NARRATING THE CAMERA ROLL...(pre-trip edition)

Last night was one of those nights where I could NOT sleep - even though both kids were sleeping and even though the house was dark and quiet.  So rather than toss and turn and get increasingly frustrated by the fact that I was still wide awake at a ridiculous hour, I decided to be productive and delete the plethora of blurry photos on my iPhone.  Which made me realize that I didn't share much of our December pictures.

So.

If you happen to be laying wide awake in bed and want to take your mind off of the fact that you are NOT SLEEPING and how that won't stop your child/children from waking up in a couple of hours...........I give you something to peruse ;)

 ^^^  Left side:  Can anyone guess what Nory's favourite colour is?  Right side:  Have you heard of Magna-Tiles?  We ordered them to Grandma's house and she kindly brought them all the way to Kuwait for us.  Look them up - they are SO MUCH FUN! :) 

 ^^^  Two things.  First, that outfit that Cecelia is wearing?  Nory was wearing that on the morning of her SECOND birthday.  Second, I can't wait for these two girls to start exploring together.  Cecelia will be crawling soon enough and then....we're all in for it!

 ^^^  We always say yes to coffee.  In EXTRA-AMAZING COFFEE NEWS, our school now brings Tim Hortons on campus every Thursday morning!  

^^^  Nory is officially into Barbies.  Watching her imagination in action is THE BEST PART about it :)  Actually....watching Phil play Barbies with her MIGHT be the real best thing about it!

 ^^^  Gotta watch out around our place.  With her walker, Jettie is on a serious mission and there's a (mostly) friendly mermaid that would live in our bathtub FOREVER if we let her. 

 ^^^  We hosted a small Christmas gathering at our place the weekend before we traveled.  Dana cooked a delicious turkey (THANK YOU, SISSY!) and everyone else brought a dish to share.  It was wonderful celebrating the holiday season with our Kuwait Family :) XOXO

 

^^^  Because we hadn't planned enough events already (ha!), Emily and I also planned a Christmas Sock Exchange Party with some girlfriends.  Everyone brought a pair of Christmassy socks stuffed with goodies, which we exchanged during a left/right circle activity (#teacherparties).  As a group of gals, we decided we need to get together more often.  I'm excited for our next ladies night in January :)

 ^^^  One of the best parts about being a teacher is wearing red and green and Santa earrings and holiday hairbands the entire week leading up to holidays.  And pulling the "I'm a teacher" excuse out of the back pocket when needed :) 

^^^  We had one final "Family Dinner" with #thehouseofnorules before leaving for the holidays.  They have had an eventful time away and we can't wait to see them....and hug the heck out of Seton....when we return to Kuwait!  MISS YOU GUYS! 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