A Sweet Ride

We had a surprise visit from Mats, a friend of Kris' through work. He squealed to a stop in our driveway with a spray of gravel one Saturday morning. The kids' jaws dropped...did we know someone who drove such a cool car? After we oohed and aahed, Mats offered to take the kids for a spin. The girls climbed in together, Mats lowered his sunglasses, and they blasted off....literally! I'm not sure what the neighbors thought of our shenanigans! The girls returned in a few minutes, safe and sound. I guess it was a bit tense for the girls when Mats stopped the car and unbuckled them and told them they could stand up if they wanted. The girls were quick to say that they weren't allowed and home they came. I'm still not completely sure that Mats was joking!!

Next, Graeme climbed in the car for his turn. Mats did a quick 180-degree turn then offered to Kris to take Graeme for a ride. Kris looked a little hesitant as he buckled up...this was Mats' baby, after all. Needless to say, Graeme had a much more sedate drive in the sports car, and by now, the neighbors had let their children back outside. Thanks for the fun, Mats!

Graeme's 6th Birthday

Graeme started his 6th year off with breakfast in bed (Baba and Poppa's bed!). He was too excited to eat much of his sandwich, so we quickly brought in the presents and the fun began! He was so pleased to receive MarioKart for the DS, Lego StarWars for the Wii and some Lego kits. But he saved the kisses for the humongous PlayMobil castle that Baba and Poppa gave him! Daddy happily left for the office and Poppa and I went to work assembling the behemoth! Hours later and it was ready for play!



Graeme invited his class to his birthday party at Nicki's...a jump around and slide down until you're red and sweaty kind of place. Graeme sat in the place of honour and entertained his guests with his silly antics. It was two hours of non-stop action and Kris and I jumped for joy when it was done! We had survived another party!

Graeme has impressed us so much these last few months with his ability to adapt to the changes we've had. He can handle the school week much better now, and his reading has taken off like a shot. He starts soccer this week (I must remember to have him try on his cleats!) and he's pumped about it. He's grown so much that the clothes he was wearing when we first arrived are now being put away in the cupboard for good. His hair has grown as well...haircuts for boys cost between $30-45 here, and we're reluctant to part with the money! Plus, we like the disheveled look! Graeme is still playing with our neighbor, Sophie, on a daily basis. They have managed to set up a communication system that works for them...Graeme play? Graeme play Sophie's house? She's a spunky little girl, and I think Graeme has met his match!

Easter Monday in Sigtuna Including a Detour to Steninge Slott

The seven of us piled into the rental car on Easter Monday for the short drive to Sigtuna. It is the second oldest town in Sweden that was founded in 980 and became a centre of Christianity. There is plenty of evidence of medieval times still remaining, including the ruins of some churches dating from sometime around the 12th- or 13th-century. There are also apparently about 150 rune stones in the area, dating from the 11th-century. We saw a few on our walk about the town.

The smallest town hall can be found in Sigtuna. Here the children stand in front of it. It was built in 1744. The yellow on the branches is actually feathers on birch twigs. It is a custom here to decorate with colourful bunches of them both inside and outside the house, at Easter time.

The beautiful grounds of the Steninge Slott had me dreaming of romantic summer gatherings on the lawns looking out over lovely Lake Malaren. The property houses this stunning Baroque palace and an art gallery, cafe and glassblowing studio in an amazing stone barn.

Further Adventures with Baba and Poppa at Tom Tits Experiment

The kids had been bugging us to take them to a hands-on museum, so we capitulated one day and planned an outing to include a stop at Tom Tits Experiment in Sodertalje. We drove to the coast first, down the E4 to a place called Trosa. It is a charming spot with houses lining a canal that winds through the town.

When the kids had had enough of the "charm" we headed back to the museum for lunch and some fun. There is a large part of the museum that is outdoors, but as it doesn't open until the beginning of May, we concentrated our efforts on the exhibits indoors. The kids had the opportunity to experiment with sound, water, light and air as they tried out the different activities. We cheered on rats as they raced through an obstacle course to get to the banana at the finish; we rowed on ergometers; the kids got lost in the mirrored rooms. A few hours later, we were pooped. I'm sure we missed many of the 600+ exhibits, but it gives us an excuse to come back!

More Visitors Arrive!

April the 9th was another red-letter day for us...Baba and Poppa arrived from Canada for a jam-packed 11 day long visit. They surprised the kids by showing up at school on Thursday afternoon, the start of the Easter Week holiday. They weren't disappointed by the reaction they got! The weather had warmed up significantly and we were able to enjoy Stockholm in spring.

On Friday, we met up with a co-worker of Kris' named Shahin, and his lovely bride-to-be, Lovisa. We packed lunches, blankets and soccer balls and joined many other Swedes enjoying the warmth of the day at Hagaparken, an oasis of green just outside the city limits. I'd like to describe the troubles that Elise had while paying a visit to nature's toilet, but I promised her I'd be kind. (But seriously, all of you should remember that this is the third bathroom disaster that Elise has been involved in and consider yourselves forewarned!)

On Saturday, the group of us hopped on the subway and hopped off at Gamla Stan. We toured around the outskirts of the old town first, enjoying the sights along the water. Dad carried his 20-pound backpack full of camera supplies around the entire time...needless to say, he captured some excellent photos, 1300 of them to be exact!

Saturday evening was a special night. We celebrated Dad's 70th birthday with dinner and a view! The Gondolen is a landmark restaurant in Stockholm that stands 33 meters high and is enclosed by glass so the city is on display from all angles. We all enjoyed a gourmet dinner with lots of wine! Dad sampled the herring appetizer with a traditional shot of O.P.Anderson, a popular aquavit here in Sweden.

I'll take a breather here before recounting the rest of the week's adventures....

Renee Celebrates Her 9th Birthday!

Renee celebrated her 9th birthday yesterday on the nicest day of the year so far. Warm temperatures and a sunny sky set the scene for a memorable spring birthday here in Sweden. We carried on with our tradition of breakfast in bed for the birthday girl.

Renee opened her presents from Kris and I with her usual thoughtfulness. She exclaimed excitedly over the polar bear card and took her time to read what we had written. Each gift was enjoyed and by her reaction, we gave her just what she wanted!

Renee had a hard time convincing her teacher at school that it really was her birthday...the curse of being born on April Fools Day! She felt that the day had gone by too fast. Renee is looking forward to celebrating her birthday later in the month with her friends from school. Baba and Poppa are bringing a copy of the Beverly Hills Chihuahua movie with them and Renee plans to invite her friends for pizza and a movie.

Renee has made some lovely friends from school and she has moved past the difficult early days. She enjoys going to school and has recently started soccer with another group of nice Swedish girls her age. The girls from her soccer team speak only just a little English, but they are a lively group and they get together outside of soccer practice for fun activities like movie nights and baking parties. Renee also really enjoys playing outside with our two neighbours, Sophie (age6) and Samuel (age8). They have a great time running around our two yards and they manage to communicate with each other just fine. Renee is blossoming into a lovely girl and it is wonderful to watch her gain confidence and pose.

Brunch at Cedergrenska Tornet

On Sunday, we celebrated Renee and Graeme's upcoming birthdays with Didi at Cedergrenska Tornet with a delicious brunch. I mentioned this place in an earlier blog as the scene of one of our many walks about our neighbourhood. We had a 1:30pm sitting, and while we waited for our table, we enjoyed a drink in a lounge on the 2nd floor. We were shown to the 5th floor to have our meal. It was in a lovely room with beautiful wood panelling on the ceiling and walls and a great view out the windows through the trees to the water.

We were all very adventurous trying some of the Swedish delicacies. Renee and Elise are big fans of the Swedish pancakes. Elise prefers hers the traditional way with whipped cream and jam, Renee prefers hers with just jam! Graeme displayed his usual vigor and gobbled up what was put in front of him. After brunch, we were encouraged to make a trip up to the roof to take in the view (which we did, wrapped in the thoughtfully provided blankets...brrr!) and then to make our way to the 3rd floor for dessert. All I can say is...yummy! We were all completely stuffed and swore to never eat again. We thoroughly enjoyed our special meal out...what a nice treat!