Run Calvin! Run!

Calvin's förskola sent out a reminder to all parents that the kids would be running around the soccer field on Tuesday morning and that all parents were welcome to come and cheer them on/help out.  In my mind, this meant that the kids would head down to the field and run around like kids do.  In a haphazard manner. When Calvin and I got down to the field, we found not only his fellow classmates ready to run, but they all had race numbers pinned to their jackets.  Orange cones outlined the perimeter of two soccer fields and the teacher, Oliver, ran the entire course to show the kids where to go.  The course was a proper course and even featured a water table at the halfway mark.

Practicing our animal noises

Whenever Calvin sees an animal, he doesn't say, "sheep" or "cow," instead he either baaaas or moooos at them.  He has associated animals with their noises for a while now (3 months?) but it is always fun to have him "perform" for our friends and family when we Skype.  We try hard to add new animals to the mix and keep it interesting.  Sometimes we play the animal noise game too often and when you ask him a question, he just gives you this look like, "Uhh, Mom, I've done that one already."  So it has been on our to-do list to get a video to capture his animal noises.  Most of our video attempts have resulted in distractions and feature him saying one or two animals before running off to play with his ball. I lucked out yesterday when I picked him up from dagis and he was in a chatty mood.  He even added two new animals that he has never done before -- horse and bird.  We are always amazed at the amount of information he absorbs.

So, here is a little video of Calvin and his animal noises (says his uber proud momma):

Swedes are not "cold"

I read or heard somewhere that people have deemed Swede's personalities as "cold."  After the day I had today, I would disagree with that assessment and I'm not even Swedish.

Swedes may not want to insult your ability to handle things on your own by holding the door open for you or helping you if you don't ask, but they have literally rushed to my aid

Bold and Bright -- Fall colors in Stockholm

Sweden has distinct seasons and there is little confusion as to where they fall on the calendar.

A little color on a dreary, rainy day

It was snowing sideways when our plane landed on January 25th.  It alternated between very dark and very white (snow) during those wintery days. When Spring finally decided to roll around, we were treated to the most beautiful flowers with bright colors popping up in the green grass.  Summer really accelerated the photosynthesis process with long sunny days where the sun would set around 10pm. The grass and the trees knew what was up because they were the deepest green I've ever seen. We would walk around the parks and just soak

Cafe Lagom

This many strollers in front gives you a good indication of its popularity

There is a super sweet cafe behind our house that is an old farmhouse, Cafe Långagen, that is about a 10 minute walk from our front door.  It is one of the best cafes on our island and has a great playground in the back for kids.  Calvin loves playing in its sandbox and the food is top notch and reasonably priced.  You can enjoy a gourmet lunch outside, watching your kid play on the slide and relaxing with your dog at your feet.  What's not to love?

However, there is one aspect