Midsummer

This video below is really not that great except for the sake of seeing Michael. I guess that's probably true of this blog in general, so I don't know why I feel the need for the disclaimer.
The first part is Midsommarsafton, or midsummer's eve. It seems like one of the most celebrated holidays in Sweden. There are lots of big gatherings where the tradition is to pick wild flowers and greenery to decorate a huge maypole, raise it up, then sing and dance around it. And decorate flower wreaths to wear around the head. And eat disgusting things like pickled herring with mustard. Most include lots of beer, but since our party was mostly mormons, that part was left out. For many Swedes it marks the beginning of their looong summer vacation to their summer cabins - often 4 to 6 weeks - and the city really empties out.

The second part of the video is later the same day, and just shows Michael doing his favorite activity - pushing his stroller. He begs all day every day to go for a ¨little walk¨, which is basically 30 - 60 minutes of him pushing the stroller around where ever his nose leads him, until I've had enough and put him into the stroller (screaming, of course) and push him back home.

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Gröna Lund

We took Smalls to the local theme park - Gröna Lund.  He really really really liked the train.  I think we rode it 10 times.  The conductor would blow a horn before each ride, and Smalls would say "Choo Choo."  Besides the train, there was a blatant "Dumbo" ride rip-off, which he liked.  Even though those were his favorites, when we would ask him which rides he wanted to go on, he would point to all the big roller coasters, that spin and go upside down, etc., and say "that one!".  Occasionally, he would even take off running towards them.  But his plans were always foiled by the blasted height restrictions.  Sorry, buddy.  You are too small.  We bought a season pass for one adult (since Michael gets in for free) so that all the people who come visit this summer can take him on the rides.

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For real?

Thanks for sending me this link, Anna. Although I can't believe that so many of my current adult friends think of me when they see something like this. You go to ONE little cat convention when you are like 8 years old, and man, that sort of thing follows you around for decades.  

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