Made in Reykjavik: A late-August update

I wish I had more time to write on this blog thingie. The thing is, with a 17 month old and a 3 month old, when I have a free moment I am usually much more inclined to clean or cook or catch up on sleep or laundry or sit in silence and sip a coffee than update the ole´blog.

The pace of life in our home is chaotic these days. Elsa is talking (mostly in Icelandic) and Finn is enormous. When your babies are little, you hear the same comments over and over again. People always said (and still say) that Elsa looks just like her Pabbi and Aunt Gunnhildur. They would also notice that she has big eyes and is very active (both also still true). When people see Finnur Atli, they say he is huge. They are shocked to hear that he is only three months old, and I think they expect him to be able to do more than he can since folks tend to think he might be 6 months old or so. He is a mellow baby, and in general a happy pudgy little boy. He drinks a lot and spits up every time. He sleeps very well and has the brightest smile I´ve ever seen on a baby. He can roll over from tummy to back, and has started to stare intensely at his hands. He loves to suck, and I predict he will be a big fan of the ´snudda´(Icelandic for pacifier) for a long time. I am proud to have such a healthy, burley little boy, but man are my arms and shoulders tired!

Elsa is back at playschool after her summer break. Tumi will start back at school on Monday. I suspect I am more excited about him going back to school than he is...Fall always makes me feel like it´s time to start school, but I know he would rather be working. Finn and I will start going to babyswiming class soon, and I hope to be able to start taking yoga again this fall. Maybe even Icelandic class, too....I need to be on top of that so I can understand what my daughter is saying!

Here are some recent pictures from life in the Icelandic summer sun...

A picnic in our backyard, and Finn relaxing on the blanket