Herlev...that's pronounced Hair-Lou: 2010

Thursday, November 11, 2010

This week's adventures...

Goddag! Hvordan går i dag? Det går godt med mig! :)
This past weekend we did a whole bunch of yard work on Saturday. It was MUCH needed. Our yard is much bigger than it seems when it is COVERED in leaves! We put the children to work picking up leaves, they succeeded in fussing at each other and poking each other with the rakes. So, eventually we split them up to do different things and they did prove to be helpful! :) Kasper and I moved some big rocks from the woods out to go between the bushes that separate the grassy area from the natural area. It helps divide the yard and now it looks more acceptable that the natural area looks so crazy. The rocks were quite heavy and most of them had to be rolled out. It was quite funny and it resulted in a lot of giggling and sore muscles!
Saturday night we had Jacob and Lykke over for dinner with their newest addition, Thomas. The children were very excited to meet him and it was so nice to get my baby fix. On Sunday, Joseph had the first meeting with his play group from school. He had a blast. We will be hosting in December.

On Wednesday, we got to go back to Tivoli for the beginning of Lysfest! We had more free passes from Kasper's work that included entry and free rides. Even though it was raining a bit, with a family of 5, you do not pass free tickets up! The lights were amazing! The kids got to ride as much as they wanted because the weather was a little less than desireable and people seemed to stay home because of that. But, it really wasn't so bad! We all had our winter clothes on that are also waterproof. It was just drizzling and then by 6:45 it had stopped. It just proved to me that it's not the weather that is bad or good, it's how you dress for the weather that's bad or good. The kids got to sit in Juleman's sleigh and tell him what they wished for for Jule. They all asked for a Nintendo DS, so Juleman reminded them not to get thumb joint pain from playing too much. :)

There is just something about Tivoli that brings out the kid in me. I LOVE that place. It's the only amusement park I have been to that doesn't seem like a tourist trap. Its atmosphere, the lights, shops, and restaurants all have a cozy feel. They don't try to sell you one particular thing. It's not about some sort of character or fancy accessory that your kids just HAVE to have because everyone else has it. It's just about enjoying being together. I think it also has something to do with it being 20 minutes from my house and if we don't get to everything, there is always next time. Also, free tickets don't hurt. ;)

Monday, November 1, 2010

Family Update

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well. We are settling int the late fall days in DK now. The leaves are falling rapidly from the trees in all sorts of beautiful colors and the temperature is much colder than us South Carolinians are used to. Somehow, though, we have managed to acclimate our bodies to this temperature. It hasn't seemed as cold as we thought it would, nor has the weather been as bad as everyone here promised it would be. I have been told that the fall is cold and rainy. It has been cool for sure, but not terribly rainy. Perhaps we have just been lucky so far, but it has been a spectacular season!
As I said in my first posts, the light here is different than in SC. In the summer, it stays light from 3:30am until 11:30pm on the longest days. As we entered the fall season the light of the day shortened much more rapidly than it does in SC. On Sunday morning at 2am, we changed our clocks back to allow for morning light as you all will do next weekend (so for one week, we are only 5 hours apart!). So now, the sun will rise tomorrow at 7:18 and set at 4:28. It's bizarre! Pretty soon it will be that we are leaving for school in the dark and returning home in the dark as well. I understand why we have so many candles around here! This year it is interesting and cozy, but next year maybe I will have a different opinion.

We have done many fun and exciting things this fall. Recently, we have been to Tivoli for a night of Halloween fun. Kasper was given free tickets through a client for the opening night of the Halloween festivities. If you don't know what Tivoli is, you should definitely check it out. www.tivoli.dk They don't do anything half way. We will be going again at the end of the month for their Christmas/Jule fest.
The children had one week off from school for efterårsferie, which is fall break. It was originally called the katoffler ferie or potato holiday because the children were let off from school to dig up the crops. The children went to stay with Kasper's parents for 2 nights with their two cousins (yes, 5 children ages 2-8 with one set of grandparents!). They had so much fun and even got to go to the circus. While the children were having their fun, Kasper treated us to a night at a spa hotel where we enjoyed a really nice dinner at their gourmet restaurant, NFL football!, lots of sleep, an awesome breakfast, sauna and jacuzzi time, and finally a hike in the forest. SOOOO nice! We then had time for shopping and dinner out at a local restaurant in our little town. The 2nd night was spent snuggling and watching a movie on the couch. This was so nice to have time together! The children returned home happy and exhausted! A picture from our beautiful fall hike...

This past week has also been an exciting one. I started language school in September and have completed my introductory course. So, last Monday, we went from 3 hours of school per day to 6 hours Monday and Friday and 3 hours on Wednesday. My poor little brain feels like it will explode. But, it is going much better than I had expected and I am able now to actually speak some danish with Kasper. He actually understands me!
On Tuesday, my friend Lykke had her baby boy. I was with her during her labor, which I feel so priviledged to have been a part of. You all know how passionate I am about doulaing. It is something I love to do and crave to do. And now, my appetite has been wetted once again. So, I hope to do this again very soon.

Last Friday, Joseph and Emma each had friends home from school. Joseph had Silja (his girlfriend!) and Emma had Leva. Samuel's friend was, unfortunately unable to make it. We had lots of halloween fun. The children immediately put on costumes and had a dance party around the house, enjoying candy corn, deviled eggs and Doritos potato chips. The chips were American flavored. Hmm, did you know that we taste like cool ranch? We carved pumpkins together and sent them home with our guests. Then we roasted pumpkin seeds. While the seeds were cooking, the children made halloween crafts with die-cuts that my mother had made and sent to us. So, many cute photos!( i Will post them soon for sure!) We had polsa (really good hot dogs), homefries, and cut veggies with dip. Our dinner was lit by candles, our jack-o-lanterns and glowsticks. Det var meget hyggeligt!
Their friends were sent off with pumpkins, trick-or-treating candy that was given from Kasper at our bedroom door. :) and smiles on their faces! It was very nice.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Lyngby Day Trip

I had to get out of the house. You wouldn't think that this could be so hard. I never thought I would dread my alone time. But I do. So, in trying to remember what I liked to do before, when alone time was scarce, I decided to have an outing. My outing would have no particular intention other than finding an excellent cup of coffee.
Here are the pictures...

In Denmark, the parents put their babies "out to sleep." And by that, they literally mean, outside to sleep! Rain or shine! Snow and wind! It's really quite neat. I am sold on it now... call me crazy! Another concept that is completely foreign to us Americans... they leave them out, unattended. They can peer out a window at them, and check on them frequently, but they are out there on their own. Even when they go to cafe, they leave them outside in the pram. Check out the picture below.

So, the good cup of coffee was definitely aquired. Yum. That was much needed. I just need to ignore the notion of finding a good cup of coffee at a reasonable price. :)
I had a nice and cozy time with lots of walking and shop viewing. I have decided to do another mini adventure for myself on Friday. Where should I go?
Hugs from DK.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Life is Like a Training Run

I used to think life was like a race.
I used to believe you could prepare, plan, and train for it, starting with picking a race. You begin with your base training, which starts 12 to 16 weeks out from your goal race. Next, you make your way into hills, pace work, intervals, then onto track work and finally tapering off for the big day. You visualize your day. How you will wake up, what you will eat, which lucky socks you will wear. You imagine yourself in your warmup, toeing the line, starting when the gun fires, and making passes manuevering for the best position, taking care not to get blocked in. You can even study your opponents, knowing how they race, what psychs them out, when is the best time to pass them. Race day comes, you show up, you listen to your coach, you perform, you may or may not be happy with your performance, but you did it. Now what? Well, you do a cool down so that you can help remove the lactic acid from your legs for optimal recovery. Why? Well, of course, because the next race is next weekend and you have to be fresh!

Life can be much the same. We are always looking to the next big thing in our lives or on our calendars. We prepare for these things, sometimes a little everyday, or sometimes cramming it in at the last minute. We look forward to things coming up, counting down the days, watching what we eat to fit into that awesome new dress, baking dozens of Christmas cookies to ensure the "best Christmas ever," and planning our perfect dream wedding. But when it's over, then what? On to the next thing? But, what if it didn't go as we had planned? What if that happens almost everytime? What if every race is a flop?
Does it mean you didn't plan very well?
Does it mean you expect too much?
Does it mean you are a crappy runner?

Or does it mean you didn't appreciate the work up to that point for what it was:
You didn't lick your fingers when you made those awesome cookies because you were worried about the calories and your awesome new dress that you have to fit into in a couple of weeks. You didn't buy the dress in the size that was right for you because you let society convince you that you should be smaller. Your wedding was one day and you are not noticing the every day wonder of your husband's bad morning breath, the soft touch of his hand on your arm at night while you sleep, the smell of his cologne when he is fresh after a shower, or the simple task of having the priviledge of putting his cereal bowl out for him every morning.

You didn't appreciate the smell of the rain on the asphalt as you did that training run in the cold and the dark. You didn't take that quiet moment to feel your muscles working and celebrate the power of you moving forward regardless of your speed. You didn't embrace the cool air as it came into your lungs and filled you with oxygen that our awesome earth provides. You didn't treasure the fact that your heart is still beating in your chest after all you have done to stop it.

If we live life, always preparing for the next race, we have the tendancy to neglect how much we could enjoy the everyday preparations. "Why, if I plan for these things, do they never turn out the way I planned?" you may ask. We can become depressed and wonder what it's all for. If we do not take care of our bodies, our souls, our minds, and our loved ones, then no big event will ever be what we want it to be. How can Christmas be magical if we don't let ourselves believe in the miracle of the story? How can our family come together for a perfect family affair if we've neglected to let them know all year long how important they are with our everyday actions?

No, life is not like a race. It is sometimes about a race.

Life is like a training run.

We have runs going on all the time. We do some runs because we have to. We do other runs because we want to. There are runs that all go on at the same time. And we have to take care!! When we do this, sometimes we have no choice because life is complicated, we are prone to injury. If we don't pay attention to our bodies and our minds, then we could end up with something chronic. We become overly focused on the big events in life and they will evetually start to lose meaning.

Sometimes we run in the rain. Sometimes, it's cold, it's dark, and we are much too sleepy to be out pounding the pavement. Sometimes it hurts. We get a cramp in our side, we feel sick to our stomachs because we pushed it too hard, we can't see the end of the hill. Sometimes we lose someone we love. Life is about this. It is about the sweat, the effort, the pain, and the joy of the feat! It is about knowing that there will be an end to every run and being okay with that. Some runs, we are ready for them to be over before they start. Some runs are so painful that we can't see the end in sight... but it will come. Before we realize it we are over half way there and then we can see the house. Aren't you glad you did it? Even if some of it sucked? Aren't you proud?

Life is about the training run. The everyday.
Live it, Love it, Kick Some Ass.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Oh, the little things...

One's home is like a delicious piece of pie you order in a restaurant on a country road one cozy evening - the best piece of pie you have ever eaten in your life - and can never find again. After you leave home, you may find yourself feeling homesick, even if you have a new home that has nicer wallpaper and a more efficient dishwasher than the home in which you grew up. ~Lemony Snicket

Being "at home," is to be with your family. To be close with the ones you love and mean the most to you. So, I can be "at home" anywhere in the world, as long as I have my 4 favorite people with me. Wait, don't forget the dog. So, 4.5 people.(the.5 is the dog--she can't be .75 right now because she lost some weight, and she definitely can't be a whole 1 because she just recently rolled in poop)
That being said, there are different levels of feeling "at home." When all of ones basic needs are met while being with your needed 4.5 people then you really can't complain. In fact, most of my needs are met and then some! I really feel that I am living some kind of charmed life.
When I came back to the states to get the children, I told some of you that we had been approved to live here in DK for 2 years and we were to go and get our stamps in our passports the following week. That was very exciting! Now, we all have our CPR numbers and doctor coverage. It's really and truly official and it doesn't feel real. How did we do this? I know LOTS of people move to other countries and LOTS of people take their kids, but I honestly still feel like a kid myself! When I think about how much Kasper and I have been through in this past year, I am amazed at how many hurdles we have had to jump and loops we've had to go through. At times, it didn't seem like we would get here. And here we are, it's awesome! (and we didn't kill each other in the process! :) )

Home is defined as an environment offering security and happiness and a valued place regarded as a refuge or place of origin. So, do I feel secure? Yes. Do I feel happiness? Absolutely. Do I have a place of refuge here in Denmark? Yes, I have 2 that I can think of: home in Herlev and my in law's house in Holbaek. But is it my place of origin? No. But does that really matter? What is it that makes us feel like we must always return to our place of origin? I don't think that I am homesick for my roots because of the simple fact that I was born there. I think I am homesick for the familiar. I long to walk out of my door to something I feel attached to. I want to get in my car (that I don't have to think about how to drive), drive down a familiar road, to a familiar store and shop for the familiar things. I don't want this everyday... just sometimes... okay, well maybe a few times a week. :)

The children and I have been on sensory overload every time we leave the house. It's an exhilarating feeling!!! It's an adventure at every turn! But it also means that our brains and souls can feel tired at the end of the day. When we meet those exhausting moments, all we want to do is be where we know all the details and don't have to think about them. We long to curl up on our couch and not have to search for a television program with our local weather guy whom we recognize.

The kids have not spoken English to a child since June 25th. That must be weird for them. They don't talk about it, but would they have the words to explain it?

I miss the little things that add up to that feeling of home. I miss things in my house that are different. Things that only I have or found. So many of the kitchen appliances, gadgets, serving trays and the like are all the same here. Don't get me wrong please, they are all really nice! The design here is modern, sleek, and refined. I really appreciate the danish lines in their design. But, I really wish that there was more diversity in what is offered in the stores. I will be patient on this because I have not shopped in that many locations yet, although I have been to more than a few houses at this point and you see the same brands at every house.
I miss things that I had in the states...little things that seem to make up "home" to me. Here's my list:
coffee creamer... oh gosh how I miss that!
a gallon of milk
ceiling fans
a bathtub
enormous grocery stores with everything you need
rosemary... can't find that stuff anywhere!
grape jelly
really good bagels
chocolate chips in "normal size" bags. Which means, American size. :)
fat free butter spray
fat free instant vanilla and chocolate pudding
yogurt in every flavor and fat free - oh the white chocolate raspberry!
sending a kid next door when I run out of eggs
my peach tree
the culdesac
my neighbors
my friends
my family

These things I miss,these things I long for. But even though there are days when I don't want to go anywhere;that I want to stay in my bed and put the pillow over my head to block out all of the new, all of the unknown...I still get up, I still get going. Because I have an amazing man to lean on, three beautiful children who inspire me to be more, and opportunities abound. If I sleep, then I'm going to miss it all. If I'm a scaredy cat, then I will fail.

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.
Dale Carnegie

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Vacation at the Summer House

The past 4 days we have been vacationing at Katja, Soren, and Olivia's summer house with them. They were kind enough to share their time and space with us during their own family vacation. We had a lot of fun! The beach there is so beautiful with equisite blue water that is crisp and clean. The beach is free of garbage and when you look up, the scenery is spectacular. When you walk into the water you can see straight to the bottom. At this particular beach, you can walk out for around 200 meters or so before you get up to your waist. It was perfect for the children and they had so much fun! Aunt Katja showed them that the jelly fish do not sting and so then Emma and Sam went on a dead jellyfish expedition. We went to the beach on Wednesday and Friday.

On Thursday we went to a place called Sommerland. Sommerland is awesome for kids 10 and under. There, the children got to do all sorts of fun things. We drove go carts, held bunnies on bunny island, climbed on playgrounds, bounced on trampolines and huge bubbles in the ground (see pictures), went to the water slide park, rode fair rides with no lines! (parent controlled too), and we were even able to bring the dog! How cool is that? It is such a great concept! You can even bring your own food if you don't want to spend money on the food there. There are picnic areas and plenty of other things to do that we didn't even get to. It was a great day! Honestly guys... it was better than Disney. Not because it was magical or anything, but because there were no lines, it was really inexpensive, the dog could come, there was a little bit of everything, and all of the things the kids really crave to do! Perfect for us. :)
On Friday afternoon we went to visit Kasper's grandparents for his grandmother's birthday (mormor--the children call her oldemor because she is their great-grandmother). It was a nice time and I'm understanding more and more of the danish conversations which is nice. On the way home we stopped at Ester Hoj Stenen, which is one of the highest points in Denmark... believe me, it's not that high. :) But it was beautiful to look out over the countryside and feel the wind with the warm sunshine. While there, the idea of a picnic was presented and so we picked up pizza (as we did not want to make sandwiches :) ) and went to the 3rd highest point in Denmark-121 meters up, called Vejr Hoj. It was gorgeous!!! The pictures don't even do it justice.
On Saturday, we went to Kasper's parent's house for his mom's birthday. It was a really nice day with the family. We did the usual eat all day celebration with amazing food and fantastic company. The kids got to meet more of the extended family and play with their cousins. They found snails of all shapes, colors and sizes and marveled at their little sticky antennae. What weird little creatures. (I'm talking about the snails and the children. ;) ) At one point during the party the women decided to walk the children to the park for some more play time (and to walk off some of the 3,000 calories that we had all consumed during the course of 5 hours of eating). This is the point at which Scout decided to roll in something delightful. Oh the joys of having a dog! Humph.
It was a fantastic vacation and party. I feel so lucky to be a part of this open and loving family. The Kjaersgaards are amazing. I feel privileged to have the name.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Jeg elsker min dyne!!!

The bed is a bundle of paradoxes: we go to it with reluctance, yet we quit it with regret; we make up our minds every night to leave it early, but we make up our bodies every morning to keep it late. ~Charles Caleb Colton

...and here I am every morning, wanting to never quit my bed, for in it I lay under the most fantastic covering... cozy, warm, yet cool to the touch... jeg elsker min dyne!

When searching for the definition of a dyne, I came across several meanings for the word. I found one most interesting...

A centimeter-gram-second unit of force, equal to the force required to impart an acceleration of one centimeter per gram per second to a mass of one gram.

while the second is more accurate...

n. A quilt, usually with a washable cover, that may be used in place of a bedspread and top sheet.

...it is far from the whole truth...

If one were to find a "dyne" in the States, it would be the most expensive thing by far that they have ever slept with. I know how that may sound... ;) but seriously, a duvet... a really good one... costs at least 300$. AT LEAST! I guess, in order to give you, not just the general idea, but the whole experience, I must start from the beginning. My first experience of the said "dyne," was in February of 2009. I was in Denmark for the first time. When I walked into the apartment I found a double sized bed with not one, but two mattresses, covered in one, double sized sheet, with no top sheet, and each with their own comforter, dyne...
I thought it was quite odd. I thought to myself... hmm, these danes must not like a whole lot of contact in the night. Or perhaps, they are just weird. But after my second trip to Denmark, I was sold on not only the idea of a dyne, but also the possession of one's own dyne! The mattresses being separate are really quite clever. It's like our "sleep number beds" only that they are much less expensive. The danes get two separate mattresses, each satisfying the person sleeping on them. And then they stick them together! Who woulda thunk it? :) Why don't we do that in the States?
When Kasper officially moved to the states, I was ecstatic about the idea of him bringing his two dynes with him. But when we decided to move to Denmark, we quickly abandoned the idea of the dynes coming to the states. :( When I arrived here in DK, I was soooo excited to learn that I had a brand new dyne waiting for me. I sleep like a rock under that thing... I love my dyne. I do not want to share, I don't want you under it, or laying on the corner of it, stay away, fra min dyne! :) ha ha.
A dyne is a seriously wonderful commodity. You lay down on your mattress, tossing the dyne over yourself. It is of the perfect weight, perfect size, and wonderfully warm. It makes this cozy crinkly sound when it moves. It is cool to the touch, but warms up easily. Even when it's summer and you don't have airconditioning, you don't want to sleep without it. It is wonderful. It is heavenly. It makes me want to never leave my bed.
And with that my friends, good night! :)

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Our week so far...

Good morning! It is a beautiful sunny day in Denmark! The breeze is blowing, the flowers are blooming in the yard...it's lovely. :)

We have had an awesome week so far. On Monday, Joseph and I rode our bikes to the grocery store for the first time. It was really neat. Joseph is learning how to ride in traffic and he has become quite good at maneuvering tight corners. We used our baskets to bring home our loot. We got lots done around the house while the children bounced and bounced on the trampoline.

On Tuesday we took Joseph and Emma to visit their school. They are open all summer with SFO, which is the after school care program. It was really great for the kids to go in and see things. When you go into the school you have to put little blue plastic booties over your shoes to keep the floors clean. The children don't wear shoes inside! It's a really neat and cozy thing for them I think, and of course, the kids think that's super swell. Emma's paedaegog (teacher's assistant) was there working SFO. He took time to show the children around the school and talk to Emma and Joseph. Two little girls, one of which will be in Emma's class, followed us around on our walking tour. They were super cute and seemed quite interested in us. I was unsure of what the kids really thought about it and I still am to a certain extent. But when they both asked on Wednesday when school started and moaned when I said August 9th, I felt pretty good about it. :)

Wednesday we woke up, packed a picnic lunch and the camera, and headed to Sweden for the day. You have no idea how much the idea of traveling to another country in a matter of 40 minutes excites me!!! It was such a thrill! We parked our car at the S-train station and took two different trains to Sweden. The kids nor I have ever been on a train like that before, so that was fun in and of itself! Kasper and I planned a little the night before taking note of the things that we all like to do the best. We learned a lot from our trip to Disney in March/April. The kids were at the most amazing theme park and they wanted to play on the playground. A playground can make our kids' day! Kasper and I love being outside, love to people/culture watch and we love to play too. So, we planned our trip around playgrounds and parks. It was perfect for us!

As soon as we arrived we, of course, had to find the nearest potty. What a shock to have to pay 10 kroner per adult (almost$2 per person) to use the facilities! Kasper was not too pleased, but I, although a little irritated, was amused! We walked through the city of Malmo to a park they had downtown. On the way we saw the shopping and cafe district, the canals, and a cemetery garden that is also a park. So beautiful! We were so impressed when we came to the first playground. It was really big and so nice. There were swings, a slide shaped like a rainbow, rubbery molehills in the ground, climbing ropes with pretend trees, mushroom houses, a tower to climb up inside, a huge sand area with toys provided, lots of kids, and a great spot for our picnic lunch. After we left this awesome park, we walked to another park which was simply gorgeous. It had trails with huge trees, ponds with little bridges and ducks, and a playground of course. We brought old bread from home just in case we found ducks, so it was perfect. The playground at this park was not nearly as cool as the first playground, but the kids still had a blast. It was a neat set up of little houses arranged around a wavy boardwalk. The kids had fun playing games with that for a little while. After hunger set in for the kids (again!), we left there to walk back to the shopping district for ice cream and candy. The kids were quite tired at this point, so we skipped the last playground (which I think was supposed to be the coolest... so, we'll just have to go back!). We headed home on a super busy train where I met people from Seattle and Los Angeles. Neato. Emma and Sam took naps on the train and once we were home, they were geared back up for the trampoline! It was a great day and I loved how incredibly family focused it was. We had no agenda, no need for a rush to or from, and we didn't guilt ourselves even though we didn't get to everything. It was a perfect outing tailored to our needs. Ready for more of these days!
Today we went out to Holbaek to spend the afternoon with Kasper's family. It was so nice and really relaxing. It is a great place to practice my Danish too. Katja is a great teacher! I also feel pretty safe trying to speak it and knowing they won't look at me like I'm an idiot! :) The kids had a blast playing with farmor and farfar's toys (farmor even had new toys!) and they also got to play with their little cousin.
We have some nice plans for the weekend, including a trip to the beach and celebrating a friend's birthday.
But, for now, I need some rest. Good night all. :)

Saturday, July 3, 2010

The Danes know how to party...

The Danes know how to party. Whether it's a wedding, a 60th birthday party, a housewarming party or a 6 year old's birthday party, it matters not. There is always a lot of food, always many hours of companionship and celebration, and always lots of fun. Did I mention there is lots of food?
Today is Emma's sixth birthday. She woke up this morning to a trampoline in the backyard. We are not usually the type of people who do big gifts like that, but today we did. It was really exciting for me because it felt like Christmas and the anticipation was awesome. It wasn't just one child that was excited either... so that was great!
We hosted a brunch today with the family in celebration of Emma's big day. Her first Danish birthday. :) This is a happy and sad thing for me and I'm sure it is for her as well. It's happy because we are finally here all together! But it's sad because everything is different. Our family and friends are not around us for her annual summer time birthday party. All the inflatable pools would have been out in the yard with the slip-n-slide. The octopus with the big eyes and mouth would have been propped up on our tree ready to be beaten with a slew of water balloons. All of her friends from school and all of my best friends children would have been there. The neighbors would have stayed around after the party, to help clean up and chat. And after the kids are settled playing or resting, we would have drinks and laughs on the porch. Oh, I am missing my front porch buddy right now.
I could not make Emma a cake the way I usually do, but it was great because I made my first Danish layer cake which is quite popular here! And it was delicious. She loved it. I brought squiggly candles from home along with EMMA candles that my mom sent along.
The neighbors came over with their little boy to have cake with us and it was very nice to get to know them a little better. I am so hoping that Samuel will become good friends with their little boy.
Here, at a family gathering or party, people stay for extended periods of time. It is sooo nice because the hostess, while racing around getting things served and cleaned up, still has time to mingle and relax with her guests. We ate, and ate some more, and then later... we ate some more. We are completely stuffed.
The children flitted around, here and there. Inside and out, up on the trampoline and then down again. The weather was so nice... around 80 degrees, abundant sunshine and no bugs! By the end of the day, all of the children were exhausted and fell asleep easily after a quick bite to eat and a nice shower. I am looking forward to a shower myself and my dyne is calling my name. (more on my dyne maybe tomorrow--I think the general American public needs a proper education on what a dyne is and why it is so utterly fantastic).
Having the family here today was so wonderful. The kids really enjoy being around their cousins and it's pretty obvious how much they like having friends to play with. I am hoping to get the kids together with them again soon.
That's all for tonight. Goodnight USA, goodnight DK. Happy Birthday Emmaline... my sweet, precious baby girl.