the dog, the crocodile and the shark

In story-telling mode
The shark swimming around was a birthday gift from Elina
Taking a pic of Erik
Liam made up a story while in the bathtub tonight:
"En hund trillar i vattnet. En dum haj biter hunden. Då kommer en snäll krokodil och ger hunden plåster. Krokodilen biter hajen så hajen inte kan bita hunden. Det är en saga"
"A dog falls in the water. A bad shark bites the dog. Then a nice crocodile comes and gives the dog a band aid. The crocodile bites the shark so that the shark can't bite the dog. It's a story" The End

The Getty center

we found a peaceful place for picnique until 25 tourists came over to hear a guided tour
hanging out in the shade. All that stone makes this place pretty bright
in the staircase of the museum
beautiful views
looking around the garden
snacktime
liam was dancing goofy in the cafeteria



getty loved stone
nice views over LA

playing

Efter att ha sparkat riktigt ordentligt kommer bebisen till slut ut ur mammas mage. After a lot of kicking around, the baby finally comes out of mommy's belly
"Jag skjute räven och en ren och en apa. vi äter räven, vi äter dom. Erik också. Här får du!" "I shot the fox and a reindeer and a monkey. We're eating the fox, we're eating them. Erik too. Here you go!"
Painting a truck with a tail for cousin Elina
writing
On the airplane
Erik can be a bit crazy sometimes

Liam's new school

the snack area
on the trampoline
matching

Erik can play drums too!
They made necklaces out of cerealpat on the back
The teacher climbed up to get Liam an apple. They have all kinds of fruit trees and the kids get to help out with the garden.delicious apple

Liam made new friends
they we're discussing how to scare the birds the best way
hitting the sand box
the little girl had a pet snail
I really like Liam's new school, and so does he. It's similar to Swedish "dagis" in that they are outside the whole time (although they have a studio with bathroom, toys, instruments etc). They do things such as read books, art projects, letters, numbers, music etc, but it's volontary and the kids always have the option to play instead if they prefer. There's a trail in the back where they go for nature walks. They also use non-violent communication and help the kids solve their conflicts instead of just stopping them. I've been there with him three times now, and I'll gradually start leaving him there when I know he's comfortable.

Just during these last couple of weeks, Liam is much more interested in making friends. He goes up to play with other kids and has so much fun at the playground and at school.

venice beach

Surfers' paradise

Erik hit the swings wearing my brother's t-shirt from 1982
Erik and I
Liam had a blast

until a big wave hit him and he got soaking wet
Venice beach high, 2 miles from our house, was the featured high school in movies such as "Grease" and "Terror on Elm Street"
Venice beach is an interesting place to visit. All kinds of eccentric people and artists gather here. Next time, we have to stay for the day or at least the whole morning.

Skalbaggen - the beetle

"Det kom en skalbagge. Han var ganska lång. Han fyllde år. Han kom i koppen. Han är där inne nu-vill du se skalbaggen? Skalbaggen är i soffan. Jag vill se den där skalbaggen! Jag togde den nu."

"A beetle came. He was pretty tall. It was his birthday. He came into the cup. He's in there right now - do you wanna see him? The beetle is in the couch. I want to see that beetle. I took it now."

Liam's fantasies

I think I'm going to start writing down Liam's fantasies. it's probably not interesting for many people, but hey, this is kind of like my diary so it will be fun to read later. The following were some of his thoughts during dinner:

"Jag vill gå och sitta i en gul stol med Jason. Ute på gatan. Vi ska äta där ute. Då kommer två poliser. Det är Jason's kompisar. Dom heter Liam! och Philip"

I want to sit in a yellow chair with Jason. Out on the street. We're gonna eat there. Then two policemen show up. They're Jason's friends. Their names are Liam! and Philip"