Sweden: September/October 2009--Alayna Lu

Tiny Baby Alayna Lu!
A big yawn

What a sober baby

Sleeping Beauty

Blessing day

With Nana (she'd rather be with Mommy)

Alayna, 6 weeks, in typical Swedish outfit

Alayna Lu loves her mommy!

Now she's a chubby baby

A little too much love from big sister Izzy (2)

Sweden: September/October 2009

In the city of Lund, amid the beautiful fall leaves

In Lund

An ornate ancient church in Lund

The harbor in Lindsay's new hometown

At Sofiero, the former summer home of Sweden's King and Queen

Downtown Helsingborg

A beautiful old church in Helsingborg

Izzy at the beach two blocks from home

Ethan, Izzy and Addy at the beach by their house

Addy at Kullabergs, an ocean view park

Ethan, Addy and Izzy at the ocean park

Ethan at the ocean park

Lindsay's family at the ocean park

Inside courtyard at "Hamlet" castle in Copenhagen

Inside courtyard of "Hamlet" castle

The outside of the "Hamlet" castle

Ferry ride to Copenhagen

Lindsay's cute house

I've returned after five weeks in Sweden, helping Lindsay with her 4th baby (and our 11th grandchild). Baby Alayna Lu (born on 09/09/09) is thriving. She's growing fast, loves her mommy, and tolerates her siblings, Izzy (2), Addy (6) and Ethan (8). Sweden was WONDERFUL, such a pretty country, and such nice people. I had a great time meeting all of Lindsay's new Swedish and American friends there. We mostly stayed home with the kids, the mess, the laundry, and the dishes. But we did a little sightseeing, too. Lindsay lives in a picturesque little village by the sea. We walked around town on the cobblestone streets and to the beach behind their house. We also went to the pretty town harbor. We drove to an ocean park nearby (Kullabergs) which juts out into the Baltic Sea. The view was really stunning. We also visited the bigger cities of Helsingborg and Lund, both of which were very "European," full of great old buildings. We took the ferry to Copenhagen and visited the actual "Hamlet" castle. Mostly, though, I enjoyed visiting with the kids and holding little Alayna--although she would have perferred her mommy's arms! I'm glad to be safely back home, but I miss Lindsay's little family in Sweden.

September/October 2009

The quilt Jeanne made for her sister Lindsay's baby, Alayna Lu

Jeanne's baby Gwenie, about 6 months old

Lindsay finally posted her story of Alayna's birth. Go to her blog for details at http://mikeandlindsayfamily.blogspot.com

We are having a busy, hectic, and fun time here in Sweden. Today Izzy, 2 and in the middle of potty training, dipped and drank from the toilet. She's a cutie, but full of IT. I'll try to get some pictures posted when I get home.

Sweden is great. Today we rode the ferry ($100 round trip) to Denmark. The castle we wanted to tour was closed, but we saw the mote, the courtyard, the drawbridge, and the turrets, etc. Then we drove on a highway by the sea and saw wonderful houses, some with grass thatch roofs, some huge mansions. It was fascinating. We returned by ferry to Helsinborg and ate at Burger King (Nana's treat). The kids melted down on the way home. What a lot of crying and screaming and unhappiness! Baby Alayna, who is sick with her first cold, was the best of bunch! But Izzy has suddenly become mostly potty trained, and even got to go pee pee in the castle restroom.Tomorrow at church Mike will give Alayna a name and a blessing. Then next week the kids will have their Primary Sacrament meeting program. It's nice that I'll be here for both of those events. I'll try and post a few pictures when I get home on October 26. The towns are so lovely and quaint, with lots of old people, including many with walkers, busily going about their lives. It's a treat to be in a small European village like Raa, where Mike and Lindsay live. It has cobblestone streets, little shops, and many pedestrians. It's certainly a walking country. My goodness, I'm out of shape.I'm happy to report that Karsyn's surgery for a cyst in her throat went perfectly yesterday. She is home and tired, but doing well. She will be up and running in a couple of days.More later. Hej da (not spelled right, but meaning see you later in Swedish).