Visit to the Music Museum

This past weekend we also paid the Music Museum in Stockholm city a visit. This museum is really cool because it has a child friendly section that allows kids to just go nuts and test out all kinds of different instruments and bang away on everything from washboards to drums to giant xylophones and funky organ-type pianos. As you can imagine; Ethan had a fab time and we had a lot of fun as well!

Gotta love having kids for the sake of all the fun, childish stuff you get away with!

A rocker in the making?

A ukulele made from a Swedish rotten fish can!

Drop a beat!

"Ding!"

Conga!

Baby Boom – The Second Wave

Back in 2009 when Ethan was born, Edinburgh was seemingly invaded by cute little newborn babies and it seemed like all those kids were pretty much born at the same time give or take a few weeks or so.

The end of last year and thus far this year has yet again been prime time for arrival or announcement of babies and second babies for our friends around the world. A second wave baby boom if you will. Jen and Mike had their little Ollie (first), Jennifer and Chris had their little Jack (second), another few friend-couples have announced their second babies in the making and this past weekend; The Johanssons here in Sweden also had their first little baby boy! Plus, we also got to meet Swedish Jack’s new adorable little brother Ebbe! …oh, and the royal couple here in Sweden just had their new little baby, princess Estelle! ...and oh again; my colleague at work had a baby girl this past Sunday as well!

Is there something in the water? ;)

Congratulations to all you new parents and new plural parents!

Ebbe and Olle

Huddy and Daddy

Upgrades

This past weekend the battery that powers our old Mac, which in turn is hooked up to our projector, started acting up. Basically it was about to explode. So we started looking for options and figured it was time to start thinking about maybe getting a TV. So we did. Get a TV that is.

The idea was to go check out a few stores and find out what’s out there and what options we have for hooking the TV up to the internet, streaming from the computer etc. We made it to the first store and left with a 42” LCD TV and what could be the coolest, most useful and versatile invention since ‘the spork’: A ‘Boxee Box’! Our world has changed forever and everyone should get one.

Basically it's a little device that you plug in to your TV and to your internet and it enables you to stream movies super fast, play movies, music and show pictures from a USB harddrive, you can Skype and surf the web like on a computer and more. And to top it off; you can control the whole thing with a tiny remote control complete with a full keyboard or even with your iPhone!

Check it out: http://www.boxee.tv/

The same afternoon we also hit up IKEA for a bookcase/glass cabinet/media unit that we’ve been eyeing up for a while. It took us two trips to IKEA to get this massive thing home and after that; same procedure as after every raid to IKEA: Lay out the flat packed boxes, open them up one after the other, scratch hair and look confused, feel a moment’s regret for purchasing something that wasn’t already assembled, get to work on figuring out IKEA’s illustrated building instructions, work out what weird screw goes in which one of the 50 holes that all look the same, curse, repeat and get on with it. Something like that.

We are very pleased with the end result though and really love our new set up!

From this...

...through flat packed boxes, allen keys and funky building instructions...

...to this!

Too cute not to share!

Ethan recites the alphabet!

Hudson's wheels!

Good times at Lek & Bus

Like a ninja!

Handsome Hud

Daddy and Hudson to the rescue!

"Hudson, look at mommy! Hudson! Huuudson! There!" *snap*

"Aaand pose!"

Ethan was the stripiest kid at Lek & Bus today!

Plexiglass floors - fun for the whole family!

Mr. E

Hud Bud

”You guys should pack up your things in Stockholm and move to Australia with us!”

This morning I received a text message from my best bud Tobbe (this is the guy who also drove a tiny car from Gothenburg to Mongolia a few years back!) who recently embarked on a round-the-world trip with his little brother. They are currently in India backpacking around and have spent a few weeks on the beaches of Kerala and Goa. The message read:

“We have left Kerala and Goa and are on our way to Kolkata and then to Darjeeling via Mombay for a few weeks of hiking in the mountains. India Rocks! We’ve pretty much decided to extend the trip with another 6-12 months [originally the trip was scheduled to last for about 10 months] and live in Australia for a bit. You guys should pack up your things in Stockholm and move to Australia with us and we can live in a co-op in some coastal city!”

After India the boys are moving on to south-east Asia for a few months of backpacking around Vietnamn and a few more countries, then on to Australia where they are doing a roadtrip starting in the north, then South America and finally the US where they are taking a Greyhound bus from somewhere way down south, over to California and then back across up to New York and home.

I'm not convinced we are packing up and moving to a co-op in Australia but no doubt I'm impressed with their amazing trip plan they've laid out and Tobbe’s message definitely of poked the ol' travel bug. I am now even more excited about our potential North American adventure! Let’s knock out a few plans and get this show on the road! Literally.

Welcome to Reverse-psychology-ville! Population: Ethan (Don't read this blog posting!)

Every day is a new and fabulous adventure in the HH-household! Lately our dear first born son has taken testing of our boundaries to a new level to see what he can get away with. He is now also deep into a ‘”No! Stop it! / Nej! Sluta!”-phase’.

Therefore; in order to get Ethan McStubbornson to eat his lunch, drink his milk or even go sit on the couch without too much of a tug o’ war we have resorted to introducing good old reverse psychology. “Don’t eat mommy’s sandwich!” and “Don’t steal daddy’s chair!” works like a charm!

I guess it’s just normal and a part of his development but what is it with us humans and our desire to do the exact opposite of what someone tells us to do? I was reading up on the subject and thought I’d share an eHow.com-instruction that can drastically improve your success rate when dating, working, dealing with family…the works! ;)

http://www.ehow.com/how_4443252_use-reverse-psychology.html

Meanwhile; his younger brother is quietly observing on the sidelines whilst growing like crazy as a result of an appetite suitable for a lumberjack! Good thing the above mentioned stubborn one has also developed a bit of a shopping addiction and never turns down an opportunity to go grocery shopping then! Daddy needs to get a second job. Fast.

Oh, and DON'T hit the Like or Share-button below... and whatever you do, DON'T leave any comments!

Welcome to Snotville! Population: Us

A Siberian cold that has drifted in from Russia has taken a firm grip on Sweden (minus 16C in Stockholm and minus 35C(!) up north today) and it seems like every other person in Stockholm is sneezing or coughing right now. Including us. First (half)week back at work and probably around 50% of our staff were home sick with either colds and fevers or the winter stomach bug. Thankfully for us, we just have runny noses, heavy heads and tickly throats but still not very pleasant.

A new shot of the boys!