Steven, Sammy and Amaya started camp on 7/24 and they’re two weeks into the new routine and longer day. I’m not sure if I mentioned it before but they’re at camp from ~8:45am until 3:30pm which is great prep for the transition from half day pre-k to full day kindergarten.

The kids swim almost every day which is awesome. Steven and Sammy are starting to get a lot more comfortable in the pool. They also have tons of theme days. First up was Western Day. Howdy Partner!

Jason was at work late one day but was happy to take time to FaceTime with sweet Sammy, who was thrilled to be talking to his daddy.

On Friday, 7/29 I headed off to meet my friend Erica for a week in Denmark and Norway. It was incredible and I’ve included a bunch of photos here.

We arrived on Saturday morning and took in the sights of Copenhagen. We thought we’d have a fairly rainy week but the weather really turned around for us.

On Sunday, our hottest day by about 25 degrees, we headed to Roskilde to the Viking museum. Jason is about 10% Scandinavian and loves to talk to the kids about their “Viking roots” so I picked up these t-shirts for SSA.

We also took a tourist boat ride around the city. Totally worth it, especially on such a gorgeous day.

Back at home, Jason held down the fort and did some heavy labor on our deck. He had some pressure washing helpers.

In the evening, Madison took the kids to a 4th of July festival. It was a big night for them – rides, treats and fireworks! (Their first fireworks!) It looks like they had a great time!

On Monday, Erica and I shopped a bit in the morning where I couldn’t pass up a photo op with Pinkie Pie. Copenhagen is a fantastic walking city with a ton of shops and restaurants on primarily pedestrian streets.

We spent over 5 hours at Tivoli Gardens which turned out to be an amusement park! Totally blew me away. Erica and I spent hours and hours going on ride after ride after ride. It was such a fun day.

Tuesday was pajama day at camp!

While the kids pajama’d it up, Erica and I did a “Two Countries in One Day” tour that took us to Kronberg castle in Elsinor and two towns (Lund and Malmö) in Sweden.

Wednesday morning, before we headed to Bergen, Norway, we visited the Danish Jewish Museum and the Botanical Garden. On our trip we learned that 99% of Jewish Danes survived the Holocaust because the Danish government and the Danish people would not just stand back and surrender their countrymen? And because Sweden said, “we’ll give them safe harbor.” It’s pretty powerful and moving to learn about. When the Danish Jews returned after the war the found their homes & pets had been cared for.

Off to Norway! Oh, Norway. It is a spectacular country. Bergen welcomed us. Sort of lol.

4th of July! Madison and SSA checked out the Northville parade.

In Norway, Erica and I headed to Flåm via the famous Flåm train and, after lunch and short hike, we took a 5 hour boat ride back to Bergen via the Fjords. The views were beyond. I’ve never seen anything like it.

And back in Bergen!

Our final day in Bergen was another beautiful day. As the clouds came in, we headed up Ulriken mountain for dinner and more unbelievable views.

Saturday was a looooooong travel day for me and a fairly quiet day for Jason and the kids.

Here, the boys are playing Paw Patrol Don’t Break the Ice together. 🙂

And I’m HOME! Sammy and Amaya were already asleep but Steven was so ready for cuddles and so was I.

Today was a much needed family day. <3

One of the gifts I got the kids were knights and a queen from Kronberg castle. They had all sorts of adventures during breakfast.

Game time with Slap the Sightword.

Building time. This is one of the STEM kits from Grandma Sunshine and it’s so much fun. I love seeing the kids’ creations.

I got this cool map at the Viking museum and I can use it to track my travels. The kids loved the idea so Jason made them their own maps. Steven, of course, had to add the places he’s traveled with Morminer which led Sammy to add the places he’s visited with Puppy. Amaya seemed satisfied with MI, NY, OH and CA.

Jason, deep in conversation with Amaya.

And we wrapped up our weekend with a family dinner night at Shiro. First thing this morning, the kids asked if we could go out to eat today since I just got home. 🙂

Have a great week!