Peaches...

*We interrupt this blog for a post about peaches*

Aw, peaches. Some of my fondest memories of my childhood include stopping on the side of the road in East Texas to buy peaches. I have never had a Georgia peach, but I can tell you that East Texas peaches are delicious. Sweet, juicy - I remember loving these and looking forward to traveling down that 2 lane road near the lake house, eager to pick some up.

After moving to Sweden, I had to get used to the lack of fruits and vegetables year round. I found this change acceptable since who really wants strawberries in the middle of winter when you know good and well they grow in the spring, summer. But that first summer, when the peaches started showing up at the grocery store and later at my favorite crush, my vegetable guy, I was utterly disappointed. They were, in a word, tasteless. Fuzzy, soft round nothings. I couldn't believe it but soon moved on to other fruits, all the while harboring my inner envy to all my Texas friends and family who had immediate access to my beloved fruit.

Last summer, I put together a picnic for the office before everyone went on vacation. It was a great spread, with all sorts of delicious meats, cheeses, fruits and wait for it....peaches. But these weren't the regular crappy peaches, these were flat peaches. They were amazing - sweet and delicious. They also came at a higher price and sold at an exclusive fruit and vegetable stall in a very exclusive food hall (östermalmshallen, for the locals). I enjoyed this brief appearance of my beloved peach in my life and moved on. Until yesterday....

photo courtesy of London Evening Standard

Imagine my joy when I saw these bad boys for sale at my fruit and vegetable guy! I mean, the guy provides me with okra, multi colored carrots, white zucchini but now this?!?!? Amazing to see this gem in my hood. Naturally I bought some and have been one happy camper. Later today I will introduce Leah to them as well, hoping her 1/2 Texan will appreciate them as much as I do.

Enjoy the peach season, my fellow Texans!! You don't know what you've got until it's gone :-)

*We now return to your regularly scheduled blog about the "Öbergs" (or more specifically, Leah)*

working hard

hanging with farfar

silly, silly

cool baby

Leah is growing and growing. She now is eating all sorts of fruits, vegetables, oatmeal, pasta - and of course her usual feeding of breast milk too. All that adds up to 15lbs today - just in time to celebrate her 6 month birthay on Sunday. *sigh* Going all too fast :-(

Sneak Peeks

So when we were in Dallas, I had professional pictures (www.angiekosaphotography.com) taken of Leah. This morning, I received a few of them as a teaser of what is to come - so proud of my little girl for busting out some serious smiles and even more grateful that my sister was with me as SHE is the reason Leah is cracking up in these shots. Thanks Mandy!!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter weekend everyone! We have spent the last few days at the summer home - yes, it is that season again and I am very excited to spend some more time outdoors without all the extra clothing. It was so nice to get a taste of it (albeit a bit warm) in Dallas and coming home to the perfect spring weather was wonderful. We spent most of Saturday cleaning up the fruit bushes and shrubs around the barn - rhubarb, gooseberries, raspberries and dark wine berries grow naturally in the yard but had been overtaken by weedes and tall grass over the years. For the last few summers I have observed where these things were growing and how I would tackle the mess in order to get to the raspberries and rhubarb specifically - without having to wear high boots to fend of the grass snakes and ticks :-) Mission accomplished and I look forward to parading my loot in the coming months.

Easter is typically celebrated on the day before, like Christmas, but this is not how my family celebrates this holiday. You also tend to have the exact same meal - perhaps with more vegetables that during December - as Christmas so nothing too exciting to report. The weather, however, was amazing and in true Myers family tradition, I hid little easter eggs for Leah via Pappa (Anders) to find. She did very well and found all of them without any trouble - Anders, on the other hand, had some difficulty with the last one but luckily Leah pointed it out to him. Here are some pictures from day (quiet down, peanut gallery - I know you are seeing pigs fly right now as I am posting picture from the SAME DAY :-)

Leah in her Easter Ballerina outfit

Pappa helping Leah with her egg hunting

Another egg

Leah carrying her 'basket' (yes, it is a crayfish bucket, he he) and pointing out where the last egg is.

Anders is off tomorrow as well so we are looking forward to relaxing at the apartment and enjoying the warm, sunny weather.

Back to Normal

Wow - what a crazy couple of months. A whirlwind of visits and trips - my sister, my mom, my dad and then the surprise visit to Dallas. All the while, Leah has been growing, changing and becoming more and more a personality.

My parents visit to Sweden was great! Mom treated me like a celebrity - fresh coffee in the morning and changing dirty diapers all the time. Today marks the first day I am on my own again - bittersweet to say the least. Naturally, having your mommy with you 24/7 is not normal and, while I enjoy my time alone, having someone around me constantly has been the norm for so long that it feels a bit lonely today. Leah and I are adjusting to the time change again. Coming home is always harder than going to Dallas and yesterday we were both exhausted. Luckily Leah was a ROCKSTAR on the flights home and strangers took pity on this single mother/sherpa traveling alone :-) Next week begins sleep bootcamp however I have to admit that just letting her fuss for longer than 30 seconds seems to be working already. It is amazing how long a minute feels when your baby is fussing.

Unfortunately, I did not whip out my camera very often in my visit home but when I did I managed to catch some pretty cute pics.

HA!!! Seriously funny picture.

Leah with her great grandma, Granny

Dru, my niece and some of her favorite things - a wet wipe and yogurt :-) Adorable

Need to gear up for my first walk with the dogs AND Leah. As you know they stopped going to daycare last week since it is an unneeded expense - girlfriend here is going to get some exercise!

Laters!

3 Months Old!

Leah turned 3 months old yesterday and is now over 13lbs. Growing and growing - such a happy girl!!

Happy Baby

Here is a sample of what we have been enjoying all week - Leah smiling and laughing at her mom and Grams.