Our latest trip to Finland Part Two

A Red Bird theme ride for children is seen in Angry Birds Land, an Angry Birds-themed activity center within the Sarkanniemi adventure park near Tampere, Finland

Our latest trip to Finland part one

  Q & A

Our Trip to Finland Part One

We travel to Finland about twice a year. Our son married a Finn and they have two children, so we get to visit this beautiful country when we see their beautiful family. 

   

 First, the Answers:

1    1 )      1

2    2 )      What Mr. J said to a Finnish gentleman in the hotel elevator

3    3 )      What Mr. J said after the Finnish gentleman exited the elevator

4    4 )      An inch and a half

5    5 )      228 but who’s counting?

6    6 )      1 ½ hours

7    7 )      3 hours

8    8 )      9 hours

9     9)    3 hours

1    10)   9 hours

1    11)   At least twice a day (depends on who you ask)

1    12)   Every time we came to their house

And now the Questions:

1          1)      Number of fuses I blew at the hotel

2)      “No speak Finnish.”

3)      (Whacks self on forehead) “Why did I say that?”

4)      How thick was the mattress on the bed?

5)      Number of times I sang “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” to granddaughter

6)      The drive from home to the airport

7)      Length of flight--Salt Lake City to Chicago

8)      Length of flight---from Chicago to Helsinki

9)      Length of drive---from Helsinki to Jyvaskyla

10)   The time difference in Finland vs. USA

11)    Number of times Mr. J stalled the standard shift rental car

      12)    Grins on grandchildren’s faces

Read to me, Grandma!

Two years ago I saw a TV commercial advertising Hallmark recordable storybooks and I was hooked. The magic of a child opening a book and hearing "recorded for Jenny by Grandma . . . " was enough to convince.So, for two years we've been buying and recording them for our grandchildren. We've also bought some for our sons to record - #1 and #2, for their own children, and #3, as their uncle. 

I finally had to replace Good Night, Moon recently, as it had been so well-loved (and partially eaten), that it didn't work anymore. 

(disclaimer: This is not a commercial for Hallmark recordable storybooks and I am not being paid a fee to endorse them. Watch for after-holiday sales, when holiday-themed books can be bought at a greatly reduced price.)

When we Skype (which also presents a great opportunity to read aloud to children, and it's free), our granddaughter will find the books we've recorded and flip through them, so we can see them, as if to say, "I know you, and here's the book you gave me." 

To see the children loving these books is well worth the price - - - - recordable storybooks are on the pricey side. 

There are other ways to make this experience happen - as I mentioned, Skype offers many possibilities we haven't even thought about, and anyone with a video setting on their digital camera, or a cell phone, could record you reading a children's book.The video file can be sent to the recipient by cell phone or email instantly. Done. Like that. And with their own copy of the book, the children can follow right along. Or you could burn the video file to a CD for the child. Many children know how to play a CD by themselves. 

Years ago, we recorded my parents reading to my children on audiocassette. We still have the cassettes somewhere. They are precious and I'm glad to have them. 

No matter how we read to children and grandchildren, whether we live close by or thousands of miles apart, it's a wonderful gift to give. This picture says it all. 

An Autumn Story in Pictures

1    

1.  Darling Granddaughter #1 buries Daddy in leaves

 2.  Family dog comes to investigate

2   

   3.  Family dog finds Daddy and licks his face clean.

 I love Autumn!  

It's the Man from S.K.Y.P.E. !

Melinda and The Man from Skype

My husband is a great entertainer of little people. A Pied Piper. When it comes to our Finnish grandchildren, though, most of our encounters happen on Skype. He’s an expert at Pattycake, This Little Piggie and Peek-a-Boo when we Skype. 

Darling Granddaughter #2 is 2 ½ and until last month she had only met her American grandfather once, when she was just over a year old.

Last month we visited them in Polokka Finland. When Grandpa came into the living room, Darling Granddaughter #2 looked up at him with shock and awe. “Could it be . . . . ?” she must have been thinking. 

He sat on the rug beside her, took his foot in her hand and began “This Little Piggy . ..” Her smile lit up the room and she giggled for five minutes. “It’s the funny guy from Skype! He’s real! And he’s here!” flashed over her face as she connected the image from Skype with her grandfather.

Priceless. That moment was worth the whole trip, travel hassles and all. 

The remainder of our visit was filled with This Little Piggy, Pattycake, and Peek-a-Boo. She just couldn’t get enough, and Grandpa was her preferred provider.

Darling Granddaughter #2 is a special child. She is a surviving twin of a premature birth (23 weeks 5 days gestation) and weighed in at 20 ounces at birth. She is a miracle. She faces many physical challenges, so every bit of progress she makes is miraculous in our eyes.

As if her life isn’t challenging enough, she also hears Finnish and English every day, one language from each parent. When she forms those first words we're all anxiously waiting to hear, they’ll probably be in Finnish, her mother’s tongue, and her second language will be English, her father’s native language. In the meantime, therapists are encouraging sign language. Evidently American and Finnish sign language are quite similar, which will be a great mediator.

Little Brother and the Man From Skype

Little Brother was also an active observer and participant. At ten  months, he’s happy, social, charming, and attentive. What a joy it was to be with him.

What my husband doesn’t know is that often when we Skype, he has an audience of Finns who are standing beyond video camera range. They find him highly amusing. So do I. One of the Finnish relatives has proposed a study on family relationships maintained with Skype as a project for her master’s degree. In other words, we’re going to be part of an educational study.

Never underestimate the power of “This Little Piggy.”

But I've never understood why the third little piggy had roast beef.