Too Funny

I know that I haven't finished updating our October trip, but I couldn't pass this up. If I wait,I'll forget. Tim had made fish for dinner last night and the kids were not too excited about eating it. Ellie was the most vocal about it. After we had her take a bite, she looked really sad and said, "Poor fishy." It was too much. Needless to say, she was done eating fish for the night.

October update

Now that it is December, I should continue my udate on our October trip. One of the fun things we did while in the States was to go to the Chicago Children's Museum located on Navy Pier. Of all the times we visited Chicago, we never went there. It was fantastic! Papa dropped us all off while he went to a quick meeting. He did manage to join us later- just in time to do some major building. We all had so much fun.

They worked hard at building a skyscraper with Grammie.

They loved climbing around in the ship.

Building a 2 story house with a porch was a lot of fun with Papa in his suit. Too bad there was not enough fabric to cover the house.

We felt like we were back in Sweden with the rain gear they put on to play in the water area. What is it with kids and water? They could have spent the whole day in this area. I do have to say- it was fun!

It was so great to spend the day with Grammie and Papa at such an exciting place. I'm glad we went. Not to mention that we stopped for treats before we headed home.
Everyone was a bit tired and slept well that night.

Weekend Getaway

A little continuation of our trip to the States...

When we flew into Chicago, Tim continued on to California for work. The kids and I enjoyed going to Grammie and Papa's. The kids were very excited to meet their newest cousin, Ahren.

Tim had his 2nd week of his executive course in San Fransico. Unfortunately, he was extremely busy and didn't get to do much site seeing. Fortunately for me, he wants to go back and visit some time. Since he was going to be out west the following week as well, if was decided that I would visit him for the weekend. The kids were extremely excited about staying with Grammie and Papa. I don't even want to begin to think about what went on that weekend! I don't think they missed either one of us.

Tim and I both flew into Laguna Beach. The weather was outstanding and the scenery was even better. Our friends, the Aubles, happened to be vacationing near there as well. It was so nice to be able to go out to dinner and spend some time with them. We were also able to go out on a sailboat in Long Beach. It was extremely windy, but great for sailing.

Tim even sailed for a while.

On Sunday, we spent the day with Tim's cousin Jenny. She lives in LA and gave us the grand tour. She showed us all the sites. We even spent some time at Venice Beach. Very interesting to say the least. We finish the evening with a fantasic dinner near Rodeo Drive.

I love little weekend getaways with my husband!

Haircuts

I know, I tend to let way too much time pass before I update this blog. So much has happened in the last two months. I will try and take some time and update in parts. Today, I want to share the girls new haircuts.

Due to Tim's work schedule, we were able to spend October in the States. While we were there, Annika and Ellie got haircuts. Seeing as this was Ellie's first haircut, it was kind of a big deal. Also, both girls were donating their hair to Locks of Love. It is amazing to think that Annika donated 12 inches about 2 years ago.

Annika was asking every morning if today was the day she was getting her hair cut.

I still can't believe she had that much hair to give away.

She looks so much older.

Ellie has been wearing her hair in French braids. Her hair was a bit wavey from that. She did have a little natural curl on the ends, but I'm sad to say that it is no longer there.

Ellie donated about 14 inches and still has a bit of hair.

Finally an Update

Okay, I've been told by enough people that it has been a while since I updated the family blog. We have had a lot going on that I could share. No real good excuses as to why I haven't done it sooner.

The kids started school on August 20th. Josh is in 4th grade and Annika is in 2nd at the international school. With a new school year, comes a new group of students. We are looking forward to getting to know them better. Some more of our very dear friends have moved away which is not easy. The Maasland family has now moved to Russia. Another very hard "See you later." Andrea was my Shannon Watson here in Sweden. (I still can't believe they were so alike!)

We decided to keep Ellie at the Swedish school she went to last year. She loves her teachers and friends. We also thought it was good for her to have the language as well. She is starting to use more Swedish at school and at home. Over the summer, she didn't want anyone speaking Swedish to her.

Some very exciting news from Sweden is that we had Kelly, a pastor from the states, come for two weeks to study the possibility of planting a church here. After his two weeks of talking to a lot of different people and learning about the area, it looks like we are moving in the right direction to have an English speaking church here in Helsingborg. We don't know all the details yet, but we are really excited.

While Kelly was here, the boys went fishing. The weather was terrible, but they caught fish. It was so nice to eat fresh fish for dinner. Tim did a great job cleaning and preparing them. I don't have a picture of the before, but here is one after he cleaned one of the fish. Josh also caught a big one.

Andrea stopped by and was excited to see all the herring. In Holland they eat them raw. We are sure going to miss her!

This past weekend, Ellen and Henrik were here to visit. We had a fantastic time. They even got to enjoy Tim and Josh's catch. Tim prepared some herring and it was fantastic.

I'll share more about Ellen's visit soon.

Garbage

When we moved to Sweden 3 years ago, it took some time to get use to the garbage system. Yes, we recycled in the states, but nothing compared to the sorting we were expected to do here. Even at hotels you are expected to sort your garbage. I think the hardest thing was that our garbage was picked up every two weeks and the size of our container was a little bigger than the small outside garbage cans. If you had more, you had to pay extra.

Well, this week we received new bins for more extensive recycling. We have 10 different places to place our things. Now we even sort our organics. Our buses here run on bio gas which is made from organic wastes. I'm glad we are starting this now that the weather is getting a bit cooler. My friends who did it over the summer mentioned the smell. It is amazing how little garbage we actually have. I put a new bag in our bin under the sink on Tuesday and it is only half full. Not to mention that we have an extra adult staying with us.

It does take a little more time, but not much. I wonder if we will compost when we move back to the States?

Addicted

I have been meaning to update the blog for a few days now, but because of an addiction to the Olympics, I have been unable to. I find myself at the computer constantly checking for updates. At night, the computer comes upstairs and I lay in bed watching the events from the night before.

Last February, I cancelled our television package. It took a while for the kids to even realize we didn't have TV anymore. Well, after 6 months I am realizing it. We do have Sling Box which allows us to watch American TV via the computer. We can record things and watch them when we want. That is why in the evenings, I get to see the events from the previous day.

Since the Olympics have started, I have probably watched more TV than I have all year long. I don't know if it is because we are living abroad that I am so into the Olympics this year, or if it is just that exciting. Maybe it is a combination of both.

What is really embarrassing is that I find myself yelling and screaming at the computer, even when I know the results. The good thing about this addiction is that it is only for a short time every two years. I guess it could be worse.

By the way, my sling box is not working right now. It is amazing what is getting done today!

Birthday Boy

It is hard to believe that Josh is 9. He was very excited to ride his new bike yesterday. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate much. It rained on and off most of the day. Instead, we spent some time at Busfabriken. It is a huge indoor playground which the kids love.
Here he is with Ellie and Annika. They couldn't wait to eat cupcakes.

This evening, Josh decided to get his head stuck under the oven. I know this sounds terrible, but all I could do was laugh. It reminded me of when my brother stuck a BB in his nose as a kid. I have no idea what caused him to put his head under the oven. After I got his head out, I asked him what he was thinking. He informed me he was looking for gold. I don't think he will be looking under the oven for a while.

Good Byes

I've never been one who likes saying "Good Bye." I don't know many people who do. Tim even makes fun of how long it takes me to say 'bye' even at church. Well, living in an international community people are always moving in and out. Last night, we had to say 'see you later' to our friends Arno and Jiska. Not an easy thing to do. We will miss them tremendously. Jiska was a strong push to get the women's bible study going and on track. Arno was great at organizing and moving our English service in Helsingborg forward. They are a great encouragement and wonderful friends.

Now today, I have to take my niece to the airport. After spending the last 5 weeks with us, Caitlyn has to go home. (Not by my choice! I even looked into changing her ticket.) It has been so much fun having her with us. We have enjoyed spending so much time with her. Last night we had a cookout at the beach. Then we played mini golf. I wish I had that on video! What a blast. We finshed the evening off with nothing less than ice cream. (Not to mention that we had it earlier in the day as well.)

Tim said that "byes" should be getting easier, seeing as we are doing it so much. I don't think so. I'm already not looking forward to the drive to the airport. Yes, I've even cried already.

Vacation Update

After spending two great days on the beach, it was time to get sightseeing again. Tim packed up the car, which he got very good at, and we were off to Fussen, Germany. In Fussen we toured the Neuschwanstein Castle. It is the castle that the Disney Castle is modeled after. Josh loved reading about King Ludwig II. We also took time in Fussen to hike around. Needless to say, after three plus hours of walking, the kids were not having too much fun. We did manage to find a great place for ice cream and rest.

From Fussen, we traveled to Salzburg via the Hofbrauhaus in Munich. We had to get Caitlyn to the Hofbrauhaus to call my brother. We also tried to see the glockenspiel, but it only plays 3 times a day. The kids settled for ice cream instead.

Salzburg was beautiful. We did the Sound of Music tour on a 8 person bus. Seeing as we were 6, it was like our own private tour. We saw the sites and learned a lot about the movie. We even sang the songs. Unfortunately, the weather was a bit rainy, so it wasn't as picturesque. We also had a lot of fun at the Trick Fountains at Hellbrunn Castle. The zoo in Salzburg was amazing. We all really enjoyed our time there. We can't forget Mozart while in Salzburg. We did see his birthplace and residence. We even went to a Sounds of Salzburg theater. It was a mix of Mozart, folk songs and Sound of Music hits. Caitlyn was chosen to dance during one song and at the end, all the kids were up on stage.

Our last stop was Berlin. We arrived at our apartment to realize we were staying across the street from Barack Obama. Tim saw him while he was checking in. We saw the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie and a few other sites before heading back to Sweden.

Our drive home was uneventful, which we were thankful for. It was so nice to sleep in our own beds again. Overall, it was a great trip. Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures soon.

Leaning Tower

I forgot about visiting the leaning tower of Pisa. On our way up from Rome, we stopped in Pisa to see the leaning tower. That was all we did there. We were still a bit uneasy about leaving everything in our van, but we convinced ourselves that it would be okay. We took the typical pictures and were on our way.

Relaxing in Italy

Well, the last two days have been extremely relaxing. We have spent both days at the beach. It was beautiful. The weather has been warm and the sun shining. The beach was a nice sandy clean place. We even rented a paddle boat with a slide that everyone enjoyed!

It is hard to believe that we have been traveling for 2 weeks now. A little more than one week left.

As Tim posted before, I wanted to share a little about the conference I was at. It was wonderful. It was so nice that while I was attending seminars, the kids were attending VBS. A group of amazing people came from Virgina and ran the kid's program. They loved it. It made it extremely enjoyable for me. I was a little concerned knowing Tim was going to be gone.

One seminar I attended was for women. It was all about finding time to get closer with God. I remember a lot, but all my notes were in my bible. Hopefully whoever took it will find some helpful information. One thing that really hit home for me was a comment about how women like to impress others. She said we should never do for outside the home what we haven't already done inside. I find that all too often I will make a quick meal for my family, but if someone else needs a meal it may take me all day to prepare it. One of the leaders was a life coach and was amazing. I really enjoyed praying for and with her.

One of the other important lessons I took from the conference was about grace. (Again, all my notes from the keynote speakers were also in my bible.) I am so willing to ask God for forgiveness and I accept His grace, but I am often times stingy when it comes to forgiving others. I snap at my kids when they are doing something wrong or I get irritated with Tim for who knows what. I want to be more gracious with family and friends. (Now I also learned that one doesn't change overnight, which is promising.)

Overall, the conference was great. I wish Tim could have been there to enjoy it with us. Although Tim was in China, the kids and I did do a few things while in Interlaken. We went to some glacier falls in the middle of the mountain. I can't even begin to describe how beautiful it was. Hopefully, the video I took turns out. We also went to Ringgenberg one day. There is a great lake and pool there. We went with the Nielsens and everyone had a great time. I think the highlight was swinging from the rope swing into the water.

Back to Rome. Besides our unexpected adventure, we enjoyed seeing the sites. We took the open bus tour around the city. The first stop was the Colosseum. What an amazing structure. Annika didn't want to go in because we explained what the Colosseum was used for. She kept asking to leave. I love her sensitivity. When we left the Colosseum, we had to get gelato. It has been the food of choice. I think most days, we have had it at least twice. (Dad, I know you are happy about that.) We then were off to St Peters. Even though we are not Catholic, it was amazing to visit. Josh thought it was pretty cool to see the former popes' bodies that are there for people to show their respect. After a busy day of touring, we hit the mall. (Very typical when visiting Rome.)

Here in La Spezia, we decided to just spend the days at the beach. I think the kids really enjoyed that idea. We even met fellow Swedes on the beach. My first clue was that they were changing right on the beach, as we did. I was even more excited when I recognized the language.

I have to say, the food here has been amazing! (I'm not trying to rub it in Dad.) I will miss it when we leave Italy tomorrow. We may have to hit the store on our way out to stock up a little.

Until next time, keep us in your prayers!

European Update

Well, we are in the Italian Riviera and happy to be here. The weather here Italy has been extremely warm! Very welcomed from Caitlyn.

Rome was an adventure, to say the least. We arrived on Sunday afternoon. We were greeted by Donna, a wonderful women I met while at the women's conference in Portugal. She left us a map and showed us where we should eat dinner. We 'moved in' to the apartment we were renting for our time in Rome and then left for dinner. It was amazing! We walked down near the river and had a wonderful meal. We got back to the van and realized that we were robbed.

Yes, our car was broken into on a busy road. Nothing was in plain site, but everything in the van was pretty much gone. The kids were pretty upset. Not to mention mom and dad. Please pray for not only us, but for the robbers as well. (I know that may sound strange to some, but I really believe that we need to!) Yes, a lot was taken, but we are all safe and the car is drivable. They not only took the GPS (Tim is now lost), but they also took my bible and all our Adventure in Odyssey cds. Maybe someone will find them useful. Needless to say, we are picking up the pieces and enjoying our time. We also can say that we will never forget Rome.

Yesterday, we spent the day touring Rome. What a treat. Tim even had the chance to call his grandma while we were waiting in line to get into St Peters Basilica. The kids were sick of all the walking, but enjoyed the two times we stopped for ice cream. We also were able to get to the mall, which was a highlight for Caitlyn. We needed to buy another GPS. Tim has always been good with maps, but we didn't bring any.

When I have more time, I will give a bit more detail about our trip and especially the time at the conference in Interlaken. I think my time online is about up. Blessings.....
Nikki

Mama Mia we are in Italy!

I come to you this morning (Sunday) as we prepare to head to Rome. Yesterday was a packed day, full of driving once again. It felt a bit strange for me to start my day in Shanghai, China come through Munich, Germany and into Zurich Switzerland. Then on a train to Interlaken to meet back up with Nikki and the kids only to get into the car and drive down to Florence, Italy. Talk about planes, trains and automobiles!!!

Nikki will fill everyone in with the details of the week in Interlaken when she gets on the next time. It was a great week with many adventures including seeing some beautiful waterfalls in the mountains and swimming with the kids and friends.

The drive from Interlaken into Italy was again one of the most beautiful and breath taking trips of our lives. We started out, after a bit of shopping, and climbed and climbed and climbed. I thought to myself that our GPS could not be serious as I looked at it and the pictured looked more like a series of snakes than roads. But it was true. At the highest point we stopped and were in both the clouds and the snow. It was around 7500 ft high. I thought a few times that I was going to lose Nikki as the cliffs off the side of the road were a bit nerve racking. I can not image what it would be like in the winter to drive.

As they say, what goes up must come down and as beautiful as it was on one side was just a wonderful on the other. There were many natural waterfalls, rock formations and little alpine villages. Then came the Stau!!! I am not sure I spelled it right, but we ended up in a traffic jam coming out of the mountains as we passed through a 10 mile tunnel which was controlled for traffic by creating this queue. I thought I would be smart and find an "alternate" route with the GPS and it worked, or at least it showed me an alternate route. Only to find out that the road was closed and we had to cirlce back to the end of the queue. It reminded me of taking a roller coaster and wanting to go again, just not as much fun!

We ended up at our hotel outside of Florence around 11:00pm and fell into bed. Not the most luxurious, but a place to rest our heads. This is where I write you from this morning. We plan now a bit of a drive to Rome where we will stay for 2 nights. It will be great to see this part of Italy before heading to the beach on the Italian Riviera. Talk to you the next time we get the chance.

Tim, Nikki and the kids.

2008 Summer Vacation - week 1 (or at least part of)

Well, I come to you today from Shanghai China. What? I thought you were taking a trip around Europe, some of you who know us a bit better might say. Yes that is true, but I had a leadership conference with my company that required me to take the first vacation week as a work week in Shanghai.

So the adventure began last Thursday and of course, as usual, we were last minute packing and preparing. I guess it doesn't matter when and where we are going, both Nikki and I put off the preparation to the end. We pulled out of Sweden for our Europen Vacation (hopefully to not resemble another famous National Lampoon's style) at around noon last Thursday and began the drive through Denmark and into Germany. Everyone was fired up and the van was packed FULL!

Our first excitement came while waiting in line for the ferry that takes you from the southern coast of Denmark over to Germany. We had to wait for one ferry to pass as the queue was long with travelers heading south. So we turned the car off, but in all my wisdom I left on the lights, DVD player and portable cooler. Not so smart as when we got ready to go again the battery was dead. So us and the 30 or so cars behind us were not able to move from the lane. Needless to say I upset quite a few vacationers who waited paitentially for the first boat and missed it. We missed the second boat as well, but got a jump and made boat number three. I was worried about this start!

After this though things went pretty smooth. We basically crossed Germany and ended Day 1 just south of Mannheim. Lucky for me, Nikki talked me into a portable GPS system for the car. I tell you that without it I would have been still driving around to find our first hotel. We landed there at around 11:30pm and fell into bed. It was a great place with plenty of room (not so usual for European hotels) and a nice breakfast in the morning.

Day 2 finished off the travel as we arrived in Interlaken Switzerland after about a 4 1/2 hour drive. Total trip time Day 1 and 2 was around 16 hours (including the ferry issue). Let me tell you that coming into Interlaken is one of the most beautiful drives I have ever taken. We will load up the pictures when we get home and post them. The town is nestled in between two lakes and in a valley between moutain ranges (the Alps) on both sides. The water in the lakes was of the color of Maiden (the clear blue/green for those of you who have not experienced Maiden Lake (where I grew up). I must say this was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen.

The purpose of Interlaken as a stop was that Nikki and the kids (which by the way includes our 14 year old neice Caitlyn) would be attending a Christian conference and Vacation Bible school for the week while I traveled to China. What a treat to have Caitlyn with us both to share an experience of a lifetime and to spend time with family. So we arrived and found our youth hostel as the house we had rented for the week only ran from Saturday to Saturday. Being Friday (July 4th) we had to find a one night solution. Not sure how many of you have stayed in a youth hostel, but it brings back thoughts of college dorm rooms. Good experience giving us the appreciation for the hotel the first night! We caught dinner at a great place that was recommended to us by Jack Marrs (thanks Jack - it was great - I had a beer for you) and enjoyed the view.

We spent Saturday up in the Alps in a town called Grindelwald. We took a cable car up into the mountain and did some hiking and a mountain roller coaster (what a blast). The kids loved it (so did kid #5 (Tim)). Lunch included cheese fondue (another favorite of mine). Unfortunately it was a short day as I had to catch a train out at 4pm to head to China. Nikki and the kids got checked in to the conference and then were able to get into the house. Lucky for us the house was situation right beside the campground that our friends were staying at (Pastor Erik from church, Kim and the boys). It is wonderful how God sets those things up and made me feel really comfortable to leave.

Since Saturday, Nikki and I have been talking back and forth and things have moved along nicely. The conference has been EXTREMELY good for her and for the kids and for me this leadership conference has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my work career. Again, it just proves how God is in control and makes things happen.

Well, I must head out now to wrap up my last day in China and jump on a plane to meet back up with Nikki and the kids. Next we head off to Italy to visit the Pope!! Will update the blog when we have internet capability.

I have tried to attach two pictures, but not so sure if I know how to do this. They were both taken while we were in Grindewald. Beautiful!

Take care.
Tim, Nikki and the kids.

"What Scripture Did You Read Today?"

Josh and Annika have been talking about getting "real" bibles for some time now. I guess they wanted to be able to look up specific bible verses and the children's bibles are more of the stories. At church, they want to take Tim's or my bible into Sunday School. Tim and I thought it was a great idea to get them their own. I went online to order a bible for each of them. That in itself wasn't easy. There are so many different sizes, translations, prints and much more to choose from. I finally decided on a Princess Bible for Annika and an Adventure Bible for Josh. I had them sent to a friend in the States who brought them over yesterday. The kids loved them. They were so excited. All they wanted to do was read their bibles. The entire way home they would ask "What verse should I look up?" Josh would read what his bible said, then Annika would read what hers said. Both kids slept with them last night. First thing this morning, I was asked to read to them from their bibles. It was so great to see their excitement over God's Word. Well, this evening while I was cleaning up from dinner Annika came to me and asked, "Mommy, what scripture did you read today?" Stopping for a moment, I replied, "Well, I read to Josh from Genesis and I also read to you from Genesis." I felt that was a good response until she asked, "No mom, for you. What did you read from your bible?" All too often lately I find myself not reading my bible for me. I try to make sure the kids get a family devotion, but I haven't taken the time for my own devotion. Now that school is out and our Bible study group isn't meeting, I haven't taken that time. It is sad that my 7 year old is the one who had to remind me. It is amazing how open children are with their faith. So, I'm off to read my bible and get back on track. Thanks for the push Annika!

Saving the Jellyfish

Ever since we were down at the beach the other night, the kids have wanted to go back with buckets and nets to save the jellyfish. With Tim out tonight, I figured I might as well take them down. So, we all walked down with our buckets, nets and shovels. I think the kids thought at first that I was going to let them bring the jellyfish back to the house. I quickly informed them that it wouldn't be happening. I was also happy to see that most of the jellyfish found their way back into the sea on their own. They only found a couple on the beach that they put into the buckets and dumped back into the water.

It was pretty windy tonight, not to mention chilly. I was in jeans and a jacket. From the pictures, you can see that Ellie still managed to be in the water. She is also in shorts and a t-shirt that she wanted to wear today. When I told her that it didn't match she told me that it really didn't matter. She doesn't think she has to match. She thought it looked just fine.

Purple and Blue Hair??

Both Josh and Annika had haircuts at the mall. Annika had a couple inches off the back and a much needed bang trim. Josh, on the other hand, got a major cut. His hair was getting so long. I didn't attempt to do it myself this time. Josh was very excited about this. He keeps bringing up the one time his ear got caught in the clipper. I don't think it was that bad.

I don't think either of them will let me cut their hair again, seeing as I don't color it when I'm done. Both of them thought it was pretty cool to have colored hair. I'm just glad it will wash out very easily.

Getting Around

The last few days have been great having Caitlyn around. We have been trying to do some fun things with her as well as get ready for vacation. Last Friday, we went to Busfabriken and played. It is a big indoor play area for kids with ball pits, tubes to crawl around in and so much more. With the weather not being the best the last few days, it is a great place to let the kids get rid of some of their energy. I know that Caitlyn was exhausted when we left.

Saturday was Kids Day in Råå. The street was blocked off. There was a magician and other fun stuff for the kids to do. The fiskdamm is always a favorite for most kids. They get to fish for candy.

Josh and Ellie were able to drive around in the cars as well.

After a short trip to Väla, our mall. We spent some time walking around downtown Helsingborg to show Caitlyn a little of the city.

Sunday was our weekly trip to Denmark for church. For us, the hour plus ride (one way) is just what we do. I don't think Caitlyn thought we would really be in the car for that long. Our kids are pretty used to it. We make a day out of it.

Fun at the Beach

After dinner last night we thought it would be fun to show Caitlyn the beach. Josh and Annika rode their bikes and the rest of us walked. The kids had a blast. The beach was loaded with jelly fish.

Ellie managed to be the first one in the water. No real surprise there. The rest eventually followed. I thought it was a bit too cold.