Vinterferie på Rauland

Dearest Sunniva,

The peace and quiet of the mountains has finally given me time to write to you again. The summary of our family Xmas is still unfinished but hopefully I'll come back to it. 

The weather in Rauland is milder than last year, making for a more enjoyable time outdoors. We had lots of fun during our first two days here with Marianne, Leif Arild, Marcus, Emilie and Helene, and then with Mormor and Morfar, but now it's just us three again. 

After a couple days' steady snowfall we awoke today to a clear sky and waited until after your nap to go skiing because we knew the sun was going to come out in the afternoon. And what an incredible trip it was! Absolutely pristine snow, unblemished by people (there are very few here now compared to last week) and sparkling in the late mountain sun, and not a breath of wind. Animal tracks were all over the place, and as I skied along enjoying the whimsicality of the paths of the usual mice, birds, weasels and rabbits, and imaging what errands they may have been on, I suddenly saw a set of tracks that was much bigger, and with evidence that the body of a larger animal had broken through the deep snow amidst his pounces. Lynx! I am not positive, but they are relatively common around here (16 were shot in Telemark last year) and it would not be too farfetched; next time I will take a picture for you.

You love riding along in your 'pulk' and watching the scenery go by, singing contentedly all the while. Well, not ALL the while - you enjoyed our picnic so much that we had a big diaper to change but we had to wait until we got home, and you were pretty miserable the last kilometer or so - poor girl!

But as with other challenges (sleep!), you always tackle life's hurdles with grace, ease and good humor. You tell us what you want and what you need, and you are always 100% in the moment, constantly reminding and inviting us to be with you as you discover all the joys this world has to offer.

For example, when we read about woodpeckers, you are thrilled to be picked up and taken to the nearest wall to practice pecking away for termites, and your total belief in and commitment to the task is infectious. "Daddy is a woodpecker. Sunniva is a woodpecker!" And then you laugh, and we laugh, and the world is as brand new.