It's getting dark!

This photo really doesn't show how dark it is getting but you will notice that the lights
behind me are lit up so it has to be at least somewhat dark.
This photo was taken at 2:35pm Monday.

These next two photos were taken at about 3:30pm in front of Jaxon's school today. 

What a difference one hour makes! It is pitch black!

Of coarse, the darkest day has not even arrived yet.....December 21st!

I am throwing in one more photo of Jaxon waiting at the tunnelbana. 

He has adjusted quite well to the metro system.

Thanksgiving 2012!

Menu

Turkey

Stuffing

Potatoes

Gravy

Sweet Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole

Strawberry Jello Dish

Cranberry salad

Homemade rolls

Pumpkin Pie

Apple Crisp

Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

Julmust

Äppeldryck

Päron soda

Water

So basically, your traditional Thanksgiving feast! 

Yeah I know, I didn't take any photos. I was too busy in the kitchen! :)

Swimming!

We had a difficult time trying to find something that Melynn could be involved in. Previously, in California, she was really enjoying gymnastics. We were not very successful in finding her something similar to what she was used to before. Then, we tried cheerleading! It seemed a perfect fit for my tumbling queen who also loves dance. Well, to participate in cheerleading came at a price.....no skiing during season! Well, that made Melynn think long and hard and one of the things she is most excited about in being here is the skiing. So, she dropped out of that! Then one day Melynn asked about swimming lessons. There is an indoor pool not too far away and we did some investigating! We now have Melynn in a class that meets twice a week (perfect, not too much!) and every once in a while she can participate in a swim competition.

Here is a photo of Melynn getting ready to take off in one of her races.
She is in the last lane.

 Here is a photo of Mom and daughter in celebration of Melynn's win. 

First place in her heat in Freestyle!

Basketball

One of the sacrifices that Ashtyn made in coming to Sweden was leaving behind her varsity basketball team that she has been on since her freshman year. Fortunately however, we did find her a team close by that she was welcomed to play on. They have practices 4 times a week so it is good exercise and a great way to stay warm! I really appreciate her coach and all of the players for being so kind to her. One thing in particular that I appreciate is the coach allowing Ashtyn to be excused from all the Sunday games. It means a lot to me that others are so understanding about something that is very important to us.  GO INDIANS!!!

Aaron...teacher for a day!

A couple of weeks ago Aaron came to the kids school and taught Jaxon's science class. He taught the kids about the eyes and the heart. Both things which he has learned about through his experience with Abbott. The kids seemed to really enjoy it!

Paris!

On October 18th my oldest child became a whopping 18 years old! 

That's right...18 on the 18th!

This is no ordinary birthday and I really wanted to do something extra special for her so...one of the gifts she received was a special trip for Mom and Daughter to go to Paris!

The last time we were in Paris, Ashtyn was just barely 9 years old and it bothered her that she really couldn't remember it. Therefore, it was back on the bucket list!

The first day we arrived (Wednesday) it was late afternoon so we just walked around 

to get familiar again with the area. 

We walked over to this familiar sight!

The Arc de Triomphe

The next morning we got in line for the Louvre right before it opened to
avoid the later crowds. 

Good call! This was the line after we got in.

 Some familiar sights at the Louvre. The Venus de Milo and the one and only...Mona Lisa!

 See all the crowds surrounding her? The Mona Lisa is that little picture on the right wall.

We then purchased a two day hop on/off bus pass which took us around to many sights. However, most of the time we stayed on the bus and just enjoyed the view and
being off our feet!

Later that evening we were not quite ready to head back to the hotel so we decided
to pop into the Museum d'Orsay

Pictures are not allowed at d'Orsay so nothing great to show you but they
did have a lot of familiar pieces like
Van Gogh's, Autoportrait and several Degas, Renoirs and Monets. However, our PERSONAL FAVORITE was...Maurice Denis', Hommage à Cézanne.

This is a painting of a group of guys looking at a Cézanne painting, 

though it is actually Maurice Denis'.

For all of you Brian Regan fans....think about it! A group of guys talking about art. It's a painting of a painting of a bowl of fruit (that looks just like an apple!)  and not only that but the story in the painting is that it is a Cezanne (or would you say Winter?). Get it?

Friday morning we got in line early at the Eiffel Tower. Another good call! 

We were the very first to the top that day and it was FREEZING!

Another stop we made that day was to the Rodin Museum.
Ashtyn wanted to see "The Thinker".

Saturday was our last day. We visited Notre Dame...

 and then spent the rest of the 

the day walking and shopping! 

The day ended with a much needed soak in a bowl of fish!

Happy Birthday Ashtyn! I love you!!!

Halloween

Halloween was definitely not as exciting here compared to the states but we tried to make the best of it. The kids school invited all the students to come dressed up for the day.

Ashtyn was Superman/Clark Kent

Darby was a dead photographer...exciting huh?

Jaxon made his own costume...a mine craft character

Here is Jaxon with Caden...who is in the blue box!

Here are some of the kids in Jaxon's class. Jaxon is in the back..kind of looks like the 

computer right next to him!

Here are two photos of Melynn and her friend Tereza. They were zombie dolls! 

I think they look really creepy!!!

The night before Halloween Melynn carved the newest member of our family....meet Oscar. Oscar is dead now and is still sitting on the back porch! 

Sweden is ...s...l....o....w....l....y... embracing this crazy holiday. I heard that you may get a few kids come to your door the weekend before Halloween or the weekend after. The people at home will either turn them away or give them whatever they can find around the house....like fruit or something. But no one goes out and buys bags of candy because you probably won't have anyone come to your house and if you do it is only 2 or 3 kids.

We actually got a small group (I was out of town with Ashtyn) and Aaron did have some candy that he had bought for the kids so that group made out fine!

Our first snow!

Okay, so it didn't snow very much but it did snow! It was about 9pm on October 25th and the kids should have been getting ready for bed but instead they went downstairs to find their gear and went outside. Here are just a few pictures showing the kids all in smiles. 

I think they won't be smiling much by the time we hit February!

They made a super tiny snowman made out of snow and...leaves. :)

We love our Missionaries!

We like to have the missionaries over quite frequently. They are so much fun to have around! They bring a wonderful spirit into our home and I like that my children get a taste of what it is like to be a missionary and to interact with them. The sad part is that they are constantly being rotated around so just when you get close to a certain missionary then they get transferred again. We have met some wonderful young men! Another great thing is that most of them (because most seem to be American)  enjoy basic American food. They make me feel like I am the best cook in the world...

and I really am not!!!

Most recently, we had the missionaries over for dinner on Jaxon's birthday. Here is a photo of them. Aren't they adorable? 

From left to right (top photo)...Elder Carpenter, Kleis, Lamb and Thorman (next to Jaxon)

The missionaries never leave our home without a spiritual message. Elder Thorman gave the message this time and I really liked what he shared. 

He talked about 2 Nephi 26: 24-25.

It reads... He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation. Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price.

He then talked about all the things going on in the world and how we can easily get so wrapped up on current events, politics etc...He said that in the end, all of that is not that significant in the grand scheme of things. 

Heavenly Father has invited us all to come to him. To partake of something so precious and wonderful. And it is all free because our Savior has already paid the price.

Thank you Elder Thorman for a great message and a reminder of what is most important!

Elder Kleis is going home to Finland this month and Thorman and Carpenter are being transferred. Too bad for them they won't be over for Thanksgiving! We will miss them.

Jaxon's Birthday!

I can't believe it. My youngest is now in the double digits! 

A big 10 for my little guy now turned big guy Jaxon!!!

 We celebrated a couple days earlier with his best buddy here, Caden. We took the boys to play laser tag and had a sleep over. On Jaxon's actual birthday, which was a Sunday, we had the missionaries over for dinner where I fixed Jaxon's favorite meal....Baked Chicken. Dessert was Lava Cakes!

Here is a photo of one of our missionaries with Jaxon in his new ski helmet and goggles.

See next post about our wonderful missionaries!!!

Apples Apples Apples!

A few weeks ago I spent the day with my friend Veronica. One thing she needed to do that day was make applesauce. Here is a picture of my friend Veronica showing me how to make applesauce in her beautiful kitchen!

I showed her all the apples growing in my backyard and she got really excited! She told me of a place where I can take my apples and they will turn it to juice. So Veronica made a reservation for the following week and then she came over the day before that and we picked away!

We picked 205 kilos of apples....that is 450 pounds!

Ok...I have to admit...Veronica picked a lot more than me. Good job Veronica!

We went to a place called "Äppelfabriken". A cute place about an hour away from me.

Here is Veronica putting the apples through "the shoot".

It was a wonderful day and we brought home lots of juice.