Grandparents here from Sauuuudi!

Lydia fell in love with my mom already on the drive home from the airport. My mom has a fun quirky way of singing, saying silly things, and joking with Lydia, and she looooved it. And then there were the other perks, like hiding and seeking easter eggs that grandma put tiny treats into, getting to taste grandma's diet coke, coloring books together with grandma...and so on.

and of course my mom got plenty of snuggle time with Markus too...

We had a great day out at the botanical gardens one day when they visited....this is the only "family" shot we got, except it is missing Daniel who is taking the picture!

My dad had fun both with Lydia and Markus, and the photo below shows a good bit of family resemblence...(by the way, Markus' middle name is William after my dad, Rick William Jackson)

Lydia enjoyed helping my dad fix the bouncer they helped bring over for Markus, including "helping" some screws disappear and "helping" dismantle the fabric part when my dad wasn't looking.

And by the end of the trip Lydia had so much fun with my parents that she would *sometimes* let them hold her hand while walking or even go out on walks with them alone!

I'm so glad you could visit, mom and dad!

Markus is 3 weeks old!

Some thoughts regarding the first three weeks with our newborn...

1. Pacifiers in moderation are great things!

2. I was surprised how much of an emotional roller coaster Lydia has had with the introduction of a sibling...climbing up on the changing table to pour out baby lotions and toothepaste, going on naked strikes when she should actually be napping, having total crying breakdowns...poor girl!

3. It is amazing how much toe (and finger) jam little hands and feet can accumulate, especially considering that Markus doesnt wear shoes! And it smells fuuuuunky.

4. According to the nurse in his checkup today, if you let a baby go without burping them, it will indeed come out the other end as a fart. We got a serious farter on our hands here, and hopefully that can be corrected by burping him better. Otherwise, we better be praying for his future wife!

5. It seems like all my kids get these teenager looking pimples all over their faces after a week or two...so much for making sweet newborn photos!

6. Yesterday at Bible study the baby slept for almost 4 hours straight....that is a lot easier to take care of then a wiggly toddler!

7. Carpal tunnel syndrome, snoring, back pain, extreme tiredness, annoyance at everyone wondering why i chose to go almost three weeks overdue before having the baby, I am glad that pregnancy days are over!

Welcome to our family, Markus!

Here are a few glimpses of life with TWO kiddos. Interesting that a lot of these photos involve someone crying, sometimes both kids crying!

On the positive side, Lydia has started to take a bit more interest in holding and helping her little brother...

(looks like she is playing with a doll, eh?)
We threw them both up on the changing table together...two oil changes for the price of one!
Heres the first time that Lydia tried to hold her little brother...
And here is a photo from just a day or two ago...she is getting better at holding him and enjoying it more and more...

Sometimes it seems like both kids want to snuggle with me at the same time....but what can we do?

Sometimes everyone is just crying....

But all in all it is a lot of fun!

Våren har kommit! Spring is here!

Today marks 2 weeks over my due date, but going out and seeing spring blooming up was a great encouragement!

(Especially here in Sweden, where it has been cold and dark all winter!)