Hello again.

So I took a blog break, obviously... Once we moved back to the States it was a little overwhelming living back in Great Falls. All of the sudden we were in the same town as our families. Which has been great, however, being around family constantly has made it tough to find blogging time. Don't get me wrong, we are loving hanging out with everyone, being involved in family gatherings and having help with the kids, and I know once we move I will miss it all.  The good news is that Jeff finally landed a job in Minnesota! He will be a process engineer at a company called Cliffs Natural Resources. We will be moving to the town of Two Harbors around the end of the year. It is such a relief to know where our lives are headed. Waiting for a job offer has been pretty stressful. We are currently in the process of house hunting and getting everything in order for the move.  I really hope that this is our last move for awhile or really forever! Wouldn't that be nice. Jeff and I counted and we have moved towns three times, countries once and residences 8 times over the last 11 years.  I think it is time to settle down! So here are a few pictures from the summer to get up to speed on how we have spent the last six months.

The monkeys at the Fourth of July parade.

 Playing at Giant Springs.  Avery fished for awhile and then we let the kids run around in the lawn.

 On our hike to Memorial Falls outside of Monarch.

 Swimming at Grandma Lori's house.

 Anders first Birthday party.

 Dancing with Grandpa at a wedding.

 Playing with Michael on his Birthday.

 Chilling in Butte with the McGrath's who flew in from Australia!  The naked monkey is Olivia ;)

 I even made it to a Griz game and met up with Jill, we had a blast!

 At he Museum of the Rockies with Shayden.

 Hanging in Grandpa and Nana's back yard.

 Fishing at Pelican Point with Grandpa Bubba.

 Nap time in the woods outside of Augusta.

 Same trip, floating the creek with Grandma Lori.

 Riding the four wheeler at Willow Creek Reservoir.

 First day of Kindergarden.

 Trick or Treat!

 Meeting my new nephew, Liam!

Swimming at cousin Micheal's Birthday party!

And then he was one!

I have some catching up to do on my blogging and I plan on doing that soon.  In the meantime Anders turns one today and even in my summer laziness I had to make sure and get a post out for him.  What a year it has been.  Having a baby in Norway who decided not to sleep for 11 months was a challenge, however, I am so glad we made that decision.  Anders has been a challenge and a joy.  We battled acid reflux for 10 months, countless nights of not sleeping and then all of the sudden he decided to sleep.  He turned into a mellow little man who smiles constantly and loves to get into trouble.  He is also a Mama's boy which I love!  So here's to a crazy year of constant changes.  I would not have had it any other way.  We love you Anders, you have added to much to our lives.    

The Countdown Begins

Only thirteen days left in Norway.  It's pretty surreal.  When this whole adventure started two and a half years ago I thought it would never end.  I even threatened taking the kid and running back to the States.  Yet at some point I started to really enjoy living in Europe and even got used to Norway and now it's over.  So much has happened since we've moved, both good and bad, but in the end I am so glad that we took this journey.  What memories for us to look back on.  The time we lived in Europe, visited Spain, had a baby in Norway.  From this experience I have had the opportunity to not only see the world but to live it.  It is hard to explain but living in another culture is a somewhat humbling experience and one I urge everyone to try.  Avery will always have a perception of what the world is like that I'm sure she will take with her.  Hopefully some day she will decide to travel through Europe and she won't fear it like I did pre-Norway.  It is pretty amazing to have a five year old that understands what Europe is and that people speak different languages.  Anders will always be able to tell about how he was born and spent the first year of his life in Norway, won't other kids be impressed.  As the days are winding down I am finding myself with very mixed feelings.  I almost started crying yesterday in the grocery store, as it was the last time I would get groceries in Norway.  And how will I ever say goodbye to Elisabeth and her girls, I am choosing to not think about that right now.  We will be leaving behind wonderful friends, great memories and blueberry season!  I am so bummed to not be here for berry season and I think it will take me awhile to get over that.  So goodbye to Norway, you have taught me so much and because of you I am a stronger, more confident person with a whole new perception of the world.  Thank you, we will miss you.

We are in trouble now!

Hike in the woods

Last Sunday we took a hike through the woods back to a farm (gård) that sits about a mile and a half back and sells coffee and waffles with brown cheese or strawberries and sour cream (every cafe sells these two items.)  It was a beautiful day and we walked with Mark, Elisabeth and the girls.  Anders rode in the backpack and did fairly well.  It's days like these that I will miss Norway.  

.

 View from the deck.

The girls on a swing.

The men.