Christmas 2013

This year, for the first time, I traveled to New Mexico to visit family taking only Ellen along. It was a really good trip. Not only is Ellen old enough to be away from her mother for two weeks, but she proved to be a fun and affable traveler.

Ellen at the Copenhagen airport Ellen, quickly adjusting to being on vacation with dad Dad Dad, experimenting with his camera Visiting the Thompson ranch in Springer Ellen takes a short ride on Sugar with help from Aunt Donna and Uncle Clarance DSC_2689.JPG Maracas! Nothing says Christmas like student wanna-be cops Call me nostalgic, but when I was a kid, Santa didn't need protection Call me nostalgic, but when I was a kid, Santa didn't need protection Call me nostalgic, but when I was a kid, Santa didn't need protection Call me nostalgic, but when I was a kid, Santa didn't need protection Carly dances at a school performance at the United World College Mom and Carly slave away in the kitchen Carly and mom slave away in the kitchen My sweet traveling companion Got some snow a few days before Christmas Got some snow a few days before Christmas Got some snow a few days before Christmas DSC_2893.JPG DSC_2900.JPG DSC_2905.JPG The drought has killed a lot of trees How did people travel with kids before the iPad was invented? Ben waits impatiently to be served at Sushi King Heather at Sushi King Diego at Sushi King Ellen entertained herself practically all day while I worked on some programming problems with Ben Ellen entertained herself practically all day while I worked on some programming problems with Ben

Ellen had a great time, but the highlight was the “River of Lights” at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden, which we saw with Ben and Heather. At one point she stopped running around and asked me, “Will we ever see this again?” I said I didn’t know — maybe we wouldn’t. She got sad, and has mentioned this possibility to her mother since we returned, so we’d better plan to return.

Part of the 'River of Lights' display at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden Part of the 'River of Lights' display at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden Part of the 'River of Lights' display at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden Part of the 'River of Lights' display at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden Part of the 'River of Lights' display at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden Part of the 'River of Lights' display at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden DSC_2990.JPG Part of the 'River of Lights' display at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden Part of the 'River of Lights' display at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden Part of the 'River of Lights' display at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden Part of the 'River of Lights' display at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden Part of the 'River of Lights' display at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden Part of the 'River of Lights' display at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden Part of the 'River of Lights' display at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden Part of the 'River of Lights' display at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden

We had a mix of weather, but generally it was warm and sunny, which was a welcome relief from the damp and dark of Denmark. We also had a bit of snow, so it’s not like it was so warm that we forgot it was Christmas.

Ellen squints in the bright New Mexico sunshine Mom, on a walk into town Carly reacts to her new tablet from Bon-bon and Pampah Connie covets a gift Ellen Arthur Nerd heaven Ellen got plenty of attention from her uncle Ben and auntie Heather DSC_3105.JPG DSC_3163.JPG DSC_3174.JPG Celina, Leah, Joe, Ellen, Cora, and Carly The Coppock gift exchange Celina Cora, Heather, and Ellen Mom and dad's house Waiting for our flight in Albuquerque Waiting for our flight in Albuquerque

Sonder

There’s more about the word sonder  here, and whether it’s a real word, but I don’t really care. I just like the concept and the definition. I’m not even sure we should have a word for it.

sonder

A cyclist is born

In Febuary, for Ellen’s fourth birthday, we bought her a bike. She picked it out herself, and seemed very pleased. But it soon became clear that her pleasure was mostly derived from ownership itself. She had no real interest in riding it. Every few weekends or so we’d take her out to the street and she would object, and say she couldn’t, and whine about going inside.

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And the, a couple weeks ago — out of nowhere — she asked me if she could ride her bike when we got home. I helped her get it out of the garage, and within ten minutes she was starting and stopping on her own (her balance was learned long ago, on a “running bike”, or bike without pedals.) Now she’s on to experiment with things like balancing while stopped, and making u-turns without putting her feet down.

Crazy all the way around

It’s hard to imagine, before you have your second child, how anyone could compete with your first. That’s partly because you’re surprised by how crazy you are about the first and can’t imaging being that crazy about another kid. But it’s also partly because you can’t possibly be prepared for how different the second is from the first. You can’t imagine how fully and completely the second child is their own person.

Nothing better than trying big sister's stuff Fresh from the tub Once she can reach the pedals she's outta here

Far from being just a smaller version of Ellen, June is June. She’s fearless, almost violently affectionate, and apparently feels pain to a much lesser degree than most humans. She’s unstoppable and unflappable. June is a whole different experience than Ellen, and I’m every bit as crazy about her as I am about Ellen.

Purse of many meanings

Even after living here for almost eight years, I have not learned Danish. But I’ve tried, off and on, and so I’m not completely oblivious. I can generally conduct simple transactions in Danish, but I’m always just a word or two from either not understanding, or understanding exactly the wrong thing. Nevertheless, I generally try to do things like go to the post office or to the store without resorting to English.

Last year, as part of the gradual but undeniable increase in medical visits that one experiences with age, I found myself at the hospital awaiting a CAT scan. In this case it was an abdominal scan.

I walked into the lab, and was greeted by a friendly and enthusiastic woman about my age. Her Danish was brisk, but I managed to pick out a few words: something about a purse. In Danish the word for purse is pung.

In her hand, she held a small grey rubber object. It was oval, grey, and about four inches long. It looked like a very sturdy, industrial coin purse.

I knew that metal is not something you want to take into the scanner with you, so I assumed that she wanted me to place all coins, keys, jewelry and the like into the purse. I thought this was a little strange, as I clearly had a backpack with me, so I said thanks but no thanks, I have my own bag. Read More →

Ebeltoft

DSC_2084.JPG DSC_2066.JPG The beach (Elsegårde Strand)

In Denmark there is a efterårsferie (“fall vacation”) — a week in the fall when people often travel or stay at a summer house. This year Lisbeth’s parents rented a house on the beach near Ebeltoft (about an hour from Århus and about four hours from Copenhagen.)

Ellen naps in the rental car On the ferry between Sjællands Odde and Århus On the ferry between Sjællands Odde and Århus

I’ve heard a lot about the whole summer house experience, but this was really the first time I’d tried it for myself. Unfortunately I had a deadline at work that, coupled with a vicious migraine, prevented me from enjoying myself as much as I’d like, but I can see the appeal. Good food, family, leisurely walks — not much to complain about.

Elsegårde Strand Lisbeth A summer house at Elsegårde Strand

One thing that struck me was how much my perception of size has changed. Read More →

Scenes from the grind

I’ve never been so busy in my life. There isn’t enough time in the day. Time flies. And other cliches.

June enlists mom to help scrape out the last of an ice cream My sweet, doe-eyed Ellen Rainbow over Kålagervej Sending dad off to work in the morning Near the office A sunny Saturday at Tivoli

I’ve never been so busy in my life. But I’ve also never been so motivated. It’s not easy, but it’s very much worth it.

Summer Vacation 2013

This summer, our vacation was a little different. Instead of flying directly to the US from Copenhagen, we flew to Frankfurt first, where we had a five hour layover before flying on to Denver.

A five hour layover is something I would have liked to avoid before I had kids, but a layover is your friend when you’re traveling with energetic little people who are used to being able to run around all day long.

Vacation! Waiting in Copenhagen for our flight to Frankfurt Waiting in Frankfurt for our flight to Denver Waiting in Frankfurt for our flight to Denver Waiting in Frankfurt for our flight to Denver Waiting in Frankfurt for our flight to Denver Got a bassinet on the plane (whew!)

Except for a few minutes of icy fear caused by “ESTA” (the for-profit private agency that handles US Visas) when they refused to let Lisbeth board the flight despite the fact that she had a valid visa, it was a pleasant time. But the best part of this itinerary was that once we made the long flight to the US, we were done. That’s a lot nicer than having to face a domestic flight after the Atlantic flight.

Denver, staying with Sarah and Troy Denver, staying with Sarah and Troy Denver, staying with Sarah and Troy
In Denver we stayed with my cousin Sarah and her husband Troy. Read More →

Those demanding sprouts

Ellen: the result of four and a half years of parenting

I didn’t put a great deal of thought into parenthood before having kids, but I knew what kind of parent I didn’t want to be. I would see mothers holding up lines while ordering because they were consulting their tired three-year-old about whether to get the cheeseburger or the chicken nugget happy meal. I didn’t want to be that parent, for a number of reasons.

June: a very compact and solid form of energy and mischief

Or the guy who, seeing his kid melt down in a grocery store, caves in to the kid’s every demand. That, I told myself, would never be me. And of course I didn’t want to be the parent that complains about their kids, reprimanding them in public so everyone knows what a good parent you are and how bad they are. I also didn’t want to be one of those parents who have trouble talking about anything other than their kids.

June, charging batteries in preparation for her next onslaught

I’ve managed to stick to some of these promise. I haven’t yet given into to the threat of the public tantrum (but plenty of opportunities await in the future.) And I’m not much for asking toddlers which menu options strike their fancy.

But in some ways I’ve failed. I often find myself talking at length about what Ellen said the other morning, or how June can already hot-wire a car…

Now that's how one eats melon

But what I didn’t know before I became a parent (and wouldn’t have known even if someone had tried to explain it) is that a kid is so time-consuming and demanding that they become a bigger part of your life than you expect. Naturally there is a parent’s love for his child — that I part I did anticipate — but there is also the fact that, to some degree, the life of a parent is one of either caring for kids or thinking about caring for kids.

June

And yet in the meanwhile, life goes on. Things like jobs don’t become optional because you’re a parent. And so to my surprise, because of the demands of being a parent, I’ve found that I’m more efficient and productive than I was before having kids. My life up until I was forty was one of almost constant procrastination. But now I do very little procrastination. Wasting time is a luxury I just don’t have anymore.

Ellen

But, while I may be more efficient, my time is still very, very limited. So some things suffer. And one of those things is this blog. For a long time I wrote three or four entries a month, but now I’m pressed to write one a month.

And what are those entries generally about? My kids, naturally.

But ultimately there isn’t much to say.  They are, despite the mistakes I make and will continue to make, delightful, happy, healthy girls. Incredibly demanding, yes, but delightful.

I say this every year…

But really, spring in Denmark is a special experience. But how could it not be? If you make it through the long, dark winter, and manage to stay sane as the evidence mounts that summer is coming but yet somehow fails to arrive day after day and week after week… then suddenly you have a day where you can wear shorts and put your jacket and gloves away… it’s heavenly.

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This year we wasted no time, and went directly to a park after work for a picnic. We had a nice time, but the selection of the park is the subject of a _little_ tension between me and Lisbeth. I like the park we went to because we’ve yet to see anyone else picnic there. But to Lisbeth, that’s cause for suspicion — not a vote in its favor.

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This is because, generally speaking, Danes like to go where everyone else is going. They don’t try to find quiet spots that no one else knows about. I accept this as a preference, but it is hard for me to understand. It’s probably because I grew up in the American Southwest, but I feel much more at home if no one is around.

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I’ve become accustomed to city life, but it wasn’t a natural transition. It’s amusing to me now, but the first time I walked down the street by myself in a metropolitan area, it made me nervous that people were walking behind me. The first time I used an ATM on an urban street while someone was queued up behind me, I was sure I was going to get stabbed as soon as the cash popped out.

I’ve gotten used to sharing sidewalks with people and using cash machines in front of an impatient line of people… but for a picnic? For a picnic I’d prefer to have a whole park to myself.