Flying High

If you're a four year old and your father is an has an obsessive climber you are going to spend a good amount of time out at the crag.  The trick for me as the father is to try to make our time in the dirt fun and fortunately Hammie is a great "crag kid" as rocks, sticks, plants, etc provide endless amounts of entertainment for an active imagination.  And lately Hammie has even taken to climbing as she lugs her own pad around and seeks out problems of her own.  I've got my fingers crossed that the climbing bug will stick. but the important thing is that we have fun, and Hammie is certainly good at that.

When climbing with a rope the appeal is mostly to swing.  Here Nalani takes flight.

Heading out to the boulders with her own crash pad

Nalani geared up for a day of climbing with a good friend along for the ride.

Poppin' Tags

For well over a month I've been promising Nalani that I'd take her dress shopping when we got to 'merica.  So when we finally got to Grand Junction the Aunties, Nalani and I when to a sweet thrift store to see what we could find.  I tried to be hard but how could I say no to my little girl when the sparkly dress only cost $1.  After all was said and done Nalani got one new dress, two skirts, and two pairs of shoes.  And I got some stuff for me as well.  Nothing like poppin' tags.

 Nalani presents the pile of dresses to try on

 Nalani's favorite dress of the day

 She wasn't as psyched on this on left it for some other lucky girl

 One of the skirts

 and the sparkly party skirt

We weren't feeling this one

Thanks to Auntie Dut Dut for all the help

What other cool stuff can we find at the thrift store?

What we do when we get to the boulder.

This is a little video that Aunt Autumn (aka Dut Dut) took last winter and I'm now posting after threats from the other aunts.  Hope you all enjoy.

Back in "merica

Our annual trip to the States happened a little earlier this year and started in Tennessee.  After shaking off a little sickness (and passing it on to her dad) Nalani has been enjoying the southern hospitality and exploring the many sandstone boulders.

In the airport heading to 'merica

Layover 

Once in Tennessee we began exploring the boulders.   Nalani found a nice cave at Little Rock City

Nalani and her dad, ready to take on the Dirty South

It's a good think she looks like her mama

 Mormor busted out some old pictures of Lina as a little buckaroo.  I guess it was never really in doubt but now we know for sure where Hammie gets her cuteness from. 

Who's cuter?

A Shot of Bravery

Perhaps nothing is more harrowing to a 4 year old than getting a shot.  Hammie seemed ok with the idea in the days leading up to it but on the morning we were to go in for the shot her bravery faltered.  In the doctors office no amount of assurance and comforting could get Hammie to calmly accept a needle in her arm so we had to resort to holding down a very angry and sad girl.  It is not the easiest thing for a parent to do but that's what is required sometimes.  For awhile after the incident Hammie declared between sobs that she was angry with us.  My heart breaks a little seeing our little girl so upset.

Fortunately a band-aid, little toy elephant and a lollipop helped sooth the tears and when we dropped Hammie at daycare she was herself again.  Among her friends she proudly displayed the band-aid as a mark of her bravery.  The other 4-year olds  were very impressed.  We haven't yet broke it to Hammie that her bravery will be tested once again next week.  We'll see how it goes.

Hammie post shot and her badge of courage

A happy Hammie and her new toy.

The Belated Birthday Post: The Big Four

Here is the annual "better late than never" birthday post.  

Hammie has officially turned 4 and I'm more certain than ever that she is the greatest girl that has ever been born (yes, I may be a bit biased). Hammie continues to grow as children tend to do and her ever lengthening frame is becoming ever more capable. Jumping, running, dancing, climbing and other activities are increasingly fluid and I can foresee the day when Hammie's skills will surpass those of her old-man (my dancing title may already be in jeopardy).

Hammie's intellectual prowess, like her body, is growing by leaps and bounds. Her command of English and Swedish and ability to transition between the two impresses me and I'm certain I've got very limited time before Hammie will be correcting my Swedish. Her math skills are still pretty basic but she has invented a new number (“eleventeen”) and conveniently counts really high when it correlates to the number of M&M's she gets to eat. Her artistic skills are prodigious and while her early years consisted mainly of abstract works she now specializes in portraits. If you ask her for one I'm sure she whip one out in no time at all.

Hammie has reached that age where “kid intuition” magically kicks in. Out of no where she realized that cracks are not to be stepped on and a casual walk suddenly looks like a game of hop-scotch. Also, when we ran out of bacon she suggested we plant a “bacon tree” to remedy the problem. You can almost hear the gears turning as Hammie makes a quite logical conclusion based on what she's observed in her short life and then quickly alters it as new information comes forward (if only politicians could be so reasonable); Hammie is now aware that bacon doesn't grow on trees but I don't have the heart to tell her it can't really qualify as her favorite vegetable.

Hammie deftly uses her powers of reason to lobby for issues important to 4 year olds everywhere and whether it's icecream on a hot day or staying up late during the sunshine of Scandinavian summers, she is a shrewd negotiator (she also uses “cute appeal” to her advantage). Persistence is also one of her gifts and she'll ask the same question countless times if she hasn't gotten the answer she wants (it doesn't work as well as she'd like but you can't blame her for trying).

There are so many little quarks that make Hammie special and Lina and I proud parents. We wish we could spent more time with all are friends and family but the logistics of being an international family has it's down sides. Here are a few pictures from Hammie's birthday.   

"I'm this many years old"

Lina once again makes any amazing birthday cake.  Homemade ice-cream, fresh strawberries and chocolate. Hmmmmmmm

The birthday girl gets her cake

Making a wish

Who's excited for cake?

The first slice

Delicious

Summer girl

Big Papa

Hammie gets a lesson on dental hygiene from her dad.  Happy father's day to everyone out.  Thanks to my old man for setting a great example of what a dad can be.  

Hello Mr Ham-Sandwich

Hammie is at the age where she talks and talks and talks.  Often times she conversates with us but when she gets tired of talking to her parents she makes friends so she can carry on the one-sided conversation.  Her friends don't have respond or even be real for that matter and anything can find themselves in attendance at the Hammie Show.  Case in point......a ham sandwich.

"Hello Mr Ham Sandwich.  How are you?  Good.  Well, I'm a little hungry and was thinking about getting a bite, would you like to join?......."

The face of an angel just before voraciously tearing into Mr Sandwich

Baked Beans and Rain

Hammie seemed to enjoy our short vacation to England.  Despite the natives strange and often incomprehensible language we still managed to navigate cultural taboos and slowly began assimilate ourselves to our host country.

Hammie wolfs down a local delicacy.  

 Baked Beans was one of Hammies favorite English foods

Driving the narrow streets and visiting cozy flats in England makes one realize the importance of utilizing available space.  Hammie takes the lesson to heart and uses her small frame to forgo unnecessary luxuries like sidewalks.  Of course when it comes to sleeping all bets are off as Hammie dominates 75% of the bed, leaving her dad teetering precariously close to the edge.   

Hammie comes to terms with English weather.  If its going to rain every day we mind as well make the most of it and play in the puddles.

Rain=mud

Mud=fun

Walking the Dog

Hammie hanging with Chili and deciding where to go.

Walking the dog.

Jump on the wagon

The snow was fun

Spring has come to Sweden as the first flowers are emerging and what is left of the snow is melted away.  There are still sheltered places where ice can be found but not for much longer.  Hammie did get a chance to enjoy the snow before it disappeared and hopefully it'll be awhile before we have to break out the sled again.

These pictures are old news but serve as a reminder that snow isn't always a bad thing.

 Hammie taking on the sledding hill.  It was so much fun that a collision with a rock and the resulting face full of snow was merely brushed off.

 .

 Showing proper "tuck" technique 

Charging up the hill for another run

Waxy Mustache

I wish I could grow a stache like Hammie

Rock Star

Our little rock star

Snoozzzzzzing

Sorry We've been snoozing on the blog lately.  I'll wake up, wipe the snot/drool from my face and get back on it.