Fun in the Water in Aland

Dad is doing a triathlon in June so he had to train for his swim while we were in Aland.  The baltic sea was cold. Paula was especially worried about dad swimming in the sea and getting hypothermia so Troy and Saku got on a  kayak and were dad's support team. Paula got worried enough that she also got in a row boat and rowed back and forth. 

Aleksi even got in the kayak for few minutes.The water was very shallow so he wasn't in any danger even though he didn't have a life vest. Eerika also went with Troy while it is not pictured. Troy and Saku had done the kayak two days before when it was super windy and they got soaked by the waves. They also had the challenge for the wind drifting them away from the land. I am glad that Troy is willing and able to go and do these types of things with the kids.  

Eerika learned to love sauna while we were here. She was take an ice cold shower and then come to the sauna. 

On our last day, we went to a beach that was supposed to be one of the best untouched beaches in Europe. It was sunny, but summer hadn't quite arrived in Aland yet. The kids were happy to play in the sand and in the water while Troy and I watched from the beach. The sand was white and fine and I bet it would be very nice in July. The kids did get a bit of a sun burn. 

The awesome thing about Aland was the fact that it was relative so small that we could go around the island and see so many things and only drive 45 minutes to an hour each way. 

Aleksi is so white that the sun seems to be reflecting off him. He had a blast running on the beach. Saku and Eerika found some shells on the beach and did Saku's favorite thing; throwing sand. 

A Big Hiccup in Our Travels

I was Facetiming with Troy today when his phone had a reminder about our flights for today. We weren't supposed to leave until tomorrow. Or so we thought. American Airlines changed our flights in April and moved our flight up a day back in April. We didn't realize it until today, three hours after the flight had already taken off from Helsinki. We had looked at the flights but assumed that it was still on the 23rd and not on the 22nd. 

Saku was with me when we realized this and he started crying because he thought he wouldn't get to go home. I panicked a bit as well but I tried to keep it under control because I didn't want to scare Saku. I called American Airlines and explained the situation. The customer service lady's response was along the lines of "oh my goodness". This made me pretty worried to hear her worry or shock.

Saku came to offer me an ice breaker as he thought I "was in shock as you were talking to isi that way".  He means I was a bit snappy when trying to figure out what to do. I am glad that my snappy comments seemed so extreme to Saku that he thought I was in shock:)

First Ada, the best customer service lady ever, was able to find us flights for tomorrow. For the exact same route that we were supposed to take today. Then she suggested that she could look and see if she could waive some of the fees. The original amount was 1200 which almost made me cry because that is a lot of money. I stayed on hold for an hour as Ada kept working on things with her supervisors.

In the end, we got our flights for free.  This is nothing short of a miracle. That I was facetiming w Troy and not on the beach like I had planned to go with Eerika. That I got connected with this nice lady, when so many customer service people are not helpful. That we didn't have to pay extra. That we can still go home tomorrow as we had planned. Heavenly Father looked out for us in so many ways. 

We are ready to go home. It has been wonderful but home is home. It will be sweet to be all together. 

The Travels Back Home Edition 1

Troy and Aleksi flew back on Saturday. Because Troy's flight was bought with AA miles, it was the last flight that he could get for such a cheap deal. They had a lay over in Dusseldorf. Dad and I had our half marathon on the same day, so I wasn't even at the airport to send them off. They lost Aleksi's tutti before they even made it to the first flight, but they bought another tutti, though a different brand, and they survived.

Aleksi was again the hit on the plane. He is such a sweetheart and so well behaved with Troy. When they were going to sleep in the hotel, I did facetime with them and sang some lullabies to Aleksi. He was sad when I said goodbye and kept signing "aiti" over and over again. It was sort of heart breaking, but I knew Troy would cuddle him. Also he fell off the bed during the night...

Dad and Paula spoiled us for Troy's last meal. We had smoked salmon, new potatoes, salad, strawberries, blueberries and peas. Everyone enjoyed the meal so much and I wish I didn't have to worry about running a race that evening or I would have eaten more. Aleksi liked the peas and Saku and Eerika devoured the blueberries. 

Saku is Seven!

Saku turned seven on Friday. That is a big number. Today I actually told someone that he was six so obviously it hasn't completely registered in my brain that he is now seven.

He was awake and reading when we walked into his room singing paljon onnea vaan. 

Saku requested waffles for breakfast. He had wished for a nerf gun. I added some whipped cream for his waffles and also a comic book and ice breaker breath mints as presents. I also made an impulse buy of muumimuki to give him a memory of this summer in Finland. 

Eerika loves to write and draw things. It was raining on Saku's birthday so she drew the dark clouds and the rain drops. I love her picture of saku and herself with the heart. She dictated what she wanted to write and I told her how to spell the words. They are jumping in puddles, which is actually exactly what they did on the beach that day.

Paula and dad gave him a day with them with options of amusement park, water park or getting to know animals. He hasn't made his choice yet.

He had wanted to go to the angry birds park so we spend the afternoon there. It rained most of the day but cleared enough for two hours or so that we could play outside. We had also talked about going swimming but Aleksi had a nasty cough that morning AND our boys don't have speedos which are required at the public swimming pools here.

We had lemon pasta for dinner, which the kids inhaled, with garlic bread. We had strawberry and salted caramel ice cream as a cake with dad and Paula. 

Saku was so happy about his gun. He did talk about his lego birthday party two years ago and how he received many more presents at that time but then he made a comment how this birthday was better because of the gun. 

Saku at 7 years old:

Saku is kind. Saku is generous; he shared his ice breakers with everyone. He shared his birthday laku, from Anna, Elsa and Risto, with Eerika. Saku is polite. He likes to make feel people feel good. 

Saku loves chess. He loves to play monopoly, which we played on his birthday morning. He loves pear cider. He likes things to be equal. He deals with losing pretty well, except losing to Troy can be tough. He also brags about skills quite a bit. 

He doesn't like dark. He doesn't like anything too intense and definitely nothing scary when it comes to movies.

He loves to read. He is super excited that dad and Paula are letting us take Harry Potter books that we don't have.  He keeps reading his new comic book over and over again. 

Saku has learned to like sauna. Since he doesn't like anything uncomfortable, the heat of sauna first was too much for him but now he really likes to go to sauna. He takes pride in his Finnish roots.  He loves ruisleipä with cheese, meetvursti and cucumbers. He has liked going to the store and picking his own candy. 

He has very vivid nightmares/night terrors. They seem very frightening to him and it is hard to watch him be so scared. Once he was getting stabbed in his dream and once he worried about us not having enough food. Both of these scenarios were a reminder of how much he absorbs and hears while Troy and I talk or if the news are on.  He is such a deep sleeper that he will often be half awake and half asleep when he has to pee in the middle of the night and he will sort of wander around looking for a bathroom. When we hear whimpering or noise from him, we usually have to escort him to the bathroom. 

He loves to play video games on our old iPhones. He doesn't ask for them when we are home but the moment we start traveling and he knows that he gets to play them, he is sitting in the car 10 minutes early so he can start playing as soon as possible. 

Saku loves being with Troy. He is also very good with Eerika. His friends are James and Isaac plus school friends Preston and Zachary, who is moving away. He plays really well with Isaac and they are always having fun.

It is hard to write these type of summaries because he is so many things and knows so many things and I am sure I am leaving something important out. Saku is just a good kid. He is getting kind of loud and obnoxious which I think is the age with boys. But he is so loving and fun and learns things so quickly. I am blessed that he is mine. That is all my tired brain can say now and I think that sums it up perfectly. We love him. Happy Birthday big boy!

Friends Come To Visit

Yesterday was a busy day. In order to feel ready for our half marathon and try to mediate, at least mentally, the amount of candy that I have consumed we went for a run in the morning. Aino, dad and I ran and Troy biked next to us. Our pace was pretty slow but it was very enjoyable and I called it a "vacation run". Really anything is better than not going and on my way to the shower I picked three pantteri to munch on. Clearly I don't have any self control while I am here. But I don't even really try to have any. I just tell myself, I will enjoy Finland until I leave. 

Aino had suggested and dad had arranged that Hanne and Iina come for a visit. I hadn't seen Iina since our wedding reception and it had been three years with Hanne; yet with these ladies, I didn't have a moment of anxiety if things would be weird or if there would be awkward silence. That shows something about our friendship.

Hanne and her crew (Matias 7, Emmi 2 and Miio 1 plus Joonatan) came first. Saku whispered to me  "Are these our American friends?" and when the answer was no, he looked at me and said "how will we communicate?" Fortunately, these were board games and plenty of nature so Saku and Matias had a great time.  Troy took the boys on a row boat and Troy told me that Matias had kept talking and Saku would just repeat "En ymmärrä". 

Iina with Netta almost 5, Nanna 3 and Roni almost 1 plus Tomi, her husband who I had never met, came a bit later. Eerika took a bit more coaxing to start playing with the friends and she was emotional again. She tearfully said how Saku called her scaredy cat when she was afraid of heights. But she did her share of running through the woods with friends but ended up taking a nap in the middle of the visit so she would be happy for our last visit for the day.

Hanne, Iina and I chatted and caught up about things without a problem. It is nice to have such easy going friendships that not much is required for a good time. 

When Hanne and Iina were loading their cars, Bridget and Jeremy (and Miriam, Madgalena and Sterling) came. They live in Turku now where Bridget teaches at University of Turku, so we arranged a visit. Bridget's mom was also visiting, but it made the visit very enjoyable. The kids disappeared immediately and laughed and played without a bit of hesitation. Aleksi was charming and seemed to take a liking to Jeremy but the little boys, Sterling and Aleksi were too young to play. It was amazing to use Finnish words in the mids of our English conversation and everyone understood each other. Troy said that the visit sparked his desire to move to Finland again. 

Dad and Paula were so gracious and prepared so much food for both visits. 

Once everyone left, the rest of the crew went to sauna but I happily just laid on the couch because I was just spent with all the talking for nine hours straight. It was amazing to see friends from different parts of our lives, have the kids play with their kids and enjoy it all.  

Family Reunion Weekend

The weekend with the Aura family was a success. It was easy to be with everyone. 

Saku loved playing ball with Kuutti, Sakari and Eero. He went on the row boat with Ben, Troy and Eerika. We grilled makkara in the kota, there was naked swimming (not done by our family), sauna time and lots of chatting. 

Troy enjoyed some quiet time by himself as the kids were entertained and I chatted in Finnish with everyone.

Rilla and I talked about mom and it was so good to talk about her. Sometimes you don't quite know how to talk or what to say or how to remember things about mom but Rilla made it very easy going and so nice. She was very close to mom, so it is very meaningful to talk to her because I know she deeply loved mom and knew her in so many levels that I didn't because I was still young and hadn't quite established that mother-daughter adult relationship with her. 

It was quite loud with kids and happy conversation. Good food was shared. Troy said that this was the most Finnish experience with food and otherwise that he has had. 

We are planning on having Eerika write to Maiju. 

The only down side was the mosquitos; they were vicious and hungry.

Tammela Mökki

Dad organized a mini family reunion with our cousins and their families. There was some nervousness and wondering how the weekend would play out.  It has honestly been so enjoyable. Good food, the kids have played well and been entertained by the nature and the new people, they have had new experiences, and shown how outgoing and brave they are. I am proud of them and excited for the experiences and personal growth that these type of things give them. 

Eerika and Maiju (9 months younger than E) became instant friends. Maiju does not speak English but Eerika could understand, while she does not speak Finnish,  enough to play and they played happily all day.

Eerika was playing close to the shore and her flip flop got stuck in the mud. Troy came to the rescue.

/

I am so happy with these two pictures that I took yesterday. I think they will be framed in our new house. It is so rewarding to get a good shot because there are plenty disappointing ones. 

Saku's day as a Dog Owner

Rilla, great aunt, brought her dogs to the mökki and the kids loved taking care of them

Saku especially felt very proud when Oona, the white dog, would follow him without a leash. These dogs were trained as guide dogs for the blind so they are very obedient. 

Church Tours on Sunday

 We couldn't go to church this Sunday because the closest ward is in Turku which would have been a six hour one way boat trip. After watching some bible videos and talking about them, we went to visit one of the local churches that had a cemetary attached to it. The kids enjoyed looking at different graves and trying to find the oldest ones. 

My favorite part of the day was driving around, listening to Les Mis sound track and talking with Saku and Troy. Aleksi did his share of singing.  Listening to the songs made me really miss mom. Eerika seemed to enjoy her ride with Ukki in the convertible. She even got to sit in the front which has never happened before. 

None of the churches or even the fortress was anything amazing, but the combination of being together, watching the amazing scenery of the island and being outside made it a wonderful day. 

The first church, Geta Church, was built in the 1460s. It was the only church that we were able to visit inside. It was very windy so Aleksi had enough of it after 45 minutes. 

The coat-of-arms on the shields are from the 1690s. 

The pulpit was built in 1842.

Eerika loves mummi.

The pews would make church possibly easier as you could trap the kids into your pew.

Ukki was explaining about the altar paintings. 

After a nap time for everyone, except Saku who doesn't nap unless he is very sick or very jet lagged, everyone was ready for more fun and games and sightseeing. 

  

Our first stop of the afternoon excursion was Saltvik church. It was very windy and we just made one loop around the church to double check that there weren't any open doors and then snapped few pictures with the nice background and hopped back into the car. 

The third church for the day was Sund Church. It had closed two hours before so we weren't able to check it out inside. It is the largest medieval stone church in the region. 

Our last stop and the main reason we set out today was the Bomarsund fortress. It was built under Russian rule and destroyed when Russia battled against England and France.  It was such a perfect place to go with kids because they were able to run around, climb on the ruins, enjoy the beautiful weather and learn about the history.