Slimming Down...

Andrew and I decided that we both need to lose a few pounds. And it's remarkable what a difference a little bit of effort can make on your waistline.
It's been 4 days of smaller portions and less snacking, and already Andrew has lost 6 pounds and I have lost 3. And I don't feel hungry. I shoulda done this a long time ago.
The guilt is already eating me up inside. We enjoyed birthday cake for Andrew's birthday this week and we both felt guilty about eating it.

Conley Finnish Adventures, One Year Later

Hard to believe, but today is our anniversary of our European move. We've been here now for a year!!! I have to admit, it hasn't always been easy. It was an emotional and stressful beginning, probably more for me than Andrew just because I was also battling the pregnancy hormones, ha ha. But we are here and settled in and have made a life here for ourselves.
Now that we are settled in, we're beginning to take advantage of our surroundings. Andrew is kicking butt at his job and leaves in a week for another USA trip for work. Maddy is enjoying her playschool, and now that it's getting nice outside Charlie and I are enjoying getting out there as well.
We just booked another trip in August and our summer is looking CRAZY! Jampacked full of fun adventures.
Looking back, it's been a tough journey but we've stuck together and overcame all the obstacles. And now we can just sit back and enjoy all that Finland has to offer.
Looking forward to the next year in our European home.
xoxo
Kim

Happy Birthday Andrew!

We celebrated Andrew's birthday this week and it was nice. Special dinner, great dessert, and a birthday cake.

Charlie is doing well - it amazes me how little sleep he needs in order to function but when he's awake, he is usually a very happy little boy. Rolling over, grabbing his feet, smiling and cooing. Grabbing toys and putting EVERYTHING into his mouth. Biggest hurdle right now is to get him onto formula for supplement, but that has proven difficult when he doesn't drink from a bottle.

Madison seems to be turning into a little person more and more each day. She can pick out her own clothes (they don't match of course, but that's a lesson for another day), dress herself, ask to be excused from the table, and put her dishes in the sink when she's done eating. She comes home from school each day with a new song or game to play. And her imagination is beginning to run wild - she tells us that both the clouds and her half-eaten sandwiches look like certain animals!

It's a beautiful day.

Kim

Just Chilling

Not much new is going on here. Charlie is still not sleeping very well. I told Andrew that my abilities to perform as a trophy wife are severely diminishing with the lack of sleep, and I'm pretty sure he's still laughing....

Tomorrow is Andrew's birthday. I took Maddy shopping on Friday to buy him a gift and a lesson was learned - you can't trust a 3 year old to keep a secret from her Daddy!!!!

The snow is starting to melt, I think it was 3 degrees outside yesterday. And the sun is out and it is bright! Pleased to report that the dark days are over, the sun is now rising by 6:20am and setting at 6:36pm today, more than 12 hours of sunlight! Wahoo!!!

My parents leave tomorrow on their first "down south" trip to the Dominican. Wishing them a safe and fun trip. xoxo

It's a beautiful day.
Kim

Lots to Look Forward To!

Charlie has not been sleeping and I'm surprised at how difficult this past week has been, considering he is five months old now. He is sleeping worse than he did when he was two months old, which doesn't seem right. However, I am trucking along, especially since we have so much to look forward to.

Uncle Fred is coming in April, Andrew's mother is probably coming in May and we will be going to Stockholm with her, we have a month-long trip in June to Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway with Rose and Jack and Adam, potential visit from Aunt Nora and Uncle Calvin the beginning of July, a three week trip to Canada with me and the kids the end of July, a potential trip to Central Europe for two weeks in August, and Alex is coming to visit in September!!! What a fabulous summer we have planned, I'm super glad I'm not working. I think a job would get in the way of our plans....

That Time Again...

For a few family members, you may recall the panic hysterical phone calls about a year ago - car inspection time. Although we did many adjustments to the car in Canada before we left, we had a nightmare trying to get it approved and get Finnish license plates. And luckily for us, Finland mandates an annual car inspection.

Which is why I found myself in the waiting room today, with visions of last year pouncing in my head. Sweat dripping, pulse increasing, heart pounding out of my chest. Faint cries and whimpers in the background, not knowing if they were coming from Charlie or from me. The clock ticking ever so loudly as each second seemed to take an hour......

But we passed. And I almost jumped for joy. Literally. Thank you to my husband for his excellent spray-painting job over the newly-formed rust spots......

Catching Up

Can you believe it's March already??? In three more weeks, we will have been in Finland for a year!!! I shake my head in amazement, how has it been a year already?

Madison and Charlie are both fighting off a runny nose. We kept Maddy home on Monday and Tuesday from school, since I feared that her boogers will not only end up on her sleeve, hand, arm, cheeks, and hair, but also be transferred onto toys, handles, faucets, chairs, etc. Translation - she isn't exactly keen on blowing her nose.

With her being home this week, it was a reminder of what it's like to have two children at home. I feel like I got absolutely nothing accomplished! That is okay when it's only two days, but how did I survive the first three months of Charlie's life with Maddy at home also? It's pretty much all a blur but I'm curious...

We went to Jussi's farm on Saturday and stayed overnight. We had a wonderful time. In fact, I think I am still full......Anita was an amazing hostess, the food was amazing. Tobaganning, good food, good friends, great weekend.

All this good news and no bad news...Hmm.....although the weather is beautiful today (zero degrees and sunny), we must pay the price - THE ANTS ARE BACK!!! Major thumbs down.

It's a beautiful Day.
xoxo
Kim