We stayed around the house this weekend, as Sam was still under the weather.  But the Trondheim weather was gorgeous.  Dave mowed the lawn.  He also watched the kids all afternoon while I tooled around downtown shopping.  The goal was to get a lunchbox and waterbottle for Isaac, which I accomplished, but I did lots of general window-shopping.  Totally grooving on all the Scandinavian design.

At the neighborhood sandbox

Going for our nightly stroll around the neighborhood

We found a new playground that needed its equipment tested.  This slide failed the "side-by-side" test.

Good for camera poses, though

Sunday morning, Sam was still fighting the flu, so Dave stayed home with him while Grace and I went to church.  We went to the local Catholic church.  The demographic was very different than at the cathedral last week.  Most of the congregation at the cathedral looked like stereotypical Norwegians - blond hair, blue eyes.  At the Catholic church, the congregation was predominantly immigrants - many folks from Vietnam and Africa.  Luckily, the mass was celebrated in Latin, so we were all on the same footing when it came to understanding the language.

Katie suggested a picnic in the backyard for lunch.  Great idea!  You can see the currants overflowing on the bushes behind the table.

Our beautiful girls

Sam while making an effort to feel better.  He really got knocked for a loop.

What a smile!  Dave has decided this is the most comfortable couch in the world.   I'll need to do some independent testing to verify that claim.

Another delightful smile!

On top of the hill in the distance (to the left of the tree), you can see the Kristiansten Festning.  The building is known as the Sugar Cube.  We walk through the fort to get to Sam, Katie, and Grace's school.

The spire of Nidaros Cathedral is sticking up between the trees while Grace and Isaac work the teeter-totter. 

Looking for Tom Sawyer?
Katie has established some friends in the neighborhood, so she's often on the street playing.

Monday was the first day of preschool for both Grace and Isaac (at different schools.)  We are incredibly blessed that they are both at wonderful places.

Grace walking to school past the fort.

We got to Grace's school at snack time.  All the three and four year olds were in the cafeteria eating porridge (grøt).  Grace dug right in.  You can see her on the left side of the table, second kid in.  Her face is obscured by her arm, which is angled to get the best bite of apple preserves piled on top of the porridge.

After eating, all the kids take their dishes to the kitchen, scrape their leftovers into the trash, and put their dirty dishes in the tub.  Grace knew just what to do - thanks to her good training from the teachers at Little Shepherd!   

One neat thing about her school is that half of the teachers are male, and half are female.  It makes for a nice dynamic.  After snack time, the kids headed outside to play.  They all wear chartreuse, reflective vests.  They don't seem that necessary now, but as winter comes on and there are only a few hours of daylight, they are a necessity.

Grace headed right for the bikes

She had her eye on this prize.

Isaac enjoyed his day in Smia.  That's the name of his room at the barnehage.  I picked him up right after lunch.  He had just finished bread with baconost (bacon cheese spread), liverpostei (spreadable liverwurst), and Prim (brunost - a caramelly cheese).  Not all on the same piece of bread.

The room with their cubbies

At the sink in the bathroom.  Everything is just the right size.

In front of his cubby (the first one on the right)

Under the bridge on the walk home.