Some cute things

Odin has been doing some really cute things lately. The cutest happened today. I was walking with a friend and had Odin in the ergo (baby carrier). My friend started to whistle to entertain Odin. I then started to whistle too. Odin watched us very carefully and then he put his lips together and blew air out as if to try and whistle too (he can be such a parrot!). Well, no sound came out, so he started to sing instead but with his lips still in the whistling position! I had to laugh!

Odin has also learned that if he wants us to do something he can grab our finger and put it on whatever he wants. For example, he often wants us to open cabinets or doors so he will put our fingers on the handles. Sometimes he will grab our pointer finger and lead us across the room to the exact cabinet he wants inside. Hard to say no with such willpower!

Skinnskatteberg, Vindeln, and Innebandy

All three of us around a fire for some much needed fika (coffee break) after a tour of some private forestland operations in Skinnskatteberg in southern Sweden. A trip to visit the river Vindeln not far from Umeå. Due to all the rain we've had, the river was very full and the rapids were quite a sight.
We went with our friend Erik to an Innebandy (floorball) game last Friday night. It was a bit loud, so Erik brought some earmuffs for Odin. Celia and I laughed when we saw them and told Erik that there is no way he'll wear them...and then Odin proceeded to wear them and laugh and smile! Ha!

Papa reading a "pop-out" book to Odin that Aunt Connie sent us called The Very Lazy Lion. What fun!

Colder!!!

The weather is getting colder, but that hasn't slowed us too much. Fortunately we were given some hand-me-down Swedish winter gear for Odin!

But before we could venture outside, Odin had to learn how to walk in his boots!! So we did a lot of practice inside.

Odin has started to develop a very cute personality. He likes to do things that make us smile or laugh. Here he is shakin' his maracas for us!

I'll Feed Myself and YOU

Odin has decided he is now old enough to use a spoon to feed himself! And to feed us!
Odin has become a big fan of Papa. He gets very sad in the mornings when Papa leaves for work and when he returns in the evenings there is much rejoicing! And then Odin sticks to Papa like glue! Sometimes even climbing inside his t-shirt.
Picking cranberries in a bog! We had to wait until it got cold enough so that it is easier to pick the cranberries and the freezing changes them to make them taste even better.

October 31 is "Alla helgons dag" here in Sweden (All Saints' Day). It is a day of rememberance for those that have passed away and everyone goes out to the cemetaries and leaves candles on the graves of loved ones. It is quite pretty to see the cemetaries all lit-up with thousands of candles. Halloween has been imported here to some extent and Odin found the Halloween candy. Though we only got 2 trick-or-treaters (or "bus eller godis" in Swedish).
So cute!