Julefest -- Christmas party

I år var vi til julefest i den Den Danske Kirke i London. Der var julemand og tryllekunster. Magnus formådede at sidder relativt stille ved alteret sammen med de andre børn (og Rikke), men mistede dog tålmodigheden efter en halv time. Prikken over i'et var at præsten ikke så, at han vinkede til hende og især da vinkeriet blev mere og mere intenst. Det hjalp heller ikke at Magnus troede, at de børn der sad bag døbe fonten, legede gemmer. Vi synes dog han klarede det godt nok i betragtning af at han er kun 18 måneder.

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This year we went to a Christmas party at the The Danish Church in London. They had a Santa and a magician for the kids. Magnus managed to sit fairly quietly with the other children for the Nativity story but started to loose his patience after about half an hour. Matters was made worse when the vicar did not acknowledge his waving which got more and more frantic as the sermon progressed. In addition Magnus thought other kids sitting in different parts of the church were playing hide and seek. We still think he did well compared to being only 18 months old.

Julen -- Christmas

Magnus was very excited about Christmas this year. It was a lot of fun for us to see his excitement when we put up the tree. He got a lot of presents and although he has started to play with all of them by now there was an initial favorite. His "Tonka truck". Matt and Magnus have also made up a game where Magnus sits on the truck and Matt pushes him around the flat. The game has spurred Magnus' to put more words together and this week he said "Hi daddy go" as a way to get Matt to play the game.



I år var Magnus meget spændt over alle juletingene. Det var sjovt at se hvor glad han blev da vi puttede juletræet op. Han fik mange gaver og selvom han leger med dem alle nu var der alligevel en favorit. Hans "Tonka truck". Matt og Magnus har fundet på en leg hvor Magnus sidder på bilen mens Matt skubber ham rundt i lejligheden. Legen har været med til at Magnus sætter flere ord sammen. I denne uge sagde han "Hi daddy go" hvilket var Magnus' måde at få Matt til at lege legen med ham.

The Keelings - Familien Keeling

This week the Keelings are moving to the North where Uncle Mark is from. We have had many fun days together playing. As you can see from the video the house is generally turned upside down after a morning together. Recently the girls have had to share more with Magnus as he is getting almost as big as them and more to the point has started to insist on having toys to play with! Magnus gets very excited when J & B arrives and we have noticed he takes to showing off to them a little. He squeals and runs off in the hope they will follow (which does not always happen). It is very sweet to see our little boy with his cousins.

I denne uge flytter familien Keeling flytter nordpå hvor Mark kommer fra. Vi har haft mange gode lege dage sammen. Som i kan se på videoen er huset tæt på at være destrueret efter børnene har været sammen et par timer. På det seneste er pigerne blevet nød til at dele mere med Magnus. Han er næsten lige så stor som dem og er begyndt at insistere på også at have noget legetøj! Magnus bliver så spædt når han ser J & B komme og vi har lagt mærke til at han er begyndt at vise sig lidt for dem. Han hviner og løber afsted lige så hurtig han kan i håbet om at de følger efter (hvilket ikke så ofte sker). Det er sødt at se vores lille dreng sammen med hans kusiner.

Magnus visiting Denmark -- Magnus på besøg i Danmark

Magnus and Rikke went to Denmark to visit the family about a month ago. He saw all of his Danish grandparents, Anders, Søren and Stine and had a great time. Magnus is speaking a lot now and has more or less stopped the baby signs. Visiting his mormor's farm was particularly fun as most of his words (and interests) are about animals. He seems to have mastered the difficult guttural sounds that the Danish language has been made up of and is particularly adept at saying "gris" (Danish for pig). The interest in anything pig related has been spurred on by a cookie jar (made like a pig) we were given by Grandma Dawn.

Rikke og Magnus var i Danmark for knapt en måned tids siden. Magnus så alle hans bedsteforældre, Anders, Søren og Stine og nød at se dem alle igen. Magnus taler en masse nu og har mere eller mindre stoppet med baby tegnene. Besøget hos mormor var især til stor interesse for Magnus, da de fleste af hans ord handler om dyr. Det lader til at han har lært de svære lyde som det danske sprog består af og er især god til at sige gris. Interessen for grise er blevet gjort størrer af at vi har en cookie dåse (gave fra Grandma Dawn) der er designede som en gris.

Magnus dagplejemor -- Magnus' childminder

Magnus har fået en dagplejemor som han er meget glad for. Hun har to store børn der leger med ham hver morgen. Så snart vi begynder at gøre klar til at tage afsted bliver han utålmodig og siger"bye" til os begge. Magnus er hendes eneste barn så han få masser af opmærksomhed. De mødes hver uge med en anden dagplejemor der passer en lille dreng der hedder Rio. Magnus snakker om ham hver dag, men kan ikke sige hans navn så kalder ham Bio. Nå. han snakker om ham siger han navnet mindst fem gange i træk.

Magnus has got a childminder that he likes a lot. She has two older children who plays with him every morning before school. As soon as we start getting ready to go he gets very impatient and says "bye" to the both of us. Magnus is the old child at the childminder so gets a lot of attention. Every week they meet with another childminder who is looking after a little boy named Rio. Magnus talks about him all the time but can't say his name so calls him Bio. When he talks abot him he repeats the name Bio at least five times in a row.

For Magnus er matrosen -- Because Magnus is the shipmate

For knapt et par uger siden var Rikke og Magnus i Danmark for at besøge familien Diness Jensen og møde den lille Sørine. Vi havde en rigitg god weekend med masser af hygge. Bastian og Magnus fik leget rigtig meget sammen og overskriften hentyder til en leg Bastian fandt på hvor han var kaptain og Magnus en matros. En af de gode minder jeg har fra ferien er Magnus og Bastian der holder hånd på vej hjem fra lufthavnen. Sørine gjorde også stort indtryk på Magnus. Magnus ville give hende et stort kram er par gange og vi var ikke helt sikker på om han troede hun var ligesom en bamse. Det var dog sikkert han syntes hun var sød.

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A few weeks ago Rikke and Magnus went to Denmark to visit the family Diness Jensen and meet the little Sørine. We had a really good time. Bastian and Magnus played a lot together and the headline is a reference to a game Bastian came up with where Bastian was a captain and Magnus the shipmate. One of my favorite memories is of Magnus and Bastian holding hands on the way back from the airport. Sørine also made a great impression on Magnus. Magnus wanted to hug her a few times and we weren't sure if he thought she was like a teddy. One thing was for sure that he liked her.

Tilbage i London -- Back in London

Vi har nu været tilbage i London i ca. seks uger. Rikke er tilbage på arbejde, Matt studere og Magnus har fået en ny dagplejemor. Vores liv er igen travlt, men vi mindes dog vores gode tid i Caribien med sorte bønner som vi spiste i Cuba. Magnus elsker stadig beans and rice, men forskellen er at her i London kan vi få gjort ham ren nemmere.

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We have been back in London for almost six weeks. Rikke is back at work, Matt is studying and Magnus has got a new childminder. We are back to a busy life but we remember our time away with Cuban style black beans. Magnus still loves beans and rice but the difference now is that we can clean him a lot easier.

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Bye bye Vaca -- Farvel Vaca

Magnus' cow (Vaca) has gone. We last saw it in New York and hope it has found a good home.

Magnus' ko (Vaca) er blevet væk. Vi så ham sidst i New York så vi håber han har fundet en ny familie.

Magnus and his cousins -- Magnus og hans fætre

When we were visiting the family in America Magnus got to play with all his cousins. He was so excited not only by having all the boys around but also their toys. In particular he liked a toy police car he could sit in and spent the first week mainly getting in and out of the car. Not only did he like having other children to play with he also learned lots of new things as he had to keep up with the older boys. By the time we left he knew how to climb up the sofa and the slide.

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Da vi besøgte familien i Amerika fik Magnus leget med sine fætre. Han var meget glad for at have dem og deres legetøj omkring sig. Han kunne især godt li en politi bil som han kunne sidde i. Den første uge brugte han hovedsageligt på at stå ind og ud af bilen. Magnus nød meget at have alle sine store fætre omkring sig og lærte også nogle nye ting da han ville følge med i deres lege. Da vi tog afsted kunne han klatre op af sofaen og en rutchebane.

The end of the travels -- Slutningen af vores rejse

Today is our last day of our travels and we are due to leave for London this evening. We will miss life in the Carribbean and Mexico. We have had seven fantastic months and many precious memories. We are now in New York and have just finished our breakfast. We will be spending the day in Central Park and enjoying the last moments of the sunshine before getting on the plane.

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Idag er det vores sidste dag på vores rejse og vi tager til London iaften. Vi vil savne vores tid i Caribien og Mexico. Vi har haft syv fantastiske måneder og har fået mange gode minder. Vi er nu i New York og har lige spist morgenmad. Vi vil bruge resten af dagen i Central Park hvor vi kan nyde den sidste sol inden vi stiger på flyvemaskine.

Flere bamser -- More soft toys

The video is of Magnus trying to get to his two soft toys he uses for sleeping (they are in his travel bed). He gets very excited when he sees them. We have started to hide them when he is awake so he still associate them with sleep. Many times he has managed to find them from the hiding places.
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Videoen er af Magnus der prøver på at få fat i sine to sove bamser (der ligger i hans rejse seng). He bliver altid glad når han ser dem. Vi er begyndt at gemme dem når han er vågen so han stadig forbinder dem med at sove. Mange gange har han fundet dem hvor de har været gemt.

Luke

Sweet little Luke was born on 9 of July and weighed in at 6lb and 13oz. Luke is the latest addition to the big group of cousins. Magnus initially did not seem to notice the baby as he was busy playing with Tanner, Willie and Anthony but after he saw Luke a few more time he started to show a lot of interest in him. We hope in the future they will get a lot of good times playing together.

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Søde lille Luke blev født d 9 juli og vejede 6lb og 13oz. Luke er den nyeste fætter i den snart store gruppe af fætre/ kusiner. Til at begynde med lagde Magnus ikke så meget mærke til Luke da han havde travlt med at lege med Tanner, Willie og Anthony, men efter at have set ham et par gange blev han meget interesseret i ham. Vi håber de i fremtiden vil få meget sjov sammen.

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Den store vaskedag -- The big laundry

Magnus elsker sine bamser. Han bliver altid glad når han ser dem og giver dem store kram. Da han stadig bruger meget tid på at sutte på dem bliver de vasket ofte.
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Magnus loves his teddies. He is always happy when he sees them and will give them big hugs. As he still loves to chew on them they are washed regularily.

Grandma Dawn -- Farmor

A few weeks back we had Gradma Dawn visiting us in Tlaquepaque. We spent a lot of time playing, cooking food and eating. We have to admit we also got her hooked on CSI. Grandma brought lots of books for Magnus to look at and now he will pick the books up every day as part of his play.

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For et par uger siden havde vi Grandma Dawn på besøg i Tlaquepaque. Vi brugte vores tid på at lege, lave mad og spise. Vi må også indrømme at vi fik hende gjort afhængig af CSI. Grandma gav Magnus en masse børnebøger og nu kigger han i dem mange gange om dagen.

Hair -- Hår

Just in case it wasn't clear from one of the recent blogs Magnus has finally got hair. It is very blond and thin but at least it is there eventhough it often looks like he is as bald as both Rikke and Matt were at the same age.

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I tilfældet af at det ikke var så klart fra en af de sidste blogs så har Magnus endeligt fået hår. Det er meget fint og lyst og nogen gange ser det ud til at han stadig er skaldet. Han har dog mere hår end både Rikke og Matt havde på den samme alder.

In Mexico there is a great tradition of creating artwork. The photo was taken in Guadalajara city centre (of which Tlaquepaque is a suburb). It is very tempting to buy lots of the art but so far we have our spending spree curbed by the fact that the nicer stuff is expensive. Magnus enjoyed the more useful aspect of this artpiece and it is reflecting that he now will use any sittable space to sit on.

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Mexico har en lang tradition for kunstværk. Billedet blev taget i selve Guadalajara by (hvor Tlaquepaque er en forstad). Det er fristende at købe en masse af deres kunst, men indtil vidre er fristelsen blevet holdt nede ved at det bedre kunst er noget dyrt. Magnus nyder den brugbare del af kunst stykkerne. Han er begyndt at sidde på alt der kan siddes på.

Our neighbour -- Vores nabo

Every day we have this lovely horse in the backyard. It works for our landlady's family. The day the picture was taken it was tied to our window. You can probably imagine the excitement Magnus showed when he saw it and most days he will point at the window whether the horse is there are not. The picture below is not related to the blog as such but we thought ou might appreciate one of him anyway.

Hver dag har vi denne søde hest i vores baggård. Den arbejder for vores værts familie. Da billedet blev taget var den bundet til vores vindue. I kan sikkert forestille jer hvor oppergassen Magnus blev da han så den og de fleste dage peger han på vinduet om hesten er der eller ej. Billedet nedefor relatere ikke til bloggen, men vi tænkte at i sikkert ville kunne li billedet af Magnus.

Hvor er Magnus II? -- Where is Magnus II?

I en tidligere blog har vi fortalt om hvordan Magnus kan li at gemme sig i sin hule. På videoen nedenfor har vi fået taget ham midt i hans leg. Videoen er også bevis på at han har hår!

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Earlier we mentioned how Magnus loves to play hide and seek in his little hiding place. In the video below we managed to film him in the middle of his game. The video also has the evidence that he has got hair!

Regn i Tlaquepaque -- Rain in Tlaquepaque

The rain season has started in Mexico and as you can see from the video the street turned into a river. The temperture has dropped significantly and is more managable for us. Eventhough it is raining it is still warm and very different to the rainy weather we are used to in London.
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Regn sæsonen er startet her i Mexico og som i kan se på videoen endte det med at gaden blev til en flod. Temperturen er faldet og er noget nemmere for os at holde ud. Selvom det regner er her stadig varmt og regnvejret er en verden til forskel for hvordan det er når det regner i London.

Lime og grapfrugt -- Lime and grapefruit

Magnus har altid været god til at spise forskellige ting. De sidste nye favoritter er lime og grapefrugt; ikke lige mad man forventer børn kan li. Magnus bliver meget spændt når han ser frugterne fremme. For et par dage siden havde han sneget sig en lime fra køleskabet uden at vi havde set det. Da vi opdagede hans gevindst var det meste af juicen suget ud af limen. Billedet blev taget i Puerto Rico så har ikke så meget at gøre med bloggen, men tænkte i måske kunne li det alligevel.

Magnus is a good eater and the latest favorites are lime and grapefruit! These fruits are not the first type of food you would imagine a child liking but Magnus gets very excited and impatient when he sees the foods out. A few days ago he managed to sneak out a lime from the fridge without us knowing. When we realised he had managed to suck out most of the juices. A very resourceful boy! The picture was taken in Puerto Rico so has nothing to do with the blog but we thought you might like it anyway.

Hvor er Magnus? -- Where is Magnus?

Vores nye lejlighed i Mexico er mindre end dem vi havde i Puerto Rico. Magnus elskede det at kunne gå fra rum til rum og udforske og det virkede til at han savnede dem frihed efter vi var ankommet i Tlaquepaque. Ret hurtig fandt han dog på noget nyt. Han fandt sig en hule og det er nu hans nye sted som han går til når han skal lege. Vi har også lavet en hule under trappen som bliver brugt meget. Han elsker at lege "Hvor er Magnus". Han sidder stille i sine huler, mens vi går og "leder" og synes det er mægtig sjovt. Som i kan se på billedet så er bamserne altid med i hulerne.

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Our new flat in Mexico is not as big has the ones we had in Puerto Rico. Magnus loved to walk from room to room and explore. It seemed he missed this sense of independence after we arrived in Tlaquepaque but he adapted pretty soon. He found himself a hiding place and this is now his place he goes to when he wants to play. We have also concocted a space under the stairs which he likes. He loves to play "Where is Magnus". He will sit still in his hiding place while we "look" for him and thinks it is a lot of fun. As you can see from the picture the soft toys are always with him in the hiding places.

Happy birthday -- Tillykke med fødselsdagen

Happy birthday Magnus! One year ago today Magnus was born and we became parents. We celebrated his birthday this morning with a simple birthday breakfast here in Tlaquepaque. Unfortunately, we couldn't celebrate with all of our loved ones, but we do appreciate the birthday greetings and gifts sent from everyone.
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Tillykke med fødselsdagen Magnus! For et års tid siden blev du født og vi blev forældre. Vi fejrede hans fødselsdag imorges med morgenmad her i Tlaquepaque. Vi kunne desværre ikke fejre den med alle vores kære, men vi værdsætter alle fødselsdags gaverne og hilsner istedet.

That said, we did have the opportunity to throw Magnus an early birthday party (6 days early) in San Juan while his Aunt Cheryl and Great Grandma Corinne were visiting. We've provided some pictures and a video from the party to share with everyone.

Vi havde dog en mulighed for at holde en tidlig (6 dage tidlig) fødselsdags fest i Viejo San Juan da hans moster Cheryl (Matts moster) og oldemor Corinne var på besøg. Nedenfor er der billeder og en video fra festen som vi vil dele med jer alle.

A view of the birthday area before the storm. As you'll see we did a bang up job on the decorations with a lot of help from Aunt Cheryl who has a special gift for these types of things. Grandma Corinne supplied the birthday cake and steady updates on the latest news from the Clinton-Obama race for the Democratic Nomination.

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Et billed af fest lokalet før de store begivenheder. Som i kan se så gjorde vi et stort stykke arbejde med alle dekorationerne med en stor hjælp fra Cheryl som har talenter inden for disse ting. Oldemor Corinne gav kagen og en løbende opdatering af Clinton-Obama racet for den demokratiske normenering.

Thanks to Grandma Corinne for supplying the birthday cake. Aunt Cheryl undertook the difficult task of writing "Happy Birthday", which was just one more special touch that she added to the event.
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Tak til Oldemor Corinne for fødselsdagskagen. Moster Cheryl havde fornøjelsen af at dekorerer kagen hvilket kun var en af de mange ekstra ting hun tilføjede til festen.

The birthday boy sporting a new outfit (a gift from Grandma Corinne) and his little birthday hat.
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Fødselsdagsdrengen med sit nye set tøj fra Oldemor og hans lille fødselsdags hat.


And here's us, the proud parents, helping him to open his birthday gift. Like most children, Magnus was as interested in the wrapping paper as the actual gifts themselves. He has, however, come to cherish all of his birthday presents, bestowing upon them the special layer of slobber that coats all of his other favorite toys.
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Og her et af os, de stolte forældre, hvor vi hjælper med at åbne hans fødselsdagsgaver. Som de fleste børn var Magnus mere interesseret i indpakningspapiret en selve gaven. Han har siden værdsat og sat sit præ på alle gaverne ved at smøre dem ind i et tykt lag savl ligesom alt hans andet legetøj.


Magnus' first time eating cake. He seemed to like it a lot and we we're particularly fortunate in that we somehow avoided a post-sugar high meltdown. You can see us singing happy birthday to him below. Apologies to the Danes as it is just the English-language version, but we Americans would have massacred the Danish version.
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Magnus spiser kage for første gang. Det lod til at han godt kunne li den og vi var heldige at vi, af en eller anden grund, undgik eftereffekten af alt sukkeret. I kan se vi synger "Happy Birthday" til ham i videoen nedenunder. En undskyldning til danskerne, da den kun er i den engelske version, men amerikanerne ville have ødelagt den danske sang.

Magnus loved the balloons, which we blew up only halfway in order for them to be more resistent to popping. Nonetheless, he quickly tested their resilience through a campaign of clawing, biting and sqaushing (by sitting), all of which proved to be effective methods in popping the balloons.

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Magnus elskede alle ballonerne som kun blev blæst halvvejs op for at undgå for mange eksplosioner. Alligevel testede Magnus deres hårdførhed ved at hive, bide og presse (ved at sidde på) dem, hvilket alle viste sig at være gode måder at spænge balloner på.

Below is a picture of Magnus from roughly one year ago today. We thought we would end the birthday blog entry sharing just a few of the important development milestones Magnus has hit over the past year (unfortunately we only have the diary from this year hence the milestones mainly being from 2008).

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.Nedenfor er der et billed af Magnus taget for ca et år siden. Vi syntes vi vil slutte denne blog med at dele nogle af de mere vigtige (og sjove) milesten som Magnus har nået over det sidste år. (Uheldigvis har vi kun vores kalender med fra i år så milestenene er hovedsaglig fra 2008).

Crawling/ kravler - November 2007

First tooth/ Første tand - Jan 2008

Waving/ Vinkede - 5 March 2008

Drinking from cup by himself/ Drikker selv fra en kop - 6 March 2008

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Walking/ Går - 1 April 2008

Dances/ Danser - 3 April 2008

Stacking toys/ Stabler legetøj - 14 April 2008

First word "Det"/ Første ord "Det" - 30 April 2008

Baby signs "Fan"/ Børnetegn "Mølle" - 3 May 2008

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Talking in his sleep/ Snakker i søvne - 4 May 2008

While these are important milestones, they say nothing about Magnus as a little person. He has a playful character, sometimes a little cheeky, but with a good sense of humor. He's curious, always insisting on investigating new people and things introduced into his environment. But at times, he's also a bit shy; though he can be a shameless flirt when he wants attention. He likes to get cuddles from his parents and daily gives them to his teddy bears. All in all we have had a very exciting year with Magnus and are looking forward to watching him grow more over the years.

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Selvom disse milesten er vigtige, så siger de ikke noget om, hvordan Magnus er som en lille person. Han elsker at lege, er nogle gange lidt fræk men med god humor. Han er nysgerrig, vil altid udforske nye mennesker og ting i hans omgivelser. Nogle gange kan han være genert og til andre tider en værrer chamør, når han vil have opmærksomhed. Han elsker at få kram fra sine forældre og giver selv sine bamser mange kram dagligt. Alt i alt har vi haft et spændende år sammen med Magnus og vi glæder os til at se ham vokse og udvikler sig mere over de næste mange år.

Adios Puerto Rico

We took the opportunity in Puerto Rico to spend time with friends and family. We had a great time and will miss our beautiful residence in Viejo San Juan and the other places we visited on the rest of the Island. Next stop is Tlaquepaque in Mexico.

Da vi var i Puerto Rico fik vi besøg af familie og venner. Vi hyggede os og vil savne vores flotte udsigt i Viejo San Juan og alle de andre steder vi besøgte på øen. Næste stop er Tlaquepaque i Mexico.

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Lots of fun -- Masser af sjov

Grandma Corinne and aunt Cheryl -- Oldemor Corinne og moster Cheryl

I den sidste uge har vi haft Matts mormor og moster på besøg. Magnus har nydt at have nogle nye "legekammerater" på besøg. Vi tog alle afsted til Rincon og nød at slappe af i de skønne omgivelser. Magnus fik badet og genset de omgivelser hvor han lærte at gå.

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During the last week we have had Matt's grandma and aunt visiting. Magnus has enjoyed having people to play with. We all spend time in Rincon where we relaxed in the beautiful surroundings. Magnus went swimming and revisited the place where he learned to walk.

Book worm -- Bog orm

Magnus has started to love reading books. The book on the picture is a "pointing" book which fits in with his love for pointing at everything. We are trying to teach him books are for reading and not for chewing which has so far been with a mixed result. This week we have Matt's aunt Cheryl visiting. She always brings very good books for Magnus and has brought some favorites for him.

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Magnus er begyndt at læse bøger. Bogen på billedet er en bog hvor man skal pege. Bogen passer godt sammen med hans nye ynglings leg hvor han peger på alt. Vi prøver at lære ham at bøger er til at læse og ikke at tygge på. Vi er dog ikke nået så langt med denne nye indlæring så bøgerne har en del tandmærker. I denne uge har vi Matts moster Cheryl på besøg. Hun giver altid Magnus en masse gode bøger og har også denne gang medbragt nogle favoritter.

Flere billeder af Joe og Magnus -- More pictures of Joe and Magnus

Magnus og Joe på Condado strand

Magnus and Joe on Condado Beach

Joseph Durell Baird III

Last week we had our good friend Joe visiting us here in Puerto Rico. From the picture you can see that Magnus and Joe got on like a house on fire. We went to the beach, relaxed and played lots. It was great spending time with him but we missed Shellie who had to stay behind in New York to work. It was not all bad - Shellie got a new job as an art curator. She has worked hard for this so congratulations many times Shellie. We are very proud of you.

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I sidste uge havde vi besøg af vores ven Joe. På billedet kan i se at Magnus og Joe var bedste venner. Vi tog på stranden, slappede af og legede en masse. Det var hyggeligt at bruge tid sammen med ham. Vi savnede Shellie, som blev nød til at blive i New York for at arbejde. Shellie har få et nyt arbejde som kurator - et arbejde hun har arbejdet for i lang tid. Tillykke mange gange med dit nye arbejde.

Cuba V -- Cuban abuela

During our time in Cuba many of the people we met appointed themselves as Magnus' grandma. At the last count we got to four abuelas (grandma in Spanish) and Magnus liked them all. Having said that he really seemed to be getting on with Juana (see above pictures). we got to know her through Matt's studying.

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Mens vi var i Cuba mødte vi en del mennesker der kaldte sig selv Magnus bedstemor. Sidste gang vi talte var der fire abuelaer (spansk for bedstemor) og magnus kunne li dem alle. Han havde dog en favorit. Det er Juana som der er billeder af på bloggen. Vi lærte hende at kende gennem Matts skole.

Juana, Guillermo (Juana's husband) and Magnus.

Mormor og Jan

As mentioned earlier we have had Mormor and Jan staying with us for almost three weeks. We had a great time visiting the rainforest and staying in Rincon, a small surgfer town by the coast. Magnus enjoyed being with his grandparents and was missing them when they left. He spent the first day looking for them in the flat and probably missed having someone to play with all the time. They also seemed to enjoy it and taught him how to walk without getting distracted by leaves on the ground. They also spent a lot of time swimming and overall having a good time together.

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Mormor og Jan har været på besøg i ca. tre uger. Vi havde det rigtig godt sammen og besøgte bland andet regnskoven og Rincon; en lille surfer by ved vandet. Magnus nød at have sine bedsteforældre på besøg og savnede dem da de tog afsted. Han brugte den første dag på at lede efter dem da de var taget afsted og savnede sikkert nogen at lege med. De lod også til at nyde tiden sammen og lærte ham blandt andet at gå uden at blive distraheret af blade på vejen. De brugte også meget tid på at svømme og lege sammen.

Første ord -- First word

Magnus har pludret i et langt stykke tid og har siden vi har været i Puerto Rico lavet smaske lyde. Lydene har siden udviklet sig mere til kysse lyde. Til at begynde med gjorde han det mest mens han spiste, men en gang imellem hører vi lydene, når han leger for sig selv. I denne uge har han brugt sit første ord - "det". Det bliver brugt når han peger på ting, hvilket er mange gange i løbet af dagen.
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Magnus has made baby sounds for a long while and since we arrived in Puerto Rico has also made smacking sounds. These sounds have developed into sounding more like a kissing sound. In the beginning he mainly made them when eating but now we hear him making them when he is playing on his own. This week he has also said his first word - "det" (a danish word meaning "it" but is used more like "what is it"). He is using it when pointing at things which happens many times a day.

The day Magnus (almost) caught a lizard -- Dagen da Magnus (næsten) fangede et firben.

I de sidste tre uger har vi haft Mormor og Jan på besøg. Udover at hygge har vi også rejst rundt sammen. Et af vores stop var i El Yunque, en regnskov. Da vi ankom regnede det i tykke stråler og vi var fristet til at tage tilbage til San Juan. Heldigvis holdt renvejret op og vi fik gået os en tur i regnskoven. Det var lige noget for Magnus der er vild med alle slags blade. Dagen efter fik vi også set nogle gamle indgraveringer fra de Taino'er der oprindeligt boede på øen. Overskriften hentyder til at Magnus dagen efter dette billed blev taget var mere tæt på at fange et firben end hans far havde været i lang tid. Vi har dog ikke et billed der passede til bloggen så vi brugte dette der måske kunne ligne Magnus ifærd med at jagte firben.

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During the last three weeks we have had Mormor and Jan visiting and during their time here we managed to do some travelling. One of our visits were at El Yunque which is a rain forrest. When we arrived it was raining a lot and we were tempted to return to San Juan. Luckily the rain stopped and we had a great time walking around the forrest. Magnus liked it alot especially because he really likes all types of leaves. The day after we also managed to find some old wall carvings from the Tainos who originally inhabited the island. The headline is hinting at the fact that Magnus the day after this photo was taken was closer to catching a lizard than his dad had been in a long time. We did not have a picture that fitted the blog so thought we would use one which could look like Magnus in the middle of his hunt for lizards.

Cuba IV -- Første tur til stranden -- First trip to the beach

Magnus første tur til stranden var i Trinidad. Stranden lå ca. 10 minutter fra byen og det var for os alle vores første dag på stranden siden vi var ankommet i Cuba. Stranden var som man forestille sig en strand i Caribien - hvid strand og blåt vand. Magnus brugte det meste af tiden på at lege med sandet og fik spist ikke så lidt af det. Billederne valgte vi, fordi det viser hvordan Magnus, mens vi var i Cuba, brugte meget tid på at komme i kontakt med andre. Hele vores tur på stranden var han koncentreret om at spise sand, indtil han fik øje på mand han kunne smile til. Vi måtte indse at Magnus var blevet en chamør!

Magnus' first trip to the beach was in Trinidad. The beach was 10 minutes from the town and it was for us all our first day at the beach in the Caribbean. The beach was what you would imagine a Caribbean beach to be - white sand and azure water. Magnus used most of the time playing with the sand and managed to eat quite a lot of it too. We chose the pictures because they signify how, whilst in Cuba, Magnus used a lot of time trying to get in contact with others. During our day at the beach he was very concentrated on eating the sand untill he caught he attention of a man he could smile to. We had to realise that Magnus had become a flirt!

Magnus loves music -- Magnus elsker musik

Magnus loves music and has for the past few weeks started to dance as soon as he hears any kind of rythme. He started of having a pretty good taste such as Johnny Cash and The Clash. However now it seems that any music with a beat is all it takes and one of his favorites is Ozone singing Dragostea Din Tei. The video was taken a Sunday when Matt was working and Magnus & Rikke was down in the local plaza. Magnus had a view of a band playing salsa which he enjoyed.

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Magnus elsker musik og har i de sidste uger begyndt at danse så snart han hører rytmer. He startede med at have en rimelig god smag så som Johnny Cash og The Clash. Siden da er det næsten lige meget hvilken musik så længe der er rytmer og en af hans favoritter er Ozone som synger Dragostea Din Tei. Videoen blev taget en søndag hvor Matt arbejdede og Magnus & Rikke var nede i den lokale park. Magnus havde udsigt til et band der spillede sala hvilket var noget han nød.The video was taken a Sunday when Matt was working and Magnus & Rikke was down in the local plaza. Magnus had a view of a band playing salsa which he enjoyed.

Nye tænder -- New teeth

Magnus er nu den stolte ejer af fem tænder. De nye tænder har gjort det nemmere for ham at spise hans mad. Han kan nu især godt li' ting der knaser (selleri og æbler). Samtidig er han dog også blevet kræsen og efter et måltid er der mere mad på gulvet end i hans mave! På billedet kan i se en parably som vi bruger til at beskytte Magnus mod solen. I Cuba bruger mange mennesker parablyer som solcreme og vi bruger nu denne simple metode når han kun skal beskyttes i korte perioder.

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Magnus is now the proud owner of five teeth. The new teeth are helping him eat his food and in particular he likes crunchy food (celleri and apples). In addition he has turned into a fussy eater and after a meal there is more food on the floor than in his belly! From the picture you can see an umbrella we are using to keep the sun away from Magnus. In Cuba many people used this simple method as a sun screen and we have adopted it when he only needs protection for brief periods.

Puerto Rico

Efter at have kigget på vores blog indså vi at vi ikke har fortalt at vi er i Puerto Rico. Vi har været her i tre uger og er faldet godt til. Vores lejlighed har udsigt over havet og ligger i centrum. Naboerne er rigtig flinke og har lært Magnus at kende.

Looking back on our blog we realised we have not made it clear we are in Puerto Rico. We have been here for three weeks and have settled in well. Our flat overlooks the sea and is close to the centre of Viejo San Juan. The neighbours are friendly and they have got to know Magnus.

Magnus nye kusine -- Magnus' new cousin

Magnus er nu en stolte fætter til den store og dejlige Sørine. Hun blev født d 12 April og vejede 4140g - 100g mere end Magnus. Det er nogle store fætre/ kusiner i familien! Vi er glade for dette foto og glæder os alle til vi får hende at se (og resten af Holm Diness familien). Sørine er lillesøster til vores søde og kærlige Bastian. Vi savner jer og vil ønsker vi var i Randers sammen med jer for at fejre den lille guldklump.

Magnus is now a proud cousin to the big and lovely Sørine. She was born on 12 April and weighed in at a whopping 4140g - 100g more than Magnus. The cousins are very big in the family! We are very happy for this photo and are all looking forward to meeting her (and the rest of the Holm Diness klan). Sørine is the little sister to the sweet and loving Bastian. We miss you all and wish we were there with you.

Ferie i den Dominikanske -- Holiday in the Dominican Republic

I slutning af marts tog vi vidre til Den Dominikanske Republic for at mødes med Bedstefar og Gitte. Vi var klar til at slappe af efter vores tid i Cuba. Vi glædede os til at være sammen med familien igen. Magnus nød meget opmærksomheden fra Bedstefar og Gitte. Vi spiste en masse af god mad og svømmede i havet (Matt mere end Magnus). Magnus nød rigtig at være på stranden og kunne især godt li at sidde i et hul Matt havde gravet på stranden. Billederne nedenfor er af Magnus i swimmingpool, os alle på lokal fiske resturant og Bedstefar & Gitte på stranden ved vores hotel.

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At the end of March it was time to move on to the next part of our travel and we went to the Dominican Republic. There we met with bedstefar and Gitte. We were in particular looking forward to spending time with the family again. Magnus also enjoyed the attention he got from his granddad and Gitte. We had a lot of good food and swam in the sea (Matt more than Magnus). Magnus really like spending time on the beach. He in particular liked a hole Matt had made in the sand and spent a few hours in it just playing. The pictures below are of Magnus in the swimmingpool, all of us on a local seafood resturant and Bedstefar & Gitte on the beach by the hotel.