The Dala Horse

While strolling through Sweden it doesn't take long to notice that there are many shops that sell The Dala Horse. I learned that through the years it has become a symbol of Sweden.

According to wikipedia...A Dalecarlian horse or Dala horse (Swedish: Dalahäst) is a traditional carved and painted wooden statuette of a horse originating in the Swedish province of Dalarna. In the old days the Dala horse was mostly used as a toy for children; in modern times it has become a symbol of Dalarna as well as Sweden in general.

So when we moved into the house I made sure to leave a spot in my kitchen for my own horse.

I finally have a car of my own!

Aaron and I finally had some time to go car shopping. However, we knew we only had about an hour and a half to shop considering that a lot of stores close early on Saturdays. As we left the house Aaron warned me that shopping for a car in Sweden is different than in the states. Just like in other stores in Sweden, if you need help then you need to go and find someone. They don't usually approach you first. 

We first went into a Volkswagen dealership and found two cars that we liked and wanted to inquire about. There were only a couple of people working and they were talking with some other customers. So, we waited and waited and waited. I was really surprised that no other employee magically appeared out of some hidden office like you would experience in the states. I was slowly growing impatient knowing that we were losing daylight and only had a limited amount of time to shop. We decided to leave and quickly found a ford dealership. We walked in and found our way to the used cars and to my wonderful surprise someone actually asked me if we needed help! YEAH!!!! So he took us to the cars that were in our price range and we found this cute little number. it's a 2009 Ford Focus. We pick her up on Thursday!

 We are in the process of picking out a name. We wanted something to go along with Aaron's car....

Mr. Bo Zipher!

Out of curiosity I am going to look into seeing how much it would cost to bring her back to the U.S. so that Darby could drive her when she is 16. She would have to learn to drive a stick shift!

A somewhat typical day today..

Aaron and I are up by 5:15 with plans to go on a run....we head outside but it is raining. Make alternate plans to do a workout video. Kids start getting up somewhere between 6 and 6:15. Everyone is doing there thing and we are ready to head out of the house by 7:15. Aaron is driving me and the kids into town. It is a light drizzle at times, sometimes rain, sometimes sun...so we have umbrellas with us. The train is just about to leave so the kids have to hurry out of the van while I yell to them to have a great day. Aaron then drives about 30 seconds further down the road and drops me off in front of the gym (due to lack of cardio exercise due to rain!) Aaron heads off to work. I have everything with me! I have a separate pair of shoes to work out in. Here it is called your indoor shoes as opposed to your outdoor shoes. That is how it is in your homes, school and the gym. I also have my umbrella, water bottle, shopping bags and other essentials since I am now on foot wherever I go! After the gym I head towards the store. It starts to rain so thankfully I am prepared. Once inside the store I have to remind myself not to get too much stuff because whatever I buy I have to carry! I really want to make a stew today so I sacrifice a little more weight and buy the bag of potatoes! I make my purchases, bag my own food and head out towards home. I know that it will only be a 15 minute walk. This is my pathway home...in this order...

 As I am walking home I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such beauty. There are definitely moments when I feel frustrated but the good moments that are now in my life far outweigh the bad ones. Life seems to have taken a calmer road and it is very welcomed!

 At the very end of this road I turn left onto my street...

Now time to make some stew!

In other news...

Darby tried an intensive dance week at Balettakademien. Here she is on her first day!

Unfortunately, the first day was really easy and Darby was really disappointed. She came back on Tuesday and it was still the same. She did not even go back on Wednesday. A complete waste of time! 

The good news however, is that in our desperate search to find a challenging dance studio, we found another place that just might suit Darby well. It is called "Base23". We are currently talking to an instructor there who is reviewing some of her video to see where she would best fit. 

Jaxon....our youngest and sometimes loneliest kid in the family has found some playmates in the neighborhood! Hip Hip Hooray! Joshua and Harry, who live 3 doors down, are also expats who plan to be here for about 3 years like us. They come from England. 

First Days of School

Thursday was the first day. Here is a couple of photos of the kids all excited and ready to go!

 Taking the tunnelbana...

Once we got to school I wanted to take more pictures but I was getting the hint that my kids did not want me to. "Go away Mom so we can act cool!"

Jaxon and his classmate Caden (photo courtesy of Caden's mom!) 

Caden is also from the United States and is a brand new student as well.

Aaron was out of town last week so he wanted to ride into the city this morning to take the kids to school. 

Here is Jaxon in his classroom...

Jaxon sits in the front row. Good thing!

The kids in his grade do not have lockers but something sort of like it. Not sure what you would call it but its a place where he can hang his coat and keep all of his stuff during school. The kids are asked to wear their outdoor shoes to school and then change into their indoor shoes once they arrive. This will prove very helpful once the weather gets bad. 

So how was the first day of school? Jaxon and Melynn both really liked it. Darby and Ashtyn struggled....Mom keeps hoping that everyday will get a little better. My heart goes out to not just my own children but to all of the "brand new kids" at the school. Darby has one classmate that is from Lithuania who does not know any english. Her mom told me today that she is having a really hard time. Just when you think you have it tough you are reminded that there are those who have it a lot tougher!

Our Sweden Home

The last box has been unpacked and most things are hung on the walls, still bits of things to do but overall we are settled in. 

Welcome to our home!

These two pictures show what you would see if you were parking the car or driving by. We don't have a garage :( but just a little gated area for our cars. When coming to the house you can either go to the front door by going to the right and around or to the back door by going to the left and around. Guests always come to the front but we always use the back because it is a bit closer to the car.

Here are the kids getting ready for a trip to IKEA. My new favorite store!

When you walk around to the front of the house this is what it looks like...

We have a big yard with an apple, pear and two cherry trees. We also have strawberries that grow....from the neighbors yard :) and our own black and red currants and raspberries too!

I would love to build a small little green house so I could grow tomatoes! YUM!

If you go to the back door it looks like this....

Then if you keep walking over the deck to the back of the house it looks like this...

Yes I know, I live in Paradise!

Here is Darby, Melynn and Jaxon off to go fishing (from the backdoor).

Unfortunately they did not catch any fish.

OK, so now let's venture inside. Starting from the front door this is what you would see when you first walk in. We currently have the boots under the stairs but I think we are going to move those to another area.

Melynn's room is immediately to the left and Jaxon's room is immediately to the right. I will let you guess who has what room.

Going down the hall a few steps you then have the den to the left and then a storage room to the right. (storage room not photographed)

Going down the hall a few more steps again you have the laundry room to the right....

which is also home to many coats and a closet for Jaxon and Melynn.

Across the hall from the laundry room is the girls bathroom. Big bathroom with a big sauna!

Now it is time to go upstairs which is like the main floor of the house.

This is what you see when you get to the top of the stairs...

This is where we spend most of our time. I am really enjoying this room.

But the best part of this room is the view. It is like a beautiful piece of artwork!

My other favorite room is the kitchen....

It is so cheerful!

The first room down the hall is the bathroom to the left.

Followed by Darby's room on the left

then, Ashtyn's room

We have an office...

and then last is our master bedroom.

I still need to do a couple of things in here but that will come eventually.