Singin' in the Rain

If you can't enjoy the rain at least a little in Denmark, you'd better move...

Can't beat it, join it!

Summer 2007

What a wonderful summer it's been! There's been lots and lots to do since the boat trip, thanks to farmor Anni and farfar Jens and lots of good friends.
Max got to go several times to the beach and to fun, quaint little towns on the coast when we were allowed to borrow the car.
Farmor and farfar also took Max (and his parents) to a safari zoo. I think the parents and parents in law enjoyed the animals the most, but Max did seem interested in the zebras. But mostly, it was the playground and "eess!" ("is" is the danish word for ice cream) that had Max's attention. Both of which he got lots of, as you can see from the picture of Max with his grandpa Jens.

Then there was a wonderful weekend at a summer house with friends Anders and Diana. They got to play mommy and daddy and the real parents got to play singles again. And with the big yard, the beach close and millions of rocks just begging to be thrown in, it made for fun times for all. And when there was no beach right close at hand, a big tub full of rain water was perfect for chucking the decorative rocks into. The "throw in the rock" game is a true winner and I would bet hours were spent that weekend perfecting the game. You can also see an unsuspecting Max getting ready to be tackled by his daddy. Max was playing soccer but daddy was playing football.....

Then we all got to spend a truly perfect weekend at a Christian summercamp with friends. There was great teaching and a sandbox. Who could ask for more? Somebody else cooked, somebody else cleaned and it didn't matter that Max threw food on the floor. Heaven on earth, I tell you. Here you can see him with our friend Theis. This is another one of Maxs favorite words; "Theis (pronounced Tice)". All men are Theis. When I ask Max if we should call daddy, he gets on the phone and says "Theis". Needless to say, Theis secretly loves this and thus, our kid. Like I said, those who love my kid become dear friends quickly. He and his wife, Allison, took Max occassionaly and let me and Morten play by ourselves. Really great time.

And the last picture is just of Maximus Augustus, playing with a train set he borrowed from his friend, Lucas. He's getting big, isn't he? Not much baby left over our little Gladiator.

Favorite food right now: hotdogs, apples, ice cream.
Favorite toys: cars, tractors, trains, puzzles
Favorite words in Danish: "is" (ice cream)"hvad er det" (what's that?) "Theis", "Olav", "Magnus" (his best friend at daycare)
Favorite words in English: "hotdog", "boat", "mommy", "daddy", "motor"

Boat Ride with Olav and Marie

Morten's aunt Marie and uncle Olav recently bought a boat and offered to take us all three out on one of the lakes close to our home. The lake is actually a series of small connected lakes and springs so it makes for interesting little nooks and crannies; one of which was the perfect spot to go for a swim.
Marie made a lovely lunch and Olav grilled some ribs for us in a shady cove. Max got to run up and down hills, play with other people's puppies and eat lots and lots of fresh snap peas.
Further up the lake, we got to see how the other half lives and cruised by all the "good money" as they call it here. We docked and Marie pulled out coffee and cake and we pretended like we belonged there.

On the return trip home, Max sat with Marie the whole way and the two of them fed the ducks, chatted about the boats motor (Max's new words are "Olav" and "motor"), and then Max crashed out to sleep; first on Marie's lap and then got moved down below deck.
They have a saying here, "Take the child's hand, take the mother's heart." Needless to say, Olav and Marie have this mothers heart.

This was one of those summer days that you remember in your head for a long, long time...."Yeah, that was a great day...."