Still here

Well, everybody has been here for a week now. And I’m still feeling bad about how I am so happy about coming to work. (Does that make sense? Strange wording there.) The family room is still filled with toys. The house is still periodically filled with the sound of screams. But when they smile it all feels nice.

Alex, the four year old (well, will be four in January) is staying Swedish, but we are converting the twins to be American. Our sweet cereal, hot dogs and beans, French fries with ketchup, cheese doodles, almost anything we put in front of them is tried. They are turning their noses up at the brought-from-home hot cereal, and dad wonders what they will eat back home.



Cookie crisp cereal, alternating with cocoa puffs and Captain Crunch peanut butter. No milk, dry of course (plus it’s much less messy).

We went out with the group to the Lone Star Texas Barbeque last night for ribs. Alex tried the ribs, but the twins were really into the French fries and cheeseburgers.Adam liked his fries dipped into the barbeque sauce.


But Axel liked the ketchup.


He had this really serious look on his face while working on the dipping part. There was even a point where he was just licking the ketchup off the fries.

Back in the toy area they also seemed to like the cheese crackers.


At a little table we bought just for them. I hadn’t seen them sitting there, but B took this in the afternoon. Also got some crayons and coloring books which I hear they liked also. The twins worked on crayons and placemats while waiting for the food at the restaurant. Another American tradition.

Still hard to get shots of everybody together. My camera takes a few seconds after pushing the button before the picture is actually taken, which is a real bummer when taking shots of moving objects. You have to plan ahead for the movement, which is why so many nice shots are missed.


The twins really move fast. But they sometimes sit with mom to watch Spongebob on TV.


Dad sometimes sits with they guys and plays. Axel likes the Legos.


And mom is always around.


Whenever she leaves the room the boys all start looking for her. Guess that’s what happens when mom stays home to raise the kids. In Sweden the social system pays mom to stay home for a year after each kid is born. Don’t know if she gets more because of twins. The population of native Swedes is dropping due to a declining birth rate, while the number of emigrants from the middle east and former Russian states is increasing, so the government is trying to encourage births, as they are in Italy also.

Oh, can’t leave without a shot of granddaughter.


Alex seems to get along with her quite well. He doesn’t usually want his picture taken, but for some reason jumped out here.

So Dana and Jo, the toys will still be here after they are gone, and the guest room will be empty. Come on by.