Summer Vacation Ends

And Fall Begins

Well, our first summer break in Stockholm comes to an end. The Cinnamon Sticks start school this week. Let’s just say that they are 3 parts excited and 1 part nervous. I think they are looking forward to having some playmates other than Gen X Mr. Cinnamon bun. But more on that in future episodes. Today is for reminiscing about our wonderful summer.

It has been a special treat for me to spend pretty much 24/7 with my kids these last few months. Anyone with family knows that life with young children can be challenging. But we had tons of fun and my goal was to make sure that the girls had pleasant memories of their first summer in Stockholm. We’ve had quite a few adventures! From traveling for 24 hours with two cats to get to Stockholm, to our family vacations in Siggesta Gård and Vaxholm. We experienced a lot in a very short time.

In addition to the big stuff that we’ve mentioned, there have been a host of smaller joys and (hopefully) traditions that we have established.

Fika Fun

With a name like 300 Cinnamon Buns, I’m sure it is no surprise for you to learn that we have enjoyed the Swedish concept of fika. Technically fika is a break with friends for coffee and snacks. But it’s actually more than that. It is a state of mind. A time to share yourself with others. Once or twice a week for the last two months, we’ve been able to join my brother for a fika:

And although it isn’t about the sweet treats necessarily we have enjoyed some pretty spectacular nibbles:

Sometimes it is even an ice cream the size of your head:

Family Dog Bonding

We have two cats:

My brother has an adorable French Bulldog named Abbe:

The Cinnamon Sticks adore Abbe. They enjoy taking Abbe for a walk. It’s been fun to watch. Sometimes they do it around a fika, other times they just drop by and take him out.

We have definitely become part of his pack. And we like it.

Time Outdoors

I feel a sense of irony that we seem to spend more quality time outdoors now that we live in the city than we did in the suburbs of California. I’m sure we technically spent more time outside in California, but the quality of our outdoor time this summer has been fantastic. In addition to our big trips, we have explored our local lake, Hellasgården, several times:

We took a stroll to our local 4H camp. Apparently that’s a big deal here. It was a bit of a bust actually as we were hoping for animals, but we only saw a few sheep:

There was a beautiful garden:

It’s been a wonderful time and I have really enjoyed seeing the girls embrace going for longer walks:

We should have them hiking in no time.

And Tons of Other Small Stuff

Nesting in our new house, taking the subway, enjoying libraries, the playground and parks. Just thinking about all the new and fun things is a bit of a whirlwind. We truly are enjoying our adventure. And we can’t wait for what’s next:

To be continued…