I KNOW FUNNY, I'M A CLOWNFISH!!!!!

No exciting happenings lately...just a few bugs that are being passed around in the household which have restrained us from doing anything fun on the weekends.  We have only seen the sun peep out a couple of times in the last month, but the temperature has been nice hanging right around freezing. 

I'm still taking Harris to his play group twice a week.  Last Friday they had a snow/sledding day for everyone.  The location was really nice.  They had a German Shepherd that was giving wagon rides for the kids, some smoked sausages from the fire pit, sledding of course, snow piles to play on, and a place to warm up inside for a snack and juice/coffee.  Harris had fun watching the "pros" in the snow and playing with his friend Axel.  Axel and his mom Anni have had us over for some play dates.  You would never know their age difference of one year...they play so well together!  I have a few pictures of them below.  We have also discovered our Harris is a theatrical child.  We have a dramatic clip below of him citing a line from Nemo.  Although it may sound like all he does is watch movies, we have limits and do lots of educational things during the day.  He LOVES puzzles and can do 12 piece ones all by himself.  He knows all the colors and shapes.  He still likes to count starting with the #6 and doesn't want to go any further than the letter A.  Some days he will sit down and let me read 6 books in a row, and then some days...well, let's just say he knows what he wants to do and it's not reading.  His favorite thing to play with is still cars with animal figures coming in second.  He's a polite little guy saying please, thank you, excuse me, bless you.  He almost never refuses when you ask for him to give you a hug or kiss.  Potty training...it's never his idea, but when I can get him to sit on the potty he knows how to "let go."  Oh well, we are doing our best...he will get there.

My mom and dad are coming for a visit in 2 weeks.  We are excited to spend some time with them, and show them our temporary dwelling.  We will do a 4 night trip to Munich, Germany while they are here. 

Happy birthday this month to lots of family...Matt's mom Jan, my brother Scott, his wife Brandy, and niece Mia who turns 4!!!

Love to all,
Stacy

Top Shots and Pot Shots

Hey everyone.  We have been circling the wagons today to take care of two major priorities in our life.  Number One - get Harris to squat on a plastic pot instead of Mommy and Daddy cleaning up the crime scene three or four times a day.  Number Two - sorting through and choosing our top shots from 2012. 

We were successful in one of our endeavors as you can see with the following link to our favorite pictures from the past year:  http://flic.kr/s/aHsjDvSrTU 

Regarding number one - still a work in progress, but we did find out that Harris is built more for a pickle barrel than that cute plastic number you buy at the store.  What a heffer.
Love to all.

A Finnish Christmas and New Year's

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!!  It was quite strange being away from our crazy holiday schedule and traditions, but was also a nice and peaceful time for us.  Things seem to really shut down here, and I guess as they should so that everyone can spend time with family.  We had to make sure and load up on groceries...most everything is closed 24th-26th.  Something us Americans are not used to.

This year was a bit more fun now that Harris is catching on to Santa.  He definitely recognizes Santa, but still a little young to connect him with bringing gifts.  Harris and I were in line at the grocery just a few days ago when a lady behind us was dressed in red and white.  He pointed to her and said "Santa Claus".  Yeah buddy, you got the colors right but she might be missing a white beard and a big belly!  Although we didn't hire a Santa to come and hand out Harris' gifts on Christmas Eve (a Finnish tradition), we had fun playing the part.  Matt worked on the race track and I put the easel together while we watched White Christmas (our favorite). 

Christmas Day was very relaxing!  We played Christmas music while Harris opened his gifts and Matt cooked breakfast.  After about 10 cups of coffee and watching Harris play for a while, we decided to get out and play in the snow.  Somehow we always seem to pick the days that Harris doesn't nap to play in the snow, which then leads to a dramatic melt down.  Oh well, maybe this weekend we'll be lucky. 

The weekend after Christmas was again lazy and relaxing.  Sue and Travis invited us over for some Finnish Christmas treats on Saturday afternoon.  Glogg and ginger cookies with blue cheese were just a few.  "Glogg" is a hot red drink (like our wassail).  We enjoyed our visit with them and hearing of their Russian/Finnish experiences.  We got out on Sunday to experience a reindeer sleigh ride.  Our two short laps costs us a whopping 30 euros!  Oh well, the experience was fun and Harris thought it was cool.  He even got to feed the reindeer (what looked like moss?).  Matt and I were surprised at how small they seemed.  Really pretty animals though and of course impressive antlers!

Our New Year's Eve was exciting as they had a fireworks display right outside of our apartment building.  We could see all the action from our windows (and we were warm!).  Harris of course was super fired up about all of the lights and booms.

And so that was our holiday run of action.  Link to Christmas pictures below.  Also, I have copied and pasted a description of Finnish Christmas traditions below if you are interested...

Love to all,
Stacy

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjDvvCqs




Christmas traditions in Finland are centered on the home and family. The sense of warmth of the family home and the merriment of the season are accentuated amidst the harsh reality of a far north winter.

Finland is the home of Santa, and every Finnish child knows that Santa lives on the Mountain of Korvatunturi in the town of Savukoski. This town is in the northern section of Finland called Lapland. There are many many reindeer in Lapland and, after all, Why wouldn't Santa live where his reindeer are?

The standard fare for a Christmas eve breakfast is rice pudding. Thick and Creamy, it is served hot and topped with cinnamon, sugar and other spices. What a yummy way to serve a hot meal that will warm them throughout their morning excursions. Papa and the children will go and get the tree. With a bit of shopping left to be done, Mama heads to the market early for all the stores will close at noon.
Porridge is a standard for Christmas Eve lunch (with a hidden almond in it - the finder has to sing a song.)  If you have gotten a chill thinking about Christmas in the frozen country of Finland, perhaps you will warm up a bit when you hear that everyone in Finland, after lunch, heads out to take the sauna bath. This sounds like one of the best Christmas traditions in Finland (maybe in the whole world) What a nice way to ease tensions before guests come to dinner.  Dinner, of course, is a sumptuous feast. There is ham or pork roast, casseroles with carrots and rice, or rutabaga. Several kinds of fish including herring and cod, lots of whole grain breads, prune tarts, and berry pudding. The holiday drink is glogg, which is a mulled wine. 

About 5 or 6 o'clock, families go to the cemeteries to leave candles on the graves of loved ones who won't be there to celebrate Christmas any longer. Thousands of flickering light, reflecting against the snow and trees create a memorable scene.

Not to forget the true meaning of Christmas, it is a custom in some families to read aloud the Christmas gospel by St. Luke, describing the events at the time of the birth of Jesus. If there are young children present, the reading is usually done by the youngest literate child.

A bit later in the evening there is a knocking at the door, Joulupukki Santa has arrived. unfortunately papa misses his arrival because he had to go do the evening chores. Joulupukki boldly asks," Are there any good children in the house".Of course there always is, and Santa never misses handing out presents. The children love to sing Joulupukki Laula or Peteir Punakuono (Rudolph) or other such songs to him, before he leaves to visit the rest of the world.

Christmas day except for morning services is strictly a stay at home family day and very quiet. 

After the Christmas holidays, it is time to get prepared to welcome the New Year. Christmas time ends with Epiphany, January 6th. By this day, most people have already put away the Christmas ornaments and stripped down and thrown out the Christmas tree.

Harris in Paris

As many of you know, Harris aka "Harris from Paris" inherited the name after we settled into Paris, Texas two and a half years ago.  Even the OB said when she came in to deliver Harris...it's time to meet Harris from Paris.  So it's just strangely ironic how we actually had the opportunity to take Harris to France and say (well, at least for three days) that he was "Harris in Paris."

So, how did we pick Paris?  Well, it's just one of those European cities that's always at the top of the list.  We thought it would be really pretty to visit in December with it being so close to Christmas.  It's already the "City of Light" but the extra lights would be much more inviting.  We were excited to bring along Matt's mom and experience it all together!  And of course Paris didn't let us down.  It's everything you've ever heard and more.  If I ever have the chance, I would love to go back!  We definitely covered all the big attractions, but Paris is so big that it would take a few more days to cover other neighborhoods.  The first day we did lots of walking and sight seeing.  We had some really good French cuisine and covered the Louvre where the Mona Lisa stays.  Just after sunset we saw the amazing night view of the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero area.  When we turned the corner of a few tall buildings and saw this magnificent structure all lit up, I think we were all blown away!  So after sitting down and figuring out the complex metro system the first night, we did a little less walking but more climbing stairs with a stroller on the second day.  We caught a morning view of the Eiffel Tower and took more pictures, visited Shakespeare and Co bookstore, Notre Dame Cathedral, Sainte-Chapelle, and then headed back to the hotel.  Jan offered to stay in with Harris, while Matt and I hopped back on the metro to have dinner, stroll Champs Ellyses, and see the Arc de Triomphe. 

After two days in Paris, we took a train to Brugge, Belgium to get another taste of European culture.  Brugge was a small charming town with lots of history.  It was a bit relaxing after our fast and furious adventure in Paris.  Lots of old and well preserved buildings with cobble stone streets and canals running through.  We visited a few churches and the town square had lots to offer with an ice skating platform.  Of course we couldn't leave without getting some wonderful Belgium chocolate. 

And so that was our Christmas present to ourselves:)  Links to pictures below...

Paris pics:  http://flic.kr/s/aHsjDhQjwk
Brugge pics:  http://flic.kr/s/aHsjDibmhq

Holiday Cheer

Hello everyone!!  I know...it's been quite some time since our last post and my apologies if you have been checking only to find nothing new.  Since the last update, we have moved into winter in full swing.  We had our first snow on Halloween, and the temperature has steadily dropped into single digits.  The air here is really dry so it's quite tolerable...not the bitter wet cold that we are used to back home.  We just have to make sure fingers and toes stay warm!  The river across the street has snow around the edges and steaming.  We even saw a few people ice fishing today...literally walking on the river's shallow area and setting up their chairs.  The trees around the river are completely white and appears to be the beginnings of a winter wonderland.  We have been told that the peak of this "winter wonderland" will be here in a few weeks so can't wait to take pictures and share. 

So to back track a little...for Thanksgiving we had dinner at the Pauly's.  Angi made a wonderful traditional Thanksgiving meal to share with us.  Harris had fun watching Elf with Lane and Alayna.  It was nice to celebrate this holiday with special friends!

The last weekend in November, we had yet another invite to the Pauly's for a company holiday party for the locals (most of us being expats, but some permanent residents too).  Angi and Paula had arranged for a French chef to come to her home and cook a French cuisine with a little Finnish touch.  So the menu included...champagne for starter drink, pate' and a couple of salads, reindeer steak, sweet potato mix, fondue chocolate, and cognac drink for dessert.  We were amazed at how the chef, Jean Marc was so efficient and calm...he set the tables, cooked, served, and cleaned all the dishes within a 3-4 hour time frame.  It was a wonderful evening!  Some tables were even moved for a little after dinner dancing:)

The first week in December we had our first US visitor...Matt's mother Jan.  We had a great visit and know that she enjoyed seeing Harris and how much he has grown and changed.  After Jan caught up on some zz's, we introduced her to Imatra and Finnish customs/culture.  I introduced her to the other IP women and children at a Christmas cookie gathering Laura hosted.  Harris was able to get his sugar high on after eating about 10 cookies, and then had a dance off with the girls.  At the end of Jan's first week here, we jetted off to France and Belgium which will have to be another post. 

Tune in...I promise not to wait another 2 months for pending posts:)

Love to all,
Stacy

A Hike and More Trains, Planes, and Automobiles

The last two weeks have been busy yet fun filled!  Two weekends ago we spent our Saturday with the Paulys and the Pereiras.  It started out with a tasty breakfast at the Paulys and then a hike near the river here in Imatra.  It was a short hike but we landed at a really pretty spot that offered a fire pit and a beautiful view of the river.  We introduced Harris to trails, gathering kindling, starting a campfire, and roasting hot dogs and marshmallows.  He of course had a blast!  Anything that involves the outdoors he is all game!  We have a few pics of him with Lane, Alaina, Rafaela, and Lane's sweet Finnish friend ( I would try to spell his name but pretty sure it would be wrong:)

On Sunday we gathered our things to spend a few nights in Svetogorsk, Russia, to catch up on visa maintenance.  We made sure not to forget important goods as there is some difficulty in finding a nice grocery store on the other side.  It wasn't so bad this time...other than the brown water that came out of the faucet in our hotel room.  Don't worry...distilled water was on hand!  It rained most of the time we were there, and when Harris and I had had enough of the room, well then I just put his rain suit on and off we went to jump in a few puddles! 

When we arrived to our apartment Tuesday night, we had a big boy bed waiting for Harris in the living room.  The transition has been a little challenging, but I'm sure that being away from the apartment hasn't helped any.  He has no trouble getting in.  It's the staying in that we have to work on:) 

This last weekend we jetted to Copenhagen, Denmark.  Like everything else we have seen here, it was amazingly beautiful.  Unfortunately their biggest attraction was closed for the season...Tivoli Gardens which is Europe's first greatest amusement park that had influence on Walt Disney.  We didn't have any trouble finding other things to see and do though.  Saturday we took a canal tour around the city center which outlines the water.  Harris was enamoured by the ride and it gave him a chance to get out of the stroller.  We had lunch at a quaint cozy cafe that served smorrebrod (open faced sandwiches and a Danish cuisine).  It rained quite a bit so we strolled around as much as we could and then took a break at the hotel.  For dinner we ate at a unique candle lit but still casual restaurant called BioMio.  This was my absolute favorite eatery with a perfect atmosphere.  It was in an old Bosch building that still had the old sign lit up.  Reminded me of midtown Memphis!  The menu provided all organic foods with codes under each dish to show what the meal was rich in...Vit A,B,C etc, etc.  The food was excellent!!!  Thanks Rick Steves for the recommendations:)  On Sunday we started early with a danish and coffee at an old 1870's bakery.  Then we headed to the Rosenborg castle.  We let Harris run around in the gardens and took lots of pictures here.  We were so thankful for the pretty weather!  Had lunch along the Nyhavn canal.  Harris took a short nap while we sat outside under heaters.  The man with the clarinet was nice and all and it made for a real European vibe, but Harris woke up from the Ava Maria blaring.  Next we visited an "alternative" commune neighborhood that was mentioned in Rick's book, but we could have done without that stroll.  I will just let you use your imagination on this one, but I will say that we saw some barrels with a fire going, a guy that had his nose all taped up, graffiti everywhere, and their main street was called Pusher street.  When you were leaving there was a sign that said "now entering the EU".  How is that for alternative?  Matt says that was no hippie hangout with love and peace...just a bunch of dirty gypsies.  Next we visited the Disney Store in city center...Harris' first time.  He got a couple of cars for being such a trooper.  We ate dinner again in the meat packing district...this time at a pizzeria called Mother.  Another great atmosphere with good food!! 

So Monday on the way home we stopped at the massive Ikea in Helsinki for lunch and picked up a couple of items for the apartment.  The drive home wasn't so bad with the 8 rainbows that we spotted.  Including a double one!  The colorful leaves were at peak and the spotty areas of sunlight on them delivered some gorgeous views!  And then home sweet home.  Whew!  I think that wraps it up in a nutshell.  Hope it wasn't too detailed.  Haven't written in a while so got a little carried away:)

Here are a few pics along with a link to Flickr...

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjCpUxKK

Love to all!!

Another Notch

I think we are starting to get the hang of this fast and furious travel schedule.  This weekend it was Stockholm, Sweden.  The weather was a little inclement, but that did not stop the whirlwind tour.

Saturday
8 am (Finnish Time) - Board flight in Helsinki
8 am (Swedish Time) - land in Stockholm
9 am - drop off the bags at the hotel
10 am - hit the children's museum
11:30 am - see the Vasa museum (Sweden's celebration of shoddy boat building)
12 pm - Swedish meatballs at the Stora Gungan Tavern at Skansen (huge botanical garden/village/museum)
2 pm - Got lost on the island of Skeppsholmen
3 pm - Made it to Galma Stan
4 pm - hit a cafe in the middle of our self guided tour
4:30 pm - juice break
7 pm - reindeer steak, more Swedish meatballs and some Swedish microbrews at Ardbeg Embassy restaurant
8 pm - bed for the bruiser

Sunday
7 am - cafe
8 am - window shopping
9 am - chased some pigeons (Hoorah, it's the American tourists!!!!!)
10 am - train
12 pm - fly home

Hey Sweden, consider yourself checked off the list.  Here is a link to our flickr pictures:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewhigh/sets/72157631613515511/