Welcome home away from home Liam!

Finally!  It has been a long wait for everyone to get a visit from older brother Liam. Illïus and Xavier came with me on the train to Stockholm, and oh boy!  that was a ride and a half!

Our family (except for dad) gets real motion sick and more likely than not, one of us will throw up on a journey. Illïus threw up a few times on the train to Stockholm, and continued on the train to the airport. Thank goodness for the abundance of plastic bags that are attached to every seating row. Xavier's fleece cowboy hat also helped Illïus from images zipping by his eyes.

Illïus and Xavier on the roof of a toy train at the train station.

Needless to say we hit the drugstore immediately when we arrived at the airport, and the ride home was smooth as butter.

Through the years, we have picked up Liam and Duncan at the same exact spot for obvious reasons.  This time however; we moved clear across the arrival hall to prank Liam.  Illïus and Xavier stalked him so he was not lost :)

 

Welcome home Liam, WOW you grew tall!

WE MISSED YOU!

We will forever love my grandfather

One of the reasons that I opted to move back to Sweden after a decade+ in the US was partially due to my grandparents getting old and ill.  They raised me and are my beloved examples in all things.  They never spoke much, but were examples of how to live a righteous and loving life as disciples in Christ.

My grandfather has been a hard worker his whole life, born into a very large and poor family from Jokkmokk (the very northern parts of Sweden).  He almost died a couple of weeks ago and I feel the urgency to take down his life history and of those relatives that still live in his heart and mind.

About 3 years ago, my grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson and Alzheimer.  These 3 years have substantially changed my grandfather's and grandmother's quality of life.  His health is deteriorating quickly.  I have been wondering how such cruel illness happen to selfless and giving people that love God.

Now a month later, I understand more.  He never curse God about his ailments.  He loves the opportunity to have lived a full life and accept his current time that is heavy laiden in his sufferings.  He is brave, and worries more about us than himself.  He is grace and an example of hope and faith.  He knows where his place will be when God resurrect His chosen the last day.  My grandfather might need help remembering what a wonderfully blessed life he has had, and he knows that this life on earth is but a short moment in time.  He knows he is loved by all his flocking grand children and great grandchildren that all love him so.

We stop our days, for our grandfather and great grandfather.  We take time to tell him we love him.  We thank him for our lives.

Snazzy Duncan and Liam

Liam to the left, Duncan to the right.  Duncan is the eldest going on 18 and Liam is almost 16, 2012.

Duncan's and Liam's stepmother Amanda and her son Jordan (far right), and half sibling Devon (center).

Happy 10th birthday Anïas

Time sure flies, Anïas turned 10 today.  His father Jeffrey had made him a birthday lemon/chocolate pound cake the night before.  Anïas has such a hard time falling asleep the night before that we had to arrange a sleep over with a movie in his little brother Xavier's room.

Anïas woke up as usual and played Legos and plus-plus with his brothers Illïus and Xavier for a couple of hours in the morning.  He chose to have some home made burgers with fries as his birthday lunch celebration meal.

After some relaxing time, we took off into the woods for more play.  We've had cold and terrible weather for a few days prior, so when the sun decided to show up it made our day.

This is a perfect place to play fortress, and imagine creepy and brave scenarios.

This tree had fallen down across some boulders.  It was fabulous fun for  Anïas, Illïus and Xavier.

As Anïas and Illïius were playing around, I snuck home with Xavier to pick up the birthday cake and drinks.  Here I am setting up the candles, and lo and behold, I brought a lighter that does not work (no girl scout readiness badge for me!).

After a quick 10 sec cake break and some birthday singing, the boys rushed off to play.  Jeffrey had to chase them around and I am sure we would still be in the woods if it weren't for me wanting to go home, and Anïas wondering if 'Birthday Santa' had left him a present this year.

To his joy Birthday Santa had been at our house and had dropped 2 presents off.  To Anïas dismay, Birthday Santa had also hidden them.  It took a good 15 minutes until he found them, even with help.

He got a science kit and a Wii game.  Good times. 

Easter is coming

What has Easter become? 

Well that depends on what person you talk to.  What has Easter become to you?  For us, we try to focus on family.  I like to focus on Jesus Christ dying to overcome the world, his glorious resurrection and thus the redemption of man.

Here are some crafty egg projects Anïas, Illïus and Xavier made at school today.

Illïus is pointing on his brown hen.  Miss chocolate.

Xavier made a chicken from papers glued together, beads and feathers.  The googly eyes says it all.

Anïas made a MineCraft chicken egg.  Wishing all a happy Easter.

Easter eggs on the school wall

This monday, we had an easter egg hunt on the chalkboard.  Leon and Karl Johan are the artists.  There was full activity on the backside of Fokuskolan, Nyköping so I was left to myself here.

Anïas was outside in the woods playing with his class mates.

Nature is a wonder

Today, between two general conference sessions (http://conference.lds.org), I had promised to go outside with my boys.  To my grief it had started to hail, rain, snow and the wind was fierce.

Of course, I had set myself into spring mode and was an unwilling participant at first.  But we had an amazing time outside, although it was cut a bit short because we were not prepared for the weather.

Next to our house are the woods.  We are in luck because the ice-age has left it's mark here with huge boulders, nooks and crannies that are marvelous to play around.

oh sorry, wrong picture.

Here we go...

OH NOES, THE GROUND IS MOVING

Anïas, Illïus and Xavier are standing next to a birch tree with an ant hill that measures several feet in circumference, and about a meter above the ground.  Illïus and Xavier were really uneasy standing so close to the ant hill.  The ants have just woken up a few days ago and were hustling about all over the place in droves.

We climbed up the hillside to the part where old boulders had been dropped and formed a little quarry where water had pooled.  One can skate here during the winter.  It is amazing.

As we got deeper into the woods, Anïas called out that he found a squirrel.  Someone had left a bit of tree graffiti of a squirrel posted on a tree trunk.   Illïus was all surprised and wondered why anyone would paint a picture and leave it in the woods.

We finally got to our final destination.  A large plateau on-top of this hill that is just a bunch of huge rocks and boulders.  There is a camping fire place.  This place was not mapped out on the local map, but we just stumbled upon it a few years ago and have been here a lot since then.  The kids love this place.  So much to do and conjure up game wise.  A truly magnificent place for fantasy play.

One cannot tell, but we have had hail, rain and snow on us for about an hour now.  As we are about to head home to take a warm bath, we take a new path down the hillside.  To our great surprise we found a real amazing cottage.  And the mystery ensued.  Who built it?  When was it built?  Are there any people here now?

It had a fireplace, a bench and to my children's cheers... it had marshmallows in there.  I wouldn't let them eat it, but we cleaned up some garbage that had been left in the cottage.  Someone had built a nice fireplace as well.  It was real dry inside that little house.  We found a receipt of a cash withdrawal among the garbage and figured out that this was build September of last year.  So exciting to watch the kids try to figure out who the settlers were.  One can only imagine how people felt in the old times.  Good and bad.

We grabbed our garbage bag with marshmallows and soda cans to head home.  But that turned out to take time as well.  Anïas, Illïus and Xavier picked up any garbage they could find on the way home through the woods.  On the picture below we hit the jackpot.  Some dog owner had tossed several bags of dog poop in the same spot at the end of the woods.  Of course I said we had to take those bags with us...  this picture really cracks me up.

Fun times.  Effortless.  Spontaneous. Cost nothing.

When the iPhone gets hijacked...

Illïus on the lookout for mom while older brother snaps a picture.

Little brother Xavier wants in on the action and the eldest one takes a picture.

They are still in the clear, so Anïas has to pop in for a quickie as well.

Then I came...

... enough said.

Early April fools

Why do we place our winter stuff in storage when we know that nature up north is not done with winter yet?  Will we ever learn?  This lesson can be applied to all areas of our lives.  Are we prepared or do we often steer though winging it?

It was cold, it was windy, but oh so gorgeous.  Good thing we did not plant anything in our garden yet.

My husband Jeffrey got all fired up and took Anïas, Illïus and Xavier out for a snowball fight and to build that perhaps very last snowman until next winter season.

And as with most our snowball fights, someone ends up coming in crying.

Family history work - I'm on a mission

I am now on a mission to gather family history from my elder living relatives.  To my joy, my grandmother pulled out a couple of old cherished photos of her mother and grandmother.  I quickly pulled up my iPhone and took a copy. 

My grandmother May Ann Henriksson is to the left and her mother in the middle.  Next to them were two neighborhood children.  Can't wait to ask more questions about this picture.

Here is my grandmother's grandmother.  She was a widow at an early age and here is her eldest son. Mary Ann belives her father is about 7 here.  He is now in charge of his siblings.  The clothes they are wearing were lent them.  They were very poor and had very little.

Artsy smartsy

Liam's 2011 art project

This whole family draw and paint in abundance.  It is wonderful to see Liam's post on his facebook account of this little morsel of art treasure that we now gobbled up and placed on your family blog next to our creative keepsakes.  Liam and Duncan, let the creative juices flow, bring the art hither!


His father Darryl had written a funny and cute comment next to Liam's picture that read:

"He made Student of the Week and we received a nice email from his art teacher on this. Very proud of him. Doesnt take after me, I still draw stick figures."

Xavier the artist - The portrait of my mother

Xavier made me a portrait.  I must say, it was dead on, don't you think?

Portrait of:  Camilla Granström Berard, 2012

Artist:  Xavier Granström Berard

I am Xavier -- according to Xavier

On my son Xaviers school has a family project a foot. I had to laugh as I saw how they were working on the family theme.

Family mapping on the circle time board

Self portraits. Xavier's is to the far left, hugging up a storm.

This is Xavier's family according to Xavier. Too cute.

---

And here he is, playing with the iPhone.

 Illïus, Xavier and mom Camilla