Michaela has returned!

Michaela is back home now - she made it safe and sound. Needless to say she had a great time and came back; not telling me of all the wonderful things she saw and experienced but who ate the most ice cream, who burps at dinner, who snores at night, etc... You know important nine year old stuff. : ) I'm happy she made the trip and wasn't scared/nervous to leave me. She's getting old... and yes, I'm aware that translates to me getting old - It also makes whosever reading this old too! SO THERE!

Paul came home too, his favorite part of Italy was watching the Italians yell at each other about various things. : ) He didn't leave the hotel much so no exciting news to share...

It's been bright and sunny and even warm. I wore a T-shirt outside!!! In the mornings it feels like a California day in December but it's not freezing so it is nice. Scotty LOVES playing outside now. He loves it so much we have to make sure his shoes and socks are off when he is inside so he won't open the door himself and run around the yard. (The pokey rocks slow him down a bit so we can catch him) Doors here are odd. The front door locks, but the other doors don't have handles on the outside so you can't open them from the outside... which means no additional lock on the inside to prevent it from being opened from the inside. Denmark didn't know Scotty when they designed their doors. : )

Still working on that trip back to the States/Canada...

Packing

Everytime I log in and see that picture of us moving here I wonder what on earth I was thinking. Never again will I attempt to transport that many things across the world. We had TEN carry-ons! The cats, all those boxes, the car seats, stroller, the KIDS!!! Ridiculous....

Oh well. I'd like to think I've learned. Our recent trips to Spain and Berlin have been one large suitcase for all of us, a cooler for some snacks, a bag of entertainment items for the kids, and my trusty backpack.

So there is my little thought. : ) ...and perhaps one of the more vaulable things I've learned from this whole experience thus far.

Other valuable things I've learned:
- I like whatever additives are added to bread to make it as soft as a pillow.
- Free healthcare is nice, and America should take better care of Americans.
- You should be nice and include everyone.
- You shouldn't complain - at least in large groups of people.
- You shouldn't waste things - no matter how cheap they are.
- Cars should really just be to transport people, not look pretty.
- A good school is crucial for a parents happiness.


Michaela leaves for Copenhagen tomorrow. I helped her pack (light). May as well teach her now huh? I wonder if that means my mom should have taught me... hmmmmm : )

Well, I think Scotty is finally asleep so I can haul my big belly up the stairs and go to bed too. night.

tara

Little Update

I'm a slacker sometimes when it comes to typing in this thing. Sorry.

So... I forgot to mention that my Dad came out to visit for a short time. He brought a suitcase full of goodies that my parents have been collecting at their house for us. My Mom has been my personal shopper; buying us macaroni and cheese, parmeasan cheese, granola bars, red vines licorice, video games... and I've been a good little online shopper having things sent to her house so my Dad could personally deliver them. Things are just too expensive here! (and I think all the clothes in the stores are what Target couldn't sell in the 80's)

The kids loved seeing Papa! They were SO excited, even little Scotty was bouncing and running all over. : ) When Papa left everyone was a little sad so we made ourselves feel better by feasting on Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for dinner.

Michaela is going to Copenhagen with her class next week for two nights and three days! She is beyond excited and says she is so happy we moved to Denmark. : ) I'm scared but she'll be fine. They have tons of plans and are staying in a family hostel - she'll have a great time I'm sure...

Paul is going to Italy next week to be a speaker at some windmill conference. He is super busy with work and hasn't had a chance to partake in the 5 hour Danish work day yet. : ) We were going to tag along to Italy but SOMEONE is going to Copenhagen and messing up our plans. : ) We'll have to go later I guess. Happy has his days of either disliking work because of all day meeting about the meeting they will have later... or liking work because someone actually agreed to do what they were told to do. I'm not envious. I'll be a good, little housewife and stick to washing clothes and cooking dinner.

Scotty has some new friends that we have play dates with at least once a week now. A little 3.5 year old boy and a 2 year old girl... Their playdates typically consist of Scotty yelling MINE and getting upset and having to sit in a chair, but I think he's doing better. (couldn't get worse) He shared a few toys voluntarily when they came over here yesterday. I also found a little kid play/music class and we are going their next week. I even found a place to go swimming in the mornings after we drop the girls off at school - so he loves the pool now. So life is better now. : ) -I couldn't find these things before because I was using this webpage translater to translate from Danish to English and it was terrible, I'd miss every other word... and I couldn't get any information. I found a good translator though and it's SOOOO helpful. I've found Cheerleading classes, Swimming lessons, Wall Climbing lessons, and a Family Gym Day! Reading is very helpful!!! The next step is getting signed up. : )

Sierra is great too. She is having fun playing in the sunshine after school. I've even caught her reading books just for fun!! She is becoming quite the good reader. We had parent/teacher conferences and they said she is doing well... needless to say she talks a bit much in class though. : )

I am fat. I am currently wearing a pair of materinty pants - so I hope everyone is happy I'm admitting to that. : ) I only have one pair of normal pants that fit me. People say they can't tell I'm even pregnant but that's because I'm usually in sweatshirts since it's cold. Now that it's been warm, I've worn shirts and my belly pokes out. I haven't had a doctor appointment since my ultrasound. I finally go in a few weeks to meet the midwife. It might be the midwife who delivers the baby but probably not - you just go to the hospital and whoever is there delivers the baby. I'm sure at the time I won't care who does it though! I feel fine, somedays I'm really tired but I think that's from chasing Scotty all day... The baby kicks and kicks and kicks ALL DAY and NIGHT - so I know she's in there and doing okay too. :)

So that is us... Oh and the cats are fine too. :) We are trying to plan a trip to CA and Canada in June - but no promises until we book the tickets. We are thinking of having a layover in London for a week or so on the way back; so that involves a bit more thought...

Okay - I'm hungry and off to make some nachos.. YAY!

tara

Find Scotty

I really only see kids out walking around when it is in a big group like this one. The daycares and preschools take ALL the kids out places, they ride the buses and go to grocery stores or shopping centers... I never see parents with just their own kids unless it is a baby in a stroller.

Scotty is the only one without a snowsuit on. Me being the silly American that I am thought that snowsuits were for snow. Nope. They are really "Cold-Wind-Rain-Hail-Mud-Suits" If Scotty liked his more I'd make him wear it now that his favorite thing to do is play in mud puddles.

Scotty hung out with this little group of kids for a bit. He had fun running in circles with the other boys. He talked to them a few times and I laughed... People could have easily thought he was speaking Danish. :)

Visually Imparied Persons

Is the term "Visually Impaired Persons" more politically correct than "Blind People"? Either way Denmark has a lot of blind people here.

I'm interested to know if there is maybe something in the water that caused this and there is a above-average number of blind people here OR if they just choose to get out and go places since buses go everywhere and Danish people are so friendly and willing to help others. (I hope the sarcasam was sensed in the last sentence.)

I see at least one blind person with their cane out walking a day... Often two and sometimes more. I've seen a few seeing eye dogs, but it's usually just a person on their own, with a cane. They get on the bus and function just as normal people. So when I think Denmark is bad I'll just remember that it can ALWAYS be worse - I could be blind and living in Denmark!

I looked on line for Blind information: Here are your two interesting facts for the day...

- 90% of the world's blind people live in developing countries; there are at least nine million blind people in India, six million in China, and seven million in Africa.

- 80% of blindness is avoidable (either treatable 60% or preventable 20%)

I think I just figured it out though. I think that in Denmark all those nice and friendly Danes really aren't. They won't help blind people so the blind just get out and do it themselves. Hmmmm...

AND I just thought again... : ) They shouldn't be called "Blind People". They should be called "People who are Blind". They are people first, then blind.