The Lindholms

I can fly twice as high!

2012-02-07T21:49:00.000+02:00

Feeling everything rainbow these days . . .

Mama

There's no place like home . . .

2012-01-15T21:30:00.004+02:00

Happy New Year!
So, back in business after a relaxing and recharging break. But here after the first week back at work, I find myself counting the days to the "ski holiday". By the way, we have snow now. So, off we went to pulkabacken today to sled down some massive hills -- fun! Call me crazy, but I'm actually thinking of trying to get my hands on some skis this year and trying out the trail beside close to our house. We're talking cross country, folks, something I pretty much swore off after my first experience with it seven years ago. It's just not something a girl from SC would normally do!
We are planning our US trip now! Yay! We are thinking we would come at the very end of June, but not sure how long we can stay yet. Anyway, I hear the catfish stew calling my name! And everything else, of course.

Mama

2011-12-29T18:20:00.002+02:00

Our first Christmas Eve

and Morning

where there was just the four of us. An interesting time to figure out what our traditions are . . . at least what they are this year. Considering that since the children have been born, we have spent Christmas in three different countries, and given the nature of our family, I have began to accept that, unlike in my childhood, where I found comfort in the predictability of the rituals of the holiday, we are now faced with cultural blending and the unavoidable and constant adaptation to our circumstances. Challenging, but rewarding.

Complete with Finnish Christmas food on Boxing Day with Pappa's family, and several exciting packages from the US and, of course, Skype, this holiday for us was a happy and (mostly) relaxing one.

Mama

Rapunzel, Rapunzel and Prince Charming

2011-12-20T20:19:00.007+02:00

So, these pictures were taken right when I was having a real break down. All Saturday morning, still recovering from a nasty cold, I had been trying to get them ready for a birthday party at the same time as I was trying to prepare for that night's neighborhood Christmas party. I was still cutting traditional star tarts when all of a sudden, I felt like I was about to pass out. I ran outside to get fresh air, and that helped, but after that I felt all weak and dizzy. My hearing was muffled and my vision, not blurred, but grayed. The same thing happened about four more times between then and Monday morning. After a visit to the doctor complete with blood tests and an ekg, I now know that generally, I'm in very good health, but that cold, coming at the ~~most wonderful~~ busiest time of the year, completely knocked me sideways. The doctor ordered bed rest. Perfect . . . the week before Christmas . . .

Mama

Kee-keek and gingerbread

2011-12-13T20:10:00.000+02:00

Our house elf, Kee-keek (not sure of the spelling!), joined us on December 1. He has been a part of our Christmases since 2004 or 2005. For the past few years, he has been coming at the beginning of December, then leaves with Santa on Christmas Eve night. He has been known to bring the children little gifts at times, but mainly is caught doing something funny, or at least funny when it's an elf made out of a birch log, each morning.
He must've known that BB and LS needed new pajamas, because we found him this morning on the sofa with lots of colors of thread, a magic needle, and some very interesting pajamas!

To celebrate Lucia Day, we started on our gingerbread house (maybe not the most obvious practice, but . . .). LS was really interested in decorating. BB came through the kitchen to sample the decorations every now and then.

Mama

I'm the Mom

2011-12-08T18:54:00.000+02:00

I'm the mom who, at yesterday evening's Christmas performance at BB's and LS's daycare, was sitting on the front row, nodding along with a huge grin, shamelessly giving the thumbs up sporadically through the whole show. Honestly, if I would've seen myself, I'm sure I would've rolled (or at least felt like rolling) my eyes! But there I was . . . That Mom.
Last year, BB and LS had an agreement with each other that they did not sing at dagis (although they often sang at home). At some point this fall, that changed, and now they really enjoy singing there, especially every Friday when they have sångstund. They were both real stars last night.

Mama

What the natives eat

2011-11-09T20:50:00.005+02:00

Found this. Gotta share. Do your own.

Mama

All Saints

2011-11-05T21:10:00.003+02:00

After this evening's final Halloween festivities, wanting for some fresh air and the beauty of the candles of All Saints Day night, I asked the children, "Who wants to go to the graveyard?" BB asked, "What's a graveyard?" "The place where dead people are buried," I answered. I was surprised by his enthusiastic, "YEAH!"

Mama

Halloween at Home

2011-10-31T20:00:00.008+02:00

I am amazed at how we have managed to celebrate Halloween for weeks now. It used to be pretty much a one-day thing! And we even will continue next weekend, since it's pyhäinpäivä here in Finland. Because we have decorated, cooked, crafted, and dressed in the spirit of Halloween for many days at home now, AND because I'm in the line of work that I am, at the moment, I can hardly stand the sight of one more jack-o-lantern or ghost, not to mention, I've had enough, I say enough! of the color orange. Even so, here come some pictures from our festivities at home.

Ready for the fest at dagis

Candle and sunset

Fun

The one out back

Haven't cleaned in awhile

Love these from Candle-lite

Ready to eat . . .

Mummies!

And pumpkin patch cake!

Until next year, Halloween Boos,
Mama

Are you ready for some football?!?!

2011-10-30T21:27:00.009+02:00

The idea was hatched when Gram was visiting this summer and (I think) putting the children to bed with a book about the South Carolina Gamecocks' mascot, Cocky. From then on, it was decided that for Halloween this year, BB would be a football player, and LS a cheerleader. Just this week, Pappa and I decided to get in on the theme. Yesterday, we partied in the afternoon, then went on our prearranged trick-or-treating route. I hope and I think that the children now have a great memory of the day and evening. (Oh, and our support must've helped the Gamecocks win yesterday on Rocky Top! ;) )

Lanterns must mean we're at the right place!

A Pinterest-inspired dip

The whole gang

G! O! Let's go!

Touchdown!

On our way

Trick-or-Treat!

Taking a break

Got it, Coach!

BB's design

Mama

Fall Break

2011-10-27T21:13:00.005+02:00

Nature girl

Thank goodness for fall breaks.

Last week, we had a mini-vacation, and took the opportunity to cruise the archipelago. This was the first time doing so as a family in almost three years. Out of all of the exciting things the children experienced, including winning an "orienteering" contest, BB's favorite thing, he said, was "sleeping on the boat". LS answered the same question, with her diplomatic, "everything".

Snug as a bug in a rug

It was a 23 hour cruise from Turku to Stockholm and back, stopping at the Åland islands to allow for tax free shops on the boat. We were blessed with beautiful daytime weather that created wonderful scenery on our homeward voyage.

Beautiful sunrise and breakfast buffet make for a nice combination

Back in the routine this week, it's been Halloween -- full steam ahead, at home and at work. Still uncertain if our neighbors know anything about trick-or-treating other than at Eastertime, I've arranged with a few people to let us come by this weekend. The questioning goes like this, "How do you feel about Halloween? You don't think it's evil? In that case, can I bring my children by for some candy and to show off their costumes? We won't come in!"

Mama

Autumn walk

2011-10-15T17:25:00.010+02:00

We went to find a pumpkin patch, but the pumpkins had already been harvested.

The children found a looking glass.

The birches were breathtaking in their beauty.

This white leaf caught all of our attention.

As we were leaving, LS said eagerly and earnestly, "Wait, Mama, I just want to hug this tree!"

Mama

Too early!

2011-10-06T16:59:00.003+02:00

This picture was taken TODAY in the grocery store. I love this Christmas drink, but even I think that this along with the whole aisle of Christmas lights was way too much too soon.

Mama

"Real Smurf houses!"

2011-09-29T19:02:00.002+02:00

Höstfest

2011-09-27T17:00:00.000+02:00

BB's and LS's daycare's Fall Festival was last night. They had a barn yard theme, so BB, keeping with tradition, went as a barn owl. LS wanted to be a cow. It was a wonderful fall evening as the children, teachers, and parents played outside.

Mama

Royal Sighting

2011-09-20T16:07:00.006+02:00

We saw Princess Victoria! I couldn't let such an opportunity go by without trying! Yesterday, we saw her convoy go by in the rain as she left the art museum, and although I was glad to be in the dryness of our own car, I felt very disappointed that we didn't actually get to see her.
But today, the rain held off as we waited outside of Åbo Akademi's Arken. I didn't know how long the event she was attending there would be, but I picked the children up a little early from dagis and drove them across town, trying not to build up their expectations too much in case we missed her again. But we saw a small crowd gathered at the gates of the English department house when we walked up, with poliisit standing by, so I knew she was still there. This was her final event before departing from the airport later. As we waited we noticed her car, ready to go.

There was a slight gasp as she stepped foot out the door.

She was very gracious in greeting the crowd.

We didn't get to shake her hand -- we were close, but not that close, but she waved especially to us as she was driving away. Notice her eyes at child-level. :)

What an exciting event for us!

Mama

Turku Day

2011-09-19T20:08:00.000+02:00

BB's favorite seal. These sculptures have been placed around town I guess to raise awareness about the Baltic Sea. He's enjoyed spotting them out and about, so we visited the harbor where almost all of them were gathered to be auctioned off yesterday. P.S. I heard my workplace now owns one as does Princess Victoria of Sweden who is visiting our town today and tomorrow.

The Gerber Labyrinth in front of the cathedral is back.

The bridge that collapsed last year reopened today, so last night, there was a concert for it, naturally.

Of course my greatest association with Turku Day is that it marks the day when we got to bring baby BB home from the hospital. And the fireworks that night were just for him . . .

Mama

Remembering

2011-09-11T20:46:00.002+02:00

It must've been a bad dream.
My friend and I we talking about how we felt the morning after 9/11 -- those first few seconds when you wake up, not knowing what belongs to dream world and what is reality. All of those horrible things from the day before couldn't have really happened. Not really. But then, it all came rushing back.
I wish there was a support group where people could go and just tell where you were when it happened and what you were doing and how you felt. Just to get it out. It doesn't work in everyday conversation -- too emotional.
I remember getting ready for our annual convocation -- the beginning of the school year, where the president of the college welcomes everyone and looks forward to the coming academic year. It was our senior year. I lived with my 5 friends in an office building. We were getting ready, and naturally, had the Today Show on.
First plane hits. Must be air traffic control problems.
Second plane hits. MUST be something wrong with the air traffic control. It HAS to be, and if it's not . . .
Towers are swaying. We have to be at our assembly at 9.
Confused and nervous, the entire student body joined together to the tune of bagpipes, and officially began the year. WHAT is going to happen?
By the time we got back to our rooms the first tower is down.
Where is Pakistan? Which one is Iraq and which one is Iran? WHAT is going to happen?

Today at church, we had a 9/11 "awareness" service. 10 years have passed, and suddenly I'm in Finland and a wife and mother. The first year after 9/11, I don't think a day went by without me thinking about it. But for years now, I have acknowledged but not really remembered. Today I'm remembering.

Five years ago tomorrow, our son was born. I can honestly say that I did not wake up the next day thinking it was only a dream because I did not get any sleep that night! I remember little things from that day, my 'labor day'. The sun shone, the autumn leaves swirled. It looked like a beautiful day from inside my delivery room. The nervous and funny doctor student. The blue gown. The hours pressed on until finally that evening, he made his way into the world. Another life changing event. A wonderful one. And how wonderful he is now, five years later. And how I've loved every day with him I've had. And how I enjoy remembering his little ways up until now.

Today and tomorrow I am remembering.

Mama

The swing of things

2011-08-22T16:33:00.001+02:00

Pappa still hasn't started his teaching yet, so we still have one toe in the summer holiday pond, but for the most part we are back in our school year routine. The return to dagis has been a delightful one for the children. They have asked a few times to "stay longer tomorrow", and BB definitely likes being one of the older children, so I'm happy that the transition has gone well for them. My returning to work has been hectic, being in a new building and with a new system, but it's not bad.
I'm savoring these happy times and warm days, trying not to dread the dark and cold days ahead. Last year's winter was the toughest one yet for me, and at midsummer this year, I actually had a panic attack because it marked the returning of the darkness.
Change is in the air, some good, some bad. Here's hoping for a cozy fall.

Mama

Tivoli

2011-08-21T19:41:00.001+02:00

Still here

2011-08-17T16:54:00.002+02:00

We are, in fact, still alive and well. We've been enjoying the summer in Finland with a long visit from Gram, and now we've already started back to school. No ~~time~~ desire to sit by the computer to blog, but felt the need to write something. I hope I get more in the mood to blog again soon, because I do enjoy reading back over the years. But for now I will concentrate on getting through this most tumultuous week.

Mama

It's a bird . . . it's a plane . . . it's a Thunderbird!

2011-06-20T20:21:00.000+02:00

I certainly did not expect to feel moved by several planes flying in formation, but I certainly did on Saturday when Pappa and the children dragged me to the airshow that took place in the airspace near our house. We checked the navigator on the way and then followed the people who seemed to know, and we found the perfect location to view the show in a field beside the airport.
There were several different performances including Finnish, Dutch, and American planes and pilots. During the breaks, the birds whose homes were in the field would come out as if to compete. We actually saw baby birds learning to fly right beside us. This was equally amazing, and the contrast between the two types of flying objects was somehow really beautiful.
We found ourselves once again without a camera, and although Pappa got some good shots on his phone, here is a link to some stunning photos our friend took from the show.

Mama

Summer snaps

2011-06-09T08:52:00.000+02:00

-Pappa

Biology 101

2011-06-07T12:36:00.000+02:00

Today, BB and LS joined Pappa for a nature walk. BB learned the following words, and has typed them down himself below:

rönn (rowan)
lönn (maple)
asp (aspen)
Lind (Limetree)
björk (birch)
ek (oak)
en (juniper)
gran (fir)
tall (pine)

Some pictures:

Giant Hogweed... yeech... (Jätteloka på svenska)

Some kind of willow, we presume.

Beautiful juniper berries, but inedible.

The beautiful hanging helmets of the Lily of the Valley. The woods were full of them in bloom today.

That concludes our field study for today. I think we would have made my old biology teacher proud.

-Pappa & BB

Too light for blogging.

2011-05-22T20:39:00.000+02:00

Spring is finally here! We have grass, we have flowers, we have warm weather. Yay! But when it's nice out, one of the last things I feel like doing is typing at a computer, so the blogging doesn't get done. However, since I really want to keep a record of what we have been up to, as well as share with people who don't know and are interested, I will try to write a summary of the past couple of weeks.

Family Camp
Once again, on mother's day weekend, we went to a nearby island for a weekend get-away with some other Swedish-speaking families. It's the perfect mother's day tradition for us, because there is no cooking or cleaning for me all weekend long! It's called 'camp', but there are no tents, sleeping bags, or bath houses involved. Every family gets their own room (or rooms depending on how many children they have) and own bathroom(s). The dining room is right down the hall, and meals are fresh and delicious. The main building overlooks the sea, and there is a beach with a sauna down there, too. Wonderful! Since this was the fourth year we've been there, and it's mainly the same families who go every year, we are all friends now. And it's always nice to meet new families! Had to post this year's throwing the sand video!

31
Pappa organized a nice surprise for me with some friends, and so the birthday was celebrated.

Cousin SE
She came back! On her second trip to Finland, we didn't have to worry too much about touristy things, and spent lots of time just being together. I really miss her already . . .

Eurovision
We actually had high hopes for Finland's save the planet song this year. In my opinion, it was not offensive, it had a positive message, and it was even catchy. That's about as much as you can hope for from Eurovision songs, I'm afraid. So, we thought it might do well. Oh no. It ranked near the bottom. Thanks a lot, Europe.

Leijonat
And then we come to the hockey world championships. Finland played arch-rival Sweden for gold, so as you can imagine, emotions were running wild during that game. Finland won 6 -1! The Finns went crazy for a few days, but now everything seems back to normal.

Spring Party
We attended the dagis spring party, this year, a medieval theme, so LS went as a princess, and BB a knight. They only informed us last Monday, when the party was on Thursday, about the theme, but thankfully, we had a cinderella dress given to us by Aunt Cynthia last year, and we easily borrowed the knight's costume from a friend who has every costume known to man. BB said that he didn't want to dress up . . . until he saw the costume. LS actually wanted to be a knight, too, but was very happy as a princess on the day.

Godly Play
Yesterday, our congregation had a fellowship day that featured Godly Play, a Montessori influenced way of doing Sunday School or children's church. Godly Play has been used for some months now for our jr. church, were BB and LS go while Pappa and I go to 'big church'. And yesterday, the grown-ups got to join in. It was great! Do check out the link.

Mama

Pictures from Goofy, Captions from Mama

2011-05-02T20:42:00.000+02:00

The sea returns

Love the way they remove their hats and look at the girl

(when they're not looking at the director!)

The balloon she loved, but what ever happened to flowers??

Gummy and BB

(not BB's bottle! :) )

The line-up afterwards

Most people or groups of people bring a bottle of bubbly to the mountain.

Some even wait for the song about Champagne to pop the cork!

In the Spotlight

2011-05-01T20:44:00.001+02:00

In the past few days, members of our family have been on TV for two separate events. I'm beginning to get used to all the paparazzi. ;) On Friday, the kindergarten where I work was featured in the regional news and local radio and newspapers for having a Royal Wedding reenactment. It was a lot of work for us teachers and a couple of parents, but it turned out to be a great success and a lot of fun. We had two performances, one with our morning children, and one with the afternoon group. In both performances, we had a Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Harry, and of course the wedding couple, flower girls and bridesmaids. We even found a way to incorporate Elvis (played by a teacher) into the show. All the other children were dressed as princesses, bobbies, guards, etc. Fabulous!

Then yesterday, our LS was, as I wrote about earlier, Åbo's Ljuva Flicka 2011. Being only three, I don't think she understood much of what was going on, but she seemed to love the attention, and in my opinion, played the party of 'lovely girl' perfectly.

Rain threatened to ruin the evening, but just before the show started, the clouds parted, and beautiful early evening sunlight came streaming onto the mountain. This along with the sea of white hats and the colorful streamers and balloons help make the Vappen atmosphere complete.

Here are a few shots from the evening. I don't have any from the actual serenading, since we were asked to stand in a place that was convenient for her to be fetched when it was time for her song, but was not a good place for me to see anything from. So, I hope to get copies of some more pictures soon.

Waiting for the song, "Ljuva Flicka" (the 10th one!)

Pappa among the other BD-ers (top, middle)

Some last minute preparing just before the big moment

Afterwards with choir director, Uffe, and TV host, Sixten

This was said to be Sixten's last year of hosting the show, and he is one of the Vappen traditions for a lot of people, so I'm glad LS got to be a part of things this year.

It was a fun event for us all. I saw many friends I hadn't seen in awhile, and since it's been a few years since we've been to Vårdberget on Vappen, I had missed it. Thanks to Gummy and Goofy for helping to keep the children under control (and LS from getting herself covered in mud) during the long waiting period! And thanks to Brahe Djäknar for your beautiful songs to welcome spring.

Mama

Warm and Happy Easter, continued

2011-04-24T20:30:00.004+02:00

A view from the balcony

This is the first Easter I've spent in Finland where it was warm enough to have an outside Easter egg hunt! Lovely!

The obligatory Daffodil (Easter Lily) picture

Mama

Warm and Happy Easter

2011-04-24T08:21:00.000+02:00

Milk run gone sour - a short story (based on real events)

2011-04-22T18:40:00.001+02:00

It was supposed to be just a regular training flight. Me, Corporal BB and that rook, LS, set out for Sportparken in the Teräsrautela sector. I'd barely finished replacing a stuck valve of BB's Viper before he was begging to get in his first flying hours of the spring. For someone still sporting his support thrusters, he sure has the confidence of an ace pilot. You'd think he'd been flying without a tow line for years and not had his first day in the cockpit only last year.

Well, I let him take her out for a spin and sure enough, the boy could fly. He was still relying too much on his support thrusters to really be allowed to fly solo, but he kept a steady speed and stayed clear of the no-fly areas.

In briefing that day Sergeant Mama handed out the assignments of the day. I told her I'd got the Viper ready to fly.

"That's not what I had in mind." said Mama. I could see the disappointment on Corp BB's face. "We're partrolling the forest to the west. On foot."
"Um, sergeant..." I intervened. She hates it when I pull rank, but I had promised.

So, here we were. Doing the milk run to Sportparken. It isn't even flying, really. Just setting the coordinates from checkpoint to checkpoint and rolling downhill. Still, BB did impress me, stopping at the crossings and then zooming off. He took a tumble once, but managed to stabilize his bird without help.

We arrived with no problems, did some basic maneuvering exercises and prepared to head back. Just as we were about to punch in the first coordinates a thought hit me. What if we'd kill two birds with one stone and patrol the forest on our way back. On foot, it's literally a walk in the park, but with the birds. It'd be fun to see what BB thought of some real flying.

BB proved as good as his boasting and was up for the challenge. LS was a bit more unsure, but seeing as she'd basically just had to sit back in her Raptor and be towed, she was willing to give it a try, too. With the more uneven terrain and steep dives and climbs, BB needed more help, but he did a decent job. His requests were orderly and radioed in without a hint of panic and he responded to orders as well as he could. It looked like this was going to be fun.

"Hostiles!"

Although winter was finally over and the snow and ice retreating back to their icy poles, some pockets of resistance remained. And here I was, with one rook in tow and an over-eager corporal still with support thrusters, facing an iced over forest path, bordered with slush and muck.

BB's voice in the radio actually sounded excited. I wasn't. I knew what ice like that could do to a gravel path. It isn't pretty. Also, the two young pilots were wearing their new shoes.

I saw BB bank to starboard, trying to steer clear of the ice. Typical rookie mistake. The ground is the softest where the ice is melted and water has loosened the soil. With any luck, the ice in the middle should hold us.

"Stay on the ice!" I barked. "And keep those thrusters firing!"

BB changed course and plowed into the ice. He was cold-headed enough to do what he was told. I made sure the tow line to the rook was secure. She was just going to have to hold on. The ice under BB's Viper broke and his support thrusters got stuck while his main thruster was left spinning helplessly in the air. He had slowed down too much.

"Captain! I need help!" his voice stayed calm, and he stayed upright. I was so proud of him.

"Hold on corporal." Trying to make sure LS didn't get stuck I secured a tow line to BB's Viper and pushed on. "Now fire the main thruster! Don't let up!"

His engine flared and we got loose, nearly colliding with the sudden jerk. LS hollered something into her radio and veered off, but I kept her from running off course. Beside me BB, set off on his own again, and I released the tow. If he kept his speed, he should be fine.

We came to a spot where the ice had done its damage. These young pilots shouldn't have to see such ice-ravaged paths, much less fly through them, but they had to now. There was no more ice, but there was water, mud and much everywhere. It was definitely no place for new spring shoes. Still, they'd just keep them on the thruster pedal, they should be fine.

BB was as cautious as he could, and that may be why he got stuck again. When flying in a warzone, speed is safety. I fired my tow rope and got a hold of him, but not before I saw his foot touch the muck. Let's hope it washes off!

"You can do it! Keep firing those thrusters! Steer straight!" I pushed them through, trying my best to stay out of the muck myself. I felt some moisture creep up my right shoe. Luckily, I'd thrown on my old worn-out battlegear. These no-good leftovers of winter would have to get up to my chin before it bothered me. I just needed to see to the kids getting through safely.

We got stuck several times, and I had to keep ordering BB to keep him on the right path, but he managed like a seasoned veteran, taking orders, calling for help when he needed, steering clear of trouble and even calling out warnings of horse dung to us. LS, despite bumping around like a redneck in a monster truck, kept calm enough not to give me any trouble. We'd clear the forest in just a few turns. We were going to make it!

"Keep going, BB!" I bellowed. "Don't slow down before the muddy bit! Don't let them get you!"

A few more turns and we'd be back on the Safe Sandy road leading home. We were almost there...

But winter had left one more surprise for us. Having been defeated by the spring sun's forces, the melted snow of the fields had formed a huge pond... covering the entire path for a long way. There was only one thing to do.

"Thrusters off! Eject!"

We got out of the crafts and looked around. The fields were flooded, but the forest paths were dry.

"Looks like were going to have a short forest adventure on foot." I said.

"Aww... I want my forest adventures to be long!" BB said. I had to admire his enthusiasm. Only moments before he had complained his legs were getting tired. LS just nodded.

I found a dry spot in the woods and told them to hold that position while I scouted ahead. I pulled their birds behind me and headed out. We could make our way home all the way through the woods, but not with their vessels. Luckily, I saw that there was a dry patch running straight over the field to the road. We'd have to cross it on foot, but could fly the rest of the way.

I went back to get the kids. They were waiting calmly, altough I had had to go a bit out of sight from them through the woods. I told them to come towards my voice to my vantage point. They made their way effortlessly through the woods. They'd been walking in it in the midst of winter, so now that it was dry it probably seemed simple. When they could see how flooded the field was, they were quite impressed. (photo coming)

Cautioning them to beware of wet patches, we set out across the field towards the road, BB happily kicking the dried straws of last years' rye. We made it to the road without incident and, having asked them to stay put, I was about to get the birds when I cast a look at LS. She looked concerned. Her look made me concerned.

"Do you need the potty, rook?" I asked. She shook her head. I sighed in relief.

"I need to kakka."

The birds would have to wait for retrieval later. There was no time to lose.

"Corporal, we got an imminent code 2! Time to leg it!"

Once again, the corporal walked the walk, or rather, ran the run, as he didn't need a second urging. LS, holding in her precarious load trotted along admirably.

"You're doing great!" I called. "We can do it!"

It was still about 500 yards to go. BB ran about as fast as he had flown, having seemingly forgotten his tired legs. LS kept a steady pace, and I kept calling out encouraging words. We cleared the last woods and came into view of home base. One last sprint!

I opened the door, and signalled an imminent code 2 as we crashed in. Landing LS on the potty I saw that some damage had been done, but no rook could have made me prouder after having dashed all that way in such a condition. BB, not showing any signs of fatigue was already trying to be debriefed my a bewildered Sergeant Mama.

I turned around to retrieve the birds, thinking as I did that I'd have to recommend a few young pilots for commendations. The support thrusters will stay on for now, though.

-Captain Pappa

A Witch, Her Cat, and Something More

2011-04-17T20:17:00.003+02:00

Our family's first time getting into the Finnish (Nordic?) tradition of going "trick-or-treating" at Easter (and yes, that is a pile of snow still melting away in the background). The children said to our neighbors in Finnish (with some prompting!):

Virvon, varvon

tuoreeks, terveeks,

tulevaks vuodeks.

Vitsa sulle, palkka mulle!

It basically means "A blessing for health for the coming year, and I'm gonna give you a nicely decorated pussy willow branch, now pay me!" and then the children get something in return. Today BB and LS got an apple, some coins, and candy and chocolate.

We also had lots of witches (special Easter version), a couple of cats, a bunny, and a chick come to our house throughout the late morning and early afternoon when all of this takes place. And so we have another great bouquet of decorated branches to enjoy.

But for the real meaning of the holiday, our church service today was really special. On Palm Sunday, our congregation's tradition is to begin the service on the steps of the cathedral, and sing in a procession around the entire outside of the church. This year, the children of the congregation led, with the oldest member of Jr. Church holding the cross in front. I was struck by this and later in the service with the dramatized reading of the Passion with a grand performance of Mozart's Requiem echoing from another part of the cathedral, and also being in an international service among Finns, Brits, Germans, Kenyans, Indians, Iranians, Americans, etc, I was reminded of the church as a whole going through this next holy week together, all over the world.
Yeah, and I have lots of thoughts and feelings about that, but can't get them out in nice words that would make sense to anyone else reading, but all this to say, there was a bit of fun this morning with "blessings" but the real blessing for me came for me at the service this evening.

Mama

Spring Panic

2011-04-11T15:54:00.000+02:00

It's been awhile since I've felt the busyness-induced-anxiety that comes with the approaching end-of-the-school-year. Now, in the midst of it again, I find myself struggling to catch a breath as I sprint towards May.

Mama

Another First

2011-04-09T17:16:00.003+02:00

Spring is trying.

2011-04-08T17:19:00.002+02:00

Cultural Identity

2011-04-01T20:26:00.001+02:00

The end of another work week. I pick the children up from daycare. Head to the mall where they have a big sale going on, but more importantly for our family, a huge white windmill walking around waving at everyone. Because of the sale, the lines at the check-out counters were not the short ones I'm used to taking advantage of working only morning hours. They were miles long, so I had a lot of time to notice that the 50-something man standing with his wife in the line beside us was African-American. I was sure he could hear my children speaking English, and I could hear him conversing in American-accented English with his seemingly Finnish partner. But my Finnishization paralyzed me. Not wanting to bother anyone, not wanting to intrude, I spoke only to my children, while I couldn't help but over hear the couple's conversation about Snicker's bars. I wanted to jump in, tell my life-story, hear theirs . . . but my years of living in a place where you don't do small talk restricted me from doing so. But not him. As I was packing my bags (no bag boys here!), the man asked where I was from. With a twinkle in his eye, he told me he was from Illinois, and how his children had grown up in Finland, bilingual, and gone to university in the states. He listened, smiling, as I told him (hurriedly, while packing) "South Carolina", "almost 8 years", "English and Swedish" . . . Then we all said goodbye and they walked off to enjoy their weekend, and I finished packing.
In the car on the way home, I was thinking about this encounter and why I felt so happy about it. I realized that I find it special that someone can know something you know, almost like a secret, because they're from the same country you are. I realized that after living here as long as I have, representing a country everyone around me sees as a big arrogant (stupid) bully, and trying to understand my own country from a global perspective, I don't feel any less American than I ever did. I may not think the same way I once did, or practice the same habits, but that's growing up, it was bound to happen in some form wherever I was. And something about that meeting with that man (who, come to think of it, was very much like a slightly younger Morgan Freeman) struck a chord in me. And that chord, I'm sure, is in a Lee Greenwood song. ;)

Mama

Lovely Girl

2011-03-30T20:48:00.001+02:00

So I was talking about LS being on TV . . . It has been asked that she be this year's Ljuva Flicka at Vappen. Actually, she was designated the part before she was even out of the belly, but just had to wait for the right year.

It's when the male choir in which Pappa sings from time to time serenades a young girl, the "Lovely Girl". This will be on national TV (although I guess only the older portion of the Swedish-speaking minority, i.e. a few people watch it). But it will be in front of thousands of people gathered at Vårdberget.

Nothing to really worry about really, it's just something I've been dreaming of before I had children even, and now's my LS's chance, but knowing her she could do anything from smile politely to pull up her dress and start shouting "billy button" in front of Åbo's entire Swedish-Finnish society. :)

Mama

When you're tired, sleep!

2011-03-29T17:28:00.003+02:00

Today, when I picked the children up from dagis, they were both sound asleep! This is very rare -- LS usually takes a nap there, yes, but is almost always awake by the time I get there (I started picking them up later (1:30) so she could get her nap out). But BB never sleeps there, just rests. Only once did he sleep there before and that was the day before the latest fever, so he was apparently already getting sick. Actually, according to BB, he doesn't sleep . . . ever. At night he just rests in his bed, and certainly at dagis, he just rests.

When I arrived to pick them up, I looked around, no LS (okay, she must be asleep), looked around again, no BB . . . checked the group of boys playing again, no BB. "Båda sover," told one tant. (They're both asleep, huh? sick again??). "They walked all the way to the biology museum and back!" said the tant. (Oh, that trip today!) I don't know where the biology museum is, but it sounded far away, and my children were spent. BB was ever so upset to have been "caught" sleeping. And it took me about half an hour to wake them up and get them to the place where they put on their outside clothes.

Then when we got home, we went with Gummy on an "arctic excursion", children biking in the snow (can't it be spring already?????). So, I think since Pappa is working late, we here at home will now have some comfort food and get into our pajamas and call it a day.

Mama

Another link and so on . . .

2011-03-27T19:50:00.000+02:00

Here is another link to a friend's blog.

This week my three housemates have been sick. And I have been remarkably well! I'm usually right in there with them, coughing and feeling miserable. But *knock on wood* this one seems to have left me alone. But that's fair considering I didn't feel well from Christmas until about three weeks ago.

The sun has been shining a lot, and we are starting to see more and more of the ground. It still exists!! The days have been a few degrees above zero. (March, you could give us a little more here!) And birds are chirping. The ants have made their annual invasion of our house, and we have tried to do our annual defending. I only saw one today, so I'm hoping we're about rid of them.

I am looking forward with great anticipation to three spring events: 1. Cousin SE is coming for a visit again! 2. We're going to see Les Miserables again! 3. Something involving LS and TV that I'm much too nervous about to even write about! I'll explain later.

Mama

Multilingual

2011-03-21T21:17:00.001+02:00

The other day, two mommy-friends (one English and one Swedish-speaking Finnish) of mine and their children (from ages 1 to 6) came over to our house for the day. I listened to the children as they played together, and there was some very interesting language switching going on there. Of course, our two speak English and Swedish with some understanding of Finnish. Two of the visiting children were bilingual in English and Finnish, and the other three (well, two really, as the 1 year old doesn't say much yet) were bilingual in Swedish and Finnish, with the oldest, at age 6, having strong English skills. All of the children had at least one language in common with each one of the other children, but the whole group of children could not play together in one language. As children would leave or join certain games or activities (playing kitchen, drawing, Operation, etc.) the language used continued to change. Toward the end of the visit, all the children put on a circus performance for the mothers, and that happened in English (with some translation done by the 6 year old aka the Ring Leader).
And I'm writing this because . . . I think it's interesting.

Mama

Valentine's Day Dance Sequence

2011-03-20T21:13:00.000+02:00

Hooray for flare!

2011-03-20T16:47:00.000+02:00

I'm so glad to see wide leg jeans and pants back in the stores. We've made it through the 80s reborn, and for the first time in a long time, I walked into my favorite clothes stores and wasn't completely repulsed and/or confused. I feel so much more comfortable with this 90s throwback. Back to jr high/highschool, maybe, but hey, those were fun times!

Mama

Images from the week

2011-03-13T12:55:00.000+02:00

Mardi Gras pony riding -- although she wasn't pink with purple hair, as I think LS had imagined, both children are hoping to ride Iines again soon!

Traditional fastlagsbullar plus grilled sausages and warm juice after the ride

Party time!

Wand cookies! I found this idea in a supermarket magazine

Mama

Three and Four

2011-03-06T20:30:00.001+02:00

. . . sounds much better to me than 2 and 4. It's because I think of my two children as being so close in age that two numbers apart is too great a distance to represent how they seem to me.
LS turned three yesterday. (We've been talking about the milestone for so long that it seems she should be four already!) The latest game is 'robots' (although the favorite is still ponies). Her best friend is her big brother. She wants to marry me, and when told she can't, Pappa, and when told she can't, BB, and when told she can't, her friend, Tuomas. She wants to be 'someone who cooks things' when she grows up. She loves dancing and singing, and helping me in the kitchen, and she is a serious eater. She is such a joy in my life!

Mama

Valentine's kick

2011-02-14T21:20:00.001+02:00

Valentine's Day with the children is exciting. Cards! Candy! Heart shaped waffles!
Today I'm reminded of another exciting Valentine's Day, Pappa's and my first one together . . .
As an exchange student, he had done some research and made plans to take me out to a nice restaurant in the bigger city close (by American standards) to our college campus. He drove my car. Not surprisingly, the parking lot was full, but we were lucky to see a car pulling out as we arrived. The cars had started using the secondary parking lot which was a little less paved and was right over a small cliff. It was a tight squeeze, but that Accord fit in nicely. We proceeded to go into the restaurant and have a lovely meal. Just as we were contemplating dessert, a restaurant manager came up to our table and asked us if we were the owners of a white Honda Accord. We were. We were then introduced to two police officers. Oh no! I thought we had parked okay! Were we blocking someone in? Was I going to be ticketed?
It turned out that a guy leaving the restaurant somewhat intoxicated had backed his truck into our car while trying to leave the parking lot. The exciting part comes next. After hitting the car with his truck, he proceeded to get out of the truck in anger and try to kick my car over the cliff! Thank goodness there were eye witnesses who saw the whole thing and called the police. They got the guy, and of course his insurance had to pay.
And to top it all off, on the way home, with the Finn driving in unfamiliar territory, I told him to switch lanes as we were approaching a red light, which he did rather quickly, and since it was Valentine's Day, and cops were trying to meet their quota, we got pulled over for suspicion of drunk driving! We had to explain to the officer that everything was okay, "He's a foreigner!" :)
That date gave us a free meal (the restaurant was very apologetic) and a funny memory.

Mama

Not Impressed, Impressed

2011-02-12T20:51:00.004+02:00

I wonder time and time again WHY I, one who doesn't like winter, not one iota, have found myself this close to the North Pole.

***

My dear husband has recently had his first book published! It may not have happened in the way he dreamed of, but he is one of three authors that have co-written an English text book that has just been published by WSOY, Finland's largest publishing house, and I'm so proud of him! And I proofread the thing, so I know it's good!

Mama

Tio års luna-anniversary

2011-01-28T21:42:00.001+02:00

Pony craze

2011-01-24T20:48:00.002+02:00

For well over a year now, the thing that our dear children play most often is ponies. I'm sure this has been somehow instigated by their mother since I loooooved My Little Pony when I was little.
It started before last Christmas. On a dark and rainy inside day we had found some short My Little Pony videos on the internet. The game started with each family member getting a pony name: Pappa was usually Star Song, I was usually Toola-Roola, BB was Scootaloo, and LS was Rainbow Dash (who I secretly wanted to be!). This past summer, at Gram and Big Daddy's, they got to play with my old ponies, and they found "the pony paper" which has pictures and names many of the ponies from My Little Pony made in the 80s. They have studied and studied that paper. We brought it back with us, and I have had to tape it back together many times now. Their game has evolved over time, and during the Christmas holiday I started hearing about "super ponies" and the heroic feats they perform, Ponyville, where all the ponies live, and LS has very recently claimed herself to be Princess Celestia, the ruler and most beautiful of all the ponies, and at times she will only answer to that name.
It's a riot!

Mama

wee ha!

2011-01-18T21:29:00.002+02:00

50,000 people gathered in -19 C to watch and listen to the celebration of Turku culture -- past, present, and future -- including a dialogue between the two sides of the Aura river, a reenactment of the great fire of 1827, a Nokia ring tone, a choir of 350 singing well wishes for the year (they sang in Finnish, Swedish, and English) and a fantastic fireworks show.
For me, the most exciting part of the night was going there. When we got off the bus in the city center (sans les enfants), we heard the church bells from every corner of the city signaling that now was the time of celebration. Then, joining in with the stream of people surging towards the riverside where the festivities would take place.

Crossing the iceroad on the river

The show was nice, a little slow, but nice. I have to admit that I was not that excited about going (once you've seen one fireworks show . . .) but this was a very meaningful occasion that represented something big. And I am beginning to understand what this year is about.

Cultural poetry

I have resisted supporting this culture craze for several reasons. One having to do with where all the money is being spent (and where it's not). Another being the fact that I would like for it to be a year that really makes use of the people here, but instead they hire groups from England and worse yet, Helsinki ;), for example to run the shows. I have also gotten the feeling in these several years of preparing for 2011, that many things have been made up just for this year, and again, my personal wish would be for the year to highlight what has been here all along.

Boom!

But I don't mean to complain. No, I liked the show, and the message, and I just might be on board the ship as we "blow ahead" (<-- bad translation used in the opening song hee hee). I guess it's more about European culture celebrated in Turku, appreciating history, but really emphasizing what is now and what is to come. The traditionalist in me screams "Nooooooo" but hey, I'm cool . . .

Reclaiming the streets!

Mama

Culture 2011

2011-01-09T20:36:00.004+02:00

I've heard that when you're driving into Turku from some direction, there's a sign that says "Culture ahead" or something like that. It has apparently offended those who live in the direction one would come from when seeing that sign.

Yes, we really did eat "culture cakes" on New Year's Eve. I couldn't pass them by when I saw them in the grocery store! May it be known that, although I'm not the biggest fan of all of this culture year brouhaha, part of me enjoys the fuss. I like things like the cakes, the Tulipa Aboa Turku bulbs we planted in the fall, and I like the riverside revamping.
We are scheduled to attend the opening ceremonies next weekend, so maybe I'll get a clearer idea of what this whole thing is about.
In the mean time, we are starting work and day care again tomorrow, so I need to go rest up.

Mama

New Year's Eve

2010-12-31T21:20:00.002+02:00

Trying to think back over this year is hard. I remember the summer in the US and going back to work. Our children have become much more independent and have developed beyond our belief. We parents have just gotten older and perhaps a tiny bit more secure in our roles as parents . . . maybe . . . sometimes.

We look forward to 2011, the Turku culture capital year, with hope and expectation (for ourselves, not the city, although hopefully all that goes well, too!). We pray and trust that God will meet our needs and use us for good. We pray for all the best for our family and friends. Be blessed and be in touch. :)

These are a few shots from our New Year's Eve.

Stockmann's window

Dinner at Benelli's

Our "volcano" at first

and then . . .

New Year's Party at home

Happy New Year, folks!

Mama

And more Christmas

2010-12-28T19:01:00.009+02:00

Christmas Eve

Got a classic Finnish game: The Star of Africa

Loves wearing the tonttu hat!

Waiting for food

Christmas Day

Scavenging Santa's crumbs

Comparing new "hairbows" with Gram

Posing with the tree

Fun gift for parents from Grandmommy

"Now we have come to the sun's hour of rest."

In-between days

The eating of the gingerbread house

Play-Doh!

Unlimited Hop Lop with Gummy and the gang

Got a classic American game: Candy Land

Mama

"Merry Christmas to all . . .

2010-12-23T21:51:00.001+02:00

. . . and to all a good night!"

Holiday!

2010-12-17T20:39:00.001+02:00

Yeah, I must work at an English (and I don't just mean the language) kindergarten, because it actually feels weird for me to say I'm on 'vacation' now! Well, holiday or vacation, it starts for me today. I do realize that my life away from work is not that different from my life at work, but at least I won't have to be anywhere first thing in the morning.
Oooh, the Christmas parties and other happenings have completely taken over the past few weeks. It's been nice but honestly . . . I'm glad all we have planned anymore is Christmas itself.
So, a little catch up. Ki-kik, our house elf arrived on December 1, and has been found in an array of interesting circumstances every morning. It's really helped get the children out of bed on these cold dark mornings -- they can't wait to see what Ki-kik has been up to.

He actually dropped by on the first advent, when we had Mr. and Mrs. Helvetica visiting and left us all mini-stockings.

Lamps, lights, and lanterns are some of the little joys of this time of year.

And now, I will close, for the sauna is ready. :)

Mama

Snow fun!

2010-12-09T18:33:00.001+02:00

-Pappa

Tuesday rush

2010-11-30T21:08:00.000+02:00

We've almost survived another Tuesday. These evenings usually get pretty stressful for me because we take the children to a parent-child exercise group. The group is at 6:00 pm, and we usually get home from work/dagis around 1:15 pm, so you would think that there would be plenty of time to make it there in time. But there's never enough time! As much as I try to arrange things so that I wake LS up in time from her nap and we eat dinner early and have plenty of time to get dressed and out the door, we are almost always late. Pappa works later on these days and meets us there. This is a good thing in a way, since the door to the school where the group meets is locked, and if we are late, there would be no one to let us in if Pappa weren't already inside waiting on us. Today it was the traffic. It is not a far distance across town, but with bumper to bumper traffic straight through town, it can seem like an eternity.
I would almost say that it's not worth it because it causes me so much stress, but the children love it so much, and it's really good for all of us to do something together, especially something active, that it really is worth the madness every week.
I really don't get it though. I don't understand why it's so difficult for us to get there. But I'll keep trying!

Mama

Did I mention . . .

2010-11-24T21:55:00.001+02:00

that we saw Les Miserables? We did! Åbo Svenska Teater is showing it now. It was especially exciting since I know the maestro. Also, we know a few of couple of cast members, two personally, and one from the children's TV show, Bärtil.
I knew the performance would be good, but we were completely blown away by it! It was in Swedish, and there was Swedish and Finnish text scrolling above the stage throughout the show. I was able to follow by reading the Swedish and relying on my previous knowledge of the storyline, which included the Clare Danes film from high school French class and a quick read through of a synopsis just before we went.
We have been listening to the music a lot since then (the 2010 cast version on Spotify). So much so that LS sings her own words to the tune "Look Down" throughout the day, everyday. :)

Mama

Dear Santa . . .

2010-11-21T11:16:00.003+02:00

Something happy

2010-11-14T21:06:00.005+02:00

Today is Father's Day in Finland. For our family, it began like many other special days -- with baking . . .

and hugging.

The children had made a cup and saucer set from clay to go along with their 'hand'made cards.

The request was coffee cake, so coffee cake it was. I'm looking forward to leftovers for breakfast tomorrow!

Mama

School pictures and tradition

2010-11-03T21:33:00.005+02:00

For years now, when standing in line at cash registers, I have noticed something about Finns' wallets. Many of them have tiny little pictures stickers in them. The pictures, I assume, are of the wallet's owner's children, grandchildren, godchildren, etc.
Since this is the first year our children have had school pictures, I have only recently gotten to add the traditional stickers to my own wallet.

Mama

Halloween, continued

2010-10-31T20:11:00.003+02:00

At church this month, in Jr. Church, they've been talking about Noah's Ark, and today was the family service where the theme continued, and we were having a costume party. We dressed as our chosen characters from the story.

When we got home, the children went trick-or-treating. BB mentioned on the way home from church that he wanted to (I think he heard some older boys talking about it at church), and since it is not commonly done in Finland, and I didn't want to impose on our neighbors, and I wasn't sure whether tonight or last night was the right night to go anyway, they only trick-or-treated at our house. ;) Since it was their first time, and they don't know the difference anyway, this was just fine for them!

Mama

Another Hallow E'en at the Lindholm's

2010-10-31T07:52:00.012+02:00

It has been interesting to observe that one of our previous Halloween posts has been one of the blog entries that has gotten the most traffic, rivaled only by the one about spinach pancakes.

Good Halloween morning with freshly baked spooky buttermilk biscuits!

The owl came back this year, and although at first I encouraged a different costume, BB insisted that he be an owl again this year, and in the end, after thinking about all the time I spent on the costume last year, I'm glad it got some more use!

LS's "Darlin' " is Strawberry Shortcake, one of my childhood favorites. LS has known since last Halloween that this is what she wanted to be this year.

Yesterday evening, we had the pleasure of introducing two of our friends to Halloween. BB is turning into a real dinner party pro -- he insisted on personalized name cards in everyone's places.

Scary food: (above) bloated grubs, Halloween cookies, dried scabs, grandfathers' teeth, ghost kidneys, ghost Peeps, cat eyeballs and flaky dry skin; (below) spider web cake and blood pie

Fingers of some unfortunate visitors

Poison mushrooms

Orange ghosts

"Plumpkin"

Happy Halloween and other Fall activities

2010-10-29T22:23:00.005+02:00

Football season

A trip to the Embassy

A trip to Hammo's

Finland's largest pumpkin 2010

Let the Halloween festivities begin!

Mama

Loved it!

2010-10-24T17:32:00.002+02:00

So . . . the Embassy party was so much fun. It was like a dream world. All of a sudden, I went from my normal life as the odd one out -- the foreigner -- to being surrounded by 100 other American ladies, many of whom have had very similar experiences to mine. The feeling of camaraderie, of being surrounded by women who understand the things I've been through in moving to Finland and all that goes with that . . . it was incredible.
When I got there, I showed my invitation at the gate, and the lady found my name and said go on in. Where I went into was a security check, just like the one on the consulate side, the nasty side, and I got my bag ready to send it through the x-ray machine. Then, the security guard waved me on through! Well, at this, I knew that this was a different kind of night. So, there was a little line to get in the doors of the gorgeous mansion that overlooks the sea, and I ended up waiting right behind the only other person I knew there, a grandmother of one of my students. She's a member who knows just about everyone, so immediately she started introducing me to people, and she made sure that I had plenty of people to talk to the whole evening. It was so kind of her.
See, many of the other members know each other well, because they attend meetings and functions on a regular basis. The last function I attended was in 2004. This is because the club is centered in Helsinki, and almost all of the members are from that region. It is such an effort for me to get to Helsinki, that I just haven't been to anything. Over the years, however, I have paid my dues and gotten their monthly newsletter, always an interesting read in English.
So, then, I was welcomed by the ambassador's wife who seemed very friendly. Their giant poodle was also a party attendant. He and a barbershop quartet were the only males present.
We had a welcome toast given by the club's president and the ambassador's wife, then we enjoyed a few numbers from the quartet. A slide show with pictures from the past 40 years played throughout the evening. And the rest was mingling, mingling, mingling. The food was standard cocktail petits fours, and the desserts were delicious.
And then, two hours later, it was time to leave. I left the gates, being given a hat tip from the security guard, and I was back in the real world.
I wish that I wouldn't have stressed about what to wear. I ended up wearing a dress I already had, and it was fine. One lady was wearing her Halloween sweater, with jack-o-lanterns and candy corn motifs, and I loved it! If that wasn't "a little piece of America in Finland", I don't know what is.
It was a night to remember, for sure. I'm so glad I got to go.

Mama

Field trip

2010-10-15T19:22:00.002+02:00

I'm not going to write about having two wisdom teeth pulled over a course of three visits to the dentist, because I'd rather forget the whole ordeal, although I can't as of yet because my mouth is far from back to normal, and although this has led to pleasantly surprising weight managing (in spite of all the milkshakes), the fact of the matter is I would very much like to eat again! But, as I mentioned, I'm not going to write about that.
BB went on his first field trip with dagis last week. We bought him his own back-pack so he could bring his own snack along, and he was so excited and so proud. I'm pretty sure he was the only one with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The group took the bus from town to a nature reserve and explored the forest there. They collected pine cones to bring back. It's amazing how something so simple can mean so much to young children.
In other news, as I like to say, the weather has gotten colder here -- like when we leave in the mornings, I have to scrape the ice off the car (I haven't yet remembered to plug it in). Rumor has it that a few snowflakes fell on Tuesday, and I saw sleet for myself on Thursday. The trees are still wearing glorious fall fashion, although they get skimpier by the day.
On Wednesday, October 13, I was reminded that 8 years ago on that day, I walked through snow to my first day of work in Finland.
BB and LS are all geared up for Halloween. We've got spider webs and pumpkins around the house, and we've gotten a couple of Halloween packages that have really gotten us in the mood.
Next week is our autumn holiday aka fall break, and I'm looking forward to the Embassy!

Mama

Finally!

2010-10-03T12:55:00.008+02:00

I received a very distinguished invitation in the mail this week to a cocktail party at the American Embassy in Helsinki in celebration of the American Women's Club's 40th anniversary. I am so excited to get to go to the nice side of the Embassy. As some of you will remember, I haven't had the best impressions of the bureaucracy side. The last time we were there, I could see over the fence to the part I would like to go, and after a long time of waiting, I have finally been invited. Yay!

Mama

Alive in Indo

2010-09-23T16:41:00.002+03:00

This is a link to a blog written by my good good friend in Indonesia. Love you, K!

Mama

Brother and Sister

2010-09-17T21:02:00.006+03:00

Four!

2010-09-12T20:36:00.006+03:00

BB turned four today! We've been celebrating for three days now. He took 'space cookies' to dagis on Friday, we had a small get-together yesterday, and today was the actual day. Besides getting presents, I think the best part of the weekend for BB was getting to decorate his own cake with any and all of the sprinkles we had in stock. This meant ending up with a birthday cake with holly, red, white, and blue stars, pumpkins and bats, and so on, but the finished product looked great!
Today at church, Mia-pappi had the idea of everyone singing to BB in our small chapel with the huge echo. It sounded amazing. We really appreciate all of the birthday greetings our friends and family have given!!

Mama

Pictures from late summer

2010-08-29T10:03:00.005+02:00

Fall has come to Åbo. Most of the leaves are still green and the flowers are still in bloom, but we've gotten out our jackets and sweaters, indicating, in my book anyway, The End of Summer. But Summer did have a good run. Here are some pictures of the last days of Summer this year.

Soccer at the sports park

First day of school

Ruissalo beach

Our playground

Mama

Giving and Receiving

2010-08-19T16:01:00.006+02:00

I've done my fair share of that lately. We've had a couple of hard mornings now with BB not wanting to go to day care, and I've had to just hand him over to the teacher and pray for the best as I've run off to work. As any parent knows, it's not an easy thing to do.
On the other hand, at work, I've also been the one taking the children as they cry and grasp for their mom or dad, trying to comfort them in a foreign tongue. As any teacher of young children knows, this isn't easy either.
So, it's been a couple of weeks of passing the children around, as I see it. And, although overall, things are going well, I'm left yearning for the security of routine to set in . . .

Mama

Changes

2010-08-09T18:16:00.004+03:00

This month has brought with it some big changes for our family. I started my second week back at work today. It's going really well. Actually, I just work half-days, and honestly, I can't imagine working any more than that. I think going back full-time straight away after four years at home with the children would've been too much for me. Who knows? But as it is, BB and LS have started 'dagis' which is the nickname for daghem, the word for daycare in Swedish. I am so happy that they love it. They are only there half-days, too, so we have our afternoons together, which is nice. They have already become more responsible for themselves, i.e. dressing/undressing themselves more and carrying their plates away from the table. Their daycare is a cozy place with an extremely friendly staff. It actually wasn't the place we applied for for them, but since we wanted them to be in the same group, they got placed in this one, as there wasn't room in the 'siblings' group at the place where we applied. But I think (I hope) that it's worked out for the best.
Pappa and I had our 6th anniversary on Saturday. It was the iron/candy anniversary. We celebrated by listening to Iron Maiden, Tapio Rautavaara (Tapio Ironmountain), and renting Iron Man. For the candy part of it, Pappa got some Belgian Leonidas chocolates, and we dedicated one flavor to each year of our marriage and one for the future.

Mama

Visitor

2010-08-01T13:15:00.004+03:00

We were so glad to have my first cousin, SE, come and stay with us for awhile in May. It was exciting to have someone else to show where and how we live.
Her flight was a little delayed because of the ash clouds (remember those?), but she made it here safely, and the first thing we did straight from the airport was go on a two night cruise to Stockholm and back. SE's blog entry.
Other than the cruise, we visited with friends, shopped down town Åbo and Mylly, and spent time at Ruissalo beach and our neighborhood forest. We all enjoyed having her stay with us so much!

Strawberry hands!

You can tell someone really looks up to her first cousin once removed, trying on her hat and shoes!

Mama

All the way back to Vappen

2010-07-27T22:09:00.012+03:00

I kept meaning to post about several things before we left for the summer, and I'm determined to record them before they slip my mind.
BB and LS got into a routine of taking their bikes (well, bike and trike) to the sand box. They always made sure to put on their helmets for the less-than-50-feet-journey.

We celebrated Vappen at home. We were still bound by chicken pox.

On May 8, I turned 30. A few days before the big day, I literally felt sick at the thought, but it's been a smooth transition for me so far. I like being 30. I think I'll turn 30 again next year. It was nice to have some friends stop by and offer their moral support the week of. The actual day came while we were at our annual family camp with the Swedish Congregation.
Since the camp is always on Mother's Day weekend, the organizers planned something special for the moms. While the dads and children were entertained in an indoor water park, that is, kiddie pools, water guns, etc. in the shower rooms, the ladies got to go down to the sauna building by the sea and have pedicures! The children also made me some beaded jewelry and cards. It was very sweet.
During the closing service, LS tried to go up with the others to perform for the first time, but she didn't last long. I was proud of her for trying, though.

Videos aren't uploading now, so I can't include the obligatory sand-throwing video, but here is BB on the beach at the camp.

I'll stop there for now and play catch-up more later.

Mama

Back

2010-07-24T15:30:00.003+03:00

This post just to say we're safely back in Finland after two months in SC and Georgia. The trip home, which I was dreading, since it would be my first alone with the children, went very smoothly! Prayers were answered -- Gram got to come all the way through the security checks and the subway ride to the gate with us, which was a major help. If you have ever flown through the Atlanta airport, you know how hectic it can be, so having an extra pair of hands and moral support was a saving grace.
The flight didn't leave until 9:30 pm, which made sleeping more probable. We ate our meal, and the children watched their personal TVs until they got sleepy and slept most of the way. I even got a few winks in. We had a nice Swedish family sitting next to us, and the mother had flown with her children by herself before, and was very helpful in keeping an eye on mine when I went to the restroom.
The transfer in Amsterdam went smoothly and unhurriedly, and during the last leg of the trip, LS slept all two hours, while BB got to play with all of the stuff I had packed to do which we didn't need during the long flight.
The only mishap was when my glasses fell in the airplane toilet and I had to fish them out! But they are sterilized now, and I'm trying to forget that episode!
Thanks for prayers and well wishes. More to come about the trip soon, I hope.

Mama

Sisters

2010-04-30T20:55:00.003+03:00

I'm reading a hand-me-down book by Julia Voznesenskaya, The Women's Decameron. It tells of life for a wide range of 10 women living in 1980s Russia. The women are in quarantine in a maternity ward for 10 days because of a skin rash, and as in The Decameron, decide to tell stories to pass the time. Some of the stories are hard to read. The book is about women, their struggles, love, sins . . . Anyway, today, I was at the gym on my bike, reading this book. I go to an all female gym. I was almost in tears. The combination of the stories and seeing all the women around me sweating, pushing, working. When I realized my state, I laughed at myself. But the feeling is still with me. Always has been, in a way. All this girl stuff.

Mama

'Tis the season

2010-04-30T20:43:00.003+03:00

Apparently, chicken pox has a season. The disease peaks in early spring in most places. Interesting.
LS has finally broken out in spots. She had a few tiny spots yesterday, and today they have greatly multiplied. I'm so relieved, because now there is an end in sight.

Mama

Chicken Pox

2010-04-22T14:26:00.004+02:00

BB has had a pretty bad case of it (the worst being on his back). Days 3 and 4 he spent mainly on the sofa tucked into a nest of pillows he made for himself, not having much of an appetite. But the worst is over, and today, other then some itching on the arms (the last place they traveled), he has been back to himself.
I've read that he can be contagious until all of the bumps are scabbed over, which is not the case yet, so we skipped our children's groups this week (although over half of the children in one of the groups have chicken pox right now, too). We did have a couple of visitors at the beginning of the week, including a friend who was hoping her daughter would catch the pox. :) It's hard to know how much to stay at home. I mean, it's not a terrible disease, and everyone's gonna get it, but you wouldn't want to knowingly spread it around without it being okay with others. And there is, of course, a small percentage of people who it can be very dangerous for. Anyway, he should be in the clear in the next day or so, and then we just wait for LS's turn. It seems like she didn't contract the virus at the same time as BB, and the incubation period can be anywhere from 9-21 days, with most cases having about a 2 week period. It kinda makes it hard to plan things, not knowing when she is going to be contagious.
One of my American friends said that her daughter was vaccinated in the US. I wonder if this is just not available in Finland or is it one of those things that I've missed because I'm a foreigner. It would've been nice to avoid all of this discomfort. On the other hand, who would want to miss this rite of passage, right? ;)

Mama

A day in the life . . .

2010-04-20T20:53:00.002+02:00

Distracted from the itching for awhile

A sight Pappa passes on the way to work every day being torn down

Ashes over Ikea

Mama

Vesirokko

2010-04-19T08:05:00.002+02:00

It's seems clear now, BB has chicken pox. I'm hoping LS won't be far behind so they can both be well for Vappen. :)

Mama

Spring Happenings

2010-04-16T20:12:00.010+02:00

Did you know that we live in the armpit of Finland? Well, that seems to be how the rest of the country views us. It's kind of a comforting thing for me, since, well, let's be honest, South Carolina isn't usually on any of the country's best lists, is it? The people of Turku are just as proud of their city, though, as South Carolinians are of their state. I love South Carolina, obviously, it's my home. And I've grown quite fond of Turku. It's not too big, but has many big city advantages. It's a town that reminds me a little bit of Charleston, and in my opinion, that's a huge compliment. I can't say I'm a turkulainen, no, far from that, but Åbo (I'll use the Swedish name now), is our town.
The disdain for the oldest city and original capitol of Finland can be seen in the lyrics of a rap song by Cheek, Liiku:
lah ti liikkuu, oulu liikkuu
kuopio liikkuu, vaasa liikkuu
tytöt liikkuu, pyllyt liikkuu
kädet liikkuu, kaikki liikkuu
tampere liikkuu, rollo liikkuu
helsinki liikkuu, turku jäätyy
It names some cities of Finland (amongst other things) that "move", Lahti moves, Oulu moves, etc. and then Turku freezes, and the music comes to a halt.
But anyway, out of all of the rest of Finland, who seem to think of Turku as a closed and unfriendly society, snobby yet almost barbaric, there is one city whose people seem to dislike us more than any other's . . . Tampere. Get this, once a year, students from Tampere come to Turku, gather together on the city square and stomp. They stomp in hopes that Turku will fall into the sea!
I'll never forget about this time of year a few years ago, I was on the phone with Pappa, who was down town. All of a sudden, I couldn't hear him, just a bunch of shouting. "It's the Tampere people stomping on the square," he told me after he had moved away. I saw in the paper that it happened again a week or two ago.
Honestly, who doesn't enjoy this kind of rivalry? It's fun. The thing is, though, I don't know if we do any kind of retaliation? Or are we too busy just trying to keep our city attached to the rest of the country??? Or if we're anything like the rebels in SC, maybe we don't want to be attached anyway! Or maybe, Turku only considers Turku. :)

***

The other day BB, out of the blue, asked me "What were those things in the window at our old apartment?" (We moved over a year and a half ago.) I remember him talking a few times about a ghost and and owl living outside the windows on one side of our apartment, so I first asked, "You mean an owl?"
"No, the other thing . . . who was that who would come and look at me?"
I knew what he meant, "A ghost?"
"Yes, ghosts."
So, I asked, "How many where there?"
"Three."
"Where they nice?"
"Yes, they just wanted to come and look at me."

EERIE!!!

***

This past week, most of the left over slush vanished, so the children haven't needed their rubber boots ("swimming boots" as they call them) as much. It was time to get spring shoes (regular tennis shoes). When I told them that morning that we were going to go to the store to get spring shoes, they immediately said that they wanted "blinking shoes". Last spring, BB had shoes with lights in the heels that blinked when they were stepped on, and both children enjoyed them so much, so it's no wonder that they requested them again, but I'm always surprised at what they can remember! So, they both got "blinking shoes" (which happened to be on sale at Sokos!)

***

This afternoon, we went to Naantali, a sea town, close by, which we do not visit enough. It was sunny and windy. There was still some ice in the water. One restaurant was open on the boardwalk for us to have coffee in, and the park beside the medieval church provided great entertainment for much of the afternoon.

Mama

Firsts

2010-04-06T16:31:00.003+02:00

LS asked to have braids on Easter Sunday and has had them ever since. These were her first. She sat so still as she waited for me to finish braiding.
She also now has her first "potty chart", as she has begun going to the potty on a semi-regular basis. I would like to encourage this as much as possible, of course, but there's a part of me that absolutely would rather her wear diapers when we do all of our traveling this summer!

Mama

Happy Easter, continued

2010-04-04T20:17:00.013+02:00

Girl in Easter basket

Memma -- even with all the fixin's, it still doesn't look appetizing ...

But tastes great!

I'm so thankful that my mother saved so many of my old clothes. I get so excited when LS can wear them. I love this Easter dress, especially the sweet little buttons!

At church

After church birthday/baptism/Easter party

The children are in bed. The parents are taking it easy.

My favorite verses from one of my favorite Easter hymns by Charles Wesley :

Lives again our glorious King
Alleluia
Where O death is now thy sting
Alleluia
Dying once He all doth save
Alleluia
Where thy victory O grave
Alleluia

Love's redeeming work is done
Alleluia
Fought the fight the battle won
Alleluia
Death in vain forbids Him rise
Alleluia
Christ has opened paradise
Alleluia

Mama

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T09:27:00.010+02:00

I present the blown-out eggs. And our Easter table. It was almost like decorating for Christmas this year!

Pappa decorated some "Magic Eggs".

Easter Egg Hunt (LS may remember this hanging egg from her early days.)

Egg Wars

Our family's traditional Easter Breakfast (We opted out of getting Easter bread this year since we don't like cumin or aniseed or fennel or whatever it is that the Finns put in their bread at this time of year. We went for ciabatta, one of our favorites.)

And for dessert, Ovolmaltine Bunny from Switzerland!

Last night we had Easter Sauna and stayed up till midnight to see in the celebratory day of Jesus' resurrection. Christ is risen! And of course, we had to dutifully eat the first Cadbury eggs right then and there. :)
We have come to acquire some wind chimes by way of our family members in Switzerland, and we have now hung them (the chimes!) on the balcony. We have a very still day today, so no complaints from the neighbors yet. ;)
We look forward to the church service this afternoon and possibly more egg hunts, although probably not outside, since it's pretty dreary. Never mind, it's Easter! Happy Easter!

Mama

Understandable

2010-04-01T19:47:00.004+02:00

I wanted to write this down before I forget it.
As we've written on here before, we've made it a birthday tradition to take the children to one of these big indoor play arenas. We had been invited to join Miapappi, her Husband, and her Birthday Girl there this afternoon to celebrate Lotta turning two today. So, around lunch time, when Pappa announced to the children that we would be going there today, BB looked wide-eyed, blinked, and asked, "Am I four?"

Mama

Adventures with Eggs and Coconut

2010-03-30T11:28:00.004+02:00

I was recently inspired to seek out coconut from our local Prisma by this recipe for granola. I made this once last week before I had gotten the coconut, and I used raisins, and I left out all the nuts for my little ones and added toasted sesame seeds instead, so I guess it wasn't that recipe at all, but indeed, based on it.
I bought coconut yesterday, which leads me to today's baking activity, my first ever coconut pie. I used BH&G's recipe.
But I didn't just decide to make a pie. I had four eggs out of their shells that needed to be used because I decided to be crafty and blow out eggs to make Easter decorations. This was hard work. Harder than I remember (well, we just used the straw method).
Anyway, back to the pie. I normally whole-heartedly trust BH&G, and this pie did turn out good, but it sure wasn't Mema's! I'm gonna have to go to one of my more local cookbooks, you know, the kind where the recipes come straight from the kitchens of people you actually know or someone you know knows, and is put together to raise money for some organization. One of mine like that is called Dogwood Delights, and it was put together by Chapter #84 (Atlanta) of the Telephone Pioneers of America. It was given to me by Grandmommy, who used to work for the telephone company, and I can always trust it to give me true Southern Cooking. It's got six coconut pie recipes, not including the coconut cream pie ones, so I'm sure I'll have luck with that. Two things I think would change next time: #1, no nutmeg, #2, more coarsely grated coconut -- the kind I got from Prisma was very finely grated, so of course, the texture wasn't quite right.
Now, to decorate those eggs!

Mama

The Eating of the Green

2010-03-17T20:50:00.006+02:00

We started yesterday by going to the store to buy green food. BB came up with some good ideas: broccoli, cucumber, green bell pepper, lime, grapes, pears, pear yogurt. We also got zucchini to make zucchini muffins with. And today, we made lime-ade and clover spinach rolls. The rolls went well with the greens and chicken salad that Mia-pappi prepared for us at her house (it was much better spending the dreaded long Wednesday with friends!).
Last night, when I had just started the muffins and noticed we were almost out of sugar, I went to Citymarket (*gasp*) where they have an American food section. I had the Lucky Charms in my hands . . . but 7.99€ . . . I had to put them back.
Anyway, we had plenty of theme food. Nothing really Irish, but definitely green!

Mama

BECKS, update

2010-03-15T19:04:00.004+02:00

We didn't see him, just caught a glimpse of his car. The place where he was operated on, by the way, was where I received care for my broken finger, just before BB was born.
It is kind of sickening how some people, just because they can play soccer really well, get to choose which doctor in the whole world they want, and in this case, AC Milan probably pays for it, which is ultimately owned by none other than the illustrious Silvio Berlusconi, not that I want to start talking politics or anything . . . ;)

Mama

BECKS

2010-03-15T12:37:00.003+02:00

My friend, Megan, says it all here. Personally, I wouldn't want to have career-depending surgery on the Ides of March ;) , but . . .

Mama

Skiing!

2010-03-13T20:18:00.003+02:00

BB went cross country skiing for the first time today. Well, it was hardly "cross country", just around a ring, but I'm sure it'll progress! Gummy and Goofy took him on this sunny end of winter day. From the report I hear, he practiced with the sticks for awhile without skis, and when he felt ready, he put the skis on and did it. I'm really proud of him, because right before they drove off this morning to the ski path, he told me that he was just going to watch. I'm glad he decided to try.

Mama

Polarn and Pyret

2010-03-10T12:56:00.011+02:00

We are still sledding, but today it's above freezing by several degrees, so we are sporting our spring hats.

First picnic on the balcony this year, +9 C on the warm side of the house

Mama

Two!

2010-03-08T13:25:00.003+02:00

On Friday we celebrated our little girl's entrance to the world. I was reminded of the stomach bug we all had two years ago, the unexpected labor pains triggered by all of the sickness, and the speedy delivery of a huge baby. She was on a sugar high when she was born, since the only things I had been able to keep down in the three days leading up to her birth were blueberry soup and orange soda. She spent the first couple of nights in intensive care, and I felt guilty for being so glad I had a chance to rest.
Two years later, she's a beautiful two year old, and quite a little lady, despite her "raaahhh" approach to life. She loves dressing up, rocking her baby and animals, and singing. She is very communicative, and said, "I love you, too, Mama" when I tucked her in for her nap a little while ago.

Two years old

Mama

Baby in the House and a Slumber Party

2010-03-02T21:14:00.007+02:00

Our baby girl is turning two this Friday. She is definitely playing the part, too. Temper tantrums are coming fast and furiously. But with the development of self expression comes a new level of showing affection and love towards her parents and her brother, and that makes it more than okay.
LS is also going through a regression stage right now, where she wants to be held like a baby and have lullabies sung to her. Once she puts herself in my arms in the cradle position, she says "Mama sing baby song." I guess it's within the range of normality for her age, although when BB did the same, I assumed it was his way of dealing with his baby sister, which it may have been, too.
***
Tonight the children are having a "sleepover" downstairs, since their room is uninhabitable right now. I've disliked the wallpaper in their room since we moved in (teddy bears and rabbits), even if the children themselves loved it. We haven't had a chance (or haven't made the effort) to do anything about it for the almost year and a half we've been living here. But a few days ago, LS found a little edge to the wallpaper beside her bed and began to pull. The tear got bigger by the day, until today, we tore it all down. Tomorrow we will paint. Yay! My first home renovation ever! I feel totally prepared after all those home make-over shows I've watched. ;)

Mama

A Snowman: a Tell-tale Sign of . . . Spring?

2010-02-28T20:19:00.005+02:00

I never thought I'd say this before living in Finland, but yesterday, it finally got WARM enough to build a snow man. It's one of about three I've built in my life, I think.
This past week has been the "winter sports holiday" where everyone is supposed to make the most of the winter weather by going out and cross country skiing, ice skating, and any other winter outdoor activities you can think of. With our two little ones our main activity was sledding. We had pretty great (although cold) weather up until yesterday, when the temperature actually rose above zero, and the snow went from powdery to slushy. And Mr. Snowman was created.

It's noticeably lighter now, birds have been singing in the sunshine this week, and now plus degrees! Spring is coming! Well, they say it will all freeze again by the end of the week, but at least it's a start.

Mama

Laissez Le Bon Temps Roulet

2010-02-16T12:50:00.002+02:00

Happy Mardi Gras!

Reflections on Valentine' s Day

2010-02-14T12:57:00.005+02:00

Ah, Valentine's Day . . . THE commercial holiday of the year. I think we've survived this one without dishing out too much money to the undeserving ;) post office and card makers. Okay, maybe the post office got us this time, but oh well.
I was just telling some Finnish family members about how Valentine's Day was for me in school. I remember it being a very critical day, starting at a young age. Making sure you had valentines for everyone in your class, counting up the valentines that you received. And then in high school, there were the "Val-o-grams" -- you could order a singing valentine from the school choir to go to sing to a special someone during class. And then there was The List that was put up sometime towards the end of the school day -- a list that showed which girls got flowers and from which floral shop. Oh, the expectations, the feeling of acceptance or rejection, the very value of self-worth . . . Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but sometimes, it did seem like that.
These days, I enjoy Valentines day in a much more relaxed fashion. This year, we had no fancy dinners (although the party for moms and children yesterday was very nice), no expensive flowers, just some chocolates and a potted plant. I did some baking with the children, some valentine making, and the highlight for me, heart-shaped strawberry waffles for breakfast this morning. We had Uncle M and Mrs. Helvetica over for a visit, and now we're looking forward to tonight's celebration which, from what I hear, combines Valentine's Day with Chinese New Year in a pizza party after church.
I acknowledge that it's a commercial holiday. I admit that I do somewhat buy into it. I enjoy it. I hope you all are enjoying it, too!

Mama

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-13T20:11:00.003+02:00

I took two little bakers, excuse me, pastry chefs, to a valentine's party today. How fun! They fit right in with the play kitchen!

Mama

Nation

2010-02-05T20:44:00.002+02:00

Last Saturday, we had the opportunity to go to the movies and the theater all at once. It's part of NT Live, which broadcasts live theater from London to cinemas all over the world. The latest production is a play based on Terry Pratchett's Nation. Since I had just finished reading the book (the book and tickets were a Christmas present from our dear children ;) ), I was really excited to see the story in the theater. And I was so impressed! Seeing it on camera, in a way, was an added bonus, with extra viewing angles and perspectives. All in all, a splendid piece of work.

Mama

Epiphany

2010-01-09T10:24:00.005+02:00

A Christmas story – drawn by Mama and Pappa during Advent:

One day, the angel Gabe told Mary she was expecting a baby although she was a virgin.

As Joseph started building a crib, Emperor August told everyone to sign up for tax-paying.

Joseph's trusted donkey went ahead to Betlehem to make reservations.

There was no room at the inn.

The donkey was glad to find a big cozy stable, where Joseph and Mary settled in, and Mary gave birth to Jesus.

Angels came to the shepherds to say something amazing was happening.

On Epiphany, three wise men came and offered their gifts to Jesus.

Joseph found this most peculiar, but Mary thought about what it meant silently.

***

In other news:
Who cares what's innit? Check out this fabulous box!

You don't need a sled to slide!

Weeeeeee!

Ready for another go!

Here come the lads!

Well, he will next year again, at least.

Oj, oj, oj!

BB is more casual about it. Race car: check. New pants: check. What's next?

-Pappa

Shots to share

2010-01-06T17:25:00.005+02:00

Before we post our Epiphany pictures, we wanted to share a few more pictures from our trip to Switzerland.

Check it out -- a bee hotel! How considerate! Now I have to go back in the warmer part of the year to see it in use!

LS tried out the furniture.

In Zurich -- there was a floating circus on the river, and the brown and white building in front of that was a swimming area for women only. Swimming can be done inside the closed in area or outside. I was told that in the summertime, men are gawking from across the river to get a peek!

Two of the mornings we were there we got croissants from the local bakery. People must get going early in that town, because by about 7:00am, all of the plain and whole grain croissants were gone. Lucky for me, they still had chocolate! :)

I had to snap this picture of the children's first (I think) visit to Burger King at the Zurich airport. We don't have them here in Finland (not that I miss them really), and it was fun to see that the crown tradition continues!

Pappa was very happy to be in the mountains, although, being Finnish, was very subtle about it. (The video seems not to work sometimes. Click refresh and try again. -tech.edit)

Mama

It was a "Schöni Wienachte"

2010-01-03T20:18:00.007+02:00

Christmas in Switzerland. We hiked in the Alps (nevermind the locals only consider where we were the "pre-Alps"), we ate fondue, we said "Grützi" to everyone, and they said it back! This last bit was perhaps the most culturally shocking coming from Finland where if you greet someone on the street, you are generally given a look of horror, terror, or plain confusion (at least in our town).
Our flight left from Helsinki on the morning of a big blizzard. We ended up leaving our house in the middle of the night so we wouldn't have to drive in the worst part of the storm. The flight was smooth, though, and there's nothing like the feeling of rising above the gray and stormy clouds to see the sunshine!
In Switzerland, we were visiting Pappa's oldest brother and Kotirouva Helvetica in Winterthur. The couple prepared a wonderful stay for us, and every day was different and very enjoyable.
Of course, the first day went to settling in, and I got to tag along on a walk to the local Coop, which was an experience in itself. I found it very interesting to see the kinds of foods available there. The selection looked similar to what we can find in Finland, but there seemed to be more varieties and flavors that you can find in the US, too. And the oil shelves in Switzerland rivaled the dairy aisles here in Finland (big!). It was also fun to see all of the Ovolmaltine (Ovaltine) products, which originate in Switzerland. We had fondue chinoise, which was a first for me. We had it with lamb and beef and a variety of sauces and vegetables. Delicious!
The next two days were Christmas, and we did things pretty much the Finnish and American ways.
Uncle J put on a sparkler display on the balcony.

BB shows off his tractor and truck sticker book.

LS opened her presents very carefully.

We all found our stockings on Christmas morning. There was a fireplace, but nothing to hang them with, so they were hung around the house on door handles!

On the 26th, we headed south to the mountains (a new concept for me!) I had the scare of my life when my hiking partners wanted to go off the beaten path, literally! I haven't trusted the two males in the group since a certain sledding incident a few years ago ;) but when Mrs. Helvetica said it was safe, I trusted her judgment, and she was right. The snow was deep and we were way up high on a ridge. "Climb Every Mountain" was going through my head, and before I knew it, I was on a freshly plowed and previously walked path.

All smiles at the top

You lose the perspective in the picture, but we were walking along the top of this ridge from that building up there on the left (the previous picture was taken from the terrace of that building)!

The rest of the journey was far less scary but just as exciting because of the breathtaking views and the knowledge of where I actually was! Before we took the cable car back to the parking lot, we treated ourselves to a meal, where I had röschti (a very cheesy one with sausage), which I enjoyed, but could not come close to finishing.

The next day, we were so exhausted from our hike in the Alps (or at least I was) that we mainly rested and went downtown to see the city's Christmas lights in the evening. And then cheese fondue!

A local artist's wooden carvings and our children making a slide out of what's left of the snow

Mmm!

On our last full day in Switzerland, Pappa and I had a day in Zurich to ourselves! Zurich is only a short train ride from Winterthur, so it was very convenient. We wandered the tiny medieval streets and enjoyed the fabulous views. We ate at what I hope was but have no proof of being an authentic spaghetteria. And then to Sprüngli am Paradeplatz for dessert and coffee.

I'm so glad we had this opportunity to go to Switzerland. I am drinking Christmas tea from a tea room in Winterthur as I write and remembering a wonderful trip.

Mama