Natalie (11) had her last day at her current school yesterday. On Monday she will be starting a 2-week trial period in the 6th grade at Steiner School, which is the private school that Kelvin attends.
Kelvin (9) drew this picture of C-3PO and R2-D2 from memory without any reference photos or toys to look at.
A couple days ago I finally got the chance to watch George Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck. It immediately rose to my Top-5 list of last year, and within my Top-30 or so of all time. An excellent film about how TV journalist Edward R. Morrow brought down Senator Joseph McCarthy from his Communist-witch-hunts in the early 1950's.
Summary: "In the early 1950’s, McCarthy was destroying people’s careers and lives as he fanatically sought to expose Communists in America during the Cold War. Murrow and his devoted CBS staff defied Congressional intimidation, corporate pressure, and concern for their own careers to use Murrow’s “See It Now” TV broadcasts to enlighten the public about the deceptions and abuse-of-power tactics behind McCarthy’s “witch-hunts.” Though the conflict effectively ended both men’s careers, Murrow took his place in history as a stirring example of the media’s power to protect the public good."If you haven't seen it yet, rent or buy this film now! An inspirational story that should be seen by everybody interested in politics and media.
Each Christmas we get together with the rest of Irene's family. All the children who are old enough (3 or 4 and up) take part in an enactment of the Nativity story: The birth of Jesus.
In December 2005 we went to a Christmas workshop at Kelvin's school. They had lots of great activities, one of which was horseback riding. All of the kids got a shot at it and mostly enjoyed themselves. Natalie especially loves horses. We are hoping to start her in some riding classes after we move.
She was apparantly unaware that he had been there all day and thought he had been home from school.
Last summer we rented a cabin by the sea. It included a small motorboat which we really enjoyed cruising around in. It wasn't fast or powerful enough to use for skiing, but it was still a lot of fun and perfect for short trips out to the mini-islands in the cove.
These pictures were taken last summer (July 2005). They really show Emili's addiction to speed, excitement and adrenalyn. She enjoyed dragging her "motorcycle" up the sloped driveway, and then driving it full-speed-ahead down again with both hands in the air!
The little dude on the bike next to her is her neighbor- best- friend, Sander. He is one year older than her and the toys they are riding on are his.
These pictures were taken on October 20th, 2005. It was the very first snow this winter and the kids were very excited about it. They ran outside and quickly packed together some snowballs.
To be fair to my wife, whose picture I have plastered all over this blog, I decided I better add a close-up shot of myself. Although this is not entirely flattering, it's the best I could find of recent photos.
Thomas was on the soccer team for a while and enjoyed a few great games.
These shots are taken during a one of those on September 5th, 2005.
Kelvin (9) is a very creative and artistic child, who has not felt at home in the public school system. We have felt that the school system out here (Enebakk, Norway) does not really support nor promote these attributes in children, much to our (and Kelvin's) frustration. So after much deliberation, we decided to try out Rudolf Steiner private school, whose philosophy is "education is an artistic process." What the public school consider frills, Waldorf schools consider essential, e.g., weaving, knitting, playing a musical instrument, woodcarving, and painting. After three months, we can clearly see that it was the right choice for Kelvin.
Emili and I enjoyed boating while Irene tanned in the warm sun. Sandy beaches with seashells everywhere made our stay very pleasant.
Last summer we spent a week at a cabin by the sea. It was great fun and we had nearly perfect weather with loads of sun!
No doubt this picture was taken directly after opening presents on Christmas Eve.
Kelvin loves to build with Kapla blocks. And he's very good at it. He built this big tower using thin flat blocks and no glue, tape, nails, whatever. A bit like stacking cards or Dominos.
Ok, this is really my last blog for the night. It's way past my bedtime and I have to get up early tomorrow.
Natalie is absolutely gorgeous in this picture. I think it was taken in February 2006. She is eleven and is getting prettier every day.
Thomas loves digging caves in the snow. The sun is so bright that for this picture he had to close his eyes. I guess he takes after his mother. ;)
Thomas Jonathan, Lena Natalie, Kelvin Alexander, and Emili Michelle behind their wall of snowballs upon the giant snow hill across the street. Typical Norwegian winter and a clear blue sky.
