Maja 1 year Febr. 21.

Hello everyone! I finally turned 1. Very cool. Just learned to walk two days before, too, it's awesome! I'm so tall and all my old toys look so small and boring down on the floor. You should just see how fast I am! No-one can keep up with my pace. Ha! They all are waaaaaaaaaay behind me! And get the best: I've now got four teeth. I hear there will be even more soon, isn't that something? Not only have I started to coach my parents to cook food that pleases my delicate taste, but I've also mastered the silverwear. Mom says it's a mess, but she doesn't knot it's a culinary - and somewhat scientifical- experiment. Mess? She should know that my hair is just that now. I wish she finally bought me a bow, but no. Sometimes I think my family really doesn't understand me. I just saw Britney Spears in a magazine, so I guess it's like that for all super stars. It could, of course, be my articulation - it still kind of sucks, to be honest. I also went to see Dr. Habel the other day. He thinks I'm too little! That rude, fat American! As I already said, I am 1 and from what I've heard it's pretty big. Besides I think I'm a nice looking young lady. Well, it seems like mom and dad are panicing: I now have to deal with this weird bottle with a icky-smelling plastic nipple, filld with some gross, sticky sludge called välling in stead of real boobs. I mean, it's like NO-ONE asks me! I wish I was 18 already.

Well, thank you all for the really neat presents and cards I got. Man, I know how to play! We also had a great birthday party for me: Elisa came with her mom&dad, and Mimmi&Linnea with their folks were here. I even got a surprise party at my friends Gabbi's and Bea's house before they had to fly to frickin' Paris, France. See the cake in the picture? My sister, brother, Linnea and Mimmi made it for me, isn't that sweet?

I wish I could see you guys in Sweden, Finland and Minnesota a little more often, though. We'd have so much fun. I think I miss you!

Love,
Maja

CSI, part 2

We were having fun in Colorado, and so did the burglars in Huntington Circle. As we came back, we learned that we had one flat screen TV, one surround sound system and one laundry basket less than a week before. Not a good start for an every day life back in Ohio, needless to say.

Just as the last time, the house was soon packed with police officers. They worked methodically, fast and didn't say much. This was one of the many break-ins that has lately occured in this part of Cincinnati. A relatively wealthy area with a lot of home electronic in the easy-to-access town houses, I guess. My unprofessional theory. We all like to think this is a safe and quiet neighborhood - so even the cops seem to be frustrated - and simply angry - about it all. But I do believe they'll catch them soon.

//Hanna

The Rocky Mountains, Febr. 2008

We were living our long time dream during one week in Colorado. Steamboat Springs is a genuine cowboy town in western mountain style. It's the boots, clothes, hats, buffalo, music, rodeos, the gals & guys, horses (although few)... well, the whole kit, and it is for real.
And awesome skiing with old traditions, of course. The Champagne Powder from the previous week was a bit packed now, but we enjoyed simply the Powder instead. Good enough - and it gives us a reason to go back again!

You are all welcome to see for yourselves at
http://picasaweb.google.com/Sandelowskyalbum/SteamboatSprings2008

Thank you, Calv and Susan, for your hospitality and help on our vacation!

//Hanna & Benke

NHL

Detroit Red Wings Rule! Yes, we saw them all - Zeta, Lidas, Samuelsson, even that cutie Filppula from Vantaa! This was an awesome, American show, worth every penny.

//Hanna, Benke and Maja

Birthday Boy in Helsinki

Our cousin Sampo is 2 years Febr. 2. Congrats!

//Johanna, Jonte & Maja
+ mom & dad

CSI Live in Huntington Circle

I've finally gotten my act together and started to work on my old research paper that I once started back in Sweden. I took Maja to her child care provider (my friend Gitte) for the first time last Wednesday so that I could do my work in peace. Little did I know about the excitement that was about to dominate the life on this Circle for the next few hours.

As I was sitting by the dining room table, having a skyhigh work moral and being deeply in my thoughts, there was suddenly a man coming towards our house. He boldly leaned towards our patio door and peeked into our apartment through the open blinds. He obviously didn't see me sitting inside, in the shadow on the side of the patio door. I felt an adrenaline rush in my brain, took a couple of steps towards the door, pushed the blinds off and just stared right into his eyes. A young punk. He totally freaked out (oh yeah, I might have had a greasy hair, but ironically, I also happened to wear a CPD T-shirt that day. A souvenir from Chicago.) and mumbled something about being sorry, so sorry, he thought this was his friend's house... Yeah, sure! He rapidly gathered himself and disappeared. This is the moment you think your heart is going to bump out of your chest. Good thing the kids weren't home! What if he'd had a gun?!

Ultimately, the cops invated the whole neighborhood. It was not just me calling them about this suspicious behavior - but one of our neighbors had actually had someone break in to their apt. The police told us these guys have been disturbing people in our area for some weeks now. We had about 6-7 different police officers in our apt. that evening, asking a million questions, same ones over and over again. There were investigators taking finger prints and DNA, police dogs digging around our patio and bushes. Everyone was excited, luckily the kids weren't scared at all. Benke was all hyper doing his own investigation measuring a footprint the suspect bulglar had left on the patio. The cops probably did much more at my neighbor's house, be sure of that - they left his house only at midnight. The next day two tough detectives came to my door and I had to identify the person I'd seen out of a line up of 8 people. Very difficult, a bit scary, not very enjoyable at all. But by all means, kind of exciting. Like in the TV-series, I guess.

So maybe I helped the police to catch the burglars, maybe I was the key person to solve this mysterious crime! Or maybe I was just one of many tiny actors in the statistics of unsolved crimes. I wonder if I'll ever know.

Life is getting back to normal here anyway, it's quiet and peaceful again. The punks must have left us alone after the show off. But I'm sad to say there is a new, although a slight, sign of insecurity I didn't have before.

//Hanna

Visit from Vendelsö, Sweden

My friend Per visited us in our residence this last weekend. We managed to show him most of the things we do in the weekends like basketball in the church, grocery shopping, BBQing with the nicest grill on the block, work on the V8 car incl. kicking the tires, meeting with our American friends, going to our local sport bar and last but not least a brunch at The Grand Finale.

Great to have had you here Per and we are looking forward to seeing your family here later this year.

//Benke