Let it snow!

The temperatures here in Oslo have been unexpectedly high.  The other day it obliged us and dipped below freezing so that we could enjoy a brief and picturesque snowfall.  Maddie was at school and Eliot and James were at Barnepark.  We had kept Peter and Lucy at home for the day because they had both been in need of rest.  They both wanted a little jaunt in the snow so we bundled them up and went out into the backyard.

 

 

 

 

Picking up Eliot and James, we found them enthusiastic as ever about their day of outdoor adventure.

 

Running toward a favourite patch of ice.

 

Uncle Cameron rounding up the boys.

 

At home again the children had fun giving each other rides in a cardboard box.

 

Today Maddie was at her last day of school before the Christmas break and all the other children were at Barnepark, so Janet and Cameron showed us a bit of the city.  We started out at Frogner Park.  They have a gallery of statues that celebrate the life cycle.

 

Some of the statues were a little odd, but many were quite tender.  The Norwegians really emphasize the nurturing role of both mothers and fathers in the lives of their children. 

 

 

Next we were off for a tour of the US Ambassador's Residency which is currently vacant preparing for the arrival of the new ambassador.  Cameron is the facilities manager for the US Embassy and this Residency, so this was a bit of an unofficial tour.

 

We walked in through the backdoor, past the kitchen and cupboard full of the special ambassador china.

 

Apparently only ambassadors and former ambassadors are permitted to entertain with this china.  It was really beautiful.

 

 

Then we headed back out into the city.

 

We stumbled upon a cute little Christmas market.

 

And look who else we ran into!

 

 

 

When we picked up the children they were rosy and smiling and splattered with mud.  In this picture, Eliot is showing me that he doesn't have any mud on his hands.  He had enjoyed playing with James and pushing Lucy in the swing.

 

Peter had had a wonderful time and was ready and willing to smile for the camera.

Away to Oslo!

On Monday Eliot, Peter and I flew up to Oslo, Norway to visit my sister and her family.  My sister and her husband have three children:  Maddie age six, James age four, and Lucy age two.  James is actually just a month older than Eliot and Lucy is just a month younger than Peter.  Eliot and James have been inseparable since our arrival.

They're like two peas in a pod.  

Today Maddie was off to school and the four younger children were off to Barnepark.  Bundling them up was quite an ordeal but well worth the trouble as they spent the whole day playing out in the snow, ice and slush.

Eliot wasn't too sure about it at first (though he settled in and enjoyed himself after we left) but Peter was perfectly happy once he discovered that they had a good store of toy trucks.

They had a great time but were glad, just the same, to see us arrive to pick them up.  They'll be heading back tomorrow and I think they're looking forward to it.

Peter looked like he was ready to take a walk on the moon.

While the boys and Lucy were playing, Janet took my parents and me to the Viking Ship Museum.  It had a collection of ships that had been used as burial ships along with some of the items that had been found inside them.  My favourite was the mention made of peacock remains being found in one of the graves.  It was believed to be a "souvenir" from a Viking raid.  It was really fascinating museum.

Holly berries at a Christmas tree stand.

Peter has been having a great time playing with James' stash of cars and trucks.  This truck is a particular favourite because of the siren and flashing lights that come on when he pushes a button.

This evening Noni made church mix with the kids.  She dictated the "recipe" to Maddie and called it Aunt Nora's Church Mix (my name is connected to it solely because I'm such a big fan) and Maddie copied it down faithfully.

Next it was Grandad's turn with the kids.  He had brought some activity boards with him and this evening's activity was teaching the children to pound nails into the wood.

James did a great job in spite of the supportive back smacking from his cousin.

Then it was Eliot's turn.

Peter was too busy rearranging the Nativity.  

Peter at the Luxembourg Gardens

The other day Peter and I had a little outing, just the two of us.  It was a beautiful day so we hopped on the metro (men-soh, as Peter puts it) and went out to the Luxembourg Gardens.

 

The trademark toy boats with sticks weren't out, but others had come with their remote control boats and were floating them around the fountains.

 

Peter enjoyed watching the boats for a bit, but soon he was ready to get out and stretch his legs.

 

 He pushed his stroller around the grounds and, I think, appreciated taking everything at his own pace.  We'll have to bring Daddy and Eliot back here.

Errands and other outings

Yesterday I had some errands I needed to run and Spencer offered to stay with Peter during his nap so that Eliot and I could take off.  I had intended to go to the department store Samaritaine, but upon arriving discovered it was closed for renovations.  I was able to find what I needed in the nearby shops and then Eliot and I were off in search of a chocolat chaud.

 

We walked back down the Seine and discovered a bunch of pet stores.  I love that in French you can add -erie to the end of a word and it becomes a shop selling that thing.  Hence, animalerie.

 

Eliot enjoyed watching the fish but thought the shops with puppies were too smelly ("germy" was the word he actually used.)  I always feel sorry for puppies in pet stores too.

 

Finally we found our little café and took a seat outside because it was such a nice day.  Eliot perused the menu.

 

Digging into his chocolat chaud viennois.  When we'd finished we walked back up the Seine on the other side of the street so we could admire the wares for sale.  Eliot enjoyed leafing through the art prints with me and feeling very grown-up and involved.

 

That evening we took the boys out on their first after-dark outing.  We visited the Christmas market along the Champs Elysees, and oh la la, mais il y avait du monde!

The crowd in this picture is actually pretty thinned out compared to the horde we landed ourselves in after climbing out of the metro.

 

Eliot ventured into the crowd with me in search of various treats.  Here we're purchasing some caneles de Bourdeaux, yum!

 

While waiting for Eliot and me to return with the treats, Peter was happy to sit with Daddy on the fringe of the crowd, near the street, watching the cars and buses rush by.

 

Eliot's favourite part of the evening, which he hasn't been able to stop talking about?  Candy floss.

 

Of course we picked up a few of these on the way home.

 

It was a really nice evening to be out on the town, even if half of Paris seemed to have the same idea.