I know I said that a white Christmas seemed far away, but this weekend we’ve been skiing through winter wonderland nevertheless.
Just want to see my latest images? Please check out my Instagram!
The white gold is finally here
Over the last few days we’ve had a light snowfall. Our garden is covered with white dust. Just enough of it for the boys to enjoy some sledding, but not enough to build a snowman yet. However when we have these conditions in our garden, we know that winter wonderland is only a short drive away.
We saw the signs Thursday evening, and decided we would head out Saturday after breakfast no matter what. And it’s a bit of a mystery to me how we manage to get ready for anything as long as it involves a bit of snow. Usually getting out the door can be something of a nightmare. Not because we don’t want to get outside. I guess you’ve figured that we are somewhat outdoorsy by now. But because our hallway is kind of narrow and getting dressed turns into a total chaos due to the lack of space. When everyone is as motivated as yesterday however, the small space is no problem.
Family Fun Time is a choice
My wife and I thought it would be nice for Baby Boy to nap while driving, but Baby Boy had a different plan. He was singing along to the music, putting on quite a show for us to enjoy. We could have turned off the music and told him to go to sleep, but that wouldn’t have been any fun for him, right? So we decided to just go with the flow and see what happened.
Now if you’ve ever gone cross country skiing with two small children and a dog, you know there’s a lot to unpack from the car before you can start the actual skiing. It’s all the skiing equipment, the pulk, backpacks with snacks and drinks, you name it. After getting it out of the car there’s getting dressed, helping the kids get dressed, mounting the pulk, putting on the skis, letting the dog out and then you can finally start. So many possibilities for temper tantrums. From both grown ups and children. You just have to choose to focus on the fun that’s ahead. It’s not easy, but the prize is so sweet whenever you manage to get through.
Once we started skiing, Baby Boy fell asleep in the pulk almost instantly. We were ok with that. Because we were able to focus all our attention on Big Brother and how much his skiing technique has improved.
Do you think grandpa sees us now?
Cross country skiing was one of my father in laws favorite activities. Or maybe the favorite to be accurate. And if he’d been alive, I’m sure he’d have been in the exact ski trails we were in yesterday. As we made our way through the snow-covered landscapes I knew my wife was thinking about him.
“Do you think grandpa sees us now?” she asked Big Brother. And then followed this beautiful conversation about where he is now, and what he would be doing if he was still here with us. “Even if we don’t know, it’s nice to think that he might be here somehow” was the conclusion.
In her right element
I had brought along the camera off course, I never leave the house without some possibility of capturing an image. And yesterday I got to capture an image of my wife that I instantly fell in love with. Not because it’s an amazing image, it’s a very candid snapshot. But because it really captures my wife in her right element. I know the times our whole family gets to head out to go cross country skiing are some of her favorites. And this image just shows her happiness in her right element. There’s a sparkle that I am lucky enough to know very well that always shines through in these situations. I love seeing it.
A proper lunch
Now today is St. Lucys day. In Norway that means eating “lussekatter”, singing a few familiar songs and seeing our children dressed in white while carrying candles to light up the darkness that surrounds us this time of year.
Our main tradition is the “lussekatter”. I think they may be my favorite baked goods, at least since getting a gluten free recipe that is to die for a few years ago. Naturally we had planned for the “lussekatter” to be a part of our lunch yesterday.
After having walked the trails for an hour or so, Baby boy woke up and we were all ready for lunch. I unpacked all the lunchboxes from our backpack, but one was missing. I tried not to get sad about the fact that mine seemed to have missed the takeoff at home that morning. But I have to admit it was kind of difficult, as I had looked forward to that “lussekatt”. It all turned out fine however, as first Big Brother and then Baby Boy offered me a piece of theirs. Am I lucky or what?!
We played in the snow for a while and had a photoshoot before heading home from winter wonderland. The images from the photoshoot you’ll get to see tomorrow, so make sure to tune back in for another day of Blogmas!
