Grandparents, airplanes, rain, and haggis!

It has been a heck of a spring and summer for this little family. It has been nearly three (count em...THREE!) months since my last blog post, which is the longest hiatus since starting the blog just before Elsa was born. I won't go through the nitty gritty details of all that has happened since then, but here's a quick run-down (and a bunch of adorable pictures).

Finnur Atli has turned one and learned how to walk. Today I caught him climbing for the first time, so I guess we can officially call him a 'toddler' now!

I went to St. Lucia for a week and a half long trip to work. I found it hard to leave the kids, but once I was on a plane and realized that they were well taken care of, it was easier for me to focus on work and appreciating how fricking cool my job is. Pretty damned cool. 

My parents came to Iceland and then joined us on a trip to Scotland. It was wet and fun. The weather was kinder in Reykjavik, but Scotland has cooler castles.

It was very hard to say goodbye to the grandparents when they left (with suitcases full of caviar and lysi) but I hope that we will see them again soon. 

And now for the pictures!!!

Hey Finn, who is following you?

Áfram Ísland!

Reading with 'Gwamma Chooley'

Buying some fish for dinner with the babes and their Grandpa

Mamma and Finnur Atli

Sometimes Elsa María gets to choose the fish

Grandma let Elsa borrow her reading glasses

It's a full house! Amma, Grandpa, Finn, Elsa, Gunnhildur, Afi, and Grandma. What a party!

Grandma herding cats at the Keflavik airport at the beginning of our Scottish adventure

And on the airplane. So hard to sit still!

You can't tell in this picture how much Finn cried, but I promise it was a lot. Our neighbors must have hated us!

Elsa lined up these chairs at the Falkirk Wheel and sat like she was riding on the bus. Having a two year old can teach a person a thing or two about how to handle boredom...Elsa is a pro :)

Finn sampling the finest rocks Inverary has to offer 

On the road to Niall and Jane's house in Ardfren

Julie at Julie's Café in Oban

Synchronized swinging

Finn doesn't say much, but he can make truck noises like nobody's business.

There is still room for improvement on the rocking horse thingie.

Scottish playgrounds have the steering wheel on the left side of the car...but Mamma drove with the wheel on the right!

Elsa is showing the camera a spider on finger

At the graveyard in Kilmartin. 10 points if you can spot Elsa's hiding spot!

The kids loved to play in the 'beehive' structure at the Kilmartin museum

Finn playing (banging) on an ancient-style musical instrument at the museum in Kilmartin

Attaboy

Sharing Mamma's 'tool'

 Just like Grandma!

Beautiful balmy Edinburgh

Elsa didn't like the room at the Edinburgh castle with all the weapons. Not my favorite, either. 

We stayed in an apartment on Old Fisherman's Close, off the Royal Mile in Edinburgh

Bus tour! Wa-hoo!

The children were very skeptical of the piper

At the Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh 

Where the dead people live!

The fireplace in the ancient castle in Linlithgow

Got big kinds of love for my boy.

Cuddlin with The Gramps in Ardfern

The kids next to fantastic, ancient, historical, deeply meaningful standing stones...but there are BUMBLEBEES!!! SEE, MAMMA?!?!

Grands and bairns in Oban

Wiggly and wonderful

Me and Elsa checking out bunny poop. Kid you not. Bunny poop. You'da thought it was gold. 

At Jane's lake in Ardfern!

Cutest kids on earth

Me and Finn looking at the funny pictures he just took

I taught her how to walk...and she taught me how to dangle!!!

Choose us something good, Finnur Atli

At 'Pabbi's Castle' (cuz there were Campbells who lived there) in Inverary

Aaand, the flight home. I was just as tired. 

My future's so bright I gotta wear shades!

There are few things cooler than spring in Iceland. After months and months of deep, sad, darkness, spring feels like it happens to you all of a sudden. Maybe one day you notice a couple of buds on the trees, and then the next, BOOM! everywhere you look is green. You think to yourself, 'Hmm, it seems like it is staying lighter longer these days' then BOOM! it's light at 10 or 11 at night. We have been lucky to have a bunch of bright sunny days (not too incredibly cold) in a row, and I am starting to get used to this.

The kids are doing well, as are Tumi and I. Elsa is talking up a storm, and making her preferences known in a very 2-year-old fashion. Finn is almost walking by himself. He hovers for a few seconds without holding on to anything...and motors around the apartment with great speed both crawling and cruising. They are almost the same size...feels like I have twins sometimes!

We went to a summerhouse a couple of weekends ago with Gretar, Erna, Una Lilja and Davið, and had a fabulous time. Can't wait for our next trip out to the country!

I'll let the photos speak for me this time... it's too nice weather to be staring at the computer :)

Finnur Atli and Elsa María held hands on the way home

The ladies playing in the hot tub at the Summerhouse.

Not a bad view, eh?

Finn's one millionth piece of toast

Strainer? Hat? Why not?

Too much sunshine!

And then the water goes 'Whooosh' and shoots up from the ground! (explaining a geysir to a 2 year old)

Elsa got a big bonk

Elsa's head bonk

Footballs don't roll round like other balls. They wobble all over and some of us think this is quite silly!

Elsa showing Finn how to point at pictures

I told her to smile, and this is what I got! Love :)

Heeeeeeere goatgoatgoatgoat....Heeeere goat. 

And on Saturday, he ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice cream cone, one pickle, one slice of swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one cupcake, and one WATERMELON!!! 

Why, how do you do your hair for the bath?

Out for a ride in the sun in their cool new stroller!

Elsa´s 730 days old party

I´m not sure if you knew this already, but turning 2 is kind of a big deal. When you are 730 days old, you know what is going on in a way that you don´t when you turn one. Elsa knew the song we sang to her. She knows she used to be one year old, and now she is two years old. She sings the birthday song to herself all the time, and I can tell it makes her very happy. We celebrated the day before her actual birthday, so she got an extra-long party. Her staff at her playschool made her a crown with her picture and some sparkles on it. It´s a big favorite.

Now we are getting back into the swing of things after a long break for Easter. Here are some pics of recent good times had by all! (and her new video!)

Playing at the swings by our house

Somebody found out how to open the door with the flour in it. Caught him white-handed!

Dear Valgerður Rún, I swear to you my eternal and undying love. Finn.

Fun with playdo!

Kiddos eating at Elsa´s Birthday

Getting ready to sing to the birthday girl, and her sushi tiger cake!

Elsa listening to her birthday song :)

Born górdjuss.

And then it was March

Everybody is settling in. Elsa just started a brand new playschool across the street from Finn´s daycare (which is about three houses down from our house). As a parent, I find myself in love with Reykjavik. She seems to be thriving there. After a couple of days spent getting used to it, she is all set. She eats and naps there, and came home with a scrape on her knee. My baby is almost 2!

Finnur Atli seems to really like his daycare, too. I am glad that he landed in a situation that is calm, and cozy, as opposed to a playschool environment like the one Elsa had when she was first starting out. They always say how every child is different, and I find that to be true with mine. Finn is calm and laid back when compared to Elsa. He is curious and quiet and happy. He likes to listen to songs and singing, and snuggles like crazy. Daycare feels like a better fit for his personality than a loud chaotic school. At least for now.

Happy place.

Elsa María Kolbeinsdóttir. Pleased to meetcha.

Finnur is now the age when he pulls all the books down on top of himself. He´s really good at it.

Smartypants in Mamma´s old gasses

We hang out every morning. Life is fantastic.

Elsa put a fork in the camera.
Elsa and Pabbi knús :)

Classic.

Some people have to try so hard to look good...others are just born with style.