Reunited with My Girls

My girls have arrived. I certainly missed them and I think they missed me too. Hammie missed me so much in fact that she has decided to stay awake through much of the night just to spend more time with her dad. Needless to say, I won't be getting much sleep until Hammie's jet-lag wears off. At least she's happy during her late night escapades.

My girls

Hammie is so happy to be in the USA she gives a kiss to David

Hammie Reminders

I miss my girls. It has been about a week and everything reminds me of Hammie. I get to skype with Lina and Hammie pretty regularly which keeps me sane and the other day I got to play with a baby. Here is a couple pictures of Sierra. She let me play with her for a bit, providing a fix and making me miss Hammie even more.

Stocking Up

I'm once again escaping the Swedish winter. Leaving the dark and cold behind is easy but I'll also have to be away from my girls for 20 days. It's going to be rough but I stocked up on hugs before I left. I just hope it's enough to gut through these coming weeks.

Hammie and I exchanging hugs in the airport

Ahhhhhh, she'll miss me

"OK Dad! Enough hugs already."

Friends

Hammie has a very diverse collection of friends. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors but their shared love for Hammie compels them all to get along. Sworn enemies like cat and dog have put aside their differences and even the three eyed alien has found acceptance. This tight-knit group has been through a lot, from pee accidents to extended time alone of the floor and they only grow closer.

Here is a picture of Hammie and her friends.

A Fly on Our Wall: Dance Party with DJ Hammie

This is the first of what I'm hoping to be a regular segment for Nalani's blog. We will share moments with a "fly on the wall" perspective, giving folk a brief glimpse at life with the Kearneys.

For this first video Hammie is the DJ of a bumping dance party.

Enjoy

A Fly on Our Wall: Dance Party with DJ Hammie from Walker and Lina on Vimeo.

Hammie and Mormor

Universeum

With the weather being consistently crappy Hammie and I have to find indoor places to go. Fortunately there are a slew of places that Hammie can run around in and one in particular is going to be a favorite. Universeum has an indoor rainforest complete with exotic birds and monkeys as well as a giant aquarium and a playground. Needless to say the place is sweet and Hammie and I will spend many hours there.

Here are a couple pics

That's the place

Riding the horse with Mira

Hammie's world

Fish

Happy Halloween

Our little pumpkin has grown a bit since last year. Happy Halloween everyone!

Super Heroes

Having a little one is a full time job with ever changing requirements and long hours. I can remember when Hammie first came along and Lina and I plunged into the crash course that is parenthood. Fortunately it was two against one and the exhaustion could be kept at bay by tapping out and having the other parent take over (Lina of course took the brunt of the work at the beginning due to being the food source). Having the numbers in our favor was a huge luxury that we have a whole new appreciation for after visiting our friends Johan and Sara last weekend.

Johan and Sara have twin girls that are around 8 weeks old. I reckon it will be awhile before either of them managed to feel well rested as it is a non-stop circus of changing diapers, feeding, burping, comforting and sleeping (if they are lucky). They are heroes. Johan even managed to make it out climbing, throwing one of the kids in a crashpad for a trip to the boulders.

Here are a couple pics from that visit.

Johan holding Hedda while Tova is wrapped up with Sara

Hedda....or is it Tova. The twins are already playing tricks on Uncle Walker

Getting a taste of being outnumbered. Looks like this battle was a draw, which is all a parent can hope for.

Johan, the super dad

Hammie, Hammie Everywhere

Hammie can be hard to keep up with sometimes. She can really motor and seems to bend time and space to get from one place to the next. Hoping to further understand Hammie's abilities I set up a camera to help keep track of her and was amazed by what I found. Hammie seems to have the power to duplicate.

Hammie tricks: Multiplying Hammie from Walker and Lina on Vimeo.

Hammie is the Big Girl

Hammie has a new friend. Isa is 4 weeks old and Hammie has tons of cool things to show her, but it may have to wait until Isa gets better at holding her own head up.

Hammie explains to Kalle the proper way to hold his daughter

Papa Kalle with his little girl


Hammie officially declares that Fall is here

Eggs

Hammie displays the glory that is a hard boiled egg

Stink Bug

Hammie is a curious girl. Nothing is safe from her little fingers as she wanders around poking, lifting, shaking and squeezing things that catch her attention. She does display a degree of caution when confronting larger animal (dogs, humans) that comforts to her parents but when it comes to smaller creatures she jumps right in. Fortunately she no longer feels the need to taste everything she touches, saving many a bug from an unpleasant demise and her parents from undue stress.

Here are a couple pics of our little biologist inspecting a recent find in the desert Southwest.

Hammie shows her dad her new friend. "I named him Stinky. Can we keep it?"

With a gentle pat, Stinky is returned to his natural habitat

"Where did Stinky go"

Airports

Hammie and I got pretty cozy in airports. With lots of room to runaround and plenty of distractions Hammie had no problems with the multiple layovers. Here's a couple pics

Hammie finds something of notice in Minneapolis airport

Poll dancing in the middle of an airport

Taking a stroll and killing time in Amsterdam

Parting Shots

Here's a couple pics from Hammie's farewell to some family from the States. Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Autumn, and Godfather Chis met with us in Socorro to say goodbye. After eating Hammie was in a splendid mood and showed off her running skills to appease her adoring fans.

Guess who's the center of attention

Doodle and Hammie looking crazy

Hammie begins her training for the Boston Marathon 2015

Hanging with Farmor

USA in the Rearview

A full day and three flights later Hammie and I are back in Sweden. Hammie continued her stellar travel record and received a slew of compliments on how good she is in plans. I wish things went as smooth for me as my cold (Hammie gave it to me) left me we a stuffed head and a left ear that just wouldn't pop. Despite the pain I made it through with minimal whining and we are once again united with my princess.

It's great being home but we'll certainly miss the States. Too bad freedom is hard to find here in Sweden as we've traded the open road and the cozy confines of the Motherload for a warm apartment and hugs and kisses from Lina. Good trade.

Hammie will miss all her new friends and is concerned that she won't be dirty enough here in Sweden and her immune system will suffer.

Cruising in the Motherload

Hammie hanging with her new friend Lisa

Saying goodbye to the Motherload with affectionate pats

Two Dudes and a Baby

I posted a little something on my other blog that is Hammie related and we thought we'd share.

http://kearneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/09/two-dudes-and-baby.html

A Dirty Girl

There is a spanish word for that layer of filth that builds up on a person's skin. That word is "roña" and in the right settings can appear in a day. With Lina absent our little girl has embraced the filth and become a "roñosa", gleefully wallowing in the dirt and emerging a shade or two darker. We've been going through wet-wipes at a rapid rate but out at these climbing areas it's like fighting a grizzly bear with a BB-gun. Fortunately some friends in town offered their home to us and yesterday Hammie left her "tan" in the murky bathwater. She is once again clean but it won't last long as we plan to go out climbing tomorrow.

Here's a couple pictures of our dirty little girl.

Dad Camp

We dropped Lina off at the airport today and for the next week Hammie and I will be living in the dirt, eating raw meat with our hands, working on cars, and doing other manly stuff. That's right, Dad camp. Without Lina to keep tabs on us there is no end to the trouble we'll get into. Hammie is already prepared as a recent spill left her with a mouth full of asphalt and a gnarly scab on her face. It'll maker her look tough when we walk into the biker bars.

Hopefully this week will be great for everyone but we'll certainly miss Lina. And all that stuff about being dirty and reckless is mostly untrue as Hammie is pretty responsible and fully capable of keeping her dad in line.

Here's a couple shots from the airport.

Hammie with some face wounds offering flowers

Hammie and Lina get some last cuddles before the week long separation

Bye bye! We'll miss you

American Girl

It only took a week in the USA for Hammie to embrace the goodness that is American. Despite being exposed to communist propaganda over the past few months she has managed to thrown off the shackles of socialism and rally around the stars and stripes. From here on out it is fast food, firearms, and freedom. Hammie is hoping to join the ranks of the obese and drive a Hummer to conservative political rallies. God Bless America.

Oh say can you see........

Laundry Day

Being productive around the house is considerably more difficult with a 1 year old. Certain things are almost impossible (like keeping the apartment floor free of Hammie toys) and other take considerably longer than they should. Which brings us to "laundry day".

Those that know me probably realize that if left to my own devices laundry would be an infrequent event. Barely having enough clothes to fill a machine coupled with the fact I wear the same thing everyday (sometimes for over a week) means that I don't have to do laundry very often. Of course now I've got a little girl and a princess with way higher standards than me. There is now plenty to wash and fortunately Hammie loves to help.

Laundry is incredibly enjoyable with my little girl as she insists on shorting the clothes at every stage of the process. Piles get rearranged, clothes get put in and out of the machine and nothing gets hung in the drying room without Hammie's approval.

When laundry day is finally over I start to wish that I had more dirty clothes to clean. Fortunately that is a wish quickly granted by a certain 1 year old with an affinity for dirt and messy eating. Life is good.

After careful inspection Hammie hands newly washed clothes to dad.

Large items pose a problem for my little girl but she is adamant about taking them by herself

Until Hammie is taller dad will have to do the hanging.

Making sure everything is in order

Helping out

Hammie met a new addition to the world and extended a hand, imparting her expert knowledge about on subjects from the best foods to how to walk. She is looking forward to being a roll-model.

Mushrooms

We try not to encourage Hammie to eat random things she finds in the forest. Of course that has become increasingly difficult as we are constantly sampling the wonderful treats the Swedish forest has to offer. We've been hitting the berries pretty hard (blueberries are still tops) but now we are getting into mushroom season. Our most recent handpicked indulgence was some Chanterelle mushrooms so we now have to keep a close watch on our little mushroom hunter as she doesn't seem to be a discerning expert of the field.

Hammie inspects her find

Hammie is excited about her delicious Karl Johan mushroom

Kicking back on the ride home