Where In the World Are James, Maija, Elin and Anikka?: December 2012

Here it is, Christmas night and I am working on the blog from our trip for
Thanksgiving. The few short weeks between the holidays passed in a blur due to the usual busyness of the holidays and compounded by a four month old who has decided to be extra needy this past month so I seem to get nothing done anymore. I am rocking her to sleep right now as I type one handed. Why bother to do the blog now, a month after the fact? It's a travel journal for us and my Mother likes to see the pictures of where we go :)

First, Merry Christmas. I hope everyone had a great day, we did.

On to Thanksgiving......

We flew to visit my parents in Colorado for a week. We originally had a flight scheduled out at 10:30 am on Thanksgiving day but as usually, flights got cancelled and we were rescheduled for a different flight ...that left at 6:44 am. With our entourage and bags, carseats etc it meant that we had to LEAVE for the airport at 4:20 am. GAG! So we got our babies up at 4 am and put them in the car. Elin said it best: "what are we doing Mommy?" Ya, that's what I was thinking too. But amazingly, both girls were excellent on both flights and we arrived with no issues.

We spent the holiday with my parents and my brother Oscar's family.

Lincoln, Elin and Deekon

Grandma and Anikka

James and Elin

Elin, Linc, Anikka and Deek

Oscar, Randi, Grandma, Anikka and Grampy (back). Deekon, Lincoln, Maija, Elin and James (front)

Everyone in Colorado got to meet Anikka for the first time (except Grandma who came to help when she was born.

Twins.....

Pappy and Ani

Deekon especially loved playing with her.

In return Elin loved playing with his dog Penny.

We spent the week playing with our family and seeing the nice blue Colorado sky and sunshine everyday.

Elin and James went up to the mountains with Oscar and his boys to cut down a Christmas tree.

We also went on the Polar Express in Durango. It is an old coal train that does the Polar Express in the winter. It was a lot like the movie and we all had a great time We got a golden ticket and went to the "North Pole". Santa came on the train at the end and gave the kids a bell to take home. They did an excellent job and it was the perfect way to start the holiday season. Elin still talks about going on the train to the North Pole.