How to groove to different tunes!

Do all 18 months old have an understanding of music styles and fluctuations? It seems as though we have a music major on our hands. He listens to us play a beat on a drum and can imitate it exactly. He likes to be the conductor of music and will play that role out entirely. As a conductor and dancer, he even knows when to crescendo. In this video, I played him several different styles of music and his body naturally knew to move differently! At the end you see him signing "more, more, more, more," over and over again!We have a good time with him and all things musical. After the video, I posted pictures of him watching "The Lawrence Welk Show" from NPR. My mom started the custom of watching this show with Ethan whenever he was over at her house on a Saturday night. We decided to turn it on one night and were amazed at how absolutely captivated and into it he was. This is when he first started to conduct!



The Lawrence Welk Show!

totally absorbing it all!

Do you have a need for a good laugh today?

This is a VERY FUNNY video of Ethan watching and LEARNING from his cousin and Jon David playing cards. It is all in Norwegian, but that shouldn't stop you from laughing your "head off"! At the very end, Ethan immediately gets up from his fall laughing!






This video is just more of his utter joy and excitement to be with his cousin!

The sum of many parts!

Farewell and Thank you all for coming for Christmas 2008 at Hotel Manly Lane ( as Hanne-Gudveig liked to call it). We loved having you and having created moments in time that are not easily forgotten. I think we all have favorites. Mine are all the times that the cousins laughed, played and enjoyed each others company. It can't be too long before they see each other again...they are already close friends. The one thing i know..it is fun to be a kid! The bible talks about having "child like faith" and in these hard times we are living in, I will draw from our own little ones to do just that.
I asked everyone visiting to post a little something of their own on the blog. You will find it below.
I hope everyone reading had an incredible Christmas, celebrating our Savior on his very own special birthday. The day he decided to be a spec of dust in his father's great house! I relish the day when i will truly see how big Papa's house really is!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Today is our last day here in Manley Lane, Nashville. It has really been an incredible visit, and a special Christmas for our family. I have been here once before, but the rest of the family has never been to the US. It has been special in many ways. First of all because it has been so nice to be able to spend such a long time together with Jon David, Karissa and Ethan, and celebrating Christmas with them. It was also nice to spend time at Phil and Victoria's house for Christmas, and it has been fun to go to different places, and experience some of the things that this area has to offer. We have been doing so many things - concerts at the Ryman and Third and Lindsley (The Wooten brothers) and the Christmas Spectacular show at the Grand Ole Opry. We have been to Percy Warner park, Radnor lake, Franklin, Opryland hotel (where we also had a wonderful dinner), Opry Mills and we have been eating in different restaurants. We spent Christmas at Phil and Victoria's house, and had a nice new years eve at Karissa and Jon Davids house. I cant believe that we are leaving tomorrow, the time has passed so quickly. It has been so nice to see the cousins playing together, and getting to know each other. Ethan and Ingrid Marie are almost the same age (six months apart), and they have been interacting in many ways. Bjoernar is really enjoying to play with Ethan - tickling, playing hide and go seek and a lot of other fun things. We will always treasure these days that we spent together, and I hope it won't be too long before we meet again. It has been such a good time. We want to thank Jon David and Karissa for making this Christmas a very special one, and especially Karissa for all the good meals she has prepared. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Hanne-Gudveig (Jon David's sister)


Jeg likte aa bygge lego. indiana jones, kystvakten,batman masse lego. Aa spise ute; pannekaker, egg, bacon, is og muffins var deilig. Juleshow med nissen var goy. Bjoernar(nephew)

Translation: I liked to build lego's. Like Indiana Jones, batman and other. Eating out...pancakes, eggs, bacon, ice cream, and muffins were yummy! The Christmas show with Santa was fun!

It is the grandparents privilege to watch and choose, just doing what we like , feeding the prince and princess when the diapers are clean and nice. Yes, its true we have been watching, and what we have seen have to be the most outstanding "pictures" there could be: Parents who reached out to all the children of the group in a relaxed and caring way, the babies starting to interact, the big brother playing with them and making them laugh, the adults having good conversations in all kind of themes. This is well known to most of you, but when I add that there was an atmosphere of love and Gods presence, is there more to experience?
We have truly been blessed this Christmas and we leave Manley Lane with thankful hearts looking forward to next time we will meet. May God bless our family! Grandmother and Grandfather Berit and Terje Adnevik

All the best pleasures in life!

Wonderful romance

(Berit, mother-in-love; Terje, father-in-love)

Getting a hold of God's creation!

Thank you, PAPPA!

Love of the outdoors with family


A Princess named, Ingrid Marie.
Ever seen such beauty?

Waking up to a Birthday breakfast for my mother-in-love, Berit!
This day was a day built for her! We took our time walking in a national state park, seeing a nature center, going to the Cheesecake factory for dinner, and finishing it all off with a night at the Ryman!

This is my nephew, Bjoernar. He lives to eat pancakes! Finding them anywhere but in his kitchen at home has never happened. Here, in America, he gets to enjoy them out and about! What a concept!

Bathing...
These are the simple pleasures of life!
Even more so, with your far away cousin!

There are just no words for the pure joy!

A grandpa with his hands full of all his favorite things!

This Christmas we are blessed beyond measure!

More on the littlest man I love!

I am a Lion...hear me ROAR!

Last year , as you may remember, we went to the pumpkin fest and Ethan was a cow. This year Ethan was dressed up as a Lion. He was the cutest little Lion Ever! We have so much fun at this festival and i can't wait till next year when Ethan can ride the rides, climb the rock wall, enjoy new foods, pet and feed the animals and WALK ON HIS OWN! That boy is heavy.

Am I to be Dorothy then?

Two year's in a row with Aunt Jessica at the festival!

a little walking.

All Opa needs is a little face make up and he would fit right in with this crew!

a great shot of ethan as he danced in front of the stage.


Being a Lion is very exhausting! (yawn) I think i will just take a little nap and call it a day. I hope the tin man, dorothy, and scare crow don't mind.

It was a late Friday evening, as i was driving Ethan and I to my mom's for a little sleep over so she could watch ethan the next day. There is no feeling as aweful as the feelings i had during the end of that drive. Ethan was fussy and coughing. I could tell he was working hard to breath as the congestion in his chest was worsening. Suddenly, i hear an aweful gag and i am undone. Then i hear him breathing fine. VERY RASPY, but fine. I speed up to get us home as fast as i can. I have to get there. When is this long drive going to end. I need to get him his meds that the Dr. gave me today. How did he get so sick so fast? He was fine when we left the Dr. office. Maybe, they missed something and he is worse than they thought...oh God, heal my baby! I pull up in the drive way and throw gear into park. Opening my door and his as fast as i can to grab him and get him inside. MY HEART SINKS, in disbelief! There he is, my darling one, with throw up all over the place! The gag I had heard was him THROWING UP! OF COURSE!!! How could i have not known? He was just limp as a noodle and helpless as could be and there was nothing i could do to take it all away. He didn't cry or fuss, he just looked up at me in all his misery. I imagine he was wondering, what the heck is going on??!??
As of late, Ethan has been diagnosed with RSV and an ear infection. He caught some Bronchiolitis virus that turned on him and we had a few scary moments. There is nothing like seeing your little boy struggling to get air! This is nearly the worst feeling i have ever had. Then to be driving in your car in the dark while your son is coughing, working hard to breath and throwing up in the back seat... I have never felt more powerless. Your heart sinking is like hitting the lowest floor of life, from light to total darkness in a matter of a second! The end is not here! I had to tell myself.
Now, we sit and do breathing treatments for 20 minutes or so 3-4 times a day. He is sweet about it and is getting better. Please pray for his speedy recovery as this has been a period of 5 weeks in total that he has been unwell. We are SICK of being SICK!

This is a favorite moment with his Opa, playing music and jammin. He is so happy with his opa and some instruments!
Several weeks ago we took him to the zoo for the first time! He loved it and so did his opa. Ever since, ethan has been so excited to learn about animals and sign there names! My favorite is when he signs, "fish"! Sooooooo, incredibly cute.