One Year Old!

Now we have a one-year-old in the house! I can hardly believe that one year ago, Leiah had just been born, and we were getting to know her at the hospital. It feels surreal that I had been sick during the pregnancy and afterwards, and now, one year later, I cannot imagine our life without our Leiah--and of course Yaminah. We are doubly blessed.

Leiah is quite active and energetic, loud, and busy, and is constantly exploring her surroundings. She loves hanging out with Yaminah, music, and reading. Now she is quite fast, as you can see:

Leiah, walking on her birthday :)

Here are a few pictures from this weekend and today. Whenever she is smiling up at someone, it is at Yaminah, who receives her biggest and brightest smiles.

Happy birthday, Leiah! We love you!

Why celebrate birthdays?!

April has arrived again, and in fact, as I write this there are less than two hours left of the month. Generally I love April, because it means spring should be around the corner if it has not arrived already (this year spring in Sweden was late), the days have grown longer so biking in the evening is much more pleasant, and then there is the little matter of my own birthday.

I have always loved having birthdays (although, as I have now hit the big 3-5, I confess I would like to have birthdays without actually getting older). As a child in Gary, Minnesota, I remember fun parties with classmates, and looking for presents that had been hidden somewhere in our living room. But unfortunately, since then, I have actually forgotten a lot of birthday celebrations. (A sign of age?!) This is why I dutifully take notes in Yaminah's birthday journal I have bought, to help her remember her birthdays in the future. But for myself, I have not gone to those lengths. Why? I might just have to start to call up people to reconstruct a type of birthday journal, after the fact, asking detective-esque questions such as, "What do you remember from the event? Do you know what the suspect was wearing?" etc, etc, since I am useless when it comes to remembering details when it is about myself.

One could ask what the point is of celebrating birthdays every year, now that I have most definitely left childhood behind. I think there are many reasons. First of all, birthdays are a great excuse to get together with good friends. For the last few years I have invited over a group of girls and we have had a great time together, talking and laughing (and Tomas has had to witness this as the lone male presence). Birthdays are a time for eating good food (including the beautiful birthday cake Tomas made this year, Birthday Cake Recipe). I also know that I love being able to celebrate my friends' birthdays. But this is not the only reason I find birthdays important. I think that in our stressful lives, and in this world that seems to be more and more violent and dangerous (with people close to us struggling with depression; with Boston bombings; unrest in the Middle East; another China earthquake, and a tragic loss of life in the Bangladesh building collapse recently in the news--the list could go on and on--), stopping for a little while to spend time together and focus on celebrating life is more crucial than ever. Because as the years go by, and our eyes are opened to more and more struggles that our fellow people around us, both near and far, the blessings in our lives also become (or should become) illuminated. Yes, there is sadness, but there is also joy; yes, there is tragedy, but there is also friendship and family. There is also even death, yet we can choose to celebrate life.

And so I celebrated another birthday. It was great, and I realized I am blessed with my own family and friends, both near and far (and of course I missed those who are too far away to be here for such events).

I hope you also have a good year, and when it is time for your birthday, I hope you have a wonderful celebration, no matter how you choose to mark the occasion. :)

Three Years Old!

Happy birthday to my special little three-year-old, Yaminah!

Yesterday (Jan. 19) was her actual birthday, but we had her party a week before. Now that the floor has finally been cleaned of all of the tiny, colored sprinkles that had fallen on the floor, and the birthday is over, it is time for a report!

Yaminah has been so excited for her birthday (for all kinds of celebrations, really), so last night when she asked us happily, "Will you sing Happy Birthday to me tomorrow too?" and I had to tell her that her birthday would be over then, that it only lasts for one day, she burst into tears.  But I think that she has had a great birthday and party, and here are some of the hightlights to share with you.

First, we celebrated Tomas' birthday, which is on January 8. I know that Yaminah has a hard time keeping a secret, so this time I did not tell her exactly what Tomas would be getting as a gift. I did, however, inform her that I was buying a cake from a café, but I told her to keep it a secret. A little later, while I was at choir, I saw that Tomas posted this conversation on Facebook, and I will translate it here:

Yaminah: "I am not supposed to tell you that you are getting a cake."
Tomas: "But why are you telling me now then?"
Yaminah: "I am not telling you. I am just telling you that I am not supposed to tell you!"

With her quick mind, Yaminah sure keeps us on our toes. Some of her favorite activities now include doing puzzles and counting objects. She also loves her Duplo Lego, books (we read a lot), singing, Curious George, and her dolls. She knows all of the letters now, and is starting to understand that a few letters put together can make a word. Much to Tomas' annoyance sometimes at the supper table, she loves being quizzed. If I say a word, like "Birgitta," then she thinks it is great fun to guess what the first letter of the word is. She thinks for a moment, then yells, "IT'S B!" at which point Tomas usually says, "Good! Now no more quizzes, let's eat supper!" which Yaminah and I think is funny.

She has also started to understand some of the more serious aspects of life, such as death. Since her Grandpa Morfar (my grandfather) was seriously ill during Christmas vacation, and we were all worried about him, and since she knows her great grandma Hildur is now in heaven, she now understands more about what it is to die. When the tulips from her birthday party had wilted, she told Tomas during breakfast, "We should not say that the flowers have died. We should say that they are no longer living," she explained.  All in all, not a bad way to look at life, I think.

What is it about birthdays, and other milestones, that can make us nostalgic? I keep a birthday book for her, where I took notes from an interview I conducted with her (asking questions like what does she want to be when she grows up, when was she last sad, etc). In this book we also keep birthday cards. It is so much fun, but sometimes bittersweet, to look through old cards and letters. I especially want to revisit the handwriting of someone I miss. Here is a very special card Yaminah received when she turned one. Inside is a crisp one dollar bill, that we will of course save. My grandma Hildur, a real master of cards and correspondence, sent this to Yaminah was she was 100 years old. As we looked through these cards together, Yaminah said, "We should send Grandma Hildur a card!" and I looked at her and said, "But Yaminah, you know that she is in heaven now," to which she responded, "And can't we send her a card there?"

 

Named after her great grandma Hildur, I feel very privileged to be a part of watching Yaminah grow up, to see who she will become. I know Grandma would be so proud of her.

 

The day for the birthday party finally arrived. Yaminah's animal and Curious George-themed party was a hit! We decorated with colorful balloons, Yaminah chose her dress and jewelry, and two hours before the party, Yaminah went to her friend's party with Tomas for one hour. Sending them out of the house was a stroke of genius: while they were gone, and no one in my way, I was quickly able to set the table, put out the food, and add the final touches. The "fika" was great; this time we served two kinds of miniature cupcakes, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, Brie cheese and crackers, and fresh fruit. (This amazing chocolate frosting recipe and cupcake recipes can be found on my "Recipes" page, here).

Then we had her awesome Curious George cake, and before everyone went home we served pancakes with lingonberry jam and cream. (A few friends were impressed that in the midst of the chaos, Tomas just stood there completely unaffected, happily making his pancakes! This is how he is--sometimes I want him to get more excited about something that is going on around him, or participate faster, but if you want someone to make a huge stack of delicious pancakes in the middle of a crazy, loud birthday party in an apartment, he's your man). Here is a glimpse of the excitement, as the kids danced and danced together.

 

All in all, it has been a nice birthday week. Yesterday on her actual birthday she woke up to her presents in the living room, and we heard her yell, "PAKET!" (presents in Swedish).

"Prinsesstårta", adorable cake hand-made by Yaminah's grandmother, her farmor

Then we had a nice breakfast of her choice (American pancakes with blueberries, fresh mango and fresh-squeezed orange juice). Then while I was away singing with my choir, Tomas and Yaminah went swimming. Yaminah had a blast. Later, our friends Rachel and family came over for birthday fika. When they had to go home because it was getting late, Yaminah asked, "Who is going to come over now?" and I explained that now it was time for bed soon, she was very sad. She wanted the party to continue!

And now she is sleeping peacefully as I share these words with you. Wishing you all the best from us here in Uppsala, from a happy three-year-old, and her tired, but proud, mother.

Happy Birthday...Hurrah

It's that time of the year again...for another birthday. But I am  not one who dislikes birthdays. On the contrary, perhaps I am a bit Chevy Chase Christmas Vacation-esque in the way I like to prepare for these occasions. (And Tomas' polite "don't you think you might be going a little over the top?" didn't worry me one bit; one only has a birthday once a year, after all!) I do think that birthdays are important--in my opinion, birthdays are a celebration of another year of life.

Yaminah, two years old, has been very excited about my birthday as well. For days she kept pointing at Tomas' closet, saying "Daddy secrets!" and when the big day arrived, she broke into "Happy Birthday" several times, and other times she just looked at me and said, "Hurrah."

First of all, I know that in many families with young children, people say "No more presents! Just for the children!" but in our family, we all love giving and receiving gifts and we have no plans of stopping. Well, perhaps I should replace "we all" with "certainly I..."  And I admit that whenever anyone asks, I usually (okay, always) have a wish list underway just in case someone needs it.

Of course, getting older is not what I like about birthdays (except that one can hardly deny that one keeps getting a little bit better each year; am I right? :) Well, at least some aspects of life keep getting better. Through my studies I have learned more this year, which is nice. A lot has happened within our family too, with Yaminah growing up more each day. But I did catch myself thinking, as I baked herb bread for my birthday party (don't look for a recipe however; that fancy bread is now safely in the compost after presumably failing with the yeast) something along the lines of "Wow, I must be getting older because I am so out of shape kneading this dough!" As I kneaded, and kneaded...and like I said, to no avail, since I am pretty sure I had killed the yeast right away. But then I paused for a moment in my hard labor and reflected upon the fact that I cannot actually recall when I last baked bread at all. Bread-baking has never been my forté (I am more of a cookie/muffins/cupcakes kind of person). So then I felt a little better and just realized that my lack of bread-baking skills has nothing to do with age.

As I prepared for the party, I thought back to previous birthdays and was alarmed by how few I can actually even remember. Of course, up until a certain age one can blame one's parents. But who can one blame after the age of 16? How is it possible that I have forgotten how I celebrated so many birthdays? Ahem, I mean...not that there have been so unbelievably many birthdays since 16... In any case, I think I need to start keeping a fun book of records. Only because it is fun of course; nothing to do with an advancing age.

This year I have actually been feeling nearly overwhelmed with my studies and realized that throwing any kind of a party at all would be a real challenge. But what else is night for, if not cleaning, planning, and baking? So I decided to invite a group of friends (sans children). What should my theme be, I wondered? Finding cute flowered napkins answered that question. The theme would be pink and red. I told Tomas and I am sure he was quite interested, especially when the day before the party he was going to Stockholm for a class trip for the day and I requested he look for pink and red flowers, and I asked if he wanted to bring a napkin with him to aid in his search. I might have received a strange look when he politely declined and thought he could manage without the napkin.

After cramming in studies and a flurry of activity (most of it very late in the evening when the little girl was sleeping), it was ready. We were nine people total who enjoyed a fun evening of conversation and laughter, and I must say, the menu turned out to be quite good as well. I managed a second batch of bread that turned out this time. And the recipe called for minimal kneading so no problem that my arms may or may not be a little out of shape, no matter what my current age might be.

Chocolate cake with raspberry mousse

The menu (which I realize is mainly appetizers and dessert--but these are my two favorite courses so I figured, why not?)

Welcome drink (nonalcoholic):
Apple Sparkler Drink

First:
Toast Skagen
Salad with fresh strawberries, walnuts, and parmesan

Second:
Jerusalem Artichoke Soup served with homemade herb breadsticks and shredded cheddar cheese


Dessert(s):
Delicious Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Mousse
Peanut Blossoms cookies (for which I now use Natural Peanut Butter for added flavor)
Thumbprint cookies with homemade raspberry curd Homemade raspberry curd cookies (only in Swedish right now)
Brie cheese with pears

Apple Sparkler Drink

Herb breadsticks (recipe from Betty Crocker),
served in beer glasses from Fitger's in Duluth, MN

Peanut Blossoms

For decorations, I snipped a few of the gorgeous tulips Tomas brought home and put into baby food jars with pussy willow branches.

A surprise birthday party!

In the dead of winter, it is easy to feel uninspired, no matter how busy a person actually is. At least, that was the case for me. When I then realized that my cousin, Ulrika, was about to have a birthday, and that she is in Uppsala, hours away from her family...the plan formed. We should host a birthday party for her--she is turning 30 after all--but we should make it a surprise!

Tomas was supportive of the idea, although he did wonder if I had time for it. No, probably not...but sometimes a little perking up is in order. I love to have parties, and to make it a surprise would be a fun challenge.

Setting the table the morning of the party. Candy sprinkle confetti was added just before the party, so we wouldn't eat it all ahead of time... 

First, I contacted Ulrika's husband and asked him to get her class schedule so that we could find a date. Then I contacted Ulrika's circle of friends and we all started sending messages to each other. Once a date and time were established, I started planning the fun details, like the menu and decorating. (See menu, below). The day of the party I studied while I prepared the food, in advance, and decorated. Decorations were simple, but I was quite pleased with the result. Since we have a two-year-old, I wanted decorations to be safe as well, so I bought a container of candy heart confetti (and the pink color comes from beets). First I covered the table in a dark patterned tablecloth from Yunnan, China, and then sprinkled it generously with pink candy hearts. For all courses we brought out different dishes, for fun and variation. The only other decoration we bought was Tomas bought one bunch of 10 tulips. I trimmed them down and put them in cleaned baby food jars that I have saved, with a little ribbon around the top for fun. These make a very nice table; they are a good height so they don't interfere with conversation, and they are inexpensive since you only need to buy one bunch of flowers!


Since I am also studying and both busy and not making any income, we needed to make the party festive, but not super pricey. It all turned out great! We finally invited Ulrika who thought she was just coming over for tea, but in reality, her other friends were here, ready to celebrate her birthday. It ended up being a hit! We all talked and laughed until much too late at night; we all ate way too much; and the evening was over much too quickly!

Menu
Appetizer: Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with cousin Helene's homemade organic bread and two kinds of cheese

Main course: Two kinds of quiches: Mushroom and broccoli quiche and smoked salmon quiche, served with mixed green salad with pears

Dessert: Tea and coffee served with generous pieces of carrot cake, served on white plates with candy sprinkles and topped with a heart-shaped piece of Swedish chocolate. Bonus: a plate of chocolate chip walnut cookies for the table.