather (blue skies, sunshine and crispy temps). It was a fun actioned-packed weekend with friends and family.

Here is Lexi at the indoor waterpark (Badeland) in Lyngdal.

Here is Sverre and Lexi (3 months apart) after the trip to Badeland on Friday

Here is Lexi on the sailboat on Saturday (eating a choc chip cookie, of course....)
Here is Tim and Lexi on our sailboat trip in Feda fjord

Lexi was lulled to sleep after she ate her cookie....

View towards Feda

Entry to Feda River from Feda Fjord

Lexi and Sverre playing in the boathouse

Lexi also received a Halloween package from Grammy and Grandpa. She was allowed to open it on Friday morning. Here is the video clip. Thanks for a wonderful present!

Lexi dancing in her new t-shirt

Thanks Mark Thomas for sending Lexi her new "Big Sister in Training" t-shirt! She has been wearing it - it's just that Mom hasn't been so active with the camera lately. So, here is a video clip of her dancing to a Norwegian kids song (from a TV program). Video taken Sept 28.

Lots of love from Norway!

What a fun Saturday!

Well, we have had the most gorgeous weather since Thursday and it is predicted to be nice again tomorrow. Beautiful blue skies, sunshine, no wind and temps in the 60s.

Today was a great Saturday. We had a lazy morning (which was desperately needed after a LOOONG week at work and daycare). Tim then brought in his "latest project". He has spent the last 6 evenings out in the garage building Lexi a dollhouse. I planted the seed ages ago since he is Mr. Handyman. I printed off ideas from a website in the UK that sells gorgeous dollhouses made out of wood. They are often built in replicas of English estate homes, etc. Well, I guess that my practical-minded husband got hung up on the "replica" word. He has built Lexi a boathouse replica and even painted it to match. Er, um - it wasn't exactly the "girly girl" dollhouse I had in mind, but Lexi loves it.

We also officially moved Lexi into her new bedroom this morning. Nikki has lovingly made Lexi new curtains for her new bedroom. They were finished this week and we moved the bed over this morning. We aren't done decorating, etc., but it is definitely starting to take shape. (The idea is that the new baby gets the "baby room" with the couch for convenience in breast feeding....). So, a huge, massive THANK YOU to Nikki for the gorgeous curtains! You are awesome!

After the lazy morning of new bedroom and "doll house", Tim headed to Feda to get a couple of things completed and Lexi and I met Jacinta, Grace and Rachel at Soma Gård. It is a local farm that has loads of activities for kids. There are massive amounts of picnic tables, open areas, grills and animals. So, it is a great picnic outing - and of course, there were plenty of things to hop on.

Lexi and I came home this evening tired-out from a fun day in the sunshine. Here are some pics to prove it.

Lexi and her new dollhouse

Lexi's "new" bedroom

Wouldn't have been completed without Hello Kitty

Grace and Lexi at Soma Gård

Hopping is what they do best

Lexi was a speed demon

Summer memories 2010 - blog entry 2 of 2

Week 2 started with the arrival of Grammy and Grandpa. Although tired from their long travels, they were super-troopers and jumped in the car with me for the 2 hour drive to Feda (where Tim and Lexi were). We had a wonderful week and it went by way too fast. We spent a few days in Feda at the boathouse and a few days in Arendal at the hytte (summer cottage). As with any "Allen family vacation", there are zillions and zillions of pictures. Here are some of my favorite ones. (PS - anyone who posts, prints or otherwise distributes a picture of me in my very large, pregnant state will be disowned :) )

Lexi modelling her new outfit from Grammy and Grandpa

(complete with the American flag)

Lexi LOVES her new Dora battery-powered toothbrush! THANK YOU Great Granny!Awesome gift!Lexi in braids... Tim, Lexi and Grammy on a sightseeing boat trip...

Grammy & Grandpa in front of a pretty rose bush in old-town Feda
Grandpa and Lexi

Lexi picked-out this picture for me for my birthday from Lajla's art gallery. It's for the new baby's room :)

Lexi eating yoghurt and leftover McDonald's chicken nuggets & fries while wearing her scooter helmet and sitting on the deck at the hytte in Arendal (no trousers, of course)

Lexi picking (and eating) wild blueberries at the hytte in Arendal

Grandpa at the fish market in Arendal center

It wasn't raining...

A little afternoon siesta on the way back from Arendal center

Grammy & Lexi at the hytte in Arendal

Grandpa and Lexi

Back in Feda - Lexi caught a little crab

He's now in her net as she is going to throw him back out in the water

Mom and Dad in Flekkefjord

Mom and Dad at "Utsikten" (the viewpoint) in Kvinesdal

Lexi playing in the sand at our neighboring beach

Grammy pulling Lexi in her beach towel

Grammy and Lexi at the playground

Bran & Lexi with Sunday's crab...

Sunday's catch of crab...

Dad with one of his crab

Lexi netted one of Grandpa's crabs...

Dad and Tim washing the cooked crab

Summer memories 2010 - blog entry 1 of 2

For 2010, we decided to spend our summer holidays in Norway. So, we headed to Feda on Friday July 23rd to start 3 weeks of R&R.

The first week was filled with lots of fun and friends. Tim's cousin (Frode) and his wife and daughters (Anne, Karine & Mette) were also staying in Feda for two weeks. Tim's good friend (Arne) and his son Sverre (age 3) were in Feda visiting Arne's parents for a week. In addition, our friends from Stavanger (Jan Tore and May-Linn) visited us with their two gorgeous boys Trym (5) and Theo (1). So, we were surrounded by friends and family the first week. We spent one day at the zoo in Kristiansand, but spent the rest of the time in Feda (swimming, catching crab, fishing, playing in the sand, etc.).

We ended the week with an official "move-in" party to the boathouse. It was a fun-filled (and long) evening catching up with many friends (22 of us). Our friends from Froland (outside Arendal) came in for the party and stayed with us a couple of extra days. They (Ole and Marta-Karin) brought their two lovely children Amalie and Jonas. Lexi loved playing with them.

Here are a few fun pics from Week 1.

Lexi driving the boat on a fishing trip out in the fjord.

Lexi and Trym with the daily catch of crab.

Sverre and Lexi riding bikes
Sverre and Lexi playing in a water puddle at the zoo
Lexi and Amalie