Ski vacation - Niseko, Japan!!

We're back from an amazing time in what seemed to be the most snowy place on earth - Hirafu, Niseko in Japan! Together with friends from Hong Kong we rented a great house big enough for our large group of 14 including 8 lively kids - and it all worked out smooth as butter!!

Niseko can only be described in a few sweet words - SNOW, POWDER and BRILLIANT SKIING!  Try 4 meters of snow on the ground with snow pouring down every day!  We all decided this was the best skiing any of us had experienced and to ski in powder up to your waist every day on your ski vacation is a true rarity! Magnus was in heaven as he headed out early each morning while the rest of us tried to wake up from the coma of clean air (and a very heated house, the Asians like it hot!).

Both Max and Emmy did so great in the slopes as well. Max improved so much and was very steady and independent on the skis by the end of our trip. Emmy, with her incredible balance, headed down the kid's slopes all by herself - 2 years old! Amazing.

We loved the food in Japan - and ate Sushi as often as we could!  We also got to experience the infamous Onsens spas in Japan - an outdoor hot spring which was the nicest thing a soar body could feel after a day of skiing.  Rolling naked in the snow and then jumping into the 40 C degrees water was another great memory from this trip!

We also stayed a few days in Sapporo and got to see the yearly Snow Festival.  Max and Emmy ice-skated which was a first timer for Emmy while Max got back into the swing of things within minutes (it's been 2 years since he was a regular at Johnny's Ice Rink in Chicago!).  

Here are the pictures from our terrific time in Japan - we can't wait to go back soon again!!

Ed Norton in Shanghai!

Anna and I recently saw Ed Norton in the interview chair at the Asia Uncut taping here in Shanghai. He was unusually shy with the audience but I snapped this picture of him looking straight into my camera which I thought was kind of cool :-)

Asia Uncut is very much a copycat of the Letterman talkshow but great to see here in shanghai!

Update: I've received emails about who Ed is, so I quote Wikipedia:

Edward Harrison Norton[1] (born August 18, 1969) is an American film actor, screenwriter and director. In 1996, his supporting role in the courtroom drama Primal Fear garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. A year later, his lead role as a reformed white power skinhead in American History X earned a nomination for Academy Award for Best Actor. His other films include period dramas such as Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Illusionist (2006), and The Painted Veil (2006); and other notable films such as Rounders (1998), Fight Club (1999), 25th Hour (2002), Red Dragon (2002), and The Incredible Hulk (2008).

In addition to acting, Norton is also a writer and director. He made his directorial debut with the film Keeping the Faith (2000) and is slated to direct the film adaptation of the novel Motherless Brooklyn. Norton did uncredited work on the scripts for The Score, Frida, and The Incredible Hulk.

In his private life, Norton is an environmental and social activist. He is a member of the board of trustees of Enterprise Community Partners, a non-profit organization for developing affordable housing, founded by his grandfather, James Rouse. Norton is president of the American branch of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust.[2] He ran in the 2009 New York City Marathon to raise money for the Trust.[3]

A first tooth is lost!!

So we finally experienced t h e first lost tooth - and very unexpectedly! Max was biting on his blankie during the bed time story and out it came, just like that! No wiggling, loose tooth for days, just out in 2 secs!

He was very proud and felt like a very big boy since only his older friends have lost teeth and now he's part of that group.

A special night indeed and now we're waiting for the tooth fairy to arrive...

Cheers!

Skipping Rope fun!

Max and Emmy pulled out a skipping rope the other day and we went to town having a ball with it all evening! Before bed time, Max was a great hopper and could make 7 hops without getting nestled into the rope, so impressive! We laughed so hard at the fun we had, Magnus just had to snap some pictures of the three of us.

Click here for the rest of the pics.

Cheers!

Princess gala!

Not too long ago we all headed to a Disney princess gala here in Shanghai, mostly for Emmy's sake, but Max was soon fully involved in all the princess extravaganza offered at the event! They painted their nails, listened to story telling, made a princess crown (or prince crown in Max case) and many other fun things.

But the best of all was when Emmy got to dress up as Snow white herself, get a full make up and her hair done and then have her picture taken. She took it so seriously and knew she was doing something really special. It was absolutely adorable to watch!

Look at my cute little princess, love her to pieces!

cheers!
Lovisa

Star Wars has competition!

...and his name is MICHAEL JACKSON! I don't know what's better or worse, but all I know is that in the last week light sabers and Darth Wader have been replaced by music videos and crotch punches in our house... and it's quite amusing!

Max is completely absorbed by MJ thanks to his friend Isak who brought a music DVD during the last sleep over and now the requests are no longer for dark masks and capes but for a white glove, black and white clothes and shiny jackets! Max is practicing all the moves, including the moon walk, and we have MJ streaming from the stereo every day... I'm desperatly trying to sort through my closet for anything resembling the MJ wardrobe (and not sure if I want to admit it or not, but suprinsingly enough, I've been able to find quite a few things!). Max asks me to google Michael costumes every day so we can study and admire what he wears, it's all very interesting seeing a 5-year old this excited about his new hero.

All I have to say is that I'm glad Star Wars is on the way out and something a little more soothing to my ears are on the way in. Glad MJ didn't use too much profanity in his music videos, they are not entirely bad for a young person to watch (except for his addiction to crotch grabbing moves, I could have done without seeing my son doing this every 5 minutes....) but as I'm forced to watch his videos every day I'm suprised to hear all the songs I hadn't heard - the Earth Song is so beautiful and Max loves it and asks what it means when they are cutting down all the trees in the forest... this I am glad to inform him about at such a young age. So, all in all, thanks MJ for introducing Max to your music, it's exciting to see that my son' first music hero was also my first when I was 12 years old!

RIP Michael!

Lovisa

Project Gotland is kicked off!!

 We finally headed to Sweden to start the process of getting our summer home built on the gorgeous island of Gotland outside Stockholm. We left Shanghai early on monday morning arriving first to Gothenburg for both some work and fun, meeting my brother and his beautiful family and then celebrating our friend Jon's wedding to his expecting bride Therese - and what a beautiful winter wedding they had! This much snow is not common in the southern regions of Sweden but the snow had poured down this particular week and at one point we were even happy we were able to make the wedding and not get stuck in one of the many snow storms around the country.

Here are the pictures from the very lovely bride and groom's big day!

Next day we headed over to Gotland and once there, we met with our architect and builder and went through all the drawings and details. Many hours later, drained but happy, we left the meeting feeling we were truly going to build our dream home!

The next morning we got up way too early thanks to the nagging jet lag and got our outdoor gear on - heavy duty pants, boots, ski jackets and warm insulating underpants and shirts to shield from the cold. With lots of coffee and a hearty breakfast in our bodies we headed over to the land we've acquired to help the builders clear it of trees, bushes and everything else growing inbetween! It was so thick we've really never been able to walk it properly and I was worried all along wondering if the house will fit on it! Together with our parents (THANK YOU ALL!) we worked hard to clear the land and mark the four corners of our future house. It was almost surreal - I could see it ready and overlooking the magnificent ocean (not near but close enough!) in front of it. It was time to celebrate! Magnus went to the store and got a few bottles of good bubbles and we headed over for a nice dinner to our soon to be neighbors in the area for a wonderful dinner with friends and family - a perfect ending of a perfect day!

The next few days we spent meeting with everyone; the local window and door company, the land owner, the architect again, the builder, looking at local houses to draw inspiration from and all pieces started to fall into place. We're still searching for some of the solutions to the house's design but we're almost there, 90% at least. The journey there is so fun I have to pinch myself to really believe I get to do all this! Truly a dream come true.

When we left Gotland the weather was just amazing - I told Magnus I actually believe the sunny winter days are more beautiful than the amazing summer days and he agreed! There's nothing like snow covered b.ranchens and a large field of snow glittering in the sun - breathtaking! we had to stop the car at one point, and I snapped this picture. It doesn't give justice to how beautiful it really was, but close enough. We love Gotland!

Here are the pictures from our gotland trip.

GOD JUL and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas friends and family!!

We celebrated a wonderful Christmas here in Shanghai with our friends - a very sweet day filled with lots of food, presents and plenty of play for the children! Max & Emmy loved every moment of Christmas and the very anticipated visit from Tomten (Santa) as soon as the darkness fell over Shanghai - they were SO excited to meet ole' Santa and it was an awesome experience for both the kids and adults to witness!

We got to enjoy the traditional Swedish Xmas delicates for dinner (even in Shanghai) and we cooked everything from scratch, even the crisp bread... There's nothing like a good ole' Swedish Christmas dinner which always seems to last for hours!

On Christmas Day we checked into Le Royal Meridien in Puxi to enjoy some pool time, hot tubbing and some much needed foot massages, and later rounded off the day with another big Xmas dinner at the hotel. All in all - a fantastic Holiday weekend!

Here are the pictures from our 2009 Christmas.

Now we're just awaiting the new year and an upcoming trip to Sweden - hurray!

Meet Sabrina!

We just love this little girl at the Shanghai Healing Home!

Her name is Sabrina and she's now 2 months old, but she arrived to the home when she was around 3 weeks old. Her mom and dad left her in the mountains because she was born with a cleft lip and not desirable enough to be loved by two parents - ugh, I have such a hard time with this...

This girl has the most amazing eyes I've ever seen and she's like a little porcelin doll when she's sleeping, her eyes are slightly almond shaped and like a mona lisa painting. She's stunning!

She will undergo surgery when she's old enough (around 4 mo) and weighs the right amount to have surgery. Then she will be adopted. Meanwhile, she is spoiled with love at the wonderful Shanghai Healing Home and by lots of volunteers like myself. We sing songs to Sabrina and do baby massage and kiss a lot.

This past weekend Max, Emmy and Magnus tagged along and they all fell right in love with little Sabrina too. There are 3 other children at the home but most of them were sleeping while we were there so we only got to play with Sabrina.

Max and Emmy kept saying that the baby had no mom and dad when we got home later that day...just heart breaking!

Christmas Baking!

Today we had our friends over after school for some hearty Christmas baking of Swedish saffron buns. The kids enjoyed playing with the dough, getting the flour all over themselves and making some pretty buns! Some liked it more than others and it was fun to see how the little ones stayed at the table the longest while Max and Liam took off after the first 5 minutes continuing their Star Wars fight... no surprise there! After the first batch of not-so-yellow saffron buns (maybe I ended up getting a fake saffron batch, and no, this wouldn't this surprise me in China...) were ready, we gathered the kids in front of the xmas tree for some Kodak moments - voila!

Here are the picture of our fun day together at the Tedestedt casa.

Cheers and hope the Christmas sprirts are with you all!

Gran(d) visit in Shanghai!!

We were so excited to recently have the Gran family visiting us in Shanghai for a week full of fun and quality time!

I will write more soon on the fun times we had but I just have to share my two favorite pictures of the kiddos first- aren't they just adorable!

Today's cute picture! - UPDATED

Today I had the chance to swing by Emmy's school during her Ballet class and I have to say I was so happy I stayed to see them dance - soooooo very cute!

Max and his class also performed their Christmas carols at the German center which I came to listen to and snap some pictures of. They were all so good and have all their songs nailed down before the big concert on the 18th this month!

Look at these pictures and enjoy!

A proud mum!

We did it - Project Marathon Completed!

Magnus and I finished the Shanghai Half Marathon (21km) yesterday morning and we both feel such a triumph that we completed this race and did it in a respectable time of 2 hrs 11 minutes - not too bad for first time runners we think :-)

Our day started early, we woke up around 5.30 AM and temperature outside was around 7 C. Once at the race, which started near Puxi's People Square, we did a little warm up and even got interviewed by local TV channels and before we knew it the shot gun fired off the start of 21,000 half and full marathon runners. After a few early hick ups; my Ipod was on repeat and it would have been unbearable to hear 50 Cents throughout a 21 km race so while running I finally managed to fix it and then I had to secure my race number sign onto my clothing, we were off to a good start. After 10 km I had to make a quick bathroom stop but other than that, we ran the whole race without stopping which was over my expectations for this race - I thought I had to stop around 16-17 km to do some walking - but we kept it up and ran the whole way.

Magnus was without a doubt the BEST coach ever during the race, encouraging me to not stop and keep going. He was clearly less tired than I was towards the end of the race and would have finished at a better time had he not promised me we would cross the finishing line together. And so we did, hand in hand, we stepped over the finishing line - and it felt soooooooo good to make it the whole way and get through this race in one piece!

Later the next day we found out we had been both been on TV and everyone recognized us on Max and Emmy's school. Even our driver's daughter had seen us on TV so now we're nown as the Marathon celeberties at school, haha :-)

What an amazing experience this has been!

Here are the pictures from our GREAT Marathon day.

HALLOWEEN 2009!

Added: Princess Leia

(...don't like to put myself above my pretty kiddos but don't know how to change the order of the pictures on blogger...!)

Let me present this year's Obi Wan Kenobi & Queen Amidala - let the Force be with them!

We had so much fun earlier tonight during the neighborhood Halloween celebration, Max & Emmy were so proud of their tailored outfits in true Star Wars theme. They gathered tons of candy together with their friends around the streets of Greenhills.

More pictures soon!

Happy Halloween - booohoooooooooo!

The Trampoline is finally up!

After missing some spare parts in the original shipment of our new Trampoline, we finally received them and the Trampoline is now up and the fun can begin!!!

I'm looking forward to relieving some of that energy my kids seem to have a lot of after school on the bouncing mat of this trampoline!!!

Email Max & Emmy!!

I just read about this great idea that I want to share with all of you who are reading our family blog. It touched me and I think this can be a great new way of writing our kid's diaries while they are growing up.

By setting up email accounts for Max & Emmy, we can all email them messages which they will read once they are grown up and ready for the electronic age. It is sure to be a wonderful treasure for them when they are older and have access to these emails. We're all busy today and it's difficult to find time to create scrap books and send letters the old fashioned way. I decided I will start sending them short little messages of things they've done in school, who they're doing and their growth path and interesting little facts about them - I can't wait to read these together with them when they are much older - if they let me, haha!

So, type away and tell our little monkeys how much they mean to you, they will love to read it one day :-)

max@tedestedt.com
emmy@tedestedt.com

Cheers!
Lovisa

p.s - I am not going to read these email messages (nor do I have time) - they will be stored away in different email accounts. :-)

A very hungry Catapillar's Birthday Bash!

Today we got to celebrate Emmy's best friend Mia and her 2nd birthday during another sunny, warm and blue-sky afternoon in Shanghai.

Mia's theme for the party was from the book "A very Hungry Little Catapillar" and Mia was the most adorable little catapillar we've all seen - and so very hungry!

The kids had a wonderful time playing, creating butterflies, eating many many lollipops and delicious food. Max & Emmy loved every minute of this wonderfully organized birthday bash!

Here are the pictures from the great fun day.

Halloween Decorations!

It's so much fun to decorate the house this time of the year to celebrate all the kid's favorite spooky holiday - Halloween!

We've covered the house in spider webs, spiders, pumpkins and ghosts and we even carved our first big pumpkin, although it rotted within 4 days in the Shanghai heat, but it was pretty while it lasted!

Max & Emmy will be trick or treating with the neigborhood kids on the 31st and they love the whole flash light spooky experience - but mommy and daddy usually have to stay v e r y close by throughout the parade.

More pictures from Halloween after the 31st :-)

Marathon training!

Somehow I decided I would train for the Half Marathon coming up on Nov. 29th here in Shanghai - by writing about it here on the blog, I'm making it more and more official, giving me less and less power to bail out last minute, ha!

It's actually been quite refreshing to train for this little event - I try to run every other day and have set new records for 5 km (27.48) and 10 km (58.58) - a distance I haven't run for in 20 years! The picture is not very pretty but it means a lot to me, running 10 K was a big achievement and something I honestly didn't think I could do and once it's done, it's like, no problem, I can do this! So at least once a week I'll run 10 K and I will run 15km twice before the big race in November. The fact that I should be able to run 21 km during race day is going to be an interesting one... I'm hoping the sheer adrenaline kick from running in a marathon race will be motivation enough and get me through it!

I'm running for my own little sweet cause too - for a happy and loving relationship with my family back in Sweden and around the world, for us to have a strong, caring, supportive relationship even though we're so far away from each other most of the time which makes it tough at times. It's amazing how much easier running is when you set up affirmations and goals to run for, it's helping me a lot.

So send me all your support on Nov. 29th, that I can run this thing and cross the Marathon thing off my to do list :-)

Cheers!

Videos of M & E!

It's about time I debut some videos of Max & Emmy on our blog and appropriately enough they decided to sing along in bed the other day a few of their favorite nursery rhymes! Pretty cute stuff if you ask me :-)

And here's my personal favorite of our ever so calm boy Max singing his all time favorite song in the world - the Star Wars tunes (notice how Emmy clearly is taking after Max in pretty everything, even playing Star Wars...):

Enjoy!