Otherwise, here is the final glimpse of Lydias birthday...
Sweden has a sweet tradition of breakfast in bed. But her little bunkbed would've been a bit tight, so we had breakfast on the floor next to her bed, and she looooved it!
If you ask Lydia today what the best part of her birthday was, or what was the best present, she will say without a doubt, "I got to eat a pink donut!!" (Ok, don't go telling me we deprive our kids, but this is the first donut she has maybe ever eaten).
What was a hit in terms of presents? Puzzles have been great stimulators, little toy cars are well used, and a few American learning DVD's that are finally age appropriate were really enjoyed.
The little milestones for my kids is really a great joy for me to keep up with.
And our happy baby Markus has just passed 7 months!
Among his list of abilities, he has now added:
Crawling in reverse, which often ends up in him getting stuck in a corner or something...(Lydia keeps laying down in front of him and saying, "come on, crawl to me," at which point he crawls in reverse directly AWAY from her....ha.
On a side note, Lydia and Markus are pretty good at amusing one another, which is fun.
Making the typical baby sounds, babababa, gagaga, bububub, and a fun "hey" kind of sound as well as "oh yeah"....I know I am just imagining he is saying that, but it is funny.
Rolling over, sitting up decently, into a relatively babywise schedule including around 9 hours of sleep a night, and having a personality that is so happy and fun. I gotta say, second babies seem to be much more content than firstborns...
And already having 5 teeth! (2 bottom teeth arrived more than a month ago, and three top teeth are popping up as we speak).
Weighs almost 9,5 kilos / 21 pounds. (That is a big difference from Lydia at that age...lets just say Markus is a ravenous eater!)
We love you Markus!
but what better way for you to enjoy Lydia's birthday party with us, right?
We had a treasure hunt with Daniel's family!
Fortunately his siblings are good at playing along and having fun...
Stops along the treasure hunt included:
1. Blowing a milk carton boat across the kiddie pool to get the next clue....
2. Decorating a little cake and then letting Lydia judge which one was "best"
3. Paint up each other with face paint!
(although some people got a bit bombarded by more than one "decorator")
And some were just really cute like Lydia's cousin here...
There was also an optional hat/mask addition...
Since then, Lydia has asked me several times to go play face painting. :)
4. See who can make the silliest team picture...
A few more stops on the treasure hunt included digging in the sandbox for buried treasure, finding balloons in the apple tree to blow up and decorate the house, paper airplane flying competition, and pushing each other around in a little go-kart contraption...
All of that was followed by a sweet party and dinner! Farmor did a sweet train cake, Markus slept through half of the party, and we had a fun time....Happy Birthday Lydia!
(This little doctors kit was one of Lydia's favorite gifts...thanks Auntie Linda!)
Let's take a look at another hymn from our church's songbook... do you start to see a theme here? The focus of worship should be just what the word worship implies: it's all about God, and not about us!
And even better, this is a direct citation of the Bible....Psalm 118:14, "TheLordis my strength and my song; he has become my salvation"
This is a bit of an old fashioned version of the song, but we truly enjoy having this song in our worship book!
E A
Herren är min starkhet E H E
Och min lovsång E A
Herren är min starkhet E H E
Och min lovsång E A
Han blev mig till frälsning H A E
Han blev mig till frälsning E A
Herren är min starkhet E H E
Och min lovsång.
Nu kan vi kolla på en till lovsång från våran kyrkans sånghäfte. Börja du ser ett tema här? Fokusen av lovsånger ska bli just vad ordet betyder: Det är Gud som är viktig och inte oss! Och även bättre, den sång citerar direkt från Psaltaren 118:14. Musik klippen är ett gammal version av sången, men vi gillar den lovsång i häftet!
What do little kids like for a birthday treat? McDonalds comes to mind as an obvious answer! (especially when they rarely get to go there!)
So we packed up and drove out to the nearest McDonalds for a birthday dinner for Lydia. She just turned 3, (I can hardly believe it!)
Carefully unpacking her first ever happy meal.
Even Markus is intoxicated by the french fries there...
Let's just say that in America it is common to go out to restaurants and fast food, anywhere from once a week to daily.
That is not the case in Sweden here. Let's look at some differences.
1. Cost. Swedish McDonalds costs about double what the American prices are, Starbucks is also approximately double the cost (and you thought your latte was expensive in the states!) Just to restate my point, a value meal at McDonalds in Sweden starts at around 10 dollars and goes up.
2. Recycling? You are expected to take apart your trash and throw it into these different recyclable compartments: ice/liquids, food leftovers, paper, straws, and so on. But apparently, according to people who work at McDonalds in Sweden, this is all just a show, and all the trash gets thrown together into one bag in the end!!
3. A microwave, for warming up baby food brought from home? Yup, that is a standard issue at Swedish McDonalds. Don't want to get the kiddies started on fattening McDonalds food too early. :)
4. Want to charge your electric car? Yup, McDonald's offers that too.
Let's just say that this is a whole different experience. But it was fun to celebrate Lydia's birthday there!
Vad gillar småbarn för ett födelsedags restaurang besök? McDonalds är en av första svararna! Speciellt när de går sällan dar! Vi slängde oss i bilen och körde ut till McDonalds på fredag för Lydias födelsedag firande. Hon har just fyllt tre, kan du tro!? I USA är det vanligt att gå ut på restaurang eller snabbmat mellan en gång i veckan till en gång per dagen! Så är det INTE i Sverige. Låt oss kolla på lite skillnader. 1. Kostnaden. Svensk McDonalds kostar runt dubbel vad det kostar i USA. Starbucks (i Göteborgs centralstationen) är också runt dubbel. 2. återvinning? Du ska inte bara slänga alla skräp i ett stor hål, utan dela upp allting. Det är nästan otänkbart i USA att göra så. Men enligt de som jobbar dar, så de brukar slänga allting i samma smutspåse på slutet av dagen! 3. Mikrovågsugnen? Ja, det är klart man kan varma bebis mat har! Du vill inte att barnen börja äta den hemska onyttiga mcdonalds mat för tidigt, eller hur? 4. Vill du ladda din el-bil? Ja, visa McDonalds i sverige också har det! Låt oss säga att det är ett helt olika upplevelse för mig, men det var roligt att fira Lydia har!
One of the bonuses of visiting Daniels family out in the countryside is forest ramblings...
And now it is mushroom season! I was looking for some of these:
(this is someone elses photo) trattkantarell. These are the not quite as tasty but more common version of kantarell (or chantarelle in English).
Just as a side note, it is kind of ironic that there is also a place called Bergsjön out in the middle of nowhere. This Bergsjön is NOTHING like th Bergsjön we live in!
But when i got up the hill and started looking, all I could find was some weeee little baby trattkantarell...
So i left them there; they are just sitting there growing and waiting for me to come back and pick them!
Here's a mushroom you should NOT eat. reminds me of a kids cartoon, but definitely looks poisonous! (and it IS).
Got lost in the woods? Check. Finally bought a decent rainjacket and rainboots? Check. Sweaty and happy? Check. Got some mushrooms anyway? Check. What a great time.
And this is the short walk back. (ahhh, mushroom season is too short, according to me.)
Ett extra glädje av att besök Daniels familj ut på landet är att jag ibland får vandra i skogen... Och nu är det svamp säsongen. Jag var på jakt för trattkantarell...en kusin till vanliga orange kantarell. Det är roligt att ser ett skylt för Bergsjön har ut på ingenstans. Den dar Bergsjön är inte alls som den Bergsjön vi bor i! När jag gick upförsbacken och började leta, allt jag kunde hitta var de liten bebis trattkantareller. Så jag lämnade de kvar...nu de sitter dar och växer och väntar för mig att komma och plocka opp dem! Svamp-fluga ska man INTE äta. Det påminner mig om någon barn tv program, men på nära holl ser det absolut giftig ut (och det är det!) Gick vilse på skogen? Ja. Köpt (slutligen) en bra regnjacka och stövlar? Ja. Svettig och glad? Ja. Fick lite svamp ändå? Ja. Vilken roliga tid! Så ta jag den lilla fina vägen tillbaka. Svamp säsongen är för kort (enligt mig).
Well, anyone who knows me from high school or college should connect me with sports....but these last couple of years have not exactly been so "sport friendly."
Let's just say that going for a run in Syria or Tunisia where we lived was not exactly acceptable or well taken....or at least I didn't think so.
But now I am in Europe! In Sweden! And that means I can get back on that ol' exercise horse again.
It helps that I have a good friend here who also has wee kiddos and needs motivation to get out to the gym. We spur one another on indeed.
So far, we have been playing the game of "let's see how many gyms we can get free trial memberships to," and quite successfully, I might add.
So far we have been here:
and here:
and here:
and here:
And what do we think so far? Well, for starters, peer pressure is definitely a plus. We both work a lot harder when we sign up for a workout class like spinning (riding a bicycle to extremely loud music that has a strong beat and makes you want to pump your legs faster and faster to the music even if you normally would have stopped or given up but don't dare to get down and leave in front of all those other bike riders).
But that said, the treadmills are ok too....you can see all sorts of nifty stuff, like your pulse rate, how long you have run, how many calories burnt, and so on and so on.
Now we just have to figure out all the other machines in there and which ones we should be using/avoiding, and we will really be on our way!
Så, alla som känner mig från gymnasiet eller universitet ska knyta mig till idrott. Men de sista årerna har inte varit precis så idrott vänliga. Att gå ut och springa i Syrien eller Tunisien dar vi bodde var inte exakt acceptabelt eller så tänkte vi. Men nu är jag i Europa! I Sverige! Och det betyder att jag kan hoppa på den idrott hästen igen (det kanske är bara en engelsk ordspråk?) Det hjälper att jag har en god van har som också har små barn och vill var motiverad att gå till gymmet. Vi uppmuntra varandra verkligen. Så länge har vi lekt, "ska vi se hur många prova på pass vi kan skaffa," och har lyckats rätt så bra! Vi har testat: Fysiken, Sportlife, Friskis och Svettis, och Actic. Vad tänker vi så länge? För att börja med, så grupptryck är ett definitivt plus. Vi jobbar mer när vi gå på ett pass, som spinning (det är att rida en cykel med jätte högt musik som har en stark rytm och gör att man vill gå snabbare och hårdare fast man vanligtvis skulle har slutat för länge sen men just nu kan man inte sluta för att man våga inte gå ut när alla andra cyklister fortsätter!) Men springbanan är ok också...du kan ser din puls, hur lång du har springet, hur många kalorier du har brant, osv. Nu måste vi ser bara vad man göra med alla andra maskiner (och vilken vi ska undvika), och blir det jätte bra!
Lydia is getting more and more talkative, which makes her just that much more AMUSING.
For example:
(As she is learning how to say the Lord's prayer when she goes to bed)
"Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our pacifiers..."
Lydia: "I'm gonna have Bible study in my room." (as she arranges her two kiddie chairs and sets up her stuffed animals)
Me: "What are we going to do?"
Lydia: (we play out this scenario often, so this is a blend of her answers)
....we eat godis! (candy!)
....we sing... twinkle twinkle little star!
....we eat kebabs!
....Lindsay and Evelyn (her two little church friends) can't eat any of my godis (we are working on this one)
...we read....pippi longstockings!
It makes me wonder what she thinks we really do at Bible study.
When we were having evening prayers:
"We pray for Elmo..." (try explaining what it means that we can only pray for real people)
When we are in the bathroom:
"Mom, boys can stand up when they pee but girls have to sit down." "I have a little rumpa (bum), but you and dad both have big rumpas." (And a couple times she has tried to pee standing up = catastrophe).
Bringing her goofy stuffed animal, or her sheep stuffed animal over to the couch. "Goofy/baa baa is hungry. I better give him some milk!" And then pulling up her shirt and nursing the stuffed animal for about 1 second. "All done!"
...many people (myself included) can be attracted to something with a nice tune. But, as another blog has mentioned, "bad lyrics make bad theology!"
But isn't it the words, the things we are saying to God, that really are important?
Another comment from the same blog, "I would argue that one problem is that most church-goers do little if any thinking about the music they sing."
In terms of worship songs with good texts, it is usually the OLDIES and the CLASSICS that have sound and solid wording.
Here is a great exception. Chris Tomlin, born in 1972, published this song in 2004! New AND good!
It was translated to Swedish, and has a fantastic message. (see below).
What's so nice about this song? Total focus on God. It makes Him greater and we are truly in our rightful place, in wonder of our God and singing his praises.
The focus is not on us, but on God, where it should be.
Så stor är vår Gud
G
(capo 2)
G Em7
Vår
Konungs majestät, klädd i härlighet,
C
Må
jorden glädja sig, jorden glädja sig
G Em7
I
ljus som sveper sig, och mörkret gömmer sig
C
Och
skälver sig för Hans röst, skälver sig för Hans röst
Chorus:
G Dsus/F# Em7
Så
stor är vår Gud, sjung med mig så stor är vår Gud
Dsus/F#
C2 Dsus G
Och
alla skall se; hur stor Gud är
G Em7
I
evighet Han är, och våra liv Han bär,
C
I
sin starka hand, i sin starka hand
G Em7
Helig
treenighet, Fader, Ande, Son,
C
Stark
i ödmjukhet, stark i ödmjukhet
Bridge:
G Dsus/F#
Hans
namn står över allt,
Em7 Dsus/F#
Värdig
allt vårt lov,
C Dsus G
Vi
ropar ut vår Gud, Han är stor (2X)
G Dsus/F#
How great is our God, sing with me,
Em7
How great is our God,
Dsus/F# C2 Dsus G
All will see, How great, how great is our God.
Nu ska vi kolla lite på våran kyrkans sånghäfte.
Många, (mig inkluderat) kan lockas av en sång med en fin låt. Men, som en annan blogg sa, "dålig text gör dålig teologi!"
Är det inte texten själv, det som vi säger till Gud, som är verkligen viktigt?
En annan kommentar från samma blogg, (översatt till Svenska av mig), "Jag skulle säga att en problem som många som gå till kyrkan gör är att de tänker för liten på vad de säger när de sjunger något."
När det gäller lovsånger med bra text, så är det vanligtvis de gamla och klassiker som har bra ord or Bibelgrundat text.
MEN, här är en bra ny låt av Chris Tomlin. Han föddes 1972, och kom ut med den låt i 2004! Ny och bra!
Den har oversätts till Svenska och har en underbar budskap. (ser texten ovanpå)
Vad är så bra med just den låt? Den fokusera helt på Gud. Den gör Gud större och vi är i rätt plats, när vi står i under på Gud och hyllar honom.
Fokusen är inte på oss, utan på Gud, där det ska var.
Blogging about my kids and their funny practices is...well, fun. But I am actually living and passionate about something much more important. And I am given a gift every day, to be part of a church plant that seeks to be biblically solid.
So, it's time to start blogging a bit more about what's going on in our little church here in Gothenburg; especially regarding things that are useful for building us up as believers in Sweden and Scandinavia.
Why? Titus 1:9, "He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it." 1 Thess. 5:11, "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
A few possible points to discuss....
1. What have I been learning, from sermons, Bible studies, and other get togethers.
2. What are we singing, and why did we choose to sing that?
3. What are we women learning through our new little kids sunday school program?
4. What has happened that we can take to grow from?
5. What is significant or special about this little church, especially in a climate like Sweden?
We'll just see where this goes... Det är roligt att skriva en blogg om min barn och alla deras roligheter. Men jag brinner för något mycket mer viktigt. Jag får en gåva varje dag, att var en del av en liten ny kyrka som vill blir grundat i Bibeln.
Så, nu ska jag kanske blogga lite mer om allt som händer i våran liten kyrka här i Göteborg. Speciellt när det gäller grejer som är användbar för oss som troende i Sverige och Skandinavien. Varför? Titusbrevet 1:9, Han skall hålla sig till lärans tillförlitliga ord, så att han genom en sund undervisning kan uppmuntra andra och vederlägga motståndarna. 1 Thess 5:7, Uppmuntra därför varandra och uppbygg varandra, så som ni redan gör. Några möjliga punkter att prata om- 1. Vad lära vi från predikningar, Bibelstudier, och andra mötena. 2. Vad sjunger vi och värför sjunger vi just de låtarna. 3. Vad lära vi oss som kvinnor som ta hand om barn programmet? 4. Vad har hänt så länge som vi kan lära från? 5. Vad är speciellt med den lilla kyrka, speciellt i Sverige? Vi ska se vart den ta vägen....
