Back to the Motherland, Day 2

We slept.


The children all slept, the adults slept, and when we woke up, all of us felt happy.

We had been given a job to go purchase a Princess Torte (see exhibit A of pure deliciousness…) and some flowers for an amazing Latvian couple that was being sealed that day. We were to have the “party” delivered to the temple annex by 12:00 p.m.

Exhibit A...inside look

                                                           Exhibit A in all its lush glory.
As we walked across the street to the most charming grocery store you have ever laid eyes on, I noticed a woman lying on the sidewalk. She was an elderly lady and looked disoriented and very disheveled. I didn’t look closely but I immediately assumed she must be mentally ill or drunk. I gently started to steer my children around her when I noticed a young mother with 3 children in tow stop their bikes and rush over to this woman. It was then I noticed the blood.

I quickly turned around and rushed back to see if I could help. I was embarrassed and ashamed. How many times have I heard the story of the Good Samaritan? How many times have I wondered what I would have done in that situation? Suddenly I was there and I wasn’t very happy with what I saw about myself. So what if she was drunk or mentally ill? Didn’t she still deserve to be helped up? What would the Savior have done? That made me more ashamed. I will never be that person I was for a moment yesterday…my children will never see me turn away from someone in need again. I will never judge a person by what my physical eyes think they see. I know better.

This poor woman had fallen hard and split open her chin…among other things. This sweet woman who stopped to help started yelling instructions to me. Here is what I understood: “Blah, blah, blah, blah, servieter, blah, blah.” Ha! I understood that word…it meant napkins. I raced off to the Chinese Restaurant on the corner and played charades with the Thai waiter until I got some napkins. I raced back. The blood was still pouring out her mouth and chin…it was all over her hands, coat, bag and sidewalk. The woman helping gave more directions: “Blah, blah, blah, vand, blah, blah, servieter!” Ah…

Water + Napkins=Wet Napkins!

I raced back to the restaurant where the Thai man just watched me in puzzled amazement. I raced back. We managed to help her off the ground and into the Chinese restaurant to wash up. My husband and children and the other woman’s 3 children just stood and then followed in quiet wonder. Jacob said one of the Swedish boys said something to him. When I asked what he did, Jacob shrugged and said, “I just stood there.” I guess he wasn’t sure which of his 2 Swedish words would fit best…Ja (yes) or Tak (thank you). We walked the injured woman over to a bench and sat her down where 2 other older women said they knew her and would make sure she would get home safely. We couldn’t convince her that she needed to go to the doctor for stitches. Every time we suggested it, she insisted that she needed to get to the Post Office to withdraw money. I hope she got home OK. It was such a humbling experience.

After delivering our goods and meeting some of the amazing people my parents work with at the temple, we headed home for some lunch and rest. Poor Jacob had woken up earlier than the rest of us and was starting what I could see was going to be a doozy of a meltdown. He and I laid down and had ourselves a good 2 hour nap! Fabulous, delightful, cozy nap.

A Viking grave in front of the beautiful Stockholm temple!

After our nap, we headed out to explore the area around the temple and my parent’s home. We headed down this bicycle/walking path into one of my favorite things on the whole planet…a Swedish forest. How can I describe it? There are tall, stately trees that reach into the sky. There is moss in the most amazing hues and shades of green clinging to the rocks and tree trunks. Little clumps of snow drop flowers dot the forest floor and giant logs for climbing and walking on criss-cross the landscape. The ground is so moist and mossy that it feels like you are walking on spongy ground. It is so green and silent and smells clean, green, and adventurous. Add to that a Viking burial ground and you have some pretty exciting things to explore. Even in my parent’s front yard are piles of rocks marking ancient Viking burial grounds. Right there. In the front yard. Don’t see much of that in the United States.

We walked this trail and marveled at what we were seeing. It was amazing! My mom met us after her shift at the temple and told us a little about this region. Even when the temple was being built, they had to have an archeologist on site to research any item they came across in their digging. This area has been a farming/fishing region for EONS of time…stone age, bronze age, roman age, etc. And for all those eons and eons of time, this part of the area was used as burial grounds. It was so interesting! I love history…I love all the questions with no answers that allow me to imagine and try to create who the individuals were that lived there and what stories these rocks and trees could tell. Incredible!

Jake and I made a quick trip back to the grocery store for a little item we had seen earlier. I handed him the money and let him buy the delicious chocolate balls filled with cream. Oh divine chocolate balls. I will post pictures but I will not apologize for my multiple chins and large round buttocks. I may be chubby, but heaven help me…I am enjoying every last drop of cream around here. I’ll think about Weight Watchers after the 17th. After a delicious dinner, we all headed upstairs to the “study” to watch “Princess and the Frong”…Mo and Papa’s first viewing.

We are having such a fabulous time! The kids are doing fantastic, we are sleeping and eating chocolate and adoring my parents. Perfectly, perfect.

RANDOM PICTURES:

Matthew & Hannah's favorite toy is the laundry hamper in the basement.

Hannah LOVES the toliet paper with lambs on it. I think she is stashing small amounts of it in her suitcase.

Back to the Motherland, Day 1

I am in Sweden...the land of warm, fluffy dynes...delicious, soul pleasing chocolate...current home of 2 of my very favorite people in all the world. I never thought I would have this opportunity to return to Sweden and Denmark with my husband and 3 children. I never thought I would be able to share this piece of my childhood with my children who just happen to be the same ages I was when I lived here. I arrived in Sweden when I was 5 years old and moved back to the US when I was 8 years old. I was baptized here. I started attending school here. I made my first best friends, attended primary, learned the truth about Santa Claus, taught potatoes how to sing, learned all the words to Abba songs, dressed up as an Easter witch, got to be Santa Lucia, and discovered chocolate in this amazing country. It is such a significant part of my childhood. My first memories are from our time in Sweden. It is part of the fabric of my soul! And here I am...it is a dream.

We left for the motherland last Wednesday. The kids did a FANTASTIC job traveling. Because we ended up on the back row for the first flight, we made an amazing new friend! One of the "jump" seats for the flight attendants literally pulled out of a tiny closet in front of the bathroom. It ended up taking quite a while for us to leave Salt Lake City and in that time, I chatted with Diane...an amazing flight attendant from nothern Mississippi. We talked about children and husbands and family. We talked about dreams and patience and the ebb of time. We talked about having the courage to follow your dreams despite the naysayers or chronicle age of your life. I learned so much from her and that conversation we had on the back row of that plane. AND she fed me and gave me a can of CranApple juice...it was a friendship made in heaven! 

After a long walking tour on the moving walkways of the Minneapolis, MN airport, we boarded the next plane for Amsterdam. We once again dominated the back row of the plane. Luckily, the seats reclined AND had little TV's on the back of each seat. My children were in media paradise. They watched movies and played games in between cat naps, snacks, meals, and drinks. And all they had to do was sit there. Really, kid paradise. Now when I'm trying to get them to be obedient, I'm just going to play my "plane" card. "If you want to go back to paradise where you don't have to clean up and people serve you food and drinks and you watch TV all you want, then you better be obedient!"

Hannah had a little accident on the first plane (thank heavens for leather seats and a little packet of wipies tucked in my backpack) and on the second plane, she blew out 2 pull-ups. (Note to self: A new Hello Kitty water bottle is NOT a good idea for a 5 year old in confined spaces!) We finally put on the last Pull-Up, laid her pants on the back of the seat to dry, and dosed her with a little Melatonin. She ended up curled on the floor in front of our seats with a pillow and velvety blanket. Ah, to be a child again!

There was a woman in front of us from Somalia traveling all alone to Amsterdam and then on to Kenya with her 3 small children (ages 6, 4, and 2!). She was so tired but determined to keep her children awake on the flight. She didn't have any toys or activities to keep them busy and they spoke very little English so the movies and other activities on the TV weren't very appealing. We shared some candy and snacks, crayons and paper, and Hannah entertained the 2 oldest with a bag of Littlest Pet Shop figures. It made me marvel at the strength of women all over the world. I don't know her story or why they were going where they were going. I don't know if she has a husband or where he was. But she amazed me. I really felt grateful for this sisterhood of women around the world...we may come from different places, worship different gods, wear different clothing and have a variety of differences, but I believe we also possess an equal number of similarities. We are mothers and wives, daughters and sisters. We deal with rowdy children and cleaning up messes and making lots of people happy in trying circumstances. We get so tired that we don't think we can do one more thing and then we rally and do lots of things. We go where we need to go, we do what needs to be done, and we have the opportunity to help and strengthen each other along the way. It is what keeps us going! I hope she made it safely to Kenya and had people there who helped take care of her kids and gave her a long nap!

Once we reached Amsterdam, we raced about a mile across the airport (they even had signs telling how far in km and minutes it would take to get to your different gates!) to catch our next flight to Stockholm. I was waiting for the meltdowns that never came! So, so, so proud of my children! When we landed in Stockholm, I have never felt so relieved! And there, waiting right outside, were my parents. I hugged my mom so tight and cried. I didn't expect to be so overcome looking at her beautiful face! And my Papa...oh my Papa! I've missed them so much! I'm afraid they are going to be very tired of me following them around and just sitting and staring at their wonderful faces! 

In an effort to keep the kids awake as long as possible and try to take advantage of the next adrenaline high, we drove to a beautiful little town called Sigtuna with a very big history. 

 The town was founded back in the 10th century and "minted" the first Swedish coin. Its network of streets, church ruins and monastery church date back to the Middle Ages...that was SO long ago!

Sigtuna has more Viking rune stones than any other town in the WORLD! (over 150)

I love that our children have come half way around the world to play with sticks in the snow and puddles. It was their favorite thing!

We walked through a stone church built in the 12/13th centuries and used until the Reformation.

  The amazing Church of Maria is the oldest brick building in the valley and dates back to 1247.  Stora Gatan is the main street in the town and the oldest street in Sweden. The present network of streets and sites is based on the original city plan of 980. This stuff is OLD...and very, very cool. It is hard to wrap my "young" American mind around the long history of this country and contemplate the people and events that have occurred through the centuries. It is so awe-inspiring to me!

The town hall is the smallest town hall in Scandinavia and dates back to the 18th century.

We finished our fabulous tour with real Swedish polse (hot dogs) and Mer at a little cafe in town. As everyone headed back to the car, I walked a couple extra blocks by myself and tried to take it all in. I love this country and its culture. I love its red and white homes and tiny shopping streets. I love the mothers and children in their fun rubber boots running errands. I love the girls dressed in their witch costumes and delivering goods in a basket to their neighbors and receiving candy. I love it. Love, love, love it!

We left and drove back to my parent's beautiful, charming, amazing home! It is so wonderful...

And a basket of Swedish goodies that have been delicious and amazing!

When I come here, I feel like I am coming home. I love the toilets that you pull the knob on the top to flush, the door handles that push down, the ground in the forest that make you feel like you are walking on clouds, the smells, the cobblestone streets, the feel of the air as I breathe, the moss on the rocks and trees that make it feel like you are in a fairy tale, the bike stop lights, the Viking graves sprinkled throughout the neighborhoods and the language that is a song in my heart. I love it. I feel like I’ve walked around with a silly, silly smile on my face since I arrived here. And every time I’ve opened my mouth, I’ve been surprised that I don’t just speak fluent Swedish.

It is really, truly a dream come true!

Stayin' Alive...Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Stayin' ALLLLLLLLLIVE!

It is March. Here is what we have been doing...

1)First, Clyde (Matthew's school pet) came to visit. It was lovely to see him...he visits so seldom.

He is such a smart, sweet, sassy little lizard. We're just so grateful Matthew is making good friends at school.

2)  Jake's Birthday Party...3 weeks late.

I have to admit I was kind of hoping he would just forget about that birthday party he wanted...because that was so realistic...lots of 9 year olds forget that they want to have a Harry Potter birthday party. Chris made the invitations and Jacob labelled all the envelopes with the "Cupboard Under the Stairs" address. They were very clever and visually delightful!

The happy birthday boy!

The party guests.

Golden snitch cupcakes...courtesy of our master cake maker Chris!

We made wands and played a rousing game of quidditch and dementor tag, made potions to drink, ate golden snitch cupcakes, and had a fabulous (and exhausting) time! Nine year old boys have lots of energy...

3) The Scorpion King

I got home one day from the gym and received a frantic call from Emma Jo telling me that Abigail Jean was trying to find her family because sweet Cubby was in the hospital due to Lucifer, the evil scorpion. Hannah and I threw some stuff in a bag, ran to the school to say good bye to the boys, and raced as quickly as we could to Vegas. We found one very sick but brave little boy, one very worried but grateful pregnant lady, a doting father, and a darling, darling Boo. We scoured for evil scorpions, moved the kid's beds upstairs, vacuumed and Clorox wiped, and ate lots of Cafe Rio and Thin Mint ice-cream. For the entire harrowing account and a picture of the world's most wicked scorpion, click here.

 The Brave Knight and the Scorpion King

This is one of my favorite people making me banana pancakes while wearing a diaper on her head...or you could say she remembered to take her good manners out of the underwear drawer.

The natural lighting in that kitchen in the morning is unreal!

Sweet cousins. Everyone needs a little girl cousin to love and adore...

and a boy cousin to share all his cool toys with you.

4) Lots of time in the car. School, Scouts, track club, play practice, preschool, Young Women's, elder's quorum, volunteering at the school, etc. I happened to have my camera in the car one day...here is what I see in my rear view mirror every day. LOVE these faces!

5) Catching Tricky Leprachauns

My children are absolutely obsessed with holidays...any holiday. Hannah has a calendar hanging in her room. Every day she gets out of bed and marks the day off. A few days ago she woke me up to ask me if we had any "Ash Wednesday" decorations. She wanted to know what we were going to do for Ash Wednesday!? So if Ash Wednesday is a day worth celebrating, you can imagine what St. Patrick's Day is like. The children start a week ahead of time by getting shoe boxes and building leprachaun traps. There is lots of tape, string, green, and dollhouse furniture. But they very carefully set them by the front door on St. Patty's Eve...

and even though they have never actually "caught" a leprachaun, they usually get a taunting note and a treat from them. I know some people really love their kids and mess up the kitchen but I don't love my kids that much. I don't need to pretend that naughty little men have snuck in my house at night and made a mess. I get too much of that during the day!

But they did get cool green sunglasses this year...

6) Enjoying amazing spring weather.

7)  And last, but certainly not least, the debut of the fabulous play "The Hysterical History of the Trojan War" where Jacob did a fabulous job as Percalus (Achille's best friend and cousin). He fought in the Trojan War and even took an arrow for Achilles...he had a very dramatic death scene and then played a fantastic corpse. We could not be more proud.

I loved the blow up plastic swords.

Fighting the Trojans...we were rooting for the Spartans of course.

Action shot...the death scene...taking one for the team.

My absolute favorite part of the play was the presentation of the horse to the Trojans with the Kindergarteners/1st graders crouched on the cart. This is first rate entertainment folks!

8) And Hannah and I enjoyed a fabulous day at the Aquarium with a darling new friend.

Running away from the hammerhead shark that is about to attack her!

9) We are now getting ready for the big trip to the Motherland. 9 days and counting!