tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81885734015977362882024-03-05T16:51:57.822-05:00mothership adventuresa family of 8 traveling in a 1991 airstream motorhome (& other tales)Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.comBlogger694125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-50525454045802357852016-12-31T17:02:00.000-05:002016-12-31T17:02:40.182-05:00Year 2016 RecapDespite falling off the blogging wagon a 'little' while ago, I am going to attempt a recap of our year, and include the missing fall months as well. It has been such a different year for us, being a little more stationary than usual, but that has been good, too. And we haven't been <i>that</i> stationary (wink).<br />
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To compare, you can read our Year Recaps here: <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-new-year-2011hyvaa-uutta-vuotta.html">2010</a>, <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2011/12/year-2011.html">2011</a>, <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2012/12/year-2012-recap.html">2012</a>, <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2013/12/year-2013-recap.html">2013</a>, <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2014/12/2014-recap.html">2014</a> and <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/12/year-2015-recap.html">2015</a>.<br />
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JANUARY 2016<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-4t8v9gg/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/January2016/i-4t8v9gg/0/L/DSC_1890-Edit-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We welcomed <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2016/01/happy-new-year-2016-hyvaa-uutta-vuotta.html">the new year in Maine</a>, and enjoyed snow and winter very much. We had a fun group of friends visit us from Australia, and while our teens had to fly back to Florida and their dual-enrollment classes, the Captain, little girls and I stayed up in Maine a little longer. We also visited with more of the Captain's side of the family.<br />
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My mom flew from Finland, and had a freezing time in Florida with our teens while we were still in Maine. Yes - it gets cold in Florida, too!<br />
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Then the Captain flew to Florida, and Little Miss, Mei Mei and I flew to San Diego, California! <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2016/02/mei-mei-meets-more-familylisaa-perhetta.html">Mei Mei got to finally meet my sister and her family</a>. My mom flew from Florida to my sister's house, too.<br />
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FEBRUARY 2016<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-xqFVHxT/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/February2016/i-xqFVHxT/0/L/DSC_4468-Edit-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Early February my sister and I attended a photography workshop with our other photographer friends (some have popped on this blog, too) near San Diego. This workshop had major influence on my photography 'career'. I almost gave up before starting, haha. But it was all so, so good. And I highly recommend this workshop (if interested, ask me!).<br />
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And then it was time to fly back to Florida. My mom came back with us. She was supposed to fly back to Finland a few days later, but we got to keep her a bit longer. We had a wonderful visit, even made it to <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2016/02/beach-momentsrantahetkia.html">the beaches</a>, and saw manatees. And she got to go to <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2016/02/across-countrymaan-halki.html">Missy's Rubik's cubing competition</a>.<br />
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MARCH 2016<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-qKDjn8T/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/March2016/i-qKDjn8T/0/L/DSC_6356-Edit-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Little Miss turned double digits! Yes, ten years old! <br />
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We (some of us, anyway) had a road trip to Atlanta, Georgia, for Mr. T's Debate Tournament. Mei Mei wasn't a fan of quietly watching the debaters, but she did love the pool at the hotel. We had a great trip! Another little road trip brought us back to St. Pete where we walked down Memory Lane (we so love St. Pete Beach!).<br />
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APRIL 2016<br />
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April brought us a cross-town move, which ended up being a lot more work than we anticipated! Instead of loading everything into a big truck, we made countless trips back and forth the two houses, and thought it would never end. <br />
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Our four dual-enrolled students had finals, too, and between those two events we were <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2016/04/goodbye-aprilhyvastit-huhtikuulle.html">barely alive</a> at the end of the month.<br />
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MAY 2016<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/May2016/i-CnWfs9j/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/May2016/i-CnWfs9j/0/L/DSC_5953-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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In May our older students still continued high school studies, and Little Miss and were racing to finish fourth grade. We were settling into our new home, and met <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2016/05/life-in-floridaelamaa-floridassa.html">many neighbors</a> (most of them had <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2016/05/armadillosvyotiaisia.html">four</a> or more legs, or none at all.....)<br />
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Mr. T traveled to debate nationals, and did fantastic! <br />
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Mei Mei had her cleft clinic in Tampa, and got a great report. Mr. A and mama both got glasses... The doctor prescribed me with 'fortyitis', as I needed reading glasses. <br />
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JUNE 2016<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/June2016/i-n5PNcW7/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/June2016/i-n5PNcW7/0/L/DSC_3174-Edit-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2016/06/mei-mei-turns-threemei-mei-on-kolme.html">Mei Mei turned three in June</a>! And started <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2016/07/potty-trainingkuivaksi-opettelua.html">potty training</a>. Mama used documentary photography as a survival mechanism.<br />
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The boys flew to Virginia, visited friends, and attended <a href="https://www.generationjoshua.org/GenJ/programs/igovern-leadership-camps/igovern-east">iGovern</a> - a camp by <a href="https://www.generationjoshua.org/">Generation Joshua</a>. The Captain, Missy, Little Miss, Mei Mei and Mama packed up the Mothership, and on our way up to Maine we picked the boys up.<br />
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The Mothership sadly had all kinds of trouble, and we <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2016/07/june-travelskesakuun-matkustelut.html">limped our way up to Maine</a> to our camp. But we made it in time to see the lupines! June is always <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2016/07/work-camptyoviikot-mokilla.html">full of work</a> at the camp, before our renters come. This time we also opened moving boxes from our move <span style="font-size: xx-small;">back in 2011</span>.<br />
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My photography business launched legally, but only with behind the scenes work.<br />
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JULY<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/Finland2016/i-wW9qjtV/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Finland2016/i-wW9qjtV/0/L/DSC_5777-Edit-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Early July Little Miss, Mei Mei and Mama had tickets to fly to Finland for a month. My sister was already there with her kids. We had a very special (if not completely crazy) time with our family. There was a wedding, too! The first nephew got married, and it was just a wonderful celebration. Other than the wedding in Helsinki, we stayed at my parents' summer place where I spent all my childhood summers, too. (Check Finland blog posts <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2016/08/finland-part-isuomi-osa-1.html">here</a>, <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2016/08/blueberry-picking-in-finlandmustikassa.html">here</a>, <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2016/10/summer-in-finland-part-2suomi-osa-2.html">here</a> and <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-sauna.html">here</a>.)<br />
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We celebrated having Mei Mei for one year!<br />
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Our teens attended <a href="https://www.summit.org/">Summit</a> in Colorado during July, and the Captain spent time in Maine and New Hampshire.<br />
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AUGUST <br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/August-2016/i-LLHVXZh/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/August-2016/i-LLHVXZh/0/L/0809campfire2-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Early August we all met at our camp in Maine again, and had wonderful visitors there, too. A fun time before our teens needed to head back to Florida to start their dual-enrolled classes.<br />
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SEPTEMBER<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/September-2016/i-rX2BW5X/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/September-2016/i-rX2BW5X/0/L/0917rockycoast-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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In September the little girls and I took a quick trip to Virginia to visit my sister and her family (she had moved from San Diego back to Virginia), and left all seven kids with my brother-in-law, as my sister and I attended another photography workshop:) <br />
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Our original plan had been to continue down to Florida, but we returned to Maine for the rest of the month. Little Miss and I started homeschooling, which was quite challenging, as our books were in Florida. <br />
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My <a href="http://www.storiesofjoyphotography.com/">photography website</a> went live, and I started booking documentary family sessions.<br />
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OCTOBER 2016<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/October-2016/i-DWzVxXK/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/October-2016/i-DWzVxXK/0/L/1025-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Hurricane Matthew! Our Florida home was in mandatory evacuation zone, so our teens secured our house with the help of a family friend, and left town. They had a great visit with St. Pete friends! When they got back to the house, we found out our downstairs level had flooded, and there was damage. It could have been so much worse, so we're thankful. <br />
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A few days later Little Miss, Mei Mei and I returned too. And we really have been busy with the house ever since. The Captain arrived about a week later, too.<br />
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Little Miss started a homeschool music class, and has enjoyed it tremendously. Mei Mei is very jealous.<br />
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NOVEMBER 2016<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/November-2016/i-FpV9Tdh/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/November-2016/i-FpV9Tdh/0/L/1129RV-2-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We had some fun travel in November. The Captain flew to New Hampshire, and picked up the Mothership, which was being repaired by our friend. Mr. A dropped Little Miss, Mei Mei and me off at a rental car office, and the three of us drove all day to Virginia, and made it to my sister's house! And a few days later the teens joined us, too. We cooked and baked together, enjoyed hanging out, and visited <a href="https://seaworldparks.com/en/buschgardens-williamsburg/christmastown">Busch Gardens Christmastown</a>. It was a nice break from working on the house and from schoolwork.<br />
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DECEMBER 2016<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2016/i-hBRhcJd/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/December2016/i-hBRhcJd/0/L/Abby10gotcha-2-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We had planned on going to Maine for Christmas, but with our Florida home still torn apart, we decided it really would be best to stay put and continue to work on it. We had some hope that it would be ready before Christmas, but no. Not before New Year's, either. (It was a tempting thought to go to Maine!) We did take two road trips, one to St. Pete and one to Orlando:)<br />
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All of us are enjoying a break from school work, which feels so wonderful. It was a very tough fall, and everyone felt the squeeze.<br />
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Our teenagers are now eighteen, and we also celebrated Little Miss' 10th Gotcha day, Adoption day, and mama's birthday. <br />
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We've had a quiet break, as our family has been hit with both head colds, and a tummy bug. All that will pass though, and we do count our blessings. <br />
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God is good. All the time.<br />
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<i>"Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever." Psalm 136:26<br /><br />"For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever." Psalm 117:2</i><br />
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<b>We wish you and your loved ones much joy and many blessings in the New Year of 2017. <br /><br />Hyvää ja siunattua uutta vuotta 2017 jokaiselle lukijalleni!</b>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-33608714689470032262016-10-28T22:56:00.002-04:002016-10-28T22:56:49.491-04:00The Sauna <a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/Finland2016/i-wgDj44X/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Finland2016/i-wgDj44X/0/L/DSC_7970-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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The sauna culture is big in Finland. When I first brought my American boyfriend to our summer cabin in Finland (way back when), he found out my parents had three different types of saunas at the cabin, and one outhouse. Yes. You read that correctly.<br />
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They now have, in addition to the three saunas and one outhouse, two indoor bathrooms.<br />
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So, naturally, I needed to write one blog post of our Finland summer, devoted to the sauna, alone. <br />
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The one in the picture above, is my favorite sauna in the whole world. It was built by grandfather. It now belongs to my older sister's family, and we warmed it up almost every single day while we were in Finland. Since this was my grandparents' sauna, my parents have one attached to their cabin as well. Later they built one with a bedroom closer to the shore, and they also added an electric one to their new cabin next door.<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/Finland2016/i-t5Wsgnh/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Finland2016/i-t5Wsgnh/0/L/DSC_9272-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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This sauna is a wood burning sauna, so you need to start by getting enough wood to heat up the stove, and the hot water barrel.<br />
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You can pump water for washing (there are showers at the other cabins, but we prefer the old way of washing from basins in the sauna) either from the lake, or from the well. We usually used well water. One person would pump the water by the hand pump, and one person would make sure the water at the other end of the hose would make it to the hot water barrel and the cold water bucket.<br />
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My sister and I would take turns at the "job" of heating up the sauna. Usually the other person would keep an eye on the seven kids, so you can see how we had to take turns. You needed to build and feed the fire under the stove, as well as under the hot water barrel.<br />
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And then you'd wait. Sometimes in blissful quietness. Sometimes, not.<br />
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In the very first photo of this blog post my dad is making vihtas, and in this photo Mei Mei is in the sauna holding one. I persuaded her to smell the vihta, made from birch branches, but she wasn't a fan of whacking herself with it, which is what we native Finns do. Why? It feels good!<br />
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And don't forget to throw water on the stove to make the sauna all hot and steamy. No dry saunas for the Finns! Some people prefer the temps hot, like around 250F, but I personally like it when it's around 150F, then it's the best for throwing water on the stove.<br />
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When you get too hot, you go for a dip in the lake, and/or sit outside, typically sipping a beer (I'm a rare Finn, and don't like the taste of it, my choice was a can of grapefruit cider). And repeat. And repeat. And stop reluctantly once you absolutely have to go put your little ones to bed.<br />
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(The towel around Mei Mei is purely for the photo's sake, I knew I wanted to blog about the sauna eventually.)<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/Finland2016/i-sfN7txN/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Finland2016/i-sfN7txN/0/L/DSC_9383-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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While my youngest little Chinese girl enjoyed sitting in the sauna, she definitely enjoyed bathing outside the sauna in a tub, much better. All the littles love it. And for the bigs, there is now a wooden barrel, a 'hot tub', too! Heated by wood, of course. You can see a glimpse of it in the very first photo.<br />
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After the sauna, you feel so relaxed, warm and clean. It is a big part of being in Finland, and being a Finn. <br /><br />I already miss it.<br /><br />********************************************************************************<br /><br /><i>Halusin kirjoittaa ja kuvata suomalaista saunakulttuuria, mutta taidan jättää tämän postauksen vain englanniksi. Eiköhän me suomalaiset ymmärretä saunomista, ilman, että käännän tekstin suomeksi.<br />Ja kyllä, me tarvitsemme ehdottomasti saunan Mainen mökillemme. Rakas mieheni rakennutti saunan New Hampshiren kotiimme, eli eiköhän se saada Maineenkin joku päivä. Floridassa saunaa ei kaipaa ihan samalla lailla:)</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-67000743668851374532016-10-04T21:47:00.002-04:002016-10-04T21:47:26.176-04:00Summer in Finland, Part 2/Suomi, osa 2<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/Finland2016/i-dXvzkz8/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Finland2016/i-dXvzkz8/0/L/DSC_7472-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />I've had these photos here weeks now, waiting for the text, which does not seem to appear on their own. So. I decided to let the pictures speak for themselves, and hit publish, so I can keep going on our summer posts.<br /><br />Most of our Finland trip we spent at my parents' cabin where I spent all my childhood summers. It is so sweet to see my girls doing so many of the special things I did with my siblings and cousins. And my little girls got spend this time with their cousins, too. This place is precious!<br /><br />
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<br />Seven of our parents' youngest grandchildren all in the same frame - documentary style! The sand pile was a favorite hangout spot!<br />
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<br />I took one half day trip to my parents' house in Seinäjoki to run some errands. I just love seeing my littlest sitting in my parents' retro kitchen chairs - same ones my mom sat when her water broke - with me.<br />
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<br /><br />I have one or two more picture posts from Finland, then we'll move onto Maine:)<br /><br />**************************************************************************************<br /><br /><i>Suomikuvia vielä, tämänkin jälkeen on tulossa yksi tai kaksi postausta, ennen kuin jatkamme Mainen puolelta. Yksi kuvista on Seinäjoelta, kävin äidin ja Mei Mein kanssa siellä pyörähtämässä yhtenä päivänä, kaikki muut kuvat ovat mökiltä - samalta paikalta missä itse olen kesäni viettänyt sisarusten ja serkkujen kanssa, ja nyt nämä ihanat kiinalaiset pikkutyttöni saivat olla samassa paikassa omien serkkujensa kanssa. Mansikkapaikka!</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-27310236389256153942016-08-18T02:00:00.000-04:002016-08-18T02:00:16.897-04:00Blueberry Picking in Finland/Mustikassa Suomessa<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/Finland2016/i-7NHpSpM/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Finland2016/i-7NHpSpM/1/X2/DSC_7186-Edit-X2.jpg" /></a>
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We were in Finland just as blueberries started to ripen. Yum! Mumma headed to the woods with some of the grandchildren to gather enough berries for a blueberry pie.<br />
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The forests in Finland are so beautiful. <br />
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Mei Mei learned to love blueberries in Finland.<br />
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I don't think Mei Mei saved any berries for pie, but fortunately there were other pickers, too.<br />
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The wild Finnish blueberry grows low, and not in bunches like in Maine fields.<br />
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<br /><br />Ummm, maybe the pie berries all were picked up by Mumma, and not by the helpers....<br /><br />
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<br /><br />Yes, yes it was. Delicious. (We did find that the Finnish honey tasted stronger, so next time we'll use a little less than <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2011/09/all-those-blueberrieskaikki-mustikat.html">this recipe</a> calls for.)<br /><br /><br />**************************************************************************************<br /><br /><i>Tottahan sitä piti mustikassa käydä Suomessa ollessa! Kaunis on suomalainen metsä, ja suloisia pikkupoimijoita meillä oli mukana:) Piirakkakin maistui herkulliselta, tosin kävi ilmi, että suomalainen hunaja on voimakkaamman makuista, joten ensi kerralla sitä vähemmän kuin <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2011/09/all-those-blueberrieskaikki-mustikat.html">tässä reseptissä</a>.</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-6950208390108663862016-08-16T22:20:00.002-04:002016-08-16T22:20:18.457-04:00Finland, Part I/Suomi, osa 1<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/Finland2016/i-bFPdPqb/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Finland2016/i-bFPdPqb/0/L/0719B-L.jpg" /></a>
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Little Miss, Mei Mei and I went to Finland this summer to see family. My younger sister, who lives in the US also, had already arrived with her five children (nine and under), so when we came, our parents' summer cabin was full of life - the cousins' ages are 10, 9, 8, 6, 3, 3 and 1. <br />
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We lived as total hermits (with our army of small people) almost the entire time. Our only outings were to the grocery store, a half a day trip to Seinäjoki (where our parents' home is), and one funeral which I attended with my mom.<br />
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There was one big trip while we were in Finland, but more on that later:)<br />
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While in Finland, we celebrated Mei Mei's first Gotcha Day! <br />
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<br /><br />We really had a crazy, wonderful visit! It is hard to live so far away, but we do treasure these times together with family. While we were in Finland, the Captain and our teens spent time in Maine, New Hampshire and Colorado. <br /><br />I will let the photos speak for themselves, and will post a few more in another post. <br /><br />************************************************************************************<br /><br /><i>Heinäkuun alussa lensin Suomeen Pikkuneidin ja Mei Mein kanssa noin kuukaudeksi. Kapteeni ja teinit jäivät Maineen, kävivät New Hampshiressä, ja teineillä oli kahden viikon leiri Coloradossa.<br /><br />Me suuntasimme saman tien vanhempieni mökille, jossa odotti myös siskoni Usasta viiden lapsensa kanssa. Meillä oli siis tätä pikkuväkeä mökillä seitsemän, eli pieni armeija! Pikkuneiti on 10, siskoni pojat 9 ja 8, siskontyttö 6, meillä molemmilla on 3-vuotiaat, ja pikkuisin vasta 1 1/2 vuotias siskontyttö. Vilinää riitti! Ja ääntä! Eikä koskaan käynyt aika pitkäksi... (Ainakaan meiltä aikuisilta, heh heh.)<br /><br />Mökillä me olimmekin ihan miltei koko ajan. Yksi iso reissu oli, siitä lisää toisessa postauksessa. Seinäjoelle teimme puolen päivän reissun pienellä porukalla, kuin myös hautajaisiin Virroille äidin kanssa lähdin kahdestaan. <br /><br />Ihanaa oli olla rakkaiden luona, rakkaassa paikassa. Vaikeaa on asua näin kaukana, mutta kovin kiitollisia olemme näistä yhteisistä ajoista. <br /><br />Lisää seuraavassa postauksessa:)</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-14402118045764625732016-07-18T16:38:00.001-04:002016-07-18T16:38:44.822-04:00Potty Training/Kuivaksi opettelua<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/PORTFOLIO/i-bBBgW8d/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/PORTFOLIO/i-bBBgW8d/0/O/CA_07171612311844.jpg" /></a>
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When our quadruplets were little, I remember potty training being one of the hardest phases of parenting. It was so traumatic, in fact, I had made the Captain promise we wouldn't have any more children.<br />
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Eventually the quads started a full day kindergarten, and I forgot quite how horrific potty training was. <br />
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I was ready for another child.<br />
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When Little Miss was little, I decided not to potty train her. I'd wait until she was in 2nd grade and was begging for underwear.<br />
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Little Miss, however, always thought she was as old as her siblings (seven years older), so she trained herself at the age of two to use the potty. Truly with very little help from mama.<br />
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And Mei Mei? Well, as an older mom this time around, I knew not to rush things, but at the same time, *I* was ready for her to be done with diapers. At about 2.5, we started reading potty books and watching potty videos. <br />
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She would happily sit on the potty, but no results.<br />
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For months.<br />
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The day before her third birthday she decided she was ready. Yay! It has taken her about a month to be completely day trained, and we still use a pull-up for the night (just in case), but she is finally done with the diapers!<br />
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Even during RV travels.<br />
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Even during flying.<br />
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Even at the summer house in Finland using an outhouse! <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Fortunately our cabin does have a real bathroom, too.)</span><br />
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PS. A couple of our favorite potty resources are Sally Lloyd-Jones' book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Skip-Loo-Darling-Potty-Book/dp/0763672343/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1468788429&sr=8-3&keywords=sally+lloyd">Skip to the Loo, My Darling</a> and Signing Time DVD <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Potty-Time-Rachel-Azevedo-Coleman/dp/B006H6HG62/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468788497&sr=8-1&keywords=signing+time+potty">Potty Time</a>. <br />
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<br /><i>Mei Mei on vihdoin oppinut kuivaksi tämän kesän aikana (housuvaippa on vielä yöllä käytössä). Jee!<br /><br /> Neljän taaperon kanssa se oli niin traumaattista, että sain Kapteenin lupaamaan, ettei meille tule enää lapsia. Kun neloset aloittivat kokopäiväisen eskarin, olin unohtanut kaameasta vaiheesta tarpeeksi, niin että olin valmis uudelle pikkuiselle. Pikkuneiti liittyi adoption kautta perheeseemme, mutta vannoin, etten koskaan opeta hänelle pytyllä käyntiä. Hän saa tulla anelemaan pikkuhousuja tokaluokkalaisena, koska kaikilla muillakin ystävillä on jo... Noh, Pikkuneiti päätti itse opetella kuivaksi 2-vuotiaana, koska hän on aina uskonut olevansa yhtä vanha kuin isosisaret (seitsemän vuoden ikäro).<br /><br />Mei Mein kanssa taas äiti on ollut valmiimpi jo jättämään vaipat, niinpä olemme harjoitelleet jo kuukausia - ilman mitään tuloksia. Kunnes päivää ennen 3-vuotissynttäreitä tyttö päätti alkaa käymään pytyllä. Ja nyt onneksi onnistuu niin kotona kuin asuntoautossa, lentokoneessa ja tarpeen tullen myös hyyskässä!</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-1641834188700856862016-07-16T15:03:00.000-04:002016-07-16T15:03:02.529-04:00Work Camp/Työviikot mökillä<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/June2016/i-wmsxctz/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/June2016/i-wmsxctz/0/L/DSC_4002-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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<br />Every summer as we arrive, we do our spring cleaning and get the camp ready for summer rentals. This year we had extra work as we finally went through the boxes from our 2011 move from New Hampshire. <br /><br />We definitely had more work than play at our camp this June (as usual), but it was more fun to take photos of our times off. <br />
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<br />Hard work! We were under a tight schedule again, as I (Sennie), had tickets to fly to Finland in early July with Little Miss and Mei Mei. <br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/June2016/i-V2JThZQ/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/June2016/i-V2JThZQ/0/L/DSC_3865-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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I'm constantly amazed at how brave Mei Mei is! She would come with me every day for my morning swim, and even when the water was so cold it would take your breath away, she would take a dip with me. She also loved our water trampoline! The boys would give her rides in a kayak, and she would jump up and down out there as long as she was allowed to.<br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/June2016/i-pLgh2xV/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/June2016/i-pLgh2xV/0/L/DSC_4662-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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<br /><br />And the lupines... My favorite Maine flower. So glad the girls would oblige and let me take photos of them on the field!<br /><br />We love our time in Maine!<br /><br />*****************************************************************************************<br /><br /><br /><i>Kesäkuun viikot Mainessä olivat työntäytteisiä, vaikka valokuvista ehkä saakin eri kuvan. Oli vaan kivempi ottaa kuvia tauoilla, kuin työnteossa:) Meillä oli jokavuotista kevätsiivousta ja mökin vuokrakuntoon laittamista, mutta myös muuttolaatikoiden läpikäymistä. Vihdoin. Näin kauan kesti, ennen kuin saimme vuoden 2011 viimeiset muuttolaatikot tyhjättyä! Kovaa työtä oli. Mutta onneksi saimme myös uitua ja kuvattua lupiinipeltoja. <br /><br />Mainessa on aina ihana olla.</i><br />
Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-90117341631062666112016-07-14T03:07:00.000-04:002016-07-16T15:03:12.428-04:00June Travels/Kesäkuun matkustelut<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/June2016/i-Znhnbjn/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/June2016/i-Znhnbjn/0/L/DSC_1357-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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<br />
Florida was beautiful in June! We might be getting used to the heat and humidity a little, as it really wasn't as horrible as we had thought before. Confession: we've never stayed in Florida past the first days of June. But, as beautiful as it was, it was time for us to head north.<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/June2016/i-pMnc83N/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/June2016/i-pMnc83N/0/L/DSC_3729-L.jpg" /></a>
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<br />
We packed the girls in the Mothership, and started our trip up. <br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/June2016/i-qmwFtS4/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/June2016/i-qmwFtS4/0/L/DSC_3248-Edit-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<br />
We had four stops on our way up to Maine. The first one was a necessary
boondocking stop in Florida as we had left pretty late on our departure
day. The second stop was a fun surprise for Mei Mei - we met up with
friends from our Florida church, and their little girl is one of Mei
Mei's best friends! Although I'm not sure if she realized how strange it
was to bump into them at a campground in Virginia.... <br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/June2016/i-9J4F6NM/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/June2016/i-9J4F6NM/0/L/DSC_3483-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Our third stop was to pick up our boys from Virginia! They had attended camp with a friend, and we all had a chance to visit a little. <br />
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It was good to have a full Mothership, again. <br />
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Although, we did have a little problem... Or two...<br />
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<br />
So our fourth stop was in Pennsylvania at our friends' house. Mr D got
the generator working properly again by changing the oil, and our
friends found someone to help the Captain with an issue with the
Mothership headlights.<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/June2016/i-k2KBtFk/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/June2016/i-k2KBtFk/0/L/DSC_3825-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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We made it to Maine while lupines were still blooming! <br />
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Happiness.<br />
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<i>Kesäkuussa ajoimme asuntoautolla Floridasta Maineen. Neljä pysäkkiä piti tehdä, eka vielä Floridassa myöhäisen lähdön takia, ja ihan nukuimme tien varressa. Toka oli Mei Meille kiva yllätys, tapasimme ystäviä Floridan kirkosta leirintäalueella Virginiassa. Heidän nuorimmaisensa on yksi Mei Mein parhaimmista ystävistä. En kyllä tiedä ymmärsikö Mei Mei kuinka outoa on tavata heidät toisessa oasvaltiossa leirintäalueella??<br /><br />Kolmas pysäkki oli myös Virginiassa, haimme pojat ystävien luota heidän leirinsä jälkeen, ja neljäs pysäkki oli Pennsylvaniassa, kun Mothership-asuntoauto tarvitsi vähän hellää hoitoa <strike>taa</strike>s. Lopulta pääsimme Maineen, ja lupiinit kukkivat vielä. Ihanuus!</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-35127939743774364232016-06-10T20:16:00.001-04:002016-06-10T20:16:36.580-04:00Mei Mei Turns Three/Mei Mei on kolme-vuotias!<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/June2016/i-9Cj6GbC/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/June2016/i-9Cj6GbC/0/L/DSC_1247-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />And now she is three. On her second birthday, Mei Mei was still in China. We had cake anyway. But it wasn't the same. Our hearts were yearning to be with our little girl, and each delay was so painful. And now, here she is. Beautiful, spunky, so full of life and joy. We are so blessed.<br /><br />
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<br /><br />Happy Birthday, sweet one. You are so loved.<br /><br />
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<br /><br />She loved her Peppa Pig gifts, and her Petite Feet ballet dvd (thank you, Grandma and Grandpa!). She is mesmerized by the dance instructor, and is so adorable as she tries to do the ballet moves. We have a little ballerina!<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/June2016/i-qWzT7JF/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/June2016/i-qWzT7JF/0/L/DSC_1375-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />Good thing we've celebrated all week - on her actual birthday she decided to try using the potty, and stayed dry for most of the day (evening was another story). A very appropriate way to celebrate a 3-year birthday! In the bathroom;)<br />
<br />
I had hoped to do an update on her cleft clinic visit, but I haven't gotten the report yet. We think we are now doing annual check-ups, but we'll see once we get the report. The surgeon said her palate looks good, and the speech pathologists said she should be able to make sounds now that she isn't making. She needs a full speech evaluation, and we'll be starting speech therapy in the fall. No surgeries in the near future, probably nothing for another three years, or so.<br /><br />**********************************************************************************<br /><br /><i>Mei Mei on kolme-vuotias! Onneksi juhlimme koko viikon, sillä synttäripäivänsä neiti päätti viettää vessassa! Täällä on ollut hyvin hidasta kuivaksi oppiminen, mutta nyt onnisti, ja niinpä sitten harjoiteltiin koko päivä:)<br /><br />Ihanaa oli viettää syntymäpäivä yhdessä. Ensimmäinen. Mielessä oli Pienin edelleen tuo paljon iloa ja hyvää mieltä jokaiselle ympärillään, hän on niin täynnä elämää. (Paitsi juuri päiväuniltaan heränneenä, heh.) Olemme onnekkaita ja siunattuja, kun saimme Mei Mein perheeseemme!<br /><br />Halusin päivittää blogiin halkioklinikan uutisia, mutta edelleen odotan raporttia klinikalta. Kirurgin mielestä kitalaki näyttää loistavalta. Puheterapeuttien mukaan tiettyjen äänteiden pitäisi onnistua, mutta Mei Mei ei käytä niitä vielä. Syksyllä alkaa puheterapia. Tiedossa ei onneksi ole uusia leikkauksia, mahdollisesti seuraava(t) vasta noin kolmen vuoden kuluttua.</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-18688735856993430672016-05-10T22:47:00.001-04:002016-05-10T22:47:29.519-04:00Armadillos/Vyötiäisiä!<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/May2016/i-JgwSZpr/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/May2016/i-JgwSZpr/0/L/DSC_5869-L.jpg" /></a>
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<br />One day last week on my way out of the house I saw two little armadillos on our lawn, but as soon as they noticed me, they scurried off to the bushes, and I didn't even get a picture. <br />
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But I knew they were around, so I was more ready the next time we saw them, just a few days ago.<br />
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<br /><br />Armed with my long lens for keeping a safe distance I zoomed in and kept clicking. At some point they noticed us, but must have realized we weren't going to bother them, so they kept digging for grubs and worms.<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/May2016/i-CnWfs9j/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/May2016/i-CnWfs9j/0/L/DSC_5953-L.jpg" /></a><a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/May2016/i-n2t4m78/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/May2016/i-n2t4m78/0/L/DSC_5979-L.jpg" /></a>
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<br /><br />At first we thought there were only two of them, but a third one appeared, too. Adult armadillos grow to be about a size of a cat. These were definitely young ones.<br /><br /><a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/May2016/i-8PLzjgT/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/May2016/i-8PLzjgT/0/L/DSC_5921-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />They were so neat to watch. And of course we had to google Florida armadillos, and found out some extraordinary things.<br /><br />Mama Armadillo gives birth to identical armadillos every time. Boom.<br /><br />They are almost blind, but have a very keen sense of smell.<br /><br />When threatened, not only can they roll into a tight ball, but they can jump straight up into air four or five feet. Yikes!<br /><br />They are not native to Florida, but can be found almost anywhere, and they can be quite the pests, digging up the lawn. <br /><br />Armadillos can carry - are you ready for this - <a href="http://naturalsociety.com/armadillos-spreading-leprosy-in-florida/">leprosy</a>....!!!!!! Yes, I had no idea. Pretty horrible. As much as we enjoyed watching our little visitors, they can go away now.<br /><br />To read more, click <a href="http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/mammals/land/armadillo/">here</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2016/05/life-in-floridaelamaa-floridassa.html">Another</a> Life In Florida experience!<br /><br />*********************************************************************************<br /><br /><i>Meillä oli taas erikoisia vierailijoita pihassa!! Vyötiäisiä. <a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vy%C3%B6ti%C3%A4iset">Täältä</a> voi lukea lisää. Niin mielenkiintoista kun olikin seurata heitä, vyötiäiset levittävät lepraa, eli spitaalitautia. Riski on pieni, etenkin jos emme käsittele (tai kokkaa/syö! heh), eli en ole kovin huolissani, mutta saisivat kyllä löytää uuden asuinalueen, varsinkin kun sain nämä kuvat otettua, heh heh. Mielenkiintoista oli oppia, että vyötiäisemo saa aina neloset! Me ei nähty neljättä, eikä mammaa, ehkäpä he olivat viettämässä laatuaikaa kahdestaan ;-)<br /><br />Elämää Floridassa!</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-47854148925808087662016-05-07T15:30:00.001-04:002016-05-07T15:30:53.478-04:00Life In Florida/Elämää Floridassa<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/May2016/i-xX2cQDW/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/May2016/i-xX2cQDW/0/L/DSC_5586-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />For a gal who grew up in Finland, and then lived in New England for years and years, life in Florida continues to delight and <strike>freak out</strike> surprise. For the most part I/we really enjoy seeing the wild life around us, and as homeschoolers we take these opportunities to find out more about what we see. <br /><br />Having baby raccoons at our Fort Desoto campsite was such an exotic experience (if I find the post, I'll link it later), and we love spotting <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2016/02/beach-momentsrantahetkia.html">manatees</a> (and <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2013/09/swimming-with-manateesmanaatit.html">swimming with them</a>!), <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2013/10/bon-voyage-little-loggerhead.html">turtles</a> and dolphins. Seeing the <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2013/11/beached-whale-in-madeira-beach.html">sick whale</a> washed up in Madeira Beach was sobering, yet an interesting experience - first time for me to see a whale!<br /><br />Seeing snakes on our second floor deck was not a delightful discovery, at all. There will be no pictures of those creatures on our blog (and not of big hairy eight-legged creatures either, thank you very much). And yes, there have been more than one snake. Shudder. But apparently they are the good kind, locals tell me. <br /><br />Anyway, let's move on. I'd rather post a cute picture of Mei Mei on the deck.<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/April2016/i-GbRVdxP/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/April2016/i-GbRVdxP/0/L/DSC_5504-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />A week ago Little Miss was collection recycling and trash from the garage, when something made her jump. She quickly got Mr A to help investigate (and when I heard the commotion I showed up with my camera and long lens - of course - I knew I probably wouldn't want to get too close to whatever was in the garage.)<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/April2016/i-66Jq75F/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/April2016/i-66Jq75F/0/L/DSC_5517-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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<br /><br />It was a crab! And not a small one either. Little Miss and Mr A decided to rescue it. It took quite a bit of coaxing and work to catch this creature, but they did it!<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/April2016/i-TQRNcH9/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/April2016/i-TQRNcH9/0/L/DSC_5531-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/April2016/i-fQnc6wg/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/April2016/i-fQnc6wg/0/L/DSC_5542-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />I followed my two crazy, brave kids to the river where they had decided to release the crab.<br /><br />
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<br /><br />Happy crab. Happy kids. Happy mama.<br /><br />There will be a part two to this post - we got to see yet something new yesterday in our yard.<br /><br />******************************************************************************************<br /><br /><i>Suomalaisena, joka asui vuosikausia Uudessa Englannissa (Usan koillisosaa), elämä täällä Floridassa jaksaa kiehtoa ja kauhistuttaa. Kaikenlaisia eksoottisia otuksia on tullut nähtyä, eilenkin jotain uutta, josta seuraavaksi tulee blogiin kuvia. Mutta tämä rapu löytyi autotallistamme viime viikolla, ja rohkeat Mr A ja Pikkuneiti kävivät sen pyydystämässä ja päästämäss vapaaksi. Hullut ja rohkeat:) Minä seurasin kameran ja pitkän objektiivin kanssa, heh:)</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-85227400534859349152016-04-30T14:57:00.000-04:002016-04-30T14:57:14.999-04:00Goodbye, April/Hyvästit huhtikuulle!<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/April2016/i-SkpPNWF/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/April2016/i-SkpPNWF/0/L/DSC_2539-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />April. <br /><br />April brought finals for our four dual enrolled college students. <br /><br />April brought a cross-town move, too. (Which is surprisingly a ton of work! And we aren't done, yet.)<br /><br />
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So we are tired. Really tired. Fall asleep sitting up tired.<br /><br />But only Mei Mei looks cute enough for photos when tired. (You're welcome.)<br /><br /><br />*******************************************************************************************<br /><br /><br /><i>Huhtikuu toi mukanaan teinien college kevätlukukauden päätöskokeet (joo, täällä loppui college lukukausi aikaisin - lukio ei vielä), sekä muuton kaupungin toiselle puolelle. Mikä on edelleen kesken. Täällä on aika väsynyttä porukkaa. Vain Mei Meistä on söpöjä kuvia väsyneenä:)</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-65173874748404096972016-03-31T10:35:00.001-04:002016-03-31T10:35:39.427-04:00Daddy, Mei Mei, Mini & Mothership<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/CarWashers/i-JnkCfNK/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/CarWashers/i-JnkCfNK/0/L/DSC_7933-L.jpg" /></a>
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Daddy had a great helper in giving the Mini Mothership (and the Mothership!) a bath the other day.<br />
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<br />Washing vehicles is serious work!<br />
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<br /><br />Or is it? I think I saw a twinkle in the Captain's eyes....<br /><br />
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<br /><br />All is well again. <br /><br />
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<br /><br />Working together is so special.Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-54859764218642793732016-03-29T15:25:00.000-04:002016-03-29T15:25:06.277-04:00March Photos/Lisää kuvia maaliskuulta<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-NzkRtmH/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-NzkRtmH/0/L/DSC_6262-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />One thing that has kept this mama busy this month has been photography classes. I am feeling a tug toward family documentary style photography, and watched Kirsten Lewis' both classes on CreativeLive (links here to <a href="https://www.creativelive.com/courses/family-photography-modern-storytelling-kirsten-lewis">class 1</a> and <a href="https://www.creativelive.com/courses/family-photography-photojournalism-home-kirsten-lewis">class 2</a>). Which of course has led into practicing what I am learning (most of these photos in this post) , and taking steps into starting my own photography business in that genre. <br /><br />Enjoy these little moments from this past month!<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-qKDjn8T/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-qKDjn8T/0/L/DSC_6356-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-5hvVPnm/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-5hvVPnm/0/L/DSC_6414-Edit-L.jpg" /></a><a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-R426B3N/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-R426B3N/0/L/DSC_6443-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-K4XFvj5/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-K4XFvj5/0/L/DSC_7473-L.jpg" /></a><a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-b4WcNDJ/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-b4WcNDJ/0/L/DSC_7537-L.jpg" /></a>
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<br /><br />And a little story from this last photo... Mei Mei has had this little baby doll she has carried everywhere with her for months. Baby came with us to Atlanta, too. But Baby didn't come back from Atlanta. We somehow, somewhere lost her beloved Baby. On the car ride back when she'd ask for her Baby, I'd tell her I wasn't sure where Baby was, but I'd look in our luggage at home. Mei Mei was ok with that. We get home - no Baby.<br /><br />I did, however, have a little Bitty Baby waiting in the closet for her birthday, and decided this was the day to give it to her. And while Mei Mei looks sad in this photo, she loves her Bitty Baby, and has not asked for her other doll. Little Miss wants us to go back to the store where we bought that first baby, and get her another one. Which we might still do...<br /><br /><br />**********************************************************************************<br /><br /><br /><i>Muutama kuva maaliskuulta vielä. Kaiken mahdollisen vapaa-aikani (mitä ei kyllä ole kovin paljon tässä vaiheessa perhe-elämäämme) olen käyttänyt valokuvaamiseen, ja valokuvakursseihin. Minua suuresti kiinnostaa dokumentaarityylinen perhekuvaus, ja melkein kaikki tässä postauksessa ovat harjoituskuviani.<br /><br />Viimeiseen kuvaan liittyy tarina. Mei Meillä on ollut rakas pieni nukke, joka on matkustanut kanssamme kaikkialle viimeiset kuukaudet. Myös Atlantaan tässä kuussa. Mutta kotiin saakka ei nukke päässytkään... Onneksi kotona kaapissa odotti yksi synttärilahja, tämä kuvan Bitty Baby, jonka Mei Mei hyväksyi. Pikkuneiti tosin haluaa hakea kaupasta samanlaisen, kuin alkuperäinen nukke oli, ja ehkäpä sen vielä teemme...?</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-59659647658872200152016-03-28T14:36:00.000-04:002016-03-28T14:36:09.062-04:00The Month of March/Maaliskuu<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-LQCzWmV/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-LQCzWmV/0/L/DSC_7309-L.jpg" /></a>
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My apologies for the prolonged blow silence! All is well, and at first I felt bad I hadn't blogged for so long. But when I started scrolling through my photos of the month (really! It has been a month!), I realized it has been a packed few weeks. No wonder there hasn't been time for blogging!<br />
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Plus really, I have to admit our new normal, having six kids, and especially one two year old, has limited mama's screen time, a lot:) She is a lively one, for sure!!<br />
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I thought in this post I'll share some biggies of the month, and if I get a nap time this week (yes, Mei Mei has been dropping her afternoon nap), I'll post some random pictures from March.<br /><br />
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I call Little Miss one of my littles, but the truth is, she turned double digits this month! We followed her wishes, which was to have a celebration at home with everyone (which means the big kids). We squeezed in a Chinese food, cake and presents during our teens' lunch break from their dual enrollment classes at college. <br /><br />We also had Grandma's Birthday, and Mumma's (Finnish grandma) Birthday this month, and Mei Mei is singing Happy Birthday every day, and offering cake with candles. <br />
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The first half of the month we had sick kids, and as everyone started feeling better, round two started... No fun. We heard a lot of friends from church were sick too, so something was definitely going around. Mei Mei especially seems to be catching a lot of colds (which was the same with Little Miss when we first brought her home from China).<br /><br />
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<br />Mr T has been involved with debate for a few months, and had a debate tournament in Atlanta during spring break. Our plan was to get in the Mothership (yay!), and make it a family road trip. Until we found out the event was held at a megachurch with a parking garage for a parking lot!!! The Captain can do a lot with the Mothership, but parking in a parking garage is a no-no. So at the last minute we improvised: rented a car, and reserved a hotel room, and made it mini family trip.<br /><br />Girls were still a bit sniffly, but much better, and thought sitting through debate rounds was boring. Swimming in the hotel pool was a hit, however!<br />
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<br />Mr T and his partner did well, and had a great time. We are so proud of you, Mr T!<br /><br />
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<br />Our second mini trip this month as a mini family was to St Pete Beach where we got to walk down Memory Lane. We really love going back!<br /><br />
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<br /><br />Mei Mei had an evaluation for local speech therapy, or so I thought. It was with Easter Seals, and while they do assess communication, they don't really do speech therapy, or at least they don't really help with pronunciation. We found out once Mei Mei turns three years old, we might qualify for services through our local school.<br /><br />The evaluation was good to do, though. Mei Mei really is doing great in her development, and it was neat to see that. She will most likely need speech therapy, but she is communicating well. So after a couple hour evaluation we found out she didn't qualify for Easter Seals!<br /><br />We actually think she is hearing better, too. She is constantly complaining things are "too loud!", which they often are, in a large family.<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-2WwXsgC/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-2WwXsgC/0/L/DSC_8563-L.jpg" /></a>
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-H7VK4NN/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2016/i-H7VK4NN/0/L/DSC_8633-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />It didn't even occur to me to get a family photo from Easter, but we did get a few pics. Mei Mei's first Easter! She figured out chocolate eggs, and plastic eggs with treats, and what to do with them. Her favorites are chocolate eggs, for sure!<br /><br />We joined our church family for a Easter service in the park, and were so thankful it rained before and after, but not during the service. I have decided Easter is one of favorite days of the year - we serve a mighty God - not even death can hold Him! <br /><br />He is risen indeed!<br /><br /><br />***********************************************************************************<br /><br /><br /><i>Syy blogihiljaisuuteen on ollut hulina ja hälinä. Arki kuuden lapsen kanssa on aikamoista vipinää, etenkin vilkkaan 2-vuotiaan taaperon kanssa. Pikkuneiti täytti 10 vuotta (ja molemmilla isoäideillä on ollut synttärit tässä kuussa myös!). Sairastimme osan kuukautta, ja saimme kaksi pikkureissua mahtumaan kalenteriin myös. Ensin ajoimme Atlantaan, Georgian osavaltioon, muutamaksi päiväksi Mr T:n väittelykisaan, ja sitten teimme pikareissun St Peteen, missä asuimme ennen. Pääsiäisen vietimme hiljaisesti kotosalla, yksi vieras tuli syömään kanssamme, ja aamulla juhlimme seurakuntaperheemme kanssa ylösnoussutta Vapahtajaamme. Hän on ylösnoussut ja kuolemalla kuoleman voittanut! </i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-80386739641515816322016-02-29T08:13:00.000-05:002016-02-29T08:13:13.906-05:00Beach Moments/Rantahetkiä<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-fzGJ7K4/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-fzGJ7K4/0/L/DSC_5622-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />
We love living near the ocean. There is something so soothing and calming to be able to go and breathe the salty sea air, watch the waves roll in, and feel the sand between your bare toes.<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-XFcN4jb/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-XFcN4jb/0/L/DSC_5541-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-CPZDzMj/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-CPZDzMj/0/L/DSC_5494-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Especially in February.<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-48pVR3j/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-48pVR3j/0/L/DSC_5551-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-cwgsL6v/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-cwgsL6v/0/L/DSC_5565-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />
After growing up in Finland and then living in New England for many
many years, we don't take our February beach walks for granted.<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-TdJz6zC/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-TdJz6zC/0/L/DSC_5161-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-B5dMqNJ/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-B5dMqNJ/0/L/DSC_5170-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />
There is such delight each time. (Even after falling in the cold water and getting soaked.)<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-BLXLkvq/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-BLXLkvq/0/L/DSC_5140-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-LPJ7rQp/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-LPJ7rQp/0/L/DSC_5148-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />
On one of our walks we spotted dark shapes in the water... Manatees!!! <br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-b5FrxRv/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-b5FrxRv/0/L/DSC_5507-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-nW3GVD3/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-nW3GVD3/0/L/DSC_5509-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-wKX7g85/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-wKX7g85/0/L/DSC_5514-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-r4zftHj/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-r4zftHj/0/L/DSC_5535-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Chasing birds is always fun. And being carried by daddy.<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-vVKxp7K/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-vVKxp7K/0/L/DSC_5417-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-G6qWsZL/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-G6qWsZL/0/L/DSC_5418-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-9bQ4rc2/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-9bQ4rc2/0/L/DSC_5422-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-5vS4ZnL/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-5vS4ZnL/0/L/DSC_5440-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-7m97kwP/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-7m97kwP/0/X2/DSC_5445-Edit-X2.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />
We sometimes go and pick up some fresh orange juice, too. <br />
<br />
(Wink:)<br /><br />*********************************************************************************<br /><br /><i>Näitä
ihania rantahetkiä on pakko kuvata ja laittaa blogiin. Vaikka välillä
olisi kuinka hektisiä päiviä, näistä pikkureissuista saa niin paljon.
Kiitos Taivaan Isälle siunauksistaan!</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-83534748380848021912016-02-23T22:23:00.004-05:002016-02-23T22:23:58.563-05:00Across the Country/Maan halki<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-xqFVHxT/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-xqFVHxT/0/L/DSC_4468-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />This first photo is from La Jolla Cove in San Diego, California. We are back in Florida now, but here are a few more pictures from our trip. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-2c6xRDr/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-2c6xRDr/0/L/DSC_3542-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-2Bgt2TS/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-2Bgt2TS/0/L/DSC_3554-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-zGsKFh8/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-zGsKFh8/0/L/DSC_4029-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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<br />
<br />Oceanside.<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-MWfrz4m/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-MWfrz4m/0/L/DSC_4684-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-T354bfN/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-T354bfN/0/L/DSC_4564-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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<br />
<br />San Diego Zoo.<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-2RTs5GK/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-2RTs5GK/0/L/DSC_4965-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />Then back to traveling across this vast country. <br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-7mmStzL/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-7mmStzL/0/L/DSC_4973-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-WsHC2GB/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-WsHC2GB/0/L/DSC_4984-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />And homecoming.<br />
<br />
Sweet, sweet joy of seeing daddy and Mr A again (and Missy, Mr D and Mr T the next day, as we got home very late).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-8LdHnQ3/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-8LdHnQ3/0/L/DSC_5002-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-TmRSmTh/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-TmRSmTh/0/L/DSC_5371-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />After being gone almost two months we dove right into busy activities. Missy had a Rubik's Cube Competion (so much fun!!!). Mr. T flew to a debate competition (he did great!!). Little Miss and I started school again. All teens have had an insane dual enrollment schedule at the local college. And we all (except Missy and the Captain) got nasty colds that we are still recovering from.<br /><br />I have a few more pictures to post from the beach, but I think I will post them in a separate post (we finally were able to take my mom to the beach and saw manatees... Stay tuned!).<br /><br />*********************************************************************************<br /><br /><i>Olemme olleet Floridassa jo kaksi viikkoa, aika rientää. Tässä vielä kuvia San Diegosta, paluusta Floridaan, ja yksi kuva Missyn Rubiikinkuutiokisasta. Aika hurjasti oli touhua kotiintulon jälkeen, kun olimme olleet poissa melkein kaksi kuukautta. Nyt onneksi jo helpottaa tiukka ohjelma, ainakin pikkutytöillä ja minulla, mutta nyt sitten podetaankin oikein kunnon flunssaa. (Mutta onneksi ei sen vakavampaa!) Rantsukuvia seuraavassa postauksessa, pääsi mummakin vihdoin rannalle:)</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-32705895282781721752016-02-04T18:51:00.001-05:002016-02-04T18:51:38.980-05:00Mei Mei Meets More Family/Lisää perhettä Mei Meille<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-3d4g4tt/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-3d4g4tt/0/L/DSC_2548-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />
From Maine it was time to head south. Southwest, that is! Little Miss, Mei Mei and mama traveled to San Diego for Mei Mei to meet more of her family. The Captain returned to Florida, where our teens were waiting with my mom (from Finland).<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-Cpgrgq7/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-Cpgrgq7/0/L/DSC_2558-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Cousin L seeing Little Miss after nine months (<a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/04/visitorsvierailijoita.html">last time we saw my sister's family</a>).<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-33kP9DX/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-33kP9DX/0/L/DSC_2592-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-tzSgM5B/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-tzSgM5B/0/L/DSC_2860-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-54TcwdZ/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-54TcwdZ/0/L/DSC_2867-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-MNtT8qV/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-MNtT8qV/0/L/DSC_2612-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-g7vnXM2/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-g7vnXM2/0/L/DSC_2630-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-hmfLG4p/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-hmfLG4p/0/L/DSC_2905-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-GdKKgPq/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-GdKKgPq/0/L/DSC_2914-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-Zr9TCxm/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-Zr9TCxm/0/L/DSC_2925-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-Cnsq5Bm/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-Cnsq5Bm/0/L/DSC_2968-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-8nVhhRt/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-8nVhhRt/0/L/DSC_3006-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-cXS2Ctg/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-cXS2Ctg/0/L/DSC_3185-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Mei Mei has had so much fun with her cousins! Little Miss, too, but she has been so busy and out of sight I haven't caught many photos of her ;-) Little Miss plays with her cousins B and N, and bunch of the neighborhood kids, too.<br />
<br />
Mei Mei's cousin C is only about seven months older than her, and these two instantly became best buddies (when they aren't fighting for the same toy:)<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-D2Lw6MS/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-D2Lw6MS/0/L/DSC_3098-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-RTb3XNN/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2016/i-RTb3XNN/0/L/DSC_3288-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />
On Friday my mom flew here, too! She met both Mei Mei and cousin L for the first time! It had been three years since our mom's last visit.... <br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-7ksK3mQ/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-7ksK3mQ/0/L/DSC_3001-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-6phRx36/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-6phRx36/0/L/DSC_3150-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-xNXBBW6/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-xNXBBW6/0/L/DSC_3115-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />And this sweetie turned one! If you've followed our blog you know Little Miss and I were at my sister's when L was born a year ago (<a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/02/happy-birth-day-little-one.html">link here</a> to the story of L's fast home birth).<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-NFDQxN9/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-NFDQxN9/0/L/DSC_2957-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />Here's a picture of all the cousins together. Never a <strike>quiet</strike> dull moment here!<br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-zs7bCW5/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-zs7bCW5/0/L/DSC_2836-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />While in San Diego, we got to celebrate meeting Mei Mei in China six months ago! It is hard to believe it has only been six months, it feels like she has been a part of our family forever...<br /><br />*********************************************************************************<br /><br /><i>Terveisiä San Diegosta! Mainestä lensimme tänne Kaliforniaan siskon luokse. Mei Mei tapasi siskoni perheen ensimmäistä kertaa, ja kyllä serkuilla on ollut ihanaa! Varsinkin 3-vuotiaalla C:llä ja 2.5-vuotiaalla Mei Meillä (silloin kun eivät tappele leluista, heh). <br /><br />Perjantaina äitini lensi Floridasta tänne myös, ja tapasi ensimmäistä kertaa Mei Mein ja pikkuisen L:n. Olemme viettäneet L:n ensimmäistä syntymäpäivää, ja kuusi kuukautta Mei Mein tapaamisesta Kiinassa!</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-76828218923584950992016-01-26T23:07:00.000-05:002016-01-26T23:15:26.276-05:00Maine Winter Landscapes/Mainen talvimaisemia<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-x4PmQBW/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-x4PmQBW/0/L/DSC_0599-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-S3x3fgz/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-S3x3fgz/0/L/DSC_0388-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-4NDmPX8/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-4NDmPX8/0/L/DSC_0639-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-55TTch5/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-55TTch5/0/L/DSC_0640-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-nTFWLZr/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-nTFWLZr/0/L/DSC_0643-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-6jT46cN/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-6jT46cN/0/L/DSC_0660-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-fjs8Tht/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-fjs8Tht/0/L/DSC_1371-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-PnvjLdc/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-PnvjLdc/0/L/DSC_1377-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-mzFnJVM/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-mzFnJVM/0/L/DSC_1485-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-wbvTpWs/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-wbvTpWs/0/X2/DSC_1579-Edit-X2.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-rXBJpHX/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-rXBJpHX/0/X2/DSC_1720-Edit-X2.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-S9kFSDf/A"><img src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-S9kFSDf/0/L/DSC_2365-Edit-L.jpg" alt=""></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-WmMprxn/A"><img src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-WmMprxn/0/L/DSC_2381-Edit-L.jpg" alt=""></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-Gjcq2WB/A"><img src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-Gjcq2WB/0/L/DSC_2472-Edit-L.jpg" alt=""></a>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-15742379298977003272016-01-21T14:22:00.000-05:002016-01-21T14:22:00.382-05:00Happy New Year 2016 Hyvää uutta vuotta!<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-7qn8789/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-7qn8789/0/L/DSC_0754-Edit-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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It's not too late to wish a Happy New Year, is it? <br />
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While the blog has been quiet, our Maine camp has not.<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-4bNtt4g/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-4bNtt4g/0/L/DSC_0687-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-KTmcrnZ/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-KTmcrnZ/0/L/DSC_1222-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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We celebrated the New Year with the Captain's Uncle B, Aunt P and cousin A.<br />
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And enjoyed the new snow. So much.<br />
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When family left, it was soon time to go to the airport, and pick up our Australian guests, who had been having all kinds of adventures already from LA, Caribbean cruises, Florida, New York City to Washington DC, and then to the backwoods of Maine. (Culture shock, anyone?)<br />
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Sadly we had to take our teens to airport three days later, as they needed to get back to their school in Florida. A kind friend picked them up in Orlando, and also picked up my mom, who flew from Finland to Florida the same day. The little girls and I stopped at Grandma and Grandpa's for lunch, and cousins came over to meet Mei Mei, too. <br />
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On our way back to our camp we encountered heavy rains, flooding, high winds, fog and zero visibility. I wish I was kidding. There were times I couldn't see the lines on the road. And then our trip stopped. A tree(s?) was down, blocking the road. We were so thankful for God's watch over us: on the other side of the felled tree we saw the lights of our camp... And the Captain was able to come rescue us:)<br />
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Little Miss and Mei Mei stayed back with mama and daddy to keep our visitors busy. We did have to keep up with school also, but our guests were able to go sledding, skiing, snowmobiling, shopping and shooting. There was a lot of cooking and baking, a yummy meal at a local restaurant, and lots of movies and hanging out.<br />
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<a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/12/december-swimjoulukuun-uinti.html">Swimming</a> was planned, but the lake froze. Sadly.<br />
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Our adventures are almost over in Maine (for now), the Captain is returning to Florida, and the little girls and I head to California. It's time for some of my side of the family to meet Mei Mei, too ;-)<br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-qDbNfCp/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2016/i-qDbNfCp/0/L/DSC_1459-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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We do wish everyone a wonderful year of 2016 with words from our Heavenly Father (what better way to start a new year than to turn to the Creator of heavens and earth?):<br />
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<i>“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6<br /><br />“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lamentations 3: 22-24<br /><br /> “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” Psalm 96: 1-3<br /><br /><br />*********************************************************************************<br /><br /><br />Blogi on ollut hiljaisuudessa, mutta Mainessä ei todellakaan ole ollut hiljaista. Uutta vuotta vietimme Kapteenin sedän, tädin ja serkun kanssa, ja pian saapuivat vieraamme Australiasta. Kolme päivää myöhemmin vein teinit lentokentälle pikkutyttöjen kanssa. Teinit lensivät Floridaan, ja äitini Suomesta samana päivänä myös, ja ystävä haki heidät kentältä. Teineillä alkoi koulu taas. <br /><br />Pikkutyttöjen kanssa pysähdyimme Kapteenin vanhempien luona lounaalla, ennen kuin ajoimme takaisin pohjoiseen, oikein kunnon myrskyssä. Hiljaa ja varovasti ajoin kovassa sateessa ja tuulessa, sumussa ja pimeydessä. Kunnes vastaan tuli este: tien päälle oli kaatunut kaksi isoa puuta. Taivaan Isä näin varjeli meitä ja piti meistä hyvää huolta: kodin valot näkyivät puiden toiselta puolelta, ja Kapteeni tuli meidät pelastamaan:)</i><br />
<i><br />Viimeiset pari viikkoa mökki on ollut vilkas, vieraamme olivat oikein aktiivisia, ja kävivät pulkkamäessä, laskettelemassa, moottorikelkkailemassa, shoppailemassa ja ampumaradalla. Pikkuneidin kanssa pyöritimme tätä vipinää kotikoulun ohessa.<br /><br />Toivottavasti ei ole liian myöhäistä toivottaa jokaiselle lukijalle hyvää uutta vuotta! Ja maailman parhaan kirjan sanojen mukaan:</i>Turvaa Herraan kaikesta sydämestäsi äläkä nojaudu omaan ymmärrykseesi. Tunne hänet kaikilla teilläsi, niin hän sinun polkusi tasoittaa. Sananlaskut 3:5-6<br />
<i><br /></i>Herran armoa on, ettemme ole aivan hävinneet, sillä hänen laupeutensa ei ole loppunut: se on joka aamu uusi, ja suuri on hänen uskollisuutensa. Minun osani on Herra, sanoo minun sieluni; sentähden minä panen toivoni häneen. Valitusvirret 3:22-24<br />
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Veisatkaa Herralle uusi virsi, veisatkaa Herralle, kaikki maa. Veisatkaa Herralle, ylistäkää hänen nimeänsä. Julistakaa päivästä päivään hänen pelastustekojansa, ilmoittakaa pakanain seassa hänen kunniaansa, hänen ihmeitänsä kaikkien kansojen seassa. Psalmi 96:1-3<br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D8188573401597736288%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2Fourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com%2FJanuary2016%2Fi-qDbNfCp%2F0%2FL%2FDSC_1459-Edit-L.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=sZ0q3FBis9k_&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 7554px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D8188573401597736288%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2Fourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com%2FJanuary2016%2Fi-qDbNfCp%2F0%2FL%2FDSC_1459-Edit-L.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=sZ0q3FBis9k_&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 7554px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-46882401551601482862015-12-31T00:30:00.000-05:002015-12-31T00:30:00.614-05:00Year 2015 RecapDo I start this post every year with "Wow, what a year it has been!"? Because, really, what a year it has been... :)<br />
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(Years <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-new-year-2011hyvaa-uutta-vuotta.html">2010</a>, <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2011/12/year-2011.html">2011</a>, <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2012/12/year-2012-recap.html">2012</a>, <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2013/12/year-2013-recap.html">2013</a>, <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2014/12/2014-recap.html">2014</a>)<br />
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Did anyone catch a line in the January part of <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2014/12/2014-recap.html">2014 Recap post</a>? I wasn't ready to blog about it, but it did reveal something very big already... Sometimes all you can do is hint about things to come... ;-)
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And then I ended the 2014 Recap with these words: <i>"What a year. Full of adventures, full of changes. Full of God's grace,
full of many stories of His provision and protection. We look forward to
2015 to see what God has in store for our family!"</i><br />
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I loved what God had for us in 2015! Thank You, Jesus, for a wonderful, full year of many blessings!<i><br /><br /></i>*****************************************************************************<br />
<b><br />JANUARY</b><br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2015/i-XvS3Zdk/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/January2015/i-XvS3Zdk/0/L/DSC_1504-L.jpg" /></a>
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We started our year at our camp in Maine. First we celebrated the New Year with friends from our local church, who came over to our camp for the evening. Then Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt C, Uncle P and cousins H, M and M came over for a fun visit. We also had friends from New Hampshire visit us. <br />
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We watched the lake freeze over (again - it had frozen over in December once already), and while we did enjoy the snow somewhat, we mainly played a lot of games indoors. No winter sports, yet.
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Then it was time to pack up and head south. We stopped at Grandma and Grandpa's house, then in Virginia at my sister's. We had a short visit there, then the Captain continued in the Mothership to Florida with Missy, Mr D and Mr A. I stayed at my sister's for a couple of weeks with Mr T and Little Miss, helping as we all waited for Baby #5 to arrive. And she did! On the Captain's birthday:)
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<b>FEBRUARY
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2015/i-RWj6hjH/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/February2015/i-RWj6hjH/0/L/DSC_3591-L.jpg" /></a>
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Little Miss and I got to enjoy <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/02/baby-l.html">Baby L</a> for about a week, then it was time for us to drive south, too. Mr T wanted to stay in Virginia for a couple of months, and so we left him behind at my sister's (sniff). <br />
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We first drove to Daytona, where the Captain and three kids were hanging out at our friends, taking flight lessons, and passing their various exams. From there we all continued to our next Florida stop, <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/02/florida-love.html">staying at a campground</a> for a couple of weeks.
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We quickly decided we LOVE traveling in the Mothership, but not so much staying stationary in it. Even without Mr T, it was so tight. And cold! February was cold in Florida!! So, at the end of February we parked the Mothership and were in a house again:)
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<b>MARCH</b><br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2015/i-kXss6S2/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/March2015/i-kXss6S2/0/L/DSC_4609-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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Too busy to blog much (<a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/03/march-madness.html">this post</a> has most pics). My nephew A from Finland arrived. Little Miss turned nine, and Grandma and Grandpa were with us to celebrate it! Missy got braces. Mama was taking a new photography class, and learning photoshop. Homeschooling, too, of course! The boys and the Captain were busy with their own special project, and learning all kinds of new skills.
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<b>APRIL</b><br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/April2015/i-JXzBt89/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/April2015/i-JXzBt89/1/L/DSC_6612-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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In April we got to see <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/04/visitorsvierailijoita.html">more friends and family</a>. My blog and real life friend <a href="http://teatots.blogspot.com/">Ina</a> came over for Easter Sunday with her family. We had such a fun day! Then after Easter my sister's family drove down from Virginia for a few days, and brought Mr T back to us! Yay:)
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Also, while we couldn't announce it on the blog yet, we saw Mei Mei's sweet little face for the first time, and got the paperwork started to bring her home!
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<b>MAY</b><br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/May2015/i-2XJrd4C/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/May2015/i-2XJrd4C/0/L/DSC_7374-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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In May we were able to make our <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/05/our-big-announcementiso-uutisemme.html">Big Announcement</a> about Mei Mei!
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Mama was also busy with photography, which usually meant fun trips to the <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/05/at-beachrannalla.html">beach</a>, or <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/05/another-storytoinenkin-tarina.html">library</a>, or <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/05/florida-fun.html">sailing</a>, or <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/05/mamma-mia.html">baking at home</a>.
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We reluctantly said goodbyes to my nephew, who flew back to Finland.
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We also took a trip to the <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/05/fpea-2015-homeschool-convention.html">FPEA Homeschool Convention</a> at Gaylord Palms, and met up with some favorite people.
And then, at the end of the month it was time to get <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-next-chapterseuraava-luku.html">back into the Mothership</a>, and back on the road.
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<b>JUNE</b>
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/June2015/i-4DPSzqF/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/June2015/i-4DPSzqF/0/L/DSC_8574-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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Mr D got his for-real-driver's-license, and did most of the driving in our Yukon, following the Mothership.
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The first part of June we were on the road. My sister and her family moved to California, and we had hoped to meet them on the road, but missed them by a day. We had something going on with the tires or wheels of the Mothership, and stayed at <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/06/sebastian-inlet-state-park.html">Sebastian Inlet Park</a> for a couple of days. What a beautiful place! (We got eaten by no-see-ums, however.) <br />
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Since we didn't have a pitstop in Virginia anymore, we stopped in <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/06/a-fun-pennsylvania-stoppysakki.html">Pennsylvania</a> at the M family's place. We had not seen our dear friends for two years. <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/06/more-rv-travel-photoslisaa-matkakuvia.html">We also stopped</a> for coffee at friends in Massachusetts and stayed a night at Grandma and Grandpa's, and worked the next day there. (Except Mr D and Mr T had taken a different route to Maine from Pennsylvania, and visited friends in Vermont. We have <strike>almost adult</strike> big kids, peeps!)
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And finally made it to our camp. For about two weeks of <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/06/work-camptyoleiri.html">deep cleaning</a>, before renters arrive. Always such fun:) So glad to have our team helping!
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When our work weeks were done, we packed up the Mothership again, and headed south. Maine was so beautiful it hurt to leave, but at least we got some <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/06/maine-and-off-again.html">beautiful photos</a> before our departure. Two boys left to go to a camp in Virginia, and Mr A flew to Florida to go on a mission's trip to Guatemala with our church youth group. The Captain, the girls and I headed to Nantucket island.
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<b>JULY</b><br />
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/China2015/i-hJtVGxv/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/China2015/i-hJtVGxv/0/L/DSC_2139-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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Such big things were in store for July. Oh my. <br />
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<a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/07/independence-day-on-nantucket.html">Celebrating the fourth</a> (for the first time as a US citizen!) on Nantucket Island with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt C, Uncle P and cousins. Then <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/07/july-updateheinakuun-paivitysta.html">packing and moving</a> out of the dear old island house. A lot of goodbyes, very bittersweet. The boys had come back from their travels, and had had a great time at camp, and at the mission's trip. <br />
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And then... first driving back to Grandma and Grandpa's in <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/07/time-to-goaika-lahtea.html">southern Maine</a>, then Mr A, Little Miss and I flew to <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/07/in-beijingpekingissa.html">Beijing</a>! (See <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/07/saturday-morning-at-summer-palace.html">Summer Palace</a> and <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/07/to-great-wall.html">Great Wall</a>, also.) And then <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/07/to-hubei.html">Wuhan, Hubei</a>, where we <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/08/gotcha-day.html">met Mei Mei</a>. We were able to visit <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/08/orphanage-visit.html">Mei Mei's orphanage</a>, and see where she was found. (Also pictures from Wuhan <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/08/thursday-in-wuhan.html">here</a> and <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/08/more-wuhan.html">here</a>.) From there we traveled to <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/08/to-guangzhou-and-our-weekend-there.html">Guangzhou</a>, where we spent the rest of the month.
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A huge thank you to all who <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/06/lets-fill-suitcase-for-new-day-foster.html">filled a suitcase</a>
with me for the New Day Beijing foster home for children! We were
privileged to hand deliver our gifts, but couldn't post any photos of
the children from there online.
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Meanwhile, back in the States, the Captain, and our three other children had traveled back to Florida to look for a new rental home for us. Our three teens took college entrance tests, and passed, and Mr A had passed his before returning to New England earlier in the month.
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<b>AUGUST</b>
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<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/August2015/i-x5xw6MG/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/August2015/i-x5xw6MG/0/L/DSC_3489-Edit-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-miracle-of-love.html">We were getting to know Mei Mei in Guangzhou</a>, and she was getting to know Mr A, Little Miss and Sennie. Her funny, spunky personality started to show as she got more comfortable with us, and we couldn't wait for the rest of the family to meet her. <br />
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Before leaving the Guangdong Province, we saw the <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/09/chen-clan-academy-in-guangzhou.html">Chen Clan Academy</a> and explored a park nearby, and even <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/09/last-days-in-guangzhou.html">rented a paddle boat</a>. We started to have some tummy trouble at the end of our stay, but by God's grace we were fine to travel back. The Captain, Mr D, Mr T and Missy met us at the airport, and a photographer friend Julie, too, who gave us a priceless gift of <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/09/homecoming.html">fantastic homecoming photos</a>.<br />
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Since our camp was still rented, and we knew how rough the jet lag/transition time is, we stayed at <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/09/a-week-in-new-hampshireviikko-nhssa.html">a cottage in New Hampshire</a> for a week, which ended up being just what was needed. Mei Mei had to learn how to sleep in a portacrib, which meant no sleep (for anyone) for several nights. Yet, being all together was still so beautiful and imperfectly perfect as we were all figuring out our new family.<br />
<br />
We had hoped to spend a good part of August at our camp, but realized soon <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-quick-update-and-changes-on-horizon.html">that wasn't going to happen</a>. <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/09/august-maine-photoselokuun-mainen-kuvia.html">We were there for about three days</a>. The Captain had to go to Nantucket a day after arriving at the camp, and the rest of us packed up our gear and left the camp in a hurry, and met him at his parents house in Southern Maine. We packed up a trailer, and started driving to Florida, where a new rental home was waiting for us. <br />
<br />
The day after our Florida arrival our quadruplets started a dual enrollment program at a local college. Little Miss and I were busy making our house a home, and also still waiting on her school curriculum.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>SEPTEMBER</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/September2015/i-cqRgL8g/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/September2015/i-cqRgL8g/0/L/DSC_4273-Edit-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
In September we were learning new routines. We had<a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/09/settling-inkotiutumista.html"> a lot to do to make our new house a home</a>.<br />
We were a stationary (!) family of eight now, and our teenagers were attending a real school - <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/09/homeschool-year-2015-2016.html">a college, no less! Little Miss started homeschool too</a>, once her school curriculum arrived. The dual enrollment program has been great for our teens, but it was not a smooth transition for all. We had some really, really rough <strike>months</strike> <strike>weeks</strike> days (and nights).<br />
<br />
We finally took <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/09/first-time-at-oceanmei-mei-merenrannalla.html">Mei Mei to the beach</a> for the first time ever (her orphanage was not near the ocean), and she loved it! She wasn't so sure about the sand on her bare toes, but eventually she got used to it.<br />
<br />
<b><br />OCTOBER</b><br />
<br />
<a ctober2015="" href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=" https:="" i-grcbnlt="" ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com=""><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/October2015/i-GRCBnLt/0/L/DSC_6439-Edit-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
October was still very warm in Florida. We visited the beach and parks often, as well as walked to the library often. We went on a little <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/11/florida-fallsyksya-floridassa.html">homeschool field trip</a> to a pumpkin patch, and attended a harvest party, too.<br />
<br />
Some days we'd meet up with <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/10/friends-from-maine-at-beach.html">our Maine friends</a>, who came to live in our area for a little while (we loved it!!!). Little Miss was busy with <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/10/sharpie-tie-dye-by-little-miss.html">various science projects</a>, and <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/10/reading-gallery-iilukugalleria-ii.html">school</a>, too. We learned we had to have a very flexible school schedule, as mama needed to give Mr T rides to and from college at various times.<br />
<br />
Missy attended her second <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/10/rubiks-cube-competition.html">Rubik's Cubing Competition</a>, in Orlando. She loved every second of it!<br />
<br />
The Captain took a quick trip to New England, and brought back the Mothership!<br />
<br />
We finally had our <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/10/cleft-clinichalkioklinikka.html">first cleft clinic</a> with Mei Mei, and started getting ready for her cleft palate surgery. Missy had oral surgery to help bring down a stubborn tooth, and Little Miss got braces!<br />
<br />
At the end of the month Mr T and Mr D were in Kentucky with a homeschool group, and the rest of us walked at our friends' neighborhood for a little while on October 31st. Mei Mei loved calling out "trick or treat" and getting candy:)<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>NOVEMBER</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/November2015/i-Pjp2dCw/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/November2015/i-Pjp2dCw/0/L/DSC_7722-Edit-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
November was all about Mei Mei and <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/11/cleft-palate-surgerykitalakihalkioleikk.html">her cleft palate surgery</a>. We had various appointments <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/11/upcoming-cleft-palate-surgerytuleva.html">before</a> and <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/12/post-op-updatepaivitysta-leikkauksen.html">after</a>, and the Big Day was a week before Thanksgiving. We stayed in the Mothership (<a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/12/mei-meis-first-campingmei-mein-eka.html">first time for Mei Mei!</a>) before (and during) the surgery, and were very <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/11/going-homekotiin.html">happy to go home</a>. Thank you all so much for praying for Mei Mei and her recovery. We are amazed at well she did. Glory to God!<br />
<br />
Before and after Mei Mei's surgery we pretty much kept her home. We didn't want her to catch any colds, and afterward it was important she wouldn't get hurt. The first Sunday we brought her to church (as she really missed her friends!) she took a tumble down stairs, and we were so glad her mouth had healed well enough by then there was no damage.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>DECEMBER</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-FBmFtG9/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-FBmFtG9/0/L/DSC_9688-Edit-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
In the beginning of the month Mr T had a chance to go to a debate tournament with friends, and he loved it! He has been interested in it for a while, and looks like he is going to get serious about debating.<br />
<br />
In the middle of the month we had serious crunch time as the college term was coming to an end. No one got a whole lot of sleep, but the teens had work paid off: everyone got fantastic grades. We are very proud of our quadruplets!<br />
<br />
Mr A and Missy attended <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/12/half-birthday-and-other-catching-up.html">a Star Wars costume party</a> at youth group, and both won best costume awards! What fun! We had a little half birthday celebration for Mei Mei, too. She loved it.<br />
<br />
And then it was time to head to Maine. We wanted to spend Christmas at our camp, and drove up (<a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/12/traveling-to-maine-and-special-days.html">a few very painful days</a>). No snow at first, but we are ending the year with fresh snow, and a very thin layer of ice covering a part of the lake. <br />
<br />
We celebrated <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/12/traveling-to-maine-and-special-days.html">birthdays, adoption</a> day, and <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/12/christmas-2015-joulu.html">Christmas</a>. So much fun experiencing all these firsts with Mei Mei. Grandma and Grandpa arrived right before Christmas, and more family is coming tomorrow, too.<br />
<br />
Our year ended with <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/12/december-swimjoulukuun-uinti.html">a dip in the lake</a> - on the 30th when the lake started freezing over. <br />
<br />
<br />
***********************************************************************************<br />
<br />
<i>Thank you for joining our family on this grand adventure! And Welcome 2016! Have a Happy New Year!</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<i>"The things that are impossible with people are possible with God." Luke 18:27</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-20272741420490920592015-12-30T23:28:00.001-05:002015-12-30T23:41:08.160-05:00December Swim/Joulukuun uinti<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-x4PmQBW/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-x4PmQBW/0/L/DSC_0599-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<br />
This morning as I gazed at the lake, I thought I saw something. If you look closely at the shoreline, you might see little bits of ice floating on the water, barely noticeable.
<br />
<br />
There was only one thing to do.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-MDqhNV4/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-MDqhNV4/0/L/DSC_0608-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-D2M4Ns8/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-D2M4Ns8/0/L/DSC_0609-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-DwC3PWj/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-DwC3PWj/0/L/DSC_0612-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
Yes.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-nK72Kr7/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-nK72Kr7/0/L/DSC_0615-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
Mr A went first.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-H6JcCKk/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-H6JcCKk/0/L/DSC_0616-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-5fnQJxB/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-5fnQJxB/0/L/DSC_0627-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
Then it was my turn.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-CtLJC27/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-CtLJC27/0/L/DSC_0634-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
Aah, what an amazing feeling!!! So exhilarating!! You should try it, too:)
We'll have to see, but I'm pretty sure we can still go in tomorrow, and the Captain's aunt has promised to dip in with us!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-v4hzjmz/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-v4hzjmz/0/L/DSC_0638-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
That dash of red in the window? That's Mei Mei. I wonder what she was thinking...
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-4NDmPX8/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-4NDmPX8/0/L/DSC_0639-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-55TTch5/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-55TTch5/0/L/DSC_0640-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
A couple of hours after our dips, the lake started changing again.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-nTFWLZr/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-nTFWLZr/0/L/DSC_0643-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-6jT46cN/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-6jT46cN/0/L/DSC_0660-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
By three in the afternoon, there was a sheer layer of ice covering most of what we could see. Mr A and I sure were glad we had listened to the call of the lake, and had our swim before the lake froze over!<br />
<br />
*******************************************************************************<br />
<br />
<i>Mr A ja minä kävimme pikaisella uinnilla järvessä, juuri ennen kuin pinta jäätyi. Kaikki kuvat ovat tältä päivältä - ehdimme juuri ja juuri:) Mahtava tunne! </i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-34813536413922223582015-12-30T00:30:00.000-05:002015-12-30T00:30:05.920-05:00Christmas 2015 Joulu<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-knt7cg2/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-knt7cg2/0/L/DSC_9641-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-FBmFtG9/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-FBmFtG9/0/L/DSC_9688-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />Christmas 2015. Mei Mei's first Christmas! What a privilege and honor to watch her wonder and joy. What a privilege and honor to be her family. To be parents to Mei Mei, Little Miss, Mr T, Mr A, Missy and Mr D. My heart is full.<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-BkhpvVp/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-BkhpvVp/0/L/DSC_9678-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />We decorated our second day in Maine.<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-NCTPrmc/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-NCTPrmc/0/L/DSC_9808-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-RFX94k8/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-RFX94k8/0/L/DSC_9899-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-FXxGHkq/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-FXxGHkq/0/L/DSC_9918-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />And did our cleaning and baking on Monday and Tuesday. Grandma and Grandpa arrived on Tuesday to celebrate with us, and brought enough food to feed an army (and amazingly it is all gone now, pretty much). On Wednesday we cooked some of the food, and prepped as much as we could.<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-rDLtXmV/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-rDLtXmV/0/L/DSC_9750-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-MZ8TvDh/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-MZ8TvDh/0/L/DSC_9760-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-tkr3zS3/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-tkr3zS3/0/L/DSC_9777-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />There was no snow when we arrived in Maine, but it snowed a little on my birthday. Mei Mei loved snow! Until she got cold. But hot chocolate made everything better:)<br /><br />Oh, and the bump on her head? She took a long dive down church steps head first. So thankful for guardian angels!<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-J7LRrvt/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-J7LRrvt/0/L/DSC_9947-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />Our happy girlie! Five months with us on the 27th!<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-WD4cGMN/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-WD4cGMN/0/L/DSC_0049-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-xmGHDgj/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-xmGHDgj/0/X2/DSC_0094-Edit-X2.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br /><br />We really enjoyed having Grandma and Grandpa with us this Christmas. No playing in the snow with them, but we had some nice muddy walks:)<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-QLwLVQm/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-QLwLVQm/0/L/DSC_0107-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-8Mc47mz/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-8Mc47mz/0/L/DSC_0112-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />We celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve. In the morning we have <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2012/12/slow-cooker-rice-porridge.html">rice porridge</a> with an almond, and our big meal early in the afternoon. Mr A read from Luke 2 this year. With Mei Mei in mind, we opened presents before church, and after the candlelight service she soon went to bed.<br /><br />Despite catching her crying in the picture above, she really had a wonderful day. We all did. <br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-ZFBPLhw/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-ZFBPLhw/0/L/DSC_0120-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-GB27FpS/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-GB27FpS/0/L/DSC_0158-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />Mei Mei loved her Duplo-legos, but her favorite toy was this wooden pounding toy. Grandma was so smart to stick it in a box (after the balls went everywhere).<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-8PTgsZ3/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-8PTgsZ3/1/X2/DSC_0192-Edit-X2.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-v5jMSft/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-v5jMSft/0/L/DSC_0207-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />And on Christmas morning there were little things to find in the stockings, too.<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-c3V2pCs/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-c3V2pCs/0/L/DSC_0220-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-S3x3fgz/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-S3x3fgz/0/L/DSC_0388-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />After Christmas our temperatures started dropping.<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-3cM6Ntk/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-3cM6Ntk/0/L/DSC_0332-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-q6T4vKt/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-q6T4vKt/0/L/MeiSnow-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />And as I type this, it has been snowing all day.<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-Kvc5t4N/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-Kvc5t4N/0/L/DSC_0228-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
<br /><br />With the wind from the lake we have hunkered down inside, working, playing games, getting math done (Mr A!), reading and writing blog posts.<br /><br />
<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-rjjwbwh/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-rjjwbwh/0/L/DSC_0545-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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<br /><br />We hope your Christmas was full of joy. As we posted on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OurMothershipAdventures/?ref=hl">facebook page</a>, the to-do list may never be completely accomplished, the stress levels often high, sleep sorely lacking, yet the main thing is remembering Jesus - the One who fills our empty places, the One who brings hope to a dark world. The One who loves. No matter what. The One who fills us with Joy. No matter what the circumstances are. Celebrate Him! Invite Him to come and fill your life. <br /><br />We were created to be complete in Jesus. <br /><br />*************************************************************************************<br /><br /><i>Hyvää joulua ja joulunaikaa täältä Mainestä ihan jokaiselle lukijalle! Toivottavasti joulussasi on ollut iloa - olivat olosuhteesi mitkä tahansa. Jeesuksen syntymän ihme - Jumala ihmiseksi pelastaakseen sinut ja minut, täyttää ne kaikki tyhjät paikat sydämissämme, kunhan vaan otamme Hänet vastaan. <br /><br />Me vietimme joulua Kapteenin vanhempien kanssa aattona, ja nautimme joulupäivän hiljaisuudesta. Kun tulimme Maineen, täällä ei ollut lunta, mutta sitä satoi ensin syntymäpäivänäni, ja uudestaan tällä viikolla. Tänäänkin koko päivän. Mei Mei rakasti lumessa leikkimistä, kunnes tuli kylmä, mutta kuuma kaakao teki kaiken paremmaksi taas:)<br /><br />Oli hienoa kokea ensimmäinen joulu Mei Mein kanssa. Kaikki oli niin ihanaa ja ihmeellistä pienen silmissä:)</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-91546253772548412052015-12-29T16:32:00.000-05:002015-12-29T16:32:25.409-05:00Traveling to Maine And Special Days<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-qDF4jwg/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-qDF4jwg/0/L/DSC_9251-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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On December 14th, we packed up our bags, our car, and Grandpa's trailer. No Mothership for this trip! While we would have LOVED to travel in the Mothership, it doesn't do so well in the snowy and icy conditions we knew we'd eventually encounter (here's <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2011/11/from-maine-to-virginiamainesta.html">a link</a> to our toboggan ride with the Mothership in 2011). Plus we wanted to return Grandpa's trailer to Maine (we had used to bring furniture down <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-quick-update-and-changes-on-horizon.html">in August</a>).<br />
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It was a long and arduous trip. All eight of us squished into the Yukon. As our boys have grown into tall men, our vehicle has apparently shrunk in size. Every day we'd drive as far as we could, and at some point in the evening I'd start researching hotels where we could stay. Must have wifi (for the Captain to check work as we arrived and before leaving in the morning), free breakfast, be cheap, and have large rooms:) And we'd still squeeze, but oh, so thankful to be out of the car!<br />
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Mei Mei had done so well on our <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-quick-update-and-changes-on-horizon.html">car ride south in August</a>, and we were hoping she'd do fine on this trip, too. Not so. This girl has lungs! (She might still be mildly hard of hearing, too. I'm serious!) A bag of lollipops was much appreciated (by all), as were various electronic devices. (Our car dvd player broke many years ago.) Sometimes nothing could help, except stopping and getting out of the car. Which doesn't make for a quick trip up.<br />
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We also hit heavy traffic in Connecticut and ended up sitting in traffic for hours. <br />
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Such fun. <br />
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When in the Mothership traffic jams and other delays aren't so bad, but when you are stuck in a car with an unhappy toddler you become allergic to traveling pretty quick ;-)<br />
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<br />Finally on Thursday morning we made it to New Hampshire, and stopped at <a href="http://www.mrgeestire.com/">Mr G's Tire</a>. Originally our plan had been to drive to Grandma and Grandpa's, and get new winter tires in their town, but when the tire shop there couldn't get what we needed, Mr G came to our rescue. We pulled in, filled their entire waiting room, and left with great tires and smiles:)<br />
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(If you live in New England, we highly recommend <a href="http://www.mrgeestire.com/">Mr G's Tire</a>! Also, we wanted to get our car undercoated, but <a href="http://nhoilundercoating.com/">The Rust Stop</a> was completely booked. Make sure to make an appointment! We'll stop again some other time ;-)<br />
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Thursday night we got to our camp in Maine. No pictures - it was dark, and we were all so tired. It rained all day, and we brought in our luggage (even furniture from trailer!), and so much mud. No snow in New England.<br />
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But Friday morning sun brought out happy peeps! It was our teens' 17th birthday, and Little Miss' 9th Adoption Day (we didn't celebrate the Gotcha Day this year since we were on the road). <br /><br />The biggest gift was being home. (In 2015 so far we had only spent about a month at our camp.)<br />
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<br />I think the kids had a fantastic day. The five oldest and the Captain met friends for pizza later in the day, and our friends TR and K had bought tickets for them all to see the new Star Wars. (Thank you so much!!!!) They had all enjoyed the movie very much, and tried not to discuss it too much in front of mama, who stayed home with Miss Mei Mei.<br />
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<br />Mei Mei and Mama had baked a cake at home, so the little party came over to have cake after the movie. <br />
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<br /><br />And before Christmas, we had one more birthday to celebrate. Candles on pizza for mama (and no cooking!!) <br /><br />***********************************************************************************<br /><br /><i>Olemme vieläkin toipumassa automatkasta pohjoiseen. Lähdimme Floridasta maanantaina 14.12, and pääsimme perille Maineen torstai-illalla. Kaksivuotiaamme ei matkustanut yhtä helposti kuin elokuussa eteläänpäin, ja olimme kaikki ihan valmiita automatkan päättymiseen. Matkasimme autolla vetäen Kapteenin isän peräkärryä (palautimme sen heille), ja kun meitä on nyt kahdeksan, ja yli puolella pitkät jalat, oli matka kyllä yhtä tuskaa. Yövyimme hotelleissa matkan varrella.<br /><br />Olimme niin onnellisia kun pääsimme perille. Seuraavana päivänä oli nelosten synttärit, täyttivät jo 17 vuotta! Ja Pikkuneidin yhdeksäs adoptiopäivä oli samana päivänä (emme juhlineet Pikkuneidin Gotcha-päivää tänä vuonna, matkustaessa oli liian vaikeaa). Isoin lahja oli olla omassa kodissa kaikki yhdessä. Ja illalla Kapteeni ja viisi vanhinta lasta treffasivat ystävämme, jotka antoivat lapsille lahjaksi elokuvaliput Tähtien sota-elokuvaan! He kävivät pizzalla myös, ja tulivat illalla kotiin kakulle. Ihana päivä.<br /><br />Vielä ennen joulua ehdimme juhlia Sennien synttäreitä, minäkin sain puhaltaa kynttilät pizzan päältä:)</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188573401597736288.post-74671047524215465362015-12-29T12:48:00.000-05:002015-12-29T12:52:51.142-05:00Half Birthday and Other Catching Up<a href="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-7phtsfT/A"><img alt="" src="https://ourmothershipadventures.smugmug.com/December2015/i-7phtsfT/0/L/DSC_8967-Edit-L.jpg" /></a>
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Before the year ends (!!!), I have some catching up to do. Today is the first day for me with nothing on the agenda (aaahhhh), so I hope to stay busy with the blog for a little while.<br />
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Since we missed Miss Mei Mei's first two birthdays, we decided to celebrate her half birthday in early December. We've never done that with any of our kids, and kept it very simple. One (big) present, and a piece of cake with candles and singing. She loved it, and has been talking about birthdays since:)<br />
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Mei Mei is very outgoing and loves to spend time with her friends, and of course with Little Miss, and all her siblings.<br />
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We have enjoyed the Florida December weather so much. A bit cooler than in the fall, but still warm enough to go to the parks. <br />
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Our church had a Star Wars costume party for the youth group before the movie came out, and Mr A and Missy both won best costume awards! Their friends' costumes were awesome, too!<br />
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We had a very quiet Thanksgiving in Florida (Mei Mei was still <a href="http://ourmothershipadventures.blogspot.com/2015/11/cleft-palate-surgerykitalakihalkioleikk.html">recovering</a>), and then it was Christmas everywhere! It took us a little while to get in the Christmas spirit with the warm weather and palm trees everywhere, but bringing out the candles helped. <br />
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And watching Mei Mei's joy and wonder about Christmas! More on Christmas in another blog post. But first - a traveling post.<br />
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<i>Ennen kuin vuosi loppuu, yritän saada näitä joulukuun postauksia tehtyä. Kiitospäivä oli hiljainen, Mei Mei toipui vielä leikkauksesta. Sitten tulikin joulukuu ja joulua kaikkialla. Pikkasen toimme joulukoristeita esiin, ja Mei Mei ihastui kynttilöihin. Ja niin nautti kun päätimme viettää puolikasta syntymäpäivää! Olimme missanneet Mei Mein kaksi ensimmäistä synttäriä, ja kun 2.5 saapui, päätimme antaa lahjan ja juhlia kakunpalalla, kynttilöillä ja laulamalla. Voi sitä iloa ja ihanuutta!<br />Ja lisäksi ulkokuvia Floridan lämmöstä joulukuussa:) Seuraavaksi matkapostaus.</i>Senniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829421077749014541noreply@blogger.com3