It took a lot of patience, coffee, and chocolate.

But we made it!  We are officially HOME SWEET KUWAIT, my friends!  So, even though my stomach is growling and there's no milk to put in my coffee, I couldn't be happier to be blogging to you from my OWN BED :)

Phil and Jettie snuggled up at the start of flight #1 :)

Some facts about our journey home:

1)  Helsinki airport is the cutest airport.  It feels like you're in a cozy log cabin where everyone notices you have children and immediately rushes you through to make things EASIER.  Also, they have free wifi with no time restriction and no "wait for an SMS" nonsense to access it.  ALSO, there are SANTA references everywhere and I'm pretty sure they would be there regardless of the season.  ALSO..............they have a free gift wrapping station.   

2)  Have you ever been stuck in your seat for 45 minutes, holding a child who is SO STINKY that everyone around you wants you to break the seatbelt sign rule?  WE HAVE!  The Diarrhea Chronicles continued on-board (hooray!) and for an entire, horrifying 45 minutes (while waiting to get a "parking spot" at the Istanbul airport), we had the pleasure of people talking about our smelly babe in multiple languages.  English, Arabic, French, Swedish.........and....(our personal favourite!)....STINKY SIGNALS (nose plugging, hand-waving, and all similar motions you would make to share your gag-reflex-inducing experience with loved ones across the aisle from you).

3)  Our kids DO NOT sleep on planes.  EVER.  NOT EVER, you guys.  There is a ONE HOUR time difference between Kuwait and Helsinki and I think every one of us (Steve and Emily included!) is jet-lagged (as in over-the-ocean-jet-lagged) from our 4 a.m. arrival.  Because.  You know.  Our kids didn't sleep.  AT ALL.  ON THE PLANE.  

4)  We flew Turkish Airlines and might be the luckiest people to do so this week.  Somehow, by some fluke of a miracle, we didn't have any serious delays OR lost luggage.  This is opposite of what most people experienced so I'm guessing the bad luck we had at the Kathmandu airport years ago is still running its course ;)  (That air travel experience was THAT BAD.  TIMES A BILLION.  And it was pre-kids.)

I started to write this post this morning and now it's evening (almost 11!) and Nory is pretending to be a cat and jumping on our bed.  I have a feeling it will be a long night (see Fact #3) and with work starting up again tomorrow, the word of the week will be COFFEE.  Here's to hoping we can teach with our eyes open on Monday!  Good luck to those of you in the same position ;)

XOXO

Goodbye 2015, HELLO 2016!!!

Whenever I see or hear the word "HELLO", what I actually process is Adele's latest hit.  HELLO!!!  It's me!!!!  I'm sure you can relate.  Because you've also listened to the song a bazillion times.  Because it's 2016 now and you can't escape what's trending if you tried ;)

Anyways.  Here's what's been going on the last two days:

^^^  Left Side:  Em and I had a "Shay Day" in honour of a blogger whom we ADORE SO MUCH!  To celebrate, we wore plaid and set out to find some Butter London nail polish.  We didn't find the polish, but we DID find plaid cups!!!  Right Side: I love this joke that I found on Instagram :)  iPhone user for life.  (And I'm hoping to get a new one soon...LOVE YOU, PHIL!)

^^^  This was our sign for the game last night.  We thought it was hilarious, but I think we might have been the only ones who felt that way.  #youwinsomeyoulosesome

^^^  Despite the EXTRA-NOISY dialogue between Sweden fans and Canadian fans on the tram to the game, Nory snoozed away.  Unfortunately, she woke up on the walk to the arena and she did so on the wrong side of the stroller.  Juliet, in contrast, was wide-eyed and content as she took in all of the pre-game excitement (which was the most INSANE we'd seen it at this world junior tournament).  #newyearscrowd 

^^^  Since ice cream almost always makes everything better, we got one for Nory hoping that it would improve her mood.  It was a really brilliant idea until the ice cream started to melt and got her hands all dirty.  And then she got mad at me for licking away the drips.  And then she got mad at me for every single thing I did to try to save our New Years Eve from a ferocious practically-three-year-old.  And then Jettie got tired.  And then there we were, not even a whole period into the game, rushing to the concession area to do laps and calm our exhausted children before security gave us the boot.

 ^^^  Left Side:  Sometimes I like to post pictures to prove that Jettie HAS HAIR.  Right Side:  A SUPERMOM who left her own two babies at home in Canada rescued us by taking Nory on a walk to find her favourite mascot ever - FINKEY!  Thank you to this SUPERMOM and thank you to Finkey for being a wonderful distraction during all four Canada games :)

^^^  We left with 10 minutes left in the third period.  Em and Steve stayed til the end, so it was just us four as the clock struck midnight!  WOOT!  This year we resolve to SURVIVE life with a soon-to-be-walker and a soon-to-be-(already is?)-threenager.  That's good enough, right?  To survive?  Because I think that's all the energy we have right now ;) 

In all honesty, this year we look forward to watching the sibling dynamic change as Juliet gets more steady on her feet (and more vocal, too)!  Also, Nory will be starting nursery school in August and Phil will be taking on a new position at the school.  Changes are coming and we hope to embrace all they entail with optimism and togetherness.  It's easy to fall apart during times of change and our hope is to stay strong and united and JUST LOVE THE HECK OUT OF EACH OTHER.

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy and healthy 2016!

Love,
The Parkinson Family
XOXO

P.S.  Here's the video we made on our final day in Helsinki.  Thank you Steve for putting it all together for us! xo

TRUE PATRIOT LOVE :)

It's 10:30 on Wednesday evening and I'm snuggled up with Nory on the couch.  She's watching Baby Alive videos on YouTube (don't ask) and I'm eating some After Eights (hi Nan!) to keep me awake as I write this post.  This post, by the way, could alternatively be titled "December 28/29/30" because I'm going to be lazy and combine three trip days into one.  Truth being, I have little energy to spare tonight after dealing with diarrhea in not one, BUT BOTH, Parkinson children.  Did I mention it was our first night as JUST US FOUR at the apartment?  #bestfamilynightever #ha

(Last night was equally as hilarious as Nory remarked, "Mom!  I love your hair.  It is SO BEAUTIFUL!"  And just as my heart began to melt, she leaned in closer, took a big whiff, and exclaimed, "but it smells like poo, though.")

Motherhood.  SO FUN, you guys!

Anyways, we cheered on Canada in back-to-back games on Monday and Tuesday night.  Our dedication to making signs remains strong and we've had to return to the stationary store to pick up more black and red markers for the cause.  Cardboard remains easily available in the recycling bin out back and we've lucked out with all of the boxes remaining from Christmas.

Team Canada won both games, although we didn't see the finish of the game versus Switzerland last night.  The girls had pretty much had it with only 3 minutes to go in the third period and, although it was tied 2-2, it was one of those situations where we knew we better not push it any longer.  Sometimes you gotta suck it up and miss the exciting shoot-out.  Sometimes you have to be a 100% parent.  GASP!

Before I sign off here, it must be said that CANADA FANS are the BEST.  Likely, the best in the world :)  There's nothing like a sea of red and white in a country that's not your own.  TRUE PATRIOT LOVE, my friends.

And now, PICTURES (because you know darn well I have a ridiculously excessive amount of pictures on my camera roll just waiting to be posted right here for you to love 'em like I do):

DEC 27th // HOW DO YOU TEACH A CHILD TO BLOW THEIR NOSE?!

Really though.  How do you teach a child to blow their nose?  I've been hearing "MY NOSE! MY NOSE!" non-stop this trip and I think I'd hear the phrase a whole lot less if Nory would either use her sleeve (not an option, it ruins her outfit) OR if she possessed the COLD SEASON SKILL of blowing her nose!  Since the latter option is the only reasonable solution for Miss Clean-and-Tidy, I welcome any tips and tricks from all you parenting pro's :)  (Under normal circumstances, I would buy her a special box of Kleenex, but it seems as though people in Finland either NEVER have a runny nose OR rid of it in other ways because there's never been a bigger scavenger hunt than finding Kleenex in Helsinki....)

In other news, we had a first-filled December 27th, with Nory going for her first skate, Jettie playing in her first snow (Nory has yet to have this because she thinks snow makes her shoes dirty), and all of us (MINUS GEM) attending our first ringette game.

Some pictures pour vous:

^^^  Juliet woke up early but then managed to fall back to sleep in these cozy blankets on the living room floor.  I drank as much coffee (ah-hem, late night) as I could before she woke up again and we started our messy breakfast routine.  Since she no longer takes anything on a spoon, yogurt goes on the table and heaven knows where it goes from there.  

 
^^^  A messy breakfast calls for a morning shower, which Juliet loves.  Especially when Nory is still sleeping and she gets all the toys (and water!) to herself.  Afterwards, we got her into her adorable kitty shirt from Auntie Gem and played toys until the rest of the gang woke up. 

^^^  Once everyone was alive and ready to face the world again, we decided to go skating "like the hockey players!"  There are a few outdoor rinks we've seen, but the one we went to is right down town by central station.  Phil, Steve and Nory lined up to rent skates, while Em, Jet, and I admired the skaters already on the ice!

 ^^^  Once we spotted the snow pile at the end of the rink (and other kids playing in it!), we decided to take Juliet over for a play.  She LOVED IT :)  Too bad her sister isn't a fan!

 ^^^  With Juliet sleeping in the Ergo, the skating team was finally ready to take the ice!  Nory was unsure at first, but then ended up all smiles.  I wasn't quite sure how the experience would go, so I'm thrilled it ended up being a positive one :)  Phil felt on top of the world after skating with his big girl :)

 ^^^  We heard the World Ringette Championships were going on in Helsinki at the same time as the World Juniors, so we decided to check out Team Canada in action.  Since it was also at the Helsinki Ice Hall, we assumed it would draw in some of the hockey fans.  Well.  Let's just say we hiked a HIKE to find an unexpected "second rink" at the venue...

^^^  Turns out the Canadian Girls were not as sought after as our hockey players.  Not even a little bit.  We sat right near the Team Canada bench, beside moms and dads and........tournament volunteers.  It was like stumbling into a timbits hockey game at a small arena back home.  Sigh.  The good news is that our girls were INCREDIBLY SKILLED SKATERS and they were really enjoyable to watch.  Nory thought it was neat that the girls were on the ice instead of the boys :)  GIRL POWER!

Thankfully, despite being up late the night before, the girls went to bed at a reasonable hour on this day.  We woke up refreshed and ready to go for the next Canada game!!!

Please don't forget to send me some nose-blowing tips!

XOXO

BOXING DAY // HOW MANY SELFIES CAN ONE TAKE, YOU ASK?

You know how Boxing Day is a thing back home?  It's totally not a thing here.  It seems as though stores have been closed for DAYS and some might be closed for many days more.  Which is awesome for shop owners - you know, with extended holidays and all.  But when you're an avid shopper visiting from the Middle East (#weshoptheshop).....who is freezing cold and wants nothing more than to browse/warm-up in your cozy-looking boutique....it's not so fantastic.

Luckily, we're teachers and that equates to being MOSTLY flexible :)  Em and I made the most of our Boxing Day Shopping FAIL.  We were kid-less and men-less and we weren't going to let closed doors ruin our afternoon out.  Nor are we going to let a Team Canada LOSS ruin our Canadian spirit!

Here are some pictures from GAME DAY:

^^^  We opted for drinks and appetizers at Hard Rock when we discovered that nothing else was open.  No Team Canada spottings this time around, but we did have many TEAM CANADA FAN spottings!!!!  It was so exciting to see Canadians out and about in their Canadian Gear.  But not as exciting as it was when it started to snow.  I HAVE NOT SEEN SNOW IN YEARS!!!!!!  I'm sure Em was embarrassed to be beside me because I was jumping up and down and acting truly ridiculous.  I even removed my precious mittens and stopped in the middle of a chilly hill to Facetime my Dad and tell him the great news!

^^^  With our game tickets, we actually get to watch both games scheduled for the evening.  The girls needed some down time and a nap, however, so Em and I sent the boys out and took care of nap time and Canada nails before getting everyone dressed up for the Canada versus USA game.  

^^^  We made two signs for the game - one just for our American friend, Steve, and the other to use post-penalty (it's a Justin Bieber reference).  We didn't make it on TSN this time, but we were quite popular in our section of the rink.  People wanted pictures with our signs and pictures of Steve holding his.  Also, we ran into the TSN camera man who put us on tv two years ago in Malmo AND he remembered us!!!!!!  ALSO, a Canadian couple also in Malmo recognized us too and commented on how much Nory has grown since they saw her in Sweden.  It was SO COOL :)

 ^^^ The girls were fantastic during the game.  Jet chilled on Phil's lap and chewed on her socks for a couple of hours.  She loved looking around - watching the fans and listening to the sounds of the game.  Nory had her own seat (which we paid for, obviously), but she spent most of her time on my lap (which was awesome, obviously).  She got right into TEAM CANADA SPIRIT and we only had ONE potential CRISIS SITUATION, which was quickly averted.  It involved finding LINT on her BLACK PANTS and I'd like to take a minute here to THANK NORY for teaching me to be patient beyond what I ever thought was possible.  HA.  Nory also spent lots of time looking for "FINKEY" the mascot, who we were lucky enough to get into a picture with. 

I took a couple of videos of the girls at the game.  I'm trying to capture more videos of each of them, so here's to me making a conscious effort to do so.

JETTIE AT THE GAME:

NORY AT THE GAME:

I think their personalities come out in full force in these videos.  If you didn't know them before, you know them now ;)  

It's unfortunate that the boys lost, but we're saving the VICTORY AGAINST TEAM USA for the playoffs :)  The girls were left un-phased by the loss and partied until midnight (Juliet) and 1:30 a.m. (Nory).  We're choosing to go with the flow this trip and aren't too bothered by the late night.  That's what coffee is for :)  And lazy day snuggles the following day :)

Getting pumped up for another game tonight.  

GO CANADA GO!!!!!!!

CHRISTMAS DAY // I really miss our families.

Turns out the elf pajamas worked and Santa found us on Christmas Eve at our cozy apartment in Helsinki :)  He filled our stockings with lots of goodies and left them by our mini Christmas tree that we picked up at a flower shop a few doors down.  Nory was thrilled that Santa filled NOT ONE, BUT TWO stockings for her.........#haaaaaaa #JulietSharesSoWell

After a slow start to the day, we decided to brave the wind chill and make our way to the Helsinki Zoo.  Which happens to be on an island.  Which happens to be colder than attractions on non-islands.  IT WAS THE PERFECT WAY TO SPEND CHRISTMAS.  Especially since there were so many bird exhibits.  Yep, I was FREEZING COLD with THE BIRDS.  It was my dream come true ;)

Here are some pictures from Christmas Day:

^^^  Although Nory asked for a pink teddy bear for MONTHS, the little baby she got (with the accompanying baby gear!) was definitely a highlight.  As was the Kinder Surprise Egg. 

^^^  The zoo had many great exhibits, but the major ones were the big cats and owls of all sorts.  That being said, I was MUCH MORE into the beautiful landscapes around the enclosures.  The zoo made a great effort to maintain the natural landscape when they designed the zoo grounds.  It really is a unique zoo in that sense.

^^^  So pretty, TOLD YOU!  Nory enjoyed some rock-climbing after passing the moose enclosure.  

^^^  A sneak peak at the sun's descent and a newly found ANNOYANCE as a glasses user.  You guys - we walked into the AMAZON and BAM!  Fog for days.  Also...I can't stand dirty glasses.  I use dish soap on my glasses at least once (sometimes twice!) a day.  Those little cloths just don't live up to my viewing standards. 

 

^^^  This building was around the half-way point and it's where we stopped for a delicious home-cooked meal.  A HOME-COOKED MEAL!  I ordered mashed potatoes and meatballs and it was like we stumbled upon a frozen girl's heaven. 

 

 

^^^  Guess who loves gingerbread?!  (Besides everyone.)  JULIET!!!!!!!!  She can down a cookie in seconds and make you think she dropped it under the trouble when really it's 100% GONE-ZO!

^^^  For Christmas dinner, we made homemade pizza.  Yet again, Chef Quinn took the lead, but Nory acted as sous-chef and, before freaking out about flour on her pants, she really pulled her weight ;) 

In the evening, we called family back home and I think all of us were left feeling a little sad and blue.  It's nice being able to see OUR PEOPLE on the computer, but it's kinda heartache-inducing too.  Missing out on the family traditions we've had for YEARS or seeing some traditions end because everyone is grown-up and gone.....GAHHHHH.  Tears.

In an effort to STOP tearing up, let's end this one.  We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with loved ones!!!  Sending big hugs and many smiles to you, wherever you might be. 

Love, The Parkinson Family

XOXO

Reasons HELSINKI is the CUTEST and........CHRISTMAS EVE!

It's official that this town is one of the cutest towns ever.  After Lakefield, Ontario, of course.  

It's cute because the dogs here wear little coats.  And booties.  And have pony tails.  And flashing lights on their collars.  (I will try to get pictures.)

It's cute because families are everywhere.  And even when all of the stores and shops are closed and there is nothing to do but walk the streets and admire the Christmas lights, they are there.  Families with the biggest smiles on their faces, bundled and not even bothered by the wind chill that is terrible times a billion.

It's cute because there is a park on - what seems like - every single block.  And it is clean and busy and beautiful.  And the parents are playing on the equipment too.  There's not a single mama or papa sitting on the benches available.

It's CUTE, you guys!

Now.....onto our Christmas Eve :)  With everything being closed on the 24th, we were able to relax and hang out and just enjoy quality time with our traveling crew.  Here are some pictures from the day: 

^^^  In the morning, we headed to the park by the water to run off and SWING OFF some energy.  I was reminded that I am old and "lose my stomach" on the swing and Nory reiterated her love for FISH (because she's basically one herself) as she looked for fish in the water with Uncle Steve.  Since the sun never gets very high at this time of year, it illuminates the land in the prettiest way.  We ran into a Finnish man who told us that we are here at the most BEAUTIFUL time of year :) 

^^^  We decided to go back to the same area for sunset a couple of hours later.  It was pretty cold and so we didn't hike as far as we liked, but we still got to see a lovely sunset.  Nory and Jet fell asleep on our walk and they ended up sleeping for (maybe more than?) two hours.  We really should have woken them up in hindsight, because they partied until 11:30 p.m.!!!!  Santa was exhausted when he stopped by our house!

^^^  In the evening, we enjoyed a delicious pork roast dinner prepared by the INCREDIBLE CHEF QUINN, followed by an intense evening of gingerbread-house making.  Emily and Steve deserve a serious shout-out for securing all materials necessary for both dinner and the house-building.  They battled through a no-English-anywhere grocery store to get everything on the shopping list.  GO TEAM!

^^^  The girls put on their "Elf Pajamas" before their late-night partying.  Auntie Gem started this tradition on Nory's first Christmas, where the "elves" drop off a letter AND a pair of new pajamas to help Santa locate us wherever we might be on Christmas Eve.  It's so sweet and we are lucky that Auntie Gem has such a great relationship with Santa's little helpers :)