Chilly weather

We didn't escape the LEGO this year either, ha ha! Mormor made sure they had something to build, so the tradition of Christmas LEGO building in new Christmas jammies wasn't broken!

The kids are fascinated with the snow, but when it comes down to it, they are not so tough... The suited up to go outside and play, but only lasted a short while. Only just enough to make some snow angels, get rosy cheeks, and a craving for hot chocolate when they came back inside!

A Swedish Christmas

While Nathan took off to Perth, kids and I debarked on the second part of our Christmas holiday on Boxing Day. We took an Emirates flight from Dubai to Arlanda (Stockholm), and then the train down to Mormor and Morfar. Easy peasy.

It had been three years since we were last in Sweden for the winter season. Disappointingly though, this year it has been the warmest month of December ever in Sweden, and not a snow flake in sight when we landed on Saturday...

But, during the night between Saturday and Sunday - like magic, it snowed! Yay!

My Mum and her siblings take turns hosting their Christmas gathering each year, and this year it was my Mum's turn. It was a big turnout, we were only missing two partners (Nathan and the 'sambo' of one of my Aunts), and the eldest daughter of one of my cousins, who had gone to her Mum's to celebrate Christmas.

For the first time in 18 years, we managed to get a photo of all the cousins together!

The photo session continued with one of Mormor and her siblings:

Great afternoon having everybody over together. So much food, and all the snow outside the window, how idyllic! 

Lucas and I played board games with my cousins and their partners, and Linnea played with her second cousins Lotta and Daga. 

Christmas Day 2015

Nathan went off to work in the evening of Christmas Day, but we were lucky to get to spend Christmas morning together, which is all that matters really - at least for the kiddos!

You notice on their wish lists that the kids are growing up. The lists are getting shorter each year, but with more and more expensive stuff on them...
We think they both did rather well this year though, they both got most of the things they had wished for - Pandora, books, t-shirts, All Blacks things, computer games, Nerf stuff etc.

A NZ 'Minties'-charm from Grandma!

Someone also got his most treasured wish - a phone. Finally. (Probably the last one of his friends to get one...)

We have always told the kids that they wouldn't get phones at any specific age, but rather when there would be a need for them. There is certainly a need now, when we are starting to give them more freedom than before, so it was time.

Daddy got a carefully chosen new friend, ha ha!

Even Oakley got some presents!

 Merry Christmas to all!

Julafton 2015

Julafton started with a cup of coffee and some Christmas ham sandwiches for breakfast, while I finished up burning my countdown candle.

Once again this year, we celebrated Swedish Christmas together with my friend Pia, this year at their house. Unfortunately her husband Martin spent his Christmas Eve in Nagoya... so it was just her and the girls, but we had a lovely afternoon, with plenty of Swedish and Danish Christmas food, and glögg, of course!

This year we managed to take a Christmas family photo, and with Oakley too!

Herring, salmon, ham, potatoes, Janssons, meatballs, sausages, red cabbage, egg, duck, bread... mmm...!

Watching 'Kalle Anka på Julafton' after lunch! Celebration complete!

A Spanish-Japanese-NZ-Australian-Swedish day in Phuket Old Town

One day, we did actually leave the hotel!
We took a taxi down to the Phuket Old Town to meet up with some other happy vacation people that had come to Phuket from Bangkok and Singapore - the Ferans and the Roses!

The Roses came to see us in June, but we hadn't seen the Ferans since we left Brunei. You really start to feel old when you let out "Oh my, those kids have grown!"...

We meet up at this quirky café called China Inn, for some afternoon drinks:

Then we managed to squeeze in a little tiny bit of shopping (well, only bought a Xmas tree decoration!) on our walk to the restaurant:

Some enjoyed the shopping a little bit less than others:

Made a pit stop on the way, for some more refreshments:

Pete established that it has now finally happened, Lucas has grown taller than Misuzu!

In the evening we had dinner in this cool tree house restaurant called 'Natural Restaurant':

What a great afternoon and evening, such good timing that we all were in Thailand at the same time!