Amilie og Sebastian aug-sept (68 photos), by John C. Hanks

I'd like to share my Walmart Digital Photo Center photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Sebastian 1-2 weeks (42 photos), by John C. Hanks

I'd like to share my Walmart Digital Photo Center photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Amilie's summer so far (64 photos), by John C. Hanks

I'd like to share my Walmart Digital Photo Center photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Amilie's 2 years birthday

Amilie is turning 2 tomorrow, but as we will be in Sweden then we decided to celebrate a day early. She actually understood that we were celebrating her birthday, she thought it had something to do with blowing out the candles on the cake and everyone singing for her. She looked at the candles on the cake several times during the party and would say "bursdag" which is Norwegian for birthday. She also enjoyed unwrapping the gifts - still enjoying the prosess and the wrapping just as much as the gifts. (as you will see when we get around to upload some videos.)

Amilie likes it when she sees a cake, especially with lighted candles.

(They made her crown at her daycare).

She loves blowing out candles, would do it all day if we let her...

And now let's eat the cake too!

Uncle Arvid, Daniel and Daniela(our dear renters) and Aunt Jorunn and soon to be Uncle Helge celebrated with us.

Am I not cool in my new sunglasses! (finally she think it is fun to wear sunglasses!)

Aunt Jorunn is studying photography and gave her a wonderful framed enlarged print. Amilie can see it is her, but she is trying to figure out if she will be in the back of it too.... :)

She was overwhelmed to get her new "syttel", which is her way of saying sykkel(bicycle).

"Dad you have to help me make this look a bit more like a bike!"

Soon my legs will be long enough for me to ride this on my own. ;)

Will I read the book Aunt Sabrina sent me or watch the Veggietales DVD from Grammy?

I guess I'll watch the DVD...

Visiting Grandmama

Now all of John's siblings with families were gathered in Texas, so we decided to go and visist with their Grandmama Effie, their dad's mother. She is 95 years old but in good shape and spirits.

Grandmama Effie

Grandmama with grandkids and great grandkids

The photografers, Aunt Betty, where grandmama was staying, and Grammy Gay, John's mom.

Grandmama and some of her great grandchildren.

The kids enjoyed playing with all the toys that belonged to Aunt Betty and Uncle Charles' granddaughter. Here Zachary, Ella Kate and Mia.

Hannah and Brock

Emma and Amilie

Zach, Mia, Hannah and Emma.

Amilie and cousins at John's mom

Amilie really enjoyed meeting and playing with her cousins while staying at John's mom's house. His sister Sabrina and family were there with us so she got to play with the twins, Corinne and Emma, Brock and Hannah a lot. Grandma found this table stored in the garage that fit perfectly for the kids to enjoy their meals by. Emma, Amilie, Brock, Corinne and Hannah having some drinks in the pleasant warm weather.

A few days later, smily Emma and Corinne.

Amilie playing with Emma and Corinne (and her favorite wet rag).

Amilie in shorts for the first time after learing to walk. She got her first scruff on her knee whilst playing with dad in the playground. (Mom was Christmas shopping with aunt Sabrina).

Amilie and Brock hit it off really well. They just had a lot of fun together, Amilie especially, couldn't get enought playtime with Brock.


Amilie being entertained by her lovely cousins Brock and Hannah.

Amilie was lucky to get all the cardboard books that the twins had outgrown. She loved this one about the bear cub and would act out the story every time.

My Birthday in Nederland, Texas

We arrived in Nederland, where John's mom lives, on my birthday, the 17th of December. She had arranged a surprise birthday party for me: Sabrina, John's sister and family came in the same time as us, flying in from Raleigh, North Carolina, we met in the airport together with Tony, John's brother and his wife, and John's mom took us all to the tex-mex restaurant, Casa Olé. I realized this would be my birthday party when I saw her carrying a cake into the restaurant. Neat! We had a good time enjoying excellent food and white cake! :) Amilie, Anne Grethe, Corinne, Gay, Tony and Cindy.

Brent, Brock, Hannah, Gay, waitress, Corinne, Emma and Sabrina.

The twins and I. They surely know how to put a nice smile on.

Thanks for a nice birthday party, dear mother-in-law! :)

Thanks to my sister-in-law, Heather, I was able to celebrate my birthday again when she and the family came down from Nashville a few days later. She had brought delicious cupcakes from Ivey'sCakes. Yummi-yummi. Thank you Heather for thinking about me! :)