Pirate in the house

For the past six months or so, we've been talking to Niklas about giving his pacifier to "Kaptein Sabeltann" (a very popular character among kids in Norway; similar to "Captian Hook"). Though he's only used it in the car and to fall asleep, it was still very important to him. So at the end of July, we set course for "Dyreparken in Kristiansand", an amusement park and zoo all in one. Kristiansand is located in the southern most part of Norway, about a 3 1/2 hour drive from our home. At "Dyreparken" they have many different areas and one of them is Kaptain Sabeltann's domain. They have a tower with treasure chests overflowing with pacifiers - it's quite the sight! As Niklas climbed the stairs as so many Norwegian kids have done before him, it was quite sentimental (at least for Marit and I!). He starred for a few moments in awe of all the pacifiers in the chests, with his own collection of pacifiers in a Ziploc bag. Except for the one he had in his mouth. (He'd asked to have it all day, almost as if he knew it was his last moments with it.) He then proceeded to throw his own bag in with the others and stood there for a while. Marit reminded him of the one he had in his mouth, and he took it out and threw it in with the others. It was hard for him to do, we could tell. But he never complained or backed down from his decision. As we walked down the stairs, Marit had to put on her sunglasses to hide a few tears. I tell you, it was hard to see your son give up his most cherished possession (well, other than his blanket)! But my, we were so proud of him!! As we got back to the stroller w/Emma, Niklas got a pirate costume, complete with sword and all. We included a card from "Kaptein Sabletann", telling him he'd now become a real pirate! Pictures to follow: