Welcome to Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. And to Philly’s surrounding suburbs.
We’ve been in the US now for almost a week, and we’re finally starting to get over the jet-lag and feel adapted. The first few nights were rough for the kids – and consequently for us – but now they’re starting to sleep better. Peter is having a bit of trouble adjusting to American baby food, which is pretty tasteless when compared to its Swedish counterpart I must say. Since it will be difficult to make our own while we’re on the road, we’re trying to find solutions now that will help him eat a little better. Our pace has been pretty intense since we landed, and though our kids have handled it all extremely well, we’re all a bit tired. We’ve been having lots of fun though! Here are some highlights:
Birthday!
Our little girl turned 3! Her party is yet to come, but we couldn’t let the day pass in a total jet-lag haze without acknowledging her special day with a little cake and ice cream!
Sailing
My dad has a 16ft catamaran that he sails most often on Lake Galena at Peace Valley Park in Bucks County. Since Emelie had never been on a boat like this before, we thought we’d start off slow and see how she liked it. Well, she loved it. At one point she was hanging over the front edge of the trampoline and shouting “Faster! Faster!” as the water splashed up on her face. It was an amazing day. Our dinner picnic was cut short by a little sprinkle of rain and we brought the boat in after a distant rumble of thunder warned us there could be a storm coming. Not until we left and were driving home could we see that it had indeed stormed and poured down rain – everywhere except the lake where we were sailing. Thanks God for a fun afternoon on the water!
Helping get the boat ready to go in the water. She’s “fixing” the strap.
Visiting, Playing and Swimming
We’ve done lots of visiting with friends since we’ve been here. Time with people that we love but rarely get to see is one of the best parts of taking a trip like this. There’s been lots of chances to play and even a backyard pool to swim in!
Peter loved the water table – especially after the big girls moved on to the swings
What could be better than your own table with pizza and Finding Nemo?
Peter + water = love I’m sensing a theme here!
Getting this little fish out of the water was not easy!
The Franklin Institute
One of my favorite places in Philadelphia. I couldn’t wait to introduce my own kids to the things I remember so fondly, like climbing through the giant heart, riding the big locomotive and other fun hands-on exhibits in this amazing science museum. She’s still talking about it days later, even with all the other things we’ve done. She especially talks about seeing the stars on the ceiling in the planetarium, and the “how fireworks work” demonstration. I love how she pronounces “Franklin Institute” with such clear enunciation as she shows everyone the admission bracelet that she’s still wearing. If you’ve never been there and you have occasion to be in Philadelphia, I can’t recommend it enough, whether you have kids or not. 
Lindstrom family with Ben Franklin
Peter’s favorite was blowing foam balls through tubes.
Emelie surprised us all with how well she could climb on the rock wall!
It’s entirely possible that every kid in the greater Philadelphia area has a picture like this one. What kid doesn’t want a chance to be a pilot?
We’re having a great time! We’ll be in the Philadelphia area until Monday when we start heading west!