Family Fun Day

The dogs are ready to go!

Despite the four-hour gap in my night's sleep, I was up and ready to start the day by 10am. Lars had left very early in the morning for a business trip to Iceland, and Helle took Kasper to a fodbold tournament, so Mira and I had the first part of the day to ourselves.

We started by walking the dogs! When I lived here before, it took me several weeks to realize just how much nature was at my fingertips in Ejby (pronounced Eye-bue), our neighborhood. It was only once I started spending my evenings running and biking that I discovered the trails through forests, parks, and fields.

As soon as we get off the main sidewalks, Junior and Baloo are allowed to run off leash, which they both love.

Leaving the main paths and getting back into the woods

Junior enjoys running through the wet grass

Mira and the dogs pose in front of a pond

The Hellesen's car port, filled with bikes

Back from our walk in the woods, we were ready for a different type of adventure... a trip to the shopping mall!

Now, as Danes (and an American Dane), we went to the mall on my favorite mode of transport: bicycle!

Biking in the US, as my mom constantly reminds me when I insist on biking to the gym in the dark, is not the same as biking in Denmark. Here, paved bike lanes (as wide as car lanes) run alongside every road. These lanes are raised slightly above the rest of the road. Sometimes, mini-bike traffic lights give more specific directions for bikes. Cyclists always have the right of way, and drivers know to be on the lookout for bikes when turning, stopping, and starting.

Mira on her bike. We rode on one of the bike lanes that pave the ENTIRE city. 

And when you have such a large number of people using bikes as their primary mode of transportation,
you need bicycle parking lots! On this rainy Saturday, we had stiff competition for spots
for two spots next to each other 

Inside, the mall was busy with many Danish families doing their shopping. Here are some scenes from our adventure:

Danish architecture means even the shopping
malls are wickedly awesome looking 

"Trying on" my favorite type of Danish apparel

This picture epitomizes a trend I saw in the shopping center (and more broadly in Denmark last semester): men are equally likely to be pushing prams (strollers), snuggling babies, carrying the shopping bags, or doing any of these tasks that we usually label as "feminine." You may say, "Oh, that's outdated! Men in the US participate in childcare and all those things!" but actually think about it... how often do you see fathers (many with tattoos or muscle tees) inside of shopping malls (or on the streets, in the park, in shops)?

Mira was totally perplexed that I was so amazed by this image. She kept saying, "But that's so normal..." every time I commented on how awesome it was to see fathers so involved.

Of course we had to eat! Pizza (ham AND pepperoni... no such thing as "just cheese")

Self-serve frozen yogurt places are new in Denmark & are a hit! 

After frozen yogurt, we had to head home. Back on our bikes and along our path...

We passed through this park with other cyclists, families, and sheep on the hill

We went right over to Lars' fathers' house for a family dinner (even without Lars)! It was the first time I was getting to see my Danish cousins in a year and a half. I never used to understand it when adults would tell me how much I had grown, but seriously, these kids had grown up SO much! 

Augnes (Ow-nus) and Otto are twins seen here in 2012

...Today! the picture doesn't show the change as well as real life

Five of the cousins gather around Uncle Claus (Lar's brother) and Aunt Helle as they read stories 

After dinner! At least once a week, the whole family gathers around the grandfather's table for a meal.
After they were done, Kasper played "Crocodile" with them for more than a half hour (they ran, he chased).
Now that's a very good big cousin! 

Some things definitely have gone global and are very popular here in Denmark: After dinner,
all the kids gathered around the iPad to sing the songs from "Frost" (aka Frozen, the most popular
kids movie from the US last year). This summer, ALL my campers were singing these songs 

Otto and Mira take a selfie!

Alma even drew me a picture! 

It was challenging for me to connect with the kids when we first arrived. When the twins were younger and pre-verbal, they didn't know I couldn't speak their language so they were totally comfortable with me. Now, at 3 years old, they are talking up a storm! Although Lene (their mom) explained that I speak English, they obviously weren't exactly sure what this meant. They were all very shy at the beginning, but after we ate, I started playing with them. Funny faces, silly sounds, and gestures are universal, so I made myself understood relatively easily. They would talk back to me and I nodded and smiled... worked like a charm! We sang the songs from Frozen together, played games with cups and dice, looked at pictures and books, and scooted around on the floor. SO much fun!! I got lots of hugs and kisses before we left. Mira and I were the last to leave, but eventually headed home on our bikes after a fun, family-filled day.