We origninally created this blog with the intention of keeping our Michigan family updated on all of the ins and outs of our life in
Denmark, and have tried to share some of what we find interesting. The kids and I talk about what it is that they think the "Michiganders" might want to know, and hear about in their lives, and then I write about it. Then a change occured during the fall last year sometime, we added two new readers to our audience...Farmor and Farfar, hence the need to write in Danish too. While it isn't perfect, they can follow what we are doing, and get a chuckle every now and again at what it is exactly that we find so different here.
( The Spanish bit, really is just for my own conscience. That and with all of the Danish language study I was really afraid I would forget a language I learned simulateously with English.)
When I decided that I would write this post for me, I began looking back at the first series of pictures we have taken since blending our families together into one. I was shocked. Seriously, when you spend the average day in and out with your family, sometimes you miss the changes that occur right in front of you. Our children have changed dramatically. Take a look for yourself.
Not only have our children grown, but so has our family! We have been so fortunate to add Nanna to our family, and soon (as in less than 6 wks) we will have the wonderful addition of our first grandchild. We have seen him, via 3D imaging, and he is pretty spectacular. I am praying every day that things go smoothly to usher him out into the world and in his momma's arms safely! Daniel and Nanna are amazing and I couldn't be more proud of them throughout this transition!
The idea of being grandparents is one that we have warmed to pretty easily. In fact, we are all getting more excited by the day. Oh, and if you believe that we are excited, Sophie is certain she is going to be one of the world's best aunties. She wants us to check the record books to see if she is the youngest.
That and we can be certain to quelch any ideas that we plan on adding to our own brood - thank you very much. We already feel as though we have been blessed...more than enough! ;)
I know shortly after we moved I wrote a bit about our difficulties here, and some of the challenges we were faced with. Looking back, I am pretty amazed at what we have accomplished. We are in no way at any sort of finish line, thank goodness this isn't a race, but the obstacles we have overcome are pretty impressive. Let's face it, a blended family in itself can be difficult on its own. Let alone, attempting what we have, cultural differences, homesickness, language barriers, reduced shopping hours, that darned spice curry, and no pizza delivery! ( ok, so yeah, we have it...it is just...well, you guessed it - expensive!) The funny thing is that I remember thinking about the adage - that you are only given what you can handle, and thinking there must have been some kind of mistake.
So I might have been seen holding my breath and praying for the "normal" issues to start up. I couldn't wait to have "normal" problems. Things like bedtime disputes, unfinished homework, and missing toys that were last seen in the hands of someone other than their rightful owner, that was what I was hoping for. Which takes me to the second adage - be careful what you wish for! :) Seriously, though we have been so fortunate. Our children, genuinely care for one another. Max is always saying that one of the best things about Denmark is Philip, and how great it is that he has a brother to play with. And Philip keeps talking about Max being his "brother from another mother". Bailey seems to go back and forth between finding the boys amusing and finding them annoying. It honestly could change from one minute to the next. Ahhh, smells like normal to me. (I did wish for that right?)
You could actually say that adolescence is rearing its lovely head around Egebakken, and it is coming in full force! Philip is now officially taller than I am, Bailey will be by Fall, and Max, well, we will give him another year. There is music coming from all of the bedrooms simultaneously, with the exception of Scooby-Doo tunes from Sophie's room. It is...well, something. I actually asked Finn yesterday for a pair of yellow ear buds from work to buy myself another year or two of thinly veiled sanity.
If adolescence is in play here, so is young adulthood and all that goes with it. Simone finished her studies, and is taking a pretty standard sabbatical from any other studies. She has signed up to join the military, and will gain admittance in early 2011. It is a different prgram than that of the
United States, and requires significantly shorter terms of service. She simply wanted to see what she is made of. That I could tell you...Viking blood runs deep in that girl. Until then, she is working a daycare and waitressing by night. The plan is to save money,and take a celebratory world tour trip prior to her time in the service.
The youngest. Hmm, she is by far the toughest nut for me to crack. lol She is savvy beyond her years, yet in the next moment she can be soooo naive and innocent. She has been voted by her sibs as the most popular child in our family. She self professes to have no less than 12 good friends, most of whom enjoy playdates on a rotating basid. We literally average around three a week, not including the weekends! In fact the biggest issue is that I sometimes have to limit the amount of playdates she can have. She is slow to transitions, like her mother, but my goodness is she a fast study when she settles! One of the most challenging parts of my life right now, is to make certain that what my peanut is exposed to is age appropriate. Sigh. It must be a bummer to be the youngest! Thank goodness it also means she can have special time with mommy when the big kids watch a big kid movie!
Just look at Philip's and Bailey's faces!! Prov lige og kik på Philip og Bailey's ansigte!!
They have changed sooo much! De har vokset sooo meget!!
We all loved Chicago!
Can you believe I was that much taller than Philip?
Kan du tror at jeg var meget hojere end Philip?
The little girl who wasn't sleeping on the boat! Den lille pige som har ikke sovet på båd tur!
Vi startede denne blog med den ide at vores familie i Michigan kunne se vores daglig liv her i Danmark. Børnene og jeg snakke om hvad vi sygnes vores Michiganders har lyst og hør om vores liv og så skriver jeg om det. Den i den sidste styk efterår har vi haft en skift...fordi farmor og farmor også gernede læse vores blog. Fordi, er blog nu på begge sproger. Den spansk dele er kommet fordi jeg er så bekymret jeg skal glem min tredje sprog. Efter vi er begyndt dansk har jeg glemt mange ting på spansk!! Sådan er det klar jeg skulle øve den!
(Den spanske bit, er virkelig bare for min egen samvittighed. Dette og med alle de danske sprog-undersøgelsen blev jeg virkelig bange jeg vil glemme et sprog, jeg lærte simulateously med engelsk.)
Da jeg besluttede, at jeg ville skrive dette indlæg for mig, begyndte jeg ser tilbage på den første række af billeder vi har taget, siden blanding vores familier sammen til ét. Jeg var chokeret. Seriøst, når du bruger den gennemsnitlige dag ind og ud med din familie, undertiden du glip af forandringer, der sker lige foran dig. Vores børn har ændret sig meget. Tag et kig for dig selv.
Det er sand at vores børn vokset, men så har vores familie! Vi har været så heldig at tilføje Nanna til vores familie, og snart (som i mindre end 6 uger), vil vi have den vidunderlige tilføjelse af vores første barnebarn. Vi har set ham, via 3D visualiseringer!. Jeg beder hver dag, at tingene går fint på at indføre ham ud i verden og i hans modres arme sikkert! Daniel og Nanna er fantastiske, og jeg kunne ikke være mere stolt af dem i hele denne overgang!
Tanken om at blive bedsteforældre er noget, vi har varmet til temmelig nemt. Faktisk er vi alle bliver mere ophidset af dagen. Åh, og hvis du mener, at vi er glade for, Sophie er sikker, hun vil være en af verdens bedste tanter. Hun ønsker, at vi for at se i rekordbøgerne for at se om hun er den yngste.
Ja, Og vi kan være sikker på at stoppe nogen idéer, som vi planlægger at udvide vores egen yngel - mange tak. Vi har allerede føler det, som om vi har været velsignet ... mere end nok! ;)
Jeg ved kort efter vi flyttede jeg skrev en smule om vores vanskeligheder her, og nogle af de udfordringer, vi stod over for. Når man ser tilbage, er jeg så forbløffet over, hvad vi har udrettet. Vi er på ingen måde til enhver form for målstregen, hvor heldigt er det ikke en race, men de hindringer, vi har overvundet er temmelig imponerende. Lad os se det i øjnene, en blandet familie i sig selv kan være svært på egen hånd. Endsige et forsøg på, hvad vi har, kulturelle forskelle, hjemve, sprogbarrierer, nedsat åbningstider, at darned krydderi karry, og ingen pizza levering! (Ok, så ja, vi har det ... det er bare ... ja, du gættede det - dyrt!) Det sjove er, at jeg husker at tænke på talemåden - at du kun gives, hvad du kan håndtere, og tænker deres må have været en slags fejl!
Så jeg kunne have set bedrift min ånde og bede for det "normale" spørgsmål til at starte op. Jeg kunne ikke vente med at have "normale" problemer. Ting som sengetid tvister, ufærdige lektier, og mangler legetøj, blev sidst set i hænderne på andre end deres retmæssige ejer, det var hvad jeg havde håbet på. Som tager mig til den anden talemåden - være forsigtig med, hvad du ønsker! :) Helt ærligt, selv om vi har været så heldige. Vores børn, kan virkelig lige hinanden. Max er altid at sige, at en af de bedste ting ved Danmark er Philip, og hvor stor den er, at han har en bror at lege med. Og philip han siger at Max er hans bror fra en anden mor. Begge drenge synges det er super speciallet fordi Bailey kan lide at gemme sig i sit værelse aka. hule.
Ungdomsårene er opdræt sin dejlige hoved rundt Egebakken, og det kommer i fuld kraft! Philip er nu officielt større end jeg, vil Bailey ske ved efterår, og Max, ja, men jegvil vi give ham endnu et år. Der er musik fra alle af soveværelserne samtidig, med lytter af Scooby-Doo melodier fra Sophie's værelse. Det er ... ja, noget. Jeg faktisk spurgte Finn går til et par gule ørepropper fra arbejde for at købe mig et år eller to af min ...sanity?
Hvis ungdomsårene er omkring os, så er unge voksenliv, og alle, der går med det. Simone er blevet færdig med sine studier, og tager en sabbat år fra andre undersøgelser. Hun har tilmeldt at deltage i militæret, og vil få indrejse i begyndelsen af 2011. Det er en anderledes prgram end i USA, og det kræver meget kortere form af service. Hun ønskede blot at se, hvad hun er lavet af. Hvad jeg kunne fortælle dig ... Viking blod løber dybt i denne pige. (obs kvinde!) Indtil den tidspunkt arbejder hun en børnehave og tjener om aftenen. Planen er at spare penge og tage en højtidelige verdens tur.
Den yngste. Hmm, hun er langt den hårdeste møtrik for mig at knække. lol Hun er klog over hendes år, men i næste øjeblik kan hun være så naiv og uskyldig. Hun har været stemt ved hendes sibs som den mest populære barn i vores familie. Hun selv siger at have ikke mindre end 12 gode venner, hvoraf de fleste nyder virkelig hendes selskab. Faktisk det største problem er, at jeg nogle gange nødt til at begrænse hvor mange af playdates hun kan have. Hun er langsom til overgange, ligesom hendes mor, men min godhed er hun en fast undersøgelse, når hun flytter! En af de mest udfordrende dele af mit liv lige nu, er at gøre sikker på, at hvad min peanut er udsat for, er den rigtige aldersgruppe. AHH!! Det må være svert at være den yngste! Ja, men det betyder også, at hun kan have særlig tid med mor, når de store børn ser en stor knægt film!
Bailey still has a "lil girl" face here! ´Bailey har en "lille pige" ansigte i dette billede!
Yet, when all the meals have been made, tears wiped, dishes washed, arguments mediated, games played, movies watched, popcorn eaten, homework finished, school meetings attended, apartments cleaned, grills constructed, outdoor projects accomplished, language barriers crossed, baths given, sunburns treated, broken hearts mended... we are so grateful for every experience.
So happy to know that the daily life is good.
Men når alle måltider har blevet lavet, tårer tørres, fade vasket, argumenter medieret, spillede spil, film set, popcorn spist, lektier færdiget, skole forsamles, lejligheder rengøres, grill bygget, udendørs projekter realiseret, sprogbarrierer krydsede, bade givet, solforbrændinger behandlet, knuste hjerter lappede ... vi er så taknemmelige for hver erfaring.
Så glad for at vide, at hverdagen er god!
