Springtime in Sweden

Springtime in Sweden begins when they have a week of temperatures above freezing. Coming from AR, this was a very different definition than what I am used to. The good news is that it finally does feel like spring. A couple of weeks ago, the ground was covered with little white wildflowers they call vit sippor. We had many in our backyard, and they were also all over the place along the paths where the kids and I go walking. Most of them are gone now, but I can still see a couple out my back window. The trees are also finally green or blooming, and there are birds and squirrels running around. I did not realize how much I missed the sounds of the birds singing until I heard them again.
We have a lot of nature near where we live. There is a large lake close by, and there are many trails to and around it. I think it is great to have a place to walk outside that is peaceful and beautiful, and the kids like to be able to walk and run around without having to worry about cars. Now that the weather is a little warmer (but still cool enough to wear a light jacket in the evenings, and, sometimes, during the days), we have been spending more time outdoors, and I hope we are able to do so throughout the LONG summer days (I think in June there are only about 2-3 hours of real darkness). Of course, summer is a ways away. We supposedly had frost this week, and I don't think we are free from that risk until late June.
Enough ramblings about the weather and nature. It is just so nice to see life outside again.

Finally Have Internet

Well, for those of you who have given up hope of ever reading a new post on my blog, this should come as good news. We finally have Internet at home. No, the cable that was broken during the construction of our house is not fixed (even though we have lived here more than 4 months). I don't know if it is a socialist society problem or what. We have Internet thanks to the generosity of a man Timo works with via a USB device. We still hope to get that cable fixed, but at least we have something for now. :)

Here in Sweden

For those of you who are wondering why I have not blogged since I moved to Sweden, you should know that we still don't have internet access at home. It is a long story, which I will not go into now. Today, I will just tell you about one thing.

Fika
For those of you who have never been to Sweden, Fika is basically a coffee break. They can have it at any time of the day, and it usually includes something to eat as well as the coffee. The Swedes like their coffee STRONG. It is so thick that you can almost slice it. They also like their sweets. My kind of people. ;) From my experience, Fika is a very social time. They have Fika after church at most church services, and we have been invited to have Fika at friends' homes a few times as well.
I would like to go into more detail, but my time is up for now.
As soon as we get internet at home, I will try to post many updates about life in Sweden
Hej då for now!

Daddy's Little Helper

Warning...... parenting story ahead. This is not for those of you hate hearing stories about other people's kids.

Well, last weekend, T was out in his shop, and AJ was out there "hanging" with Daddy. He saw the lawn mower (AJ, that is), and walked up to it. He then patted it and signed "please." AJ repeated this until T got the lawn mower out (a push mower, not a riding one) and started it up. AJ then held on to the lower bar while T pushed up above. The two of them mowed much of the back yard and half of the front. I was so surprised that he kept going. T said that every time he would stop, AJ would vigorously sign "please." So off they went again. Moments like these are priceless. They make all the hard parts of parenting worthwhile.