Baby Shower Time

Last night, some friends and I hosted a baby shower for a very sweet new mom. Danielle, the hostess, and I had talked about throwing the shower months ago, but life got busy. We finally figured that it was now or never. Our move takes place this week, so the timing was a little stressful for me, but I enjoyed myself once I was there.

My job was to help make the cupcakes. We had seen some cute bib cupcakes in a magazine that didn't look too time-consuming, so we decided to go with those. The other ladies put out fruit, sparkling juice, and some cute chocolate-covered mini-marshmallows.

I wasn't feeling the best, so my friend, Katarina, helped me decorate the cupcakes. She was a little timid at first, but she quickly got the hang of the simple decorating we were doing.  I was thankful for the assistance, and she had fun "learning from the master," as she put it.

Some of the cupcakes. We drew pacifiers and ducks on the bibs, and we also used some cute little bear sprinkles.



The chocolate-covered marshmallows.



The beautiful spread

Once we were done, we cleaned up a bit, then went to the other room to hide and surprise the guest of honor. I didn't take any more pictures, but I enjoyed the evening. We played several games, oohed and ahhed over her presents, and consumed entirely too much sugar.

This was my last time to hang out with most of these people, and I will miss them dearly. I am thankful for the friendships we have developed during my time here.

An Afternoon of Rest

This past week has been stressful. Well, to be honest, the past several weeks have been stressful. I really hate moving. But that is beside the point. This afternoon, after dropping a load of furniture off at the church and doing some last-minute shopping, we visited a dear couple we know from AJ's preschool and Timo's work.

Hoping for sun, we headed out to their house for lunch, swimming, fika, and fellowship. Lunch was delicious, with plenty of protein to feed my growing baby. The kids were growing restless as they waited for the adults to finish eating and talking so they could go swimming.

We finally finished, and the kids excitedly changed and headed down to the pool. They swam for about 20 minutes before the sun decided to hide behind a cloud, and the air grew cooler. K got out, went back in, and got out again. H reluctantly let me take his swimming jacket off so I could wrap him in a towel. He stood there shivering and protesting simultaneously. AJ was also out and in and out again. They just didn't want to give up their chance to swim.

When all three kids had climbed out of the pool, we walked to the house to dry off, warm up, and have fika. Annette served ice cream and American cheesecake topped with fresh berries. We ate with relish, and H devoured two pieces of cheesecake. AJ ate a little bit of everything, as did K.



AJ with a mouth full of deliciousness



When the kids were done, K and AJ sat in the now-present sun and played.



Playing with Polly Pockets



After fika, I insisted on taking a picture of Hans and Timo. After all, they have worked together for the past 3.5 years, and he has been there for us on many occasions. He helped us put in our sod, helped take down a tree, and invited us to attend several gatherings with them. 



Hans and Timo

 After fika, we looked at some wedding pictures and a short video from their daughter's wedding two weeks ago. It was fun to hear about Swedish wedding traditions and see pictures from a Swedish wedding. When it was over, we talked some more while the kids ran some of their energy off.

Before we left, AJ gave Annette a big hug. AJ doesn't just hug anyone. She is a very special lady who has gotten to know our sweet boy at preschool and always treated him well. I asked if he would take a picture with her, and he agreed (another indicator in how much she means to him). On my small camera screen, the shot looked fine, but it turned out blurry once I got it on my computer. I am so bummed because it would have been a great shot otherwise.

Annette and AJ

 This afternoon was a much-needed time of rest and fellowship. I am thankful for these friends and what they have meant to us during our time here.

A Close Call

A shot of our back yard looking out our bedroom window.

We have been experiencing more thunderstorms than usual this summer. The past two nights have been evidence of this as we lay in bed listening to thunder peal across the sky.

Last night there was more than rain falling, though. We woke up and discovered one of the trees in our back yard had succumbed to the forces of nature.

I was not thrilled with the idea of a downed tree, but I was so thankful that it did not fall toward the house. The last thing we need now is damage to our Swedish abode a week before we leave. So.... Thank You, God!

Summer Swedish Strawberry Selecting

This morning, despite a million reasons why I shouldn't and only four reasons why I should, I took the kids strawberry picking.



Our harvest -- minus the ones we couldn't wait to eat.



K had been asking me about it every time we passed the sign pointing toward the longed-after fields, but the timing was never right. Well, this morning, we had to run an errand that took us by the strawberry fields on the way home. I thought this was a prime picking opportunity. We turned toward the fields, our mouths watering at the thought of the harvest we would gather. 

We chose to fill six small containers, with my thinking that each kid could fill three. Well, K ended up filling more, and AJ filled less. This was mostly because AJ and H had to share my attention, while K could pick on her own. I didn't realize AJ wanted more help until H had mostly filled one container. Then, I started pointing out good ones for him to pick as well. Once he got the hang of it, he took off, though, and he and K topped off the last two at the end. 

There were so many berries that the whole process didn't take that long, but we went home happy. I convinced H to leave the field by reminding him of the cows we parked near. I think he was more excited about the cows than the strawberries. 

I wouldn't let the kid taste the produce while we were picking, so we arrived home anxious to taste our treasures.

Baseball and Cherry-Picking



K picking cherries



Our house has been full of the stress of moving overseas, and I believe that everyone has felt the recent tension. Last night, we took a short break from the to-do lists to just enjoy being a family.

We have a cherry tree in our back yard that we have never taken advantage of. This is mostly because Timo does not care for cherries, and I can take or leave them. But sometimes picking cherries is half the fun. Or maybe even seven-eighths.



Our bowl of cherries



Timothy was out with the kids, playing baseball with AJ, who wants to start T-ball this fall. K noticed the cherries on the tree, and she came in to tell me that they were picking cherries. I took advantage of this time to join the rest of the family outside, and we had a few minutes of berries and baseball. For those few moments, I felt that we were just being a family, with no outside pressures. It was a time to be treasured.

The Worst Day

June 29, 2011 was one of the worst days of my life. It started out well enough.  We had decided to visit the open-air museum in Gamla Linköping. We had been there once before with some good friends, and the kids had lots of fun washing clothes the old-fashioned way, building a car out of scrap wood and nails, and more. The same was true of this trip. Until we decided to go make some rope.

The girl (it was her first day on the job in this area of the museum) was explaining about the rope-making process, and she was showing us the fibers before we went to make our own rope. Meanwhile, AJ and H, being the impatient boys that they are, ran over to the more interesting rope-making machine (which was full of gears). I heard AJ turning it rapidly, I turned to tell him to stop, and that is when H stuck his fingers in the gears. I heard him cry, expecting him to be hurt, but I was not prepared for the severity of the injury. I was shocked and horrified, and I screamed. He was crying and crying, and there was no consoling him. This was different than any injury I have dealt with before. The girl got us some paper towel to put over the wound and catch the blood that was pouring down his arm, my arm, and dripping onto the floor and my pants. Then she ran to get help.  

Meanwhile, AJ stood there with his hands over his mouth, horrified, himself, at what had just happened. I couldn’t give him the hugs and consolation that I am sure he needed, and that bothered me until I could talk to him the next morning.

While we waited for help, I lost it. I started crying, too. I couldn’t help it. After H’s hand was bandaged, one man offered to drive us to the ER. I gave my car keys to my sister, Jaime, and she took care of my kids and her family while I got in the car to seek help for my little guy. She also called Timo to let him know what happened. He immediately left for the ER.

At the ER, we were admitted immediately, but it took forever for a doctor to see H. After more than 6 hours, one dose of acetaminophen, two doses of morphine, two rounds of x-rays, numbing cream, a shot of local anesthesia, and 5 stitches, we were finally on our way home.

I had a hard time falling asleep that night. It felt good to be on the healing end of such an incident, but those first images of his finger and the horror that accompanied them kept replaying in my mind. H ended up in our bed that night, but I was happy to have him close by to reassure me that he was okay.

A Visit from Family: Kosta Boda Glassworks

Our first stop in the kingdom of crystal was the Kosta Boda factory in Kosta, Sweden. We had arranged for a tour and a time to try our hands at glass-blowing. While we waited for the tour time, we explored the Exhibition Hall, a couple of rooms filled with all sorts of artistic glass pieces.



Detail of a glass hammock



Detail of another glass hammock



The glass hammocks.




Looking through another piece that reminded me of an eye.





A brilliant orange piece.




One of the fun glass violins.




Another fun violin. I really would love one of these.




A glass bird flying in a bottle.





The kids found their own entertainment picking flowers in the courtyard.



 The tour started by a lady explaining how glass is made, and what tools are used. I tried to follow what she was saying by keeping my youngest munchkin distracted with food. Of course, then my other munchkins decided they were hungry, too.

After learning about the process, we moved into the glass-making area. They were making some goblets that day, a process that combined hand-blowing and machinery.



The machine




A man about to blow the glass into a mold



A man working the first portion of glass for the goblets

These girls were making something else

When the tour was over, we took a break for a picnic lunch. Then we waited for our turn to blow glass.


My ticket to a unique experience



Of course, I didn't take any pictures of my blowing glass. Fortunately, my bro-in-law, Richard, took some shots.  Oh, what fun that was! They accidentally broke my first glass, so I had to blow another one. When I was done, I went outside to where Jaime was watching my kiddos.

They have a small playground at the Kosta factory, which is truly a blessing. My kids were happy, which made me happy.



H swinging.




K in the play fort




AJ hanging out in the play fort.




Edith taking H for a ride

 When everyone was done, we decided to head to the small cafe for some ice cream. Well, H doesn't like ice cream, so just K and AJ got some.

Two happy campers

 After shopping, we picked up our glasses. I was worried that we wouldn't be able to tell them apart, but once we opened them all, I realized that confusing them was impossible.



Our glasses. Clockwise from far left: Jaime, Ellie, me, Edith, Richard

After dinner, we decided to go for a walk to a nearby park. Jaime brought some leftover bread, and the kids enjoyed feeding the ducks and ducklings swimming around. They ran around the playground like they hadn't been outside in weeks. I was hoping it would help them fall asleep earlier, but I was mostly wrong. I guess it is always difficult to unwind in an unfamiliar place.

It was a busy, but wonderful day. Glassblowing was amazing, shopping was fun, and I have a unique souvenir to remind me of this experience.