Ok, the Oscars were yesterday, but...

...it's not to late for a world premiere anyway!

This is Ronjas and my story about our family, in a very compact version.

Sorry to you non-norwegian speakers out there!

May we present: "Når Freja kom til verden":

Enigma.

Quiet time.

Today:

A day for watching birds.

For pondering on my latest project.

A day for climbing trees...(Mr. Payne thinks so, at least)

...and for burning them.

A day for dreaming about exotic far away places...

...and for taking in the beauty right here & now.

A year ago today...

...I took this photo of my gorgeous husband.

It was -20 degrees outside, but the crazy hunk was determined to do his job... - and off he went, into the forest, to fell trees. I remember finding the remains of bonfires he'd made those days, when I walked in that same forest in spring. Visualising him there, sitting by the little bonfire, alone in the forest, in the arctic freezing cold, grilling a sausage, coffee in hand. And happy. Most of all, he'd be happy, and very, very pleased with himself.

"So", she thought to herself, "I've married an eccentric".

The latest fashion.

Here in the house of Payne, we are constantly trying to be ahead with the latest trends. The littlest monkey Freja is no exception! Here she is, yesterday, after hours in front of the mirror with brushes and foam.

Stay tuned for more groundbreaking trends from the jungle.

Happy Friday!

As in most homes I guess, Friday is on the top two-list of favourite days of the week in this family.
(I now see that in order to present myself as obsessively positive, I should have written the top seven-list. But I won't. Ok then, let's go for top four-list. That's over half. Now stop rambling, and get on with it!)
So yes! Happy happy! Ronja went to the movies with her friend, had a great time. I stayed home and cleared snot from Ickle Bubba's nose (yes, that's Freja's new nickname, courtesy of Mr. Payne. Don't ask.), while Mr. Payne was at the gym. What else is new? He's running a marathon in April. Don't ask.

This is what happens when Mum and Ronja have time to kill. Don't ask.

Yes, we too can look normal sometimes.

Wishing everyone a merry Friday evening!

Youth!

Our fresh fantastic Ronja. After having been out skiing at school all day (they have outdoor school every Tuesday), she has her weekly riding lesson, and after that goes skiing again with her Grandad.

Happy and with rosy cheeks she crash lands into bed and is fast asleep after one minute. Just the light sound of snoring is heard in the room, she's recharging for another day of making the most of it. Love.

Mrs. Payne loves clocks.

Treasures! Can't get enough, love them all.

An exciting time for the Paynes!

This spring and summer another one of our dreams are coming true. We are renovating and moving into the main house on the farm. 

It's going to be a lot of work, but WOW. It will be OURS. For good!

The old house & the barn - our farmyard-to-be:

Close-up of the house:

Ps/ commercial break: This means that we have to sell the house we live in now, which is sad, but inevitable. So if anyone has a dream of countryside living, and an extra 1,5 mill norwegian kroner to spare, let us know! The house will be sold with a big garden and outhouse.

This is where we live now, just below the main house/ barn, and this will be for sale:

Friday afternoon timeout.

A whole week of monkeying around can wear out even the strongest of us.

The Foofa falls asleep in my arms, and the weekend is here. Lovely! Red wine and finally some time with the handsome man of the house (I am referring to the one without a beak and who doesn't go "cockadoodledoooo" in the morning now).

Can it be better? I think not.

Heart to heart.

After a small argument with her, she disappears for a little while, up to her room. Comes down again, with a small velvet bag in her hands and big, serious eyes. Inside, this note.

The world's best Ronja.

Translation: "I'm sorry, mum, for what happened. I love you."

Written intuitively as only a six-year old can.

I hope she never learns to write correctly.

First word!

Freja has spoken her first word.

Guess what it is?

"Lys". Or rather, "yssss".

I have the impression that "lys" (light) is common as a first word. It was Ronja's too.

Quite sensible, actually, as it is one of the essential things for life. Babies are clever!