"Attention: today March 21st a fire drill will take place in our hotel. For your safety, not only at this hotel but on your travels around the world, may we please ask you to participate." We prepared for months and all the staff participated, but only TWO guests, the rest just watched from their rooms. 

Today we had an emergency/fire drill at our hotel with the whole shebang, firefighters, security personel, all the staff, the guests etc. As I am part of the "emergency team" we have to dress in these vests, and the firefighters will come look for us. It all went pretty well, with a few things we have and can improve, and even though we knew it was just a drill, my stomach cringed when I heard the alarm go off. Here you can see Solborg and some of the firefighters. 

How does an 8 year old look like after eating chicken wings: like this. 

Jonatan on his 8th birthday: he had been waiting and waiting for this day for weeks! 

We all went out for dinner on Jonatans birthday, and this was the first time we ever had pizza at Pizza Hut in Iceland, even though they have been here as long as I can remember. And I have to say, it was OK. 

Jonatan Cool, ready to go for Guitar Heroes, the PS2 game 

Elin gave him Joe Boxer home-pants and T-shirt, which he loves. 

Tomas sleeping, in the new chair we are now fighting about. 

And who is playing our piano again? 

Brothers

 

And Tomas is back here: he is going to work for a few months, to save up some money and we feel blessed to get to spend some time with him again. To say the kids were excited is an understatement! To say the parents were excited is an understatement! 

During the period I did not blog, (from January 14th until today) not only did we go skiing in Italy, we spent a whole long excrutiating week waiting for Tomas, we went to a magnificent gala diner, AND my camera took some time off, or even worse, it just did not cooperate and gave me a hard time. Result: I do not have ANY pictures of my vacation, nor of the gala diner, and none of Tomas arrival, although I did have my camera with me...Anyways, Jon has been taking some pictures here at home on his camera, and I will have to decide what to do with mine: repair or buy a new one.

The skitrip to Italy was again a true success, although we did not get 6 days of sunshine as we did last year. I learned how to ski in some adverse weather circumstances, or I should rather say, I know what it means to ski in 30 cm rather wet snow: hard work! But the rest was just as last time: wonderful days with great people and friends in glorious surroundings. But no photos

The week we were waiting for Tomas will be remembered for sure. He was supposed to arrive on the 21st but because he was flying on a stand by ticket he only got to go on the plane from Quito on the sixth! day and that was because the airport staff felt for him, not because there were empty seats - he got to sit on one of the transit seats, which are the seats the stewardesses use during take off and landing - but he got throught the rest of the 4 legged trip without much further trouble. We all feel very relieved to see him here again, even though it will only be for some months. But no photos of the arrival.

Friday night, we went to the 70th anniversary of Icelandair Group, which was a grand gala party with a big band, dancing, funny, and singing acts of famous Icelandic people, the best Icelandic DJ (Pall Oskar) good food, lots of laughing and a lot of dancing. But no photos. 

These are the three musketeers - Jonatan, Enok and Jakob - all 3 into Lego, Sims, Fifa 2007 and soccer...life can sometimes be perfect. 

Snow snow snow, it hasn´t snowed this much in Reykjavik - and Hafnarfjördur - in January for 13 years - so the kids are excited! 

This is how the snowhouse looked which the kids built in the backyard (yes on the artificial grass-but this is not artificial snow!)