A visit from "home"

Throughout my adult years, I've made many friends and been fortunate enough to keep a few really good ones despite our various trans-Atlantic moves. I can honestly say, though, that one of my best friends is my mom. And I really do think of her as a friend -- someone I want to know about, I care about, I worry about. Someone who knows I am always here for her, anytime, day or night. To talk, to chat, to laugh together, and sometimes to cry together. And I know that she's always there for me, and that she would be even if she wasn't my mom.

Friends take each other's quirks and silly ideas in stride, without judgement. So when I sent mom a quick email a month ago with the following contents...

Hi mom,

Just noticed that there are relatively cheap fares to Stockholm. For example, if you come April 3 and leave a week later, the price is ....

Wanna' come? We'd love to have you (and dad too, of course, if wants to come)!!!

love,

Me

...she didn't think I was totally bonkers. Instead, she booked a ticket, and less than a week later, I picked her up at the airport!

Stockholm was on its best behavior while she was here. Sunny spring arrived -- maybe on the same plane. After unpacking suitcases filled items from with my "I miss American products" wish list, we spent hours talking, wandering the city and just being "friends".

Mom got to spend some quality time with the boys (yes, that's a Swedish book. What can I say? My mom can do amazing things!).


We took her to the National Art Museum, where the boys enjoyed being silly and grandma told them stories about some of the paintings.


Nicholas, in particular, seemed to get to know her better on his own terms. She brought him his first set of crayons, which he doesn't have to share with his brothers, and he got right to work.


And she didn't mind reading the same lift-the-flap book to him over and over and over again.

This photo is from the morning she's heading back home, and you can see he really doesn't want her to leave!

Last, but certainly not least, Mom is an avid knitter and she brought me this stunning scarf. I am so touched and honored that she spent her precious time and energy on making something so beautiful for me.
I love you, mom.

One cool mom

Steen and I recently spent a weekend in Åre, a ski resort in northern Sweden. In addition to learning a great deal about my husband's amazing company, I got to try my hand at snowmobiling across the moonlike-landscape of northern Sweden.

Needless to say, I'm hooked!

And this has to make me one cool mom!

OK, I'll admit that Steen looks good too....

Nicholas's latest developments are:

1. Singing songs at the top of his lungs. Although they're beautiful, they're still in a language we don't understand.... but he cues us in as to when we should clap by clapping himself, so we are definitely good at fulfilling our audience duties.

2. Pointing at everything and saying "vroom, vroom"... never knew the trees made that sound!

3. Picking up one of his two play mobile phones, after which he yells "hi!" into it, starts to walk across the room, shaking his head and wiggling his but while he jabbers on with his imaginary friends.

4. Putting on his own hat while inside and racing around on his bike. Don't ask me how this got started because I have no idea!