Sweden comes to us!

Two years ago, our friends and neighbors Emma and Stefan moved back to Sweden. Their children Max and Elise were playmates to ours and their absence is felt everyday as we look across the street to, what is predominantly, an empty house. Emma and I were pregnant at the same time with Evan and Elise (they are one month apart) and it had been so nice to have someone to share the benchmarks of child development with.




This month, they returned to the US for a three month stay, doing a house swap with some friends of theirs. During this time we were able to get together three times and catch up. It was as if we had never been apart. Although Max did not remember any English, Kiira and he found ways to communicate and played for hours at a time. Evan and Elise similarly amused each other with their own comversations. And, at one time or another, each child asked the parents how to say something in the other's native language. Perhaps ours even picked up a few extra words of Swedish?

We met at each other's houses and then one day, the Larsson's came to the barn, the last day of Kiira's pony camp, and we all rooted her on in her little horse show. After, Max and Elise got a ride on Robin Hood!




Alan and I talk alot of how rare it is to find other couples that both husband and wife get on well with the other husband/wife. Not only are Emma and Stefan nice people but also they are interesting, worldly and intriguing. We love talking of the differences/similarities of Sweden and the US. We talk of cats/dogs - are we one or the other? We talk photography, gay rights, perception of motherhood. We joke, we ponder, we wholeheartedly enjoy each other's company. Thank you Emma and Stefan for including us in your lives, your thoughts and your US visit!