Aidan's Thomas the Tank Engine 2nd birthday!

Aidan had a wonderful time at his birthday party at Grandma and Pappa's house! Mommy baked 3 cakes, and we all played pin-the-number-on-Thomas while blindfolded game (which uncle Scot tried to cheat at, hehe! :), and had lots of fun!

Pictures!

Aidan with cousins Jacob and Madeline at Uncle Bill's firehouse! Aidan's in awe that he has a "Babu Man" as an uncle. "Babu" is the sound sirens make in Norwegians :)

Two years old and not too terrible!

After loads of adventures in NYC and KS, we're back in Oslo with our big boy. While we were in the USA Aidan's speech developed in leaps and bounds. He now can put 4 word sentences together, and has started describing things to us using adjectives.

It pleasantly stunned us when, after arriving at grandma and pappa Waters house, he said "Pappa's house," "BIG house!" We hadn't said anything to him about the house being big or small, but he used the word "big" on his own, as his own observation. Cool! It's neat that he's using what he's learning to think independently.

My big little man

Aidan, you're so yummy! You've learned to give kisses and hugs and are very loving and sweet. You pucker up for kisses often, and think it's so much fun to be a part of our family group hugs and kisses. You even try to hug Ricky the kitty, in a surprisingly gentle way. You love softly head-butting with Ricky, which is a cat's way of kissing and hugging. We're pleasantly surprised at how you and Ricky are with each other--you're very gentle, and Ricky's very tolerant. You're incredibly observant of everyone and everything, and I continue to be amazed at how much you understand. You're only 22 months old and have what seems a sophisticated understanding of emotions, technical things and a great sense of humor!

Christy and family

Our sweet friends Christy, Sam and Katherine are leaving Oslo tomorrow after 3 months here. They are from Texas and were here on business. Sam worked on a project here, and they lived not too far away from us. We met at "Åpen Barnehage," a playgroup for little kids in Majorstuen near Frognerparken. We were invited to a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at the International Baptist Church that Christy and her family attended while here, and had a really nice time. Aidan made an adorable arts & crafts turkey with the guidance of the pastor's wife, a lovely woman from Tennessee, and we ate lots of good home-made food.

Here's a great picture of Katherine and Aidan, all dressed up:



It's been lovely to get to know Christy and her family. They are wonderful. Christy's a fantastic person. In the short time we've had to get to know one another, Christy's depth and strength and fun have meant a lot to me. And Aidan loves Katherine. We're going to miss them!
Christy told me that there were a number of women here in Oslo, mainly expats, who did not take an interest in getting to know her (or any others in her situation) once they heard that she was only here temporarily. One woman explained that it was too painful to lose contact once people leave. I personally find it enriching to get to know people and connect, no matter how long or short they will physically be in your lives and I'm glad we got to know Christy and her family!

The haircut

Aidan's hair was getting long, at least in the areas that there was hair. He had long waves in the back and one long and thin strand in the front. Mommy (aka "Nonny") clipped it while we were relaxing and reading books, and here's what happened:

Fall fun

We decided not to put Aidan in "barnehage" (govt. subsidized daycare) this year, and I wondered and worried about how we would keep a curious and social little boy busy on our own. Well, no need to have worried. We have fun days together going to the "open barnehage," a play area for young children to come with a caregiver and play with toys, eat together and participate in various activities. We also go to Child Planet, a fun toddler gym with lots of climbing opportunities for young and old (I think I qualify for the latter title :), various playgrounds, and meet up with friends and family. We've been meeting other Americans with young kids and getting together with them, which is really nice for us.
Aidan's open and adventurous, and although he is sometimes a bit cautious at first it doesn't take him long to warm up. He's interested in other people and loves seeing new places and learning new things. It's fun to talk to him about whatever we're doing, and he learns quickly. He's learning colors now, and loudly says "rød" (red) whenever red cars or busses pass by. He saw a purple car today and called it red, and cracked up at the word "purple" when I told him it was purple. It IS a funny-sounding word, come to think of it! He's putting two-word sentences together, and trying to pronounce big words. He's big into kisses now, and gives us kisses if we hurt ourselves. What a cutie!