Isaac's last day at barnehage

Thursday was Isaac's last day at his wonderful preschool.  We will go back for a quick visit the day before we leave to say our goodbyes, so that made this day a bit easier.  

The day before, when Isaac and I came home from the barnehage, we took the bus (it was still quite icy).  Somehow, I lost one of his mittens as we were getting on.  I thought it might be on the ground by the bus stop near Isaac's school, but it wasn't there when we looked this morning.  Drat.

Thursday is tour day at Isaac's barnehage.  This Thursday, they walked to the natural history museum. Here's Isaac getting his snowsuit on for the trek. 

As I was leaving to go work for the day, I took some pictures of the barnehage and its surroundings.  It was 9:30 in the morning, the streetlights were still on, and it was snowing.  

The super slide

The lower playground

The back of the barnehage 

The gate where we enter each day.  Be sure to shut the gate after you! 

The restaurant across the street

The market down the street.  I often see a barnehage employee walking back from the market with bags and bags of bread for the children's daily meals.  Isaac calls it the Gum Store because once we stopped there to get a pack of gum.   

In the afternoon, Sam, Katie, and Grace came with me to hang out at the barnehage.  We took the bus there.  This bus was an early afternoon bus, a time we hadn't ever ridden before.  And when I went to the front to pay for our tickets, low-and-behold there was Isaac's missing mitten, laying on the dashboard.  Lucky day!

I rode next to Grace, who is a big bus-riding fan. 

Sam and Katie rode with the cool kids in the back.

Always ready with a smile.  Grace's last day at barnehage was Wednesday.  That day, her class went to a local farm for a Christmas celebration.  We'll visit her school on the 2nd to say farewell to her wonderful teachers and classmates. 

On our way into Isaac's barnehage 

Shhh, there are babies sleeping in those strollers.

The man of the day

Sam, Katie, and Isaac set to work building with Legos, while Grace provided mood music on the keyboard. 

Giving a good-bye hug to Anne Marie

These two were full of mischief that day - too much time off from school! 

Grace joined Isaac and his classmates for their afternoon fruit and yogurt.

Chantal cuts the fruit and passes it around.  Each of the children are expected to use the proper polite phrases when they get their food.  They really enforce good manners.  Isaac has taken to it great.  At every meal at home, before he pushes away from the table he says, "Takk for mat" (Thanks for the food.) 

Isaac adds some finishing touches to the Lego estate. 

Dave arrived a bit later, and brought his guitar for some entertainment. 

Playing in the puteroom (pillow room).  Katie caught some impressive air.  The older kids also nap here. 

Grace puts on a show. 

When Dave got out his guitar, all the teachers and children (and some parents who were picking up their kids) gathered around to sing along.  Dave started by playing Isaac's favorite song, Bjørnen Sover (Sleeping Bear).  

Hedvig wanted to sit next to Dave and hold his music.  After playing that first Norwegian tune, Dave went to his go-to repertoire, starting with some Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and a little La Bamba thrown in to spice it up.  I was singing along with Dave, and we chose to mumble some of the lyrics that weren't necessarily well-suited for our audience, e.g. "shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die."

Chantal and Isaac have a serious discussion about the Lego building.

In the evening we had our friend Inger Anne and her daughter over for dinner.  Inger Anne lives on our street, and we first met in the summer when our kids were all playing outside.  I feel a unique bond with her because her sister has Down syndrome.  It was interesting to chat with her about her sister's lifestyle as an adult with Down syndrome in a different country.  We also owe her a great debt of gratitude for patching up Isaac when he fell at church and cut his forehead open. 

More wheelbarrowing ensued.  If Grace's therapists from when she was a baby could see her now!  She never wanted to do anything weight-bearing with her arms back then.  Look at her go!

And then she gave Sam a go-round.