Easter this year has been lots of fun, with skiing, sledding, swimming, playing and most importantly, quality time with family. Onkel André and Elise spent the first weekend with us and had a wonderful time playing with you in the house and in the snow. Inside, your favorite activity was building the tallest towers possible with Onkel, and outside you enjoyed every minute in the 'pulk,' whether sleeping or awake (while awake you sang constantly and contentedly as you watched the winter landscape go by). Onkel and Elise led us on a fine trip around Silkedalen, and believe it or not Onkel pulled the pulk the whole way on his skating skis - a feat which only the strongest Vikings attempt! You also took your very first strides alone on skis, with all of us taking turns having you between our legs and cheering you on with 'Heia Sunniva' cheers.
After Onkel and Elise left for Bjorli, you and I spent a couple of quiet days together while Mommy had to return home to work. Our swimming and skiing went without a hitch, but our sledding suddenly turned into an extreme sport when you decided to turn the wheel of your original 1980s sled (used to be Mommy's) off the track and into the trees! Daddy watched in slow motion as you managed to maneuver around a few trees, and when I realized that you were picking up speed I had no choice but to dive headlong into the snow to grab the sled and prevent you from flying away!
Needless to say we were both thrilled when Mommy returned, and the next day Mormor and Morfar came from Haugesund to be with their favorite grandchild. On Good Friday we all set out for a ski trip that proved more challenging than we would have liked, but which will be long remembered for Mormor's toughness. Unfortunately she fell on the first big downhill and got a big 'owie,' but she managed to continue another 20km despite the pain - a heroic achievement! Taking a break for some bonfire-grilled hotdogs helped everyone to refuel, and even though we forgot the ketchup, the Easter sunshine warmed and encouraged us to continue.
On Easter Sunday we arranged an American Easter Egg Hunt that had Daddy reminiscing about finding eggs with Aunt Olivia when we were kids. You were thrilled to find the eggs that we had painted together the day before, and you rushed to put them all in your basket and count them one by one (Morfar even counted to ten in English to your great delight!). Your last egg was of course the Norwegian one, filled with raisins, blueberries and a banana that you gobbled up with glee after spilling everything all over the floor.
And that is how we celebrated your second Easter, with the best of both your cultures, as always. It is unbelievable that you will be two years old in just a month - you've grown so much and are now totally your own person with your own charmin personality, independent of Mommy and me. But we are still the sun and moon in your solar system, and we like nothing more than waking up with you on top of us, cheek to cheek with Mommy and reminding us 'That's Mommy's hand' 'Daddy has a head' 'Daddy has a teeth' and other irresistibly cute Sunniva-isms, which are already too numerous to document!
