Travel Nate stikes again...

At the beginning of our trip to Oslo, I was good at taking pictures.  Because who doesn't think of taking pictures at 6am!

Travel Nate was feeling rather high and mighty in his personal seat on the bus to the airport.  That feeling seemed to carry on throughout the rest of the day.

 He requested a warm bottle before boarding the plane because he gets so nervous before take off.  Apparently the milk takes the edge off for him.

 He requested music while eating lunch at our "hotel" 

(we borrowed an apartment from some friends that live in Oslo but are on vacation in the States)

 If that wasn't enough, this little guy felt like he needed to light a fire so that he could get nice and toasty before his afternoon nap.  

Travel Nate knows how to travel in style!  

Good thing we gave him everything he requested because the was an absolute angel during all the sessions of conference.  

You've gotta do what you've gotta do!

Big headed

We all know that Nathan likes to be the center of attention on this blog.  I have tried to teach him how to take pictures of me but he just won't do it.  

Sheesh, the nerve of some babies!

 As you can tell from the size of his head in these pictures, he is feeling rather haughty...

 He even made sure to check that Farmor was aware of his extreme cuteness

 and it appears that she is hooked - wrapped around his little pinky...

 which really isn't that hard to do considering he doesn't have his little mittens on!

hmmmm, I wonder where they could be?!?  

I might be a little biased but even with a misshapen head, he really is quite cute!

We dub thee...

A few weeks ago we headed down to Stavanger for a royal event!  You see that young man receiving a diploma?  His name is Joseph Stoops and he just got married to an American girl named Jude Rivas.

They met in the MTC, both served in separate missions in Russia but kept in touch by writing letters and decided that getting married was better than writing letters when they got home!  Joseph became active again when I was serving as a missionary in Stavanger so seeing him serve a mission and marry in the temple has been such a neat experience for me.

 And it turns out when you finally get married, you get dubbed as a husband and you receive a diploma for graduating from being a young single adult to a young married adult! 

 But don't let that fool you, there was plenty of time for games and laughter at this fancy event.

 Kjetil got to show off his art skills as he tried to draw a picture of the bride on a balloon.  And let me tell you, it was quite the representation! 

 Some people really excelled and some didn't!  

 My mother-in-law got to show off her writing skills as she helped out by writing Joseph plus Jude equals love!  Look at that concentration!  She definitely nailed it.

And I am seeing a lot of love so it must be true :)

 Oh...and I am sure you were thinking - What?!?!  No picture of Nathan?  

A blogpost without Nathan?!? 

How is it possible?

Don't worry about it - he was thinkin' the exact same thing!

What's in a name?!?

We have been to Oslo and back this weekend.  Early Saturday morning we caught a plane and we hit the ground running. 

You see...miracles have been happening here in Norway.  

Six years ago, on May 1st, I stepped off a plane on Oslo, Norway as a missionary.  My first area was Drammen.  And it was a wonderful, amazing, fantastic place to start my mission.  Then, it was off to Bodø for a few months and finally, I ended up Stavanger (where I happened to be woo-ed by an obedient and kind young man!).

(Side note...Kjetil met some members from Bodø this weekend and upon asking them if they liked me as a missionary, they replied "well, apparently we have something in common because you definitely liked her as a missionary!  Haha!)

 

Anyway, I moved back, got married and settled into being an American with a Norwegian flare.  What missionary doesn't dream of "going back"?  Who doesn't dream of seeing what happens in the place where they served?  Admit it, we all long to go back.

Today was a day where I yearned to have all my companions by my side.  Today was a day when I looked around and felt the Spirit stream over my soul.  Today was a day that allows us to remember that the Lord is aware of us and that the work continues to move forward.

I sat in a training meeting with my husband where the Spirit confirmed to me over and over and over again that the Norway IS growing.  I sat in a conference for all of the members of Norway and couldn't contain my tears as I saw children that I interacted with as a missionary, members that reached out to others, young women that I have taught but more importantly young women who have taught me.  Converts that I have heard about, served around and shared in the joy of finding the truth together.  

But none of that is really a miracle.  I have always known that the members here in Norway are incredible.  The miracle is why we had the meeting.  

35 years ago, Norway received their first stake.  

35 years ago!  

Today, the second stake of Norway was formed.  We went from being a district with some great branches to being a stake with some great wards!  And the best part, we have some new wards from the other stake to help us get on our feet.  

Amazing.

I feel so blessed to be here in Norway.  We were taught that we need to keep our covenants through sacrifice.  We were taught that we need to rely on the Lord.  We were taught that we can do this and that this is only the beginning of the miracles that will take place in Norway.  

And I was taught that I am one lucky missionary that gets to experience all of this growth and development and all of the miracles that the Lord has in store for Norway.  I was taught that I chose a good man.  I was taught that I married into a faithful and diligent family.  I was taught that my children will grow up with good examples and strength surrounding them because the gospel is a protection.  I was taught not to stand in the way of the Spirit and to trust in the Lord.

I could go on and on and on.  

Oh...and we are no longer in the Stavanger Norway District, we are now in the Drammen Norway Stake.  I think some people were shocked by the new name because it has always been the Stavanger District but really, what is in a name?!?  We are in a Stake now.  That is all that matters!

P.S.  For those who served here - Tarjei Pedersen is the new President with Stefan Fromgren and Jørn Ivar Berg as counselors.  

Drammen Stake consists of the following units - Drammen, Skien, Tønsberg, Arendal, Evje, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Haugesund, Bergen and Ålesund. 

(Kristiansand, Stavanger and Bergen will become now become wards.)

Oslo Stake consists of - Oslo, Moss, Romerike, Fredrikstad, Hamar, Sandvika, Trondheim

A little bit of everything...

Morten took most of the pictures during Easter Week and he made sure to snag a few of Kjetil and I with Nathan.  I realize there has been a lot about Easter but that is what happens when Easter lasts for a whole week instead of just one day!  I figured our families would enjoy seeing these...

 Uncle Morten and the camera - life cannot get any better!

 Playtime with mom!

 Peek-a-boo!

 I wonder if they want to play together or not?!?  :)

 Peaceful after a bath...

Easter Celebrations

We really did have a great Easter with Morten and Yelda this past week.  Since this was Yelda's first Easter, we made sure to include all the fun aspects of Easter and all the religious ones too.  Yelda just joined the church a few months ago and she grew up Muslim so we wanted to make sure she had a memorable Easter! 

First on the list was Easter Eggs!  

Here in Norway, they do Easter Eggs instead of Easter Baskets.  Since Nathan is still too young for either, we opted for Easter Eggs this year.  Yelda was thrilled to finally get an Easter Egg and we decided that we couldn't wait until Sunday to open them so we cracked them open on Thursday night!

On Saturday, we had our fancy dinner since it is hard to get everything cooked on Sunday when church is right in the middle of the day and taking the bus back and forth can take a long time.  I tried my hand at Leg of Lamb and it turned out beautifully!

 We had a wonderful dinner together and the food was so yummy!

 After dinner, we took some time to watch some of the new videos about Christ and talked about what He had to endure for us.  It set such a nice feeling for the rest of the weekend and we woke up on Sunday ready to celebrate the day that our Savior was resurrected.  Kjetil had to sing at the State Church with his choir so Morten went to support him while I attended church with Nathan.

We had a great dinner on Sunday with our friends Lindsay and Tyler Hull.  I forgot to take pictures but I did snag one of my bunny cake because Easter just feels a little more like Easter with a bunny cake!

It was so fun to have Easter at home this year and I loved having a few free days with Kjetil.  I am so grateful for the chance to focus on the Savior this Easter and I loved the feelings that were felt through our traditions and activities that we did this year.  

Mischief

Nathan soon discovered that when there are lots of people in the house, it is easier to get away with a little mischief.  He realized that people can't pay attention to him ALL the time!  And this little guy is fast to take action when no one is watching...

He decided to help Yelda with a little unpacking before we had dinner one night...

and was caught in the act by dad!

He is a pro at knowing which door is left open and he finally got his chance to explore the all-to-interesting shower early friday morning.

Apparently he forgot that we usually take off our clothes before getting into the shower...

Later that day, he discovered Uncle Morten's suitcase and found an awesome toy to play with!

 Huh?!?!  Are you watching me?!?!

 He made sure that Yelda wasn't doing anything out of ordinary with her hairbrush in the bathroom

 and even made sure that the laundry was being done correctly.

 But if you give this boy a chance, he will explore the world!  He found a pack of wipes and some diaper rash cream after a diaper changing and made sure to check out every single wipe!

 Luckily, the lid was still screwed on the cream because I am sure he would have had a heyday with that!

 Needless to say, Nathan is a fast little guy and he loves to explore anything and everything that he can get his hands on.

 And maybe next time we will make sure that he can't get his hands on the wipes!