Snow is Gone...

The snow is just about gone and the temperature is consistently above zero now. In Finnish terms this means "I am no longer going to drive my car, I will bike and run to work." Amazing how much emptier the highways are now that it's not below zero anymore!!!!

Summer Speeds but no Summer Weather...

So yesterday it snowed. Disgusting. However, signs of spring have been peeking out every once in a while. First off, the winter tires must be taken off prior to May 1st. The sidewalks and roads have been swept by the city machines (they use gravel here instead of salt in the winter), and the speed limit signs have all been changed to reflect the "summer speed limit" as opposed to the "winter speed limit".
Now we're just waiting for the summer weather.....

When in Rome...

We've been here for two years now and I have to admit that I am starting to talk like a Finn.
I spoke on the phone with Alexia the other night. She was telling me that it was only 16 degrees outside (or something like that) and it was pretty chilly. They were all standing outside around a fire wondering whether they should have brought their winter jackets.
Meanwhile, we had a gorgeous afternoon playing outside. It was 6 degrees out, the sun was shining, and we spent a couple hours outside blowing bubbles, playing with the soccer ball, washing the windows, and getting the patio furniture out.
The kids were still wearing snowsuits. But it was beautiful.
I think I'm turning into a Finn.....

Speedo

After my latest rant about the Speedo incident at the pool hall, I've had a few requests for a Speedo update. Not sure why there's so much interest around Andrew's bathing suit, but here it is nonetheless.
We went shopping and bought one. And when I say we bought one, what I really mean is that we stood in front of the Speedo section with a "Oh God, they are all so awful, do I really have to wear this? What about this one? Are they supposed to be that small? Which one do you like? I know you don't like any of them, but we have to find the one that we hate the least. I guess this one will do. How much is it? Oh man, I hope it gets warmer out soon so we can swim on the beach in my bathing shorts instead of swimming at the pool hall in the Speedos."
As a side note, Andrew has been training for the marathon and has lost 45 pounds in the past year. There isn't an ounce of fat left on the guy. So I have to admit, he looked pretty good in them :)

Happy Easter!!!

This is our third Easter in Finland, and I have to admit it's getting easier being away from home on the holidays. The thought of my entire family getting together at the farm is a bit upsetting, but knowing that we'll be there in August for 7 weeks keeps my spirits up. Plus we have lots of fun here.

Last weekend we had two Easter parties, both with Easter egg hunts. I believe this is becoming Maddy's favourite pastttime. Four years old is such a fun age!!!!! This weekend we did our own Easter egg hunt and this afternoon I have also planned a treasure hunt (filled with 11 clues around the house) to find a bag of goodies at the end.

For those who don't remember, last year we gave Andrew a very hard time. The Easter bunny told him where all the eggs were, and Andrew forgot some of the spots. Or at least that's our side of the story. His version is that squirrels must have ate the eggs.

This year it was quite remarkable to see Andrew pull a small camera out of his pocket while Maddy was searching for her eggs. The Easter bunny actually took photos of every single egg and its location, to prevent another catastrophe from occurring. So happily all of the eggs were retrieved this year.

There is still some snow on the ground and the kids are still wearing their winter jackets outside, but at least this year we weren't building snowmen.

Happy Easter to everybody! I hope everybody enjoyed their extra long weekend and made some special memories with their families.

New Year's Eve in PARIS!

Andrew's parents came to Finland on Boxing Day and we had a lovely time with them celebrating the holidays!!! Then we all piled onto a plane and spent New Year's in Paris.
We rented an apartment in the Marais district, which was perfect for us. We saw the Eiffel Tower at night and got to see the amazing light show! Last time we were there, Charlie was still in utero, but Maddy was very excited to show Grandma and Grandpa the Eiffel Tower. We also walked through the Place de Vosges which was very nice at night.
The following day we went to the Catacombs, where an estimated 6 or 7 million Parisians have been buried there. Andrew seems to have a bone fetish, ha ha. We walked through the Latin Quarter, saw the Notre Dame Cathedral, and also where Andrew took his favourite picture of Charlie (screaming at the love lock bridge). We walked by City Hall, where people were skating outdoors and to Maddy's surprise, a little fair. We also walked by the tunnel where Princess Diana died.
Since Andrew and I finally had babysitters, we went out for dinner and saw the Moulin Rouge show. It was more beautiful than I thought, the costumes were spectacular. The whole boob thing was a bit much, but the entire stage and theater were all authentic. People were squeezed in there like sardines, and Andrew kept getting hit by passing feathers, since we were sitting so close to the stage. He wasn't complaining though.
We also went to the Eiffel Tower during the day, walked along the Champs D'Elysees and saw the Arc de Triomphe. We then walked through the Tuileries Gardens and ended up at the Louvre!
Andrew's parents went out for New Year's Eve while we hung at the apartment with the kids. It was cool that we could see the Eiffel Tower from our apartment window, though, so we got to watch the midnight light show on the tower and also watch the drunks walking down the street.
Maddy had on her party dress and drank apple juice from a champagne flute. What a gal!
Another day we hopped on the train and went to the Chateau de Versailles, that was also a very fun day walking through a palace.
When people ask you what you are doing for New Year's, I have to admit it was kinda fun to respond "Oh, I'm going to Paris". Ooh la la.