THIS WEEK ...

Sofia had fun at daycare. Everyone (but us) seems to be getting ready for Halloween. Oh well ... 

A beautiful fall weekend is a great time for a family trip.

Samu, of course, chose his favorite kind of trip: the one to the zoo. Franklin Zoo in Boston was a good experience - although most animals we saw were costumes with children inside them. Nevertheless, it is very nice to see how curious Samu and Sofia are about animals and how personally they relate to them. While we were there, we subscribed to a zoo membership, so going back on a regular basis is a very real possibility. 

Samu's highlight was the farm/barn/petting zoo.

Everybody loved the lion.

 Roar!

Hello, gorilla!

Sofia was mesmerized by the fish tank.

Samu took these pictures!

And Samu got to ride on a carousel for the first time. Fun!

 Goodbye, zoo!

 Back at home ...

we played in the backyard ...

... and enjoyed each other's company inside.

Have a good week and check back soon!

PARENTS' WEEKEND

This weekend was parents' weekend at BU, meaning the campus was swarming with parents and parent-friendly events. Quite fittingly, our weekend was also parent-friendly: For the first time since our big move, Marko and Hanna went out together. Special thanks to our babysitter Stephanie!

Before the parents' special night, we engaged in some kid-friendly activities. The Millenium Park nearby was beautiful and enjoyed by all. 

We also hit a costume store to find a Halloween outfit for Samu. The selection was a bit disappointing for someone who prefers being a colorful animal to a superhero, but Samu came out as a happy sparkly butterfly.

Finally it was date night. Kudos to Marko who chose perfect places for us: A beautiful seafood restaurant and an 80s/90s dance bar. Excellent! 

We also enjoyed a walk through Boston at night.

Yay us! 

The next day, we visited our new neighborhood friends Chris and Julia with daughter Kendall. Great pancakes, great toys, great company. Thank you!

A stroll through our neighborhood concluded the weekend.

Happy new week!

ESCAPE

This was a hard week, and this is a hard post to blog. Hanna's closest colleague and mentor Julie, who was working with her on a multitude of collaborative projects and was supposed to introduce her to the new job, died completely unexpectedly in an accident last Tuesday. The personal and professional loss are immense (and not distinguishable).

Good things happened too, so we will try and focus this post on what helped process the shock and get through the sadness.

Most importantly, many people called, stopped by, or wrote to show their support and sympathy - THANK YOU!

Also Samu was extra-nice an learned to dress himself completely independently. (How does he always seem to know when things are serious?)

Hanna and Marko figured out a common project and get to have a professional meeting on a weekly basis now.

Our new curtains arrived.

There was comfort food.

And success in Finnish soccer.

The kids were creative.

And most of the time in a ridiculously good mood. 

Fall is beautiful.

And we have each other.

After living in shock and disbelief for a week, attending Julie's funeral, and sleeping a lot, we decided it was time for an escape. Or should we say es-CAPE. 

On the way to Cape Cod.

Crossing the Canal.

Although we didn't plan it that way, we spent all day in the first town we liked: Sandwich.

Dexter's Grist Mill.

Our highlight: The boardwalk leading across the swamp to the beach.

Swamp and beach.

And finally: Hello, ocean!

Sofia was busy collecting giant rocks.

While Samu spent the whole time hunting this seagull, trying to explain to him why he couldn't eat our food.

Heading back we paused at the swamp.

And, as a last stop, we hit a playground nearby. 

After this trip, we finally feel our spirits coming back. Although the next weeks and months will be rough, they don't seem an impossible challenge anymore. We will always remember Julie and do our best to honor her legacy.