Sommerferie in MI

Really where else can you find donuts in a handled box that require two bites to consume? Some great things really do come in small packages!




The kids look forward to hanging out with their dad at the Cabin in Atlanta every summer!




A place that the Danes could really appreciate!! Recycling married with Art


Benny's Saturday morning Pretzels




Ask anyone who lives, works, or owns a business in Saline and they're almost sure to tell you some variation of this thought: "We're a friendly, family-oriented town."

In Saline you'll find upscale shops, restaurants, and services - in and around our quaint, intimate downtown and surrounding our clean, safe neighborhoods - while enjoying natural beauty and room to roam on the city's rural edges.

About 9,400 people live within Saline's city limits. Another 20,000+ live in outlying areas within the Saline Area Schools district, renowned for its excellence. Housing values and household income are well above average for the state and country.

Saline is just a short drive from the world-class academic, cultural and sports attractions of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan. Downtown Detroit is only an hour away.

With all Saline has to offer, it’s no wonder CNN/Money Magazine once again named us one of the country's top 100 "Best Places to Live" out of more than 1,300 cities ranked.



Target...nothing like it really! All I can say it that the idea of wandering aimlessly after 2 o'clock on a Saturday will make us all feel a little giddy! :)


Briarwood Dollar Movies

Briarwood Mall (Parking lots 26 thru 30)
I-94 & State Blvd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
734-994-4670

$1.00 - All seats before 6pm
$1.75 - All seats at and after 6pm
$0.50 - All seats All Day Monday and Tuesday

Accepting Credit Cards


The kids and I came up with our list of things to dofor the summer...and thought you might like to know a little bit about the town that we actually moved from too!

Of course, the best part of the trip will be visiting with family and friends!!

Pretty is the queen that rules our land. ~Carrie Latet

Margrethe II Queen of Denmark























































There are a few moments that I can say I won't forget easily, being a few feet away from the Queen of Denmark is definitely one of those moments! YES, we are Americans, yes, the President is the Fearless leader of "our" country...but maybe that was why it was so extraordinary to witness the Queen of Denmark riding in a horse drawn carriage through Herning! Imagine being that close to The President of the United States!! It would never happen. It is a shame, because what we witnessed was pretty outstanding.
The crowds of school children, families, educators and senior citizens that lined the route the Queen would travel were smiling and laughing, and there was the sort of excitement in the air that you read about in books, but never really get to experience. It was really wild!

The wait was torture for the kids, but fortunately perfomers traveled from one part of the street to the other providing a temporary break from the waiting for all of the kids. In a few pictures you can see the reactions of the kids...Soph is not quite sure she likes the performers...but like a train wreck - she can't take her eyes off of them! SO funny!

Max and Andreas amuse themselves with Andreas' latest game on his PSP.

The rain came in about 10 minutes before the Queen arrived, but fortunately there was an equivalent to the Dollar Tree accross the street so I ran over and bought a few umbrellas...they were a big hit!

First came the black horses, then the white horses with trumpeters...and then... there SHE was! The lovely Queen of Demark, riding in a horse drawn carriage, just as it should be. It was the stuff of fairytales, and honestly we have all ranked the experience as one of the absolute best we have had since we moved to Denmark!


Sovereign: Margrethe II Queen of Denmark (Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark, April 16, 1940).
Daughter of Frederik IX King of Denmark (1899-1972) and Ingrid Princess of Sweden (1910-2000)
Succeeds her father Frederik IX King of Denmark (1899-January 14, 1972).
Inauguration: Christiansborg Castle, Copenhagen, Denmark, January 15th, 1972.
Motto: "Gud hjælp, Folkets kærlighed, Danmarks styrke" (Gods help, the love of the people, the power of Denmark).
Religion: Lutheran Evangelic. The Queen is head of the Danish Lutheran Evangelic Church.

Married (1967): Henri (Henrik) de Laborde de Monpézat (1934).

Titles:
The Queen is Her Majesty, Queen of Denmark. A male heir to the throne is Royal Highness, Crown Prince of Denmark. Queen Margrethe used to be styled as tronfølgeren (heir to the throne) and wasn't called Crown Princess. The children of the sovereign and of the heir to the throne are Royal Highness, Prince/Princess of Denmark. The other members of the royal family are Highness, Prince/Princess of Denmark. On 30 April 2008 it was announced that Queen Margrethe II has decided that her sons, their wives and children will get the titles Count and Countess of Monpezat (Greve/Grevinde/Komtesse af Monpezat), in addition to their existing titles. The title will pass on to future generations in male line.

Succession:
The throne is hereditary in male and female (since May 28, 1953) descendance of King Christian X. However in each generation the men have priority over the women. Marriages must have the approval of the sovereign and the parliament.
***That is the men HAD priority over the women until the year 2009!!! A change was just made within the last month to allow the first born child assume the monarchy...regardless of sex.

One girl, on two wheels

The hardest part of raising a child is teaching them to ride bicycles. A shaky child on a bicycle for the first time needs both support and freedom. The realization that this is what the child will always need can hit hard.
~Sloan Wilson












While Bailey and Max explored the East Coast of Denmark at camp,
Sophie took her turn "exploring" too... her newly "two-wheeled" bicycle. The main focus of her first attempts was balance. (Er, em after we lowered the seat a little! Poor lil babe is vertically challenged like her mom!)

She spent time pushing off and dropping her feet until she was sure that she had her emergency plan established. With that lesson under her belt, she began pedaling...and pedaling...and pedaling! Really, she didn't stop.

The most defining part of it all was that she did NOT want me to run beside her holding on. Not Sophie. She wanted to do it all by herself...and she did! She actually pointed out acceptable places for me to stand that were a good distance away from her while she practiced. Before I knew it...she was off. It was only after she was riding that she even allowed me to get closer, and then only on her left side a bit behind her.

The next sentance out of her mouth took my breath away, "Now, I don't need you anymore mom!", in the most proud tone I have ever heard her use!

Man, is this parenthood gig ever bittersweet! I shed just a few tears...without her knowing of course...and hope that she will always allow me to get "close enough" for the both of us! ;)

Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah

When I found out that the kids at Herning Friskole take a camping trip every year...initially the "kylling mor",in me or "chicken mom" in me was really nervous. How would the kids do, or would they feel cozy? But, I took my cues from the kids and kept my nerves to myself. They never hesitated and both Bailey and Max packed for the trip with enthusiasm! They had received sleeping bags as birthday gifts from Lydia and Svend, so in that respect they were totally ready, but rain gear was a necessary requirement, so off we went to collect supplies. Rubber boots, and rain pants and coats, and they were ready! The best part of the trip, was that Bailey's and Max's classes were attending the same camp at the same time! It couldn't have worked out better for their first class trip!

We packed snacks, some candy for cozy time and then they were off! The trip lasted for two nights and they returned on the third day. They had a great time, although I am not sure that there is any sand left on the beach where they visited, because Max came home with it in his ears, and all over his hair. Oh, and I won't even say a word about the condition of his feet! While Bailey came home telling tales of shooting bows better than any of the boys, and beach combing for shells.

All I can say is that this momma was happy to have her big kids home, although...while they were away...Sophie had a few of her own exciting "happenings"!

...But you will have to wait for those adventures til the next blog!

Bugs, a Beach and a Bonfire

We woke up to lovely GOOSE BEETLES covering our lawn. So being the crafty adults that we are, we came up with a brilliant idea...we would pay one danish crown for every bug that the kids collected. The idea itself was without flaw...pay the kids reduce the prospect of Goose Beetle eggs killing the lawn...the only problem then was that we underestimated the sheer number of BEETLES that our kids were capable of catching! Philip, Max, Sophie and Bailey each collected...are you ready??? OVER 200 hundred of the nasty creatures! To translate that into the American dollar think approximately 40 dollars a kid! We actually had to cap off a limit or the capitalistic nature of kids on a money mission would have broken the bank!
Fortunately for us...the requested entertainment of the day was going to the Beach. Thank goodness that was FREE!


We hung out for a mere 4 or 5 hours at the beach, the kids rejoicing about their new cash, and Finn and I still amazed that they had collected so many! But the weather was perfect and the beach was not crowded, so it was a really cozy day!













After arriving back home, we made a campfire, roasted snobrød and listened as the kids all shared their spooky ghost stories. It was really good fun! The funny part is that in Denmark we are experiencing about two hours more sunshine that in Michigan right now. So, believe it or not these pictures were taken after 9:30 at night!

Bailey looses a tooth...again

This event begins like many before with my oldest child...so why I was suprised when the dentist herself came barreling down the stairs a mere hour after bedtime is beyond me!

8:45 pm Bailey announces that she believes that she might have a loose tooth.
9:00 pm "Yep, looks like you are right honey, it is definitely loose. Now go to sleep and work on it in the morning", I say. "Yeah, right", she is secretly thinking.
10:02 pm Thud, clomp, thud. Truly there is NO ONE who can make noises like Bailey can on the stairs. I think to myself...here we go! Into the living room marches a triumphant Bailey. She is wielding her tooth like the Holy Grail itself, and tells us there was no turning back once she felt it wiggle.

This child is the most tenacious tooth extractor I have ever known. No days on end of wiggling and flipping a dangling tooth around. Nope, the moment a tooth moves a millimeter...it MUST be removed.

An Un-visit from Michigan

The gang on our trip to Germany

Bailey working on her class project
Amazed that Grandma and Papa are really here!


Dinner at Svend og Lydia's
Rhiannon our wonderful "barnepige" aka babysitter
Bailey and Sofie

Fuglesang lake. Max and Philip hammin' it up and Soph looking happy

Boats at Hvide Sande

















On April 26th, Finnie, the kids and I made the short trip to Billund Airport....to collect Grandma Sugar and Papa!!! We were all so excited! We could not believe that they were actually on their way to visit us! You see, a few weeks earlier I had randomly mentioned on this little internet network known as Facebook, that I wished my parents would visit. Not for one second did I believe that they would!! We had talked of them visiting Denmark during the Christmas season, or even Thanksgiving, but not once had we discussed the Spring of 2009! Yet there we were on our way to pick them up and introduce them to our new stomping grounds. (The short version is, after word got back to my parents about my little post, my mom got busy finding the best way to get to us!)




So after two flights and sans one lost piece of luggage, two weary but absolutely wonderful parents/grandparents arrived in Denmark! We planned very little for the first few days to give them a break and time to get acclimated, and then we were off! Prior to Grandma and Papa's arrival the kids had created a visit list of places that they wanted to take them too. The list in no order of importance: Their skole/school, the gå gade/the walking streets, The pølse vogen/the hot dog stand, Herning Mall, and Fuglesang Lake. In between naps we spent much of those first days checking off the places that the kids deemed most important. The kids took them to skole, where they met their teachers and friends. We went to Max's fødball game...where I might add we might actually have video of a goal that Max scored...that is if the camera woman (Grandma Sugar), managed to get it taped before swinging the camera in her haste to cheer him on! :)




We visited Hvide Sande, which literally translated means White Sands, the Prince's castle in Momhøj, and a German border town that I can't remember the name of right now. Mother's Day took us to Legoland, and later that day Grandma and Papa babysat while Finnie and I went to the Beyonce' concert. Yes, we were living large during their visit. There was no jewelry store left unexplored, no lottery left unplayed, and no shortage of love from everyone involved. We had dinner and coffee twice with Finnie's parents, once at Karin and Leo's, and many cozy or "hyggeligt" dinners at home. Grandma had brought the GOOD kind of corn tortillas and we feasted on true Mexicansk tacos...mmmm! The kids and I did our best to translate for everyone concerned, and at times it proved to be really hilarious! I spoke to my mom in Danish, Finnie in Spanish while Finnie spoke to his mom in English. All in all, I believe that we did and ok job, and that no one felt left out. At times Grandma said that her head hurt from all of the translating we were doing...she couldn't believe how much we understood and were speaking. Funny, because it is just something that we have become accustomed to doing. Especially when we are with Finnie's parents. The goal is always to make certain everyone is included. So what if they don't speak the language we are speaking to them in...right?? :) Papa, was amazed at the roads and driving. The cars that sped by in little or no space, and the multitudes of bikers. (not the Hell's Angels variety) We talked about the fact that many American vehicles would just be too big for the roads here. We talked about culture differences as well as things that they hadn't expected to be the same. The traditions and genuinely kind people. Put simply...we talked and talked and talked.



So really this unexpected visit turned out to prove 3 things, sometimes grandparents can be unpredictable, underestimated and quite honestly show unparalled love and affection for this "little" family on the other side of the not so big ocean!

Understandably...we await their next visit with eager anticipation!