Perheet Ovat Ikuisia

Andrea the destroyer

2010-10-19T01:36:00.002-06:00

We have nicknamed Andrea the Destroyer because she has the ability to completely change a room in a matter of seconds.

Today she took one small bowl of dried bananas and spread them all over the floor. Here is a short list of things she does often:

She plays in the toilet daily. She makes sure all the crumbs from empty cereal or cracker bags find thier way out on the floor. She plays in my compost. She eats soap. She sucks on the vacuum hose. She takes ALL the DVD's down. She spits her food out, throws her food, and mixes her food up on the table. She pulls my curtians off the hooks. She stands on our laptop. She eats crayons and spits them out. She empties the toy box. She pulls dishes off the counter. She pulls all the shoes out of the shoe bin. She sits on everything and yes, usually it breaks :). She is my sweet baby who reminds me to get up and do something.

I love her and am amazed at how fast she has grown!!!!

Can I ever get out of house on time?!

2010-10-19T01:20:00.002-06:00

I love my children! They are so clever at making sure I am late taking them to school. I have been trying to figure out how to get out on time and the only thing left is to wake them up at 6 am.

They are supposed to be at school at 8:30. They usually wake up at 6:30 or 7. If I do wake them earlier they will be cranky.

It takes 20 minutes for them to eat. It takes about 20 minutes to get them dressed in thier clothes. 15 minutes to get thier coats, hats, gloves, winter pants, socks, shoes and backpack on. It also takes me 10 minutes to dress myself and Andrea. It takes 5 minutes to get them in car. It takes about 10 minutes to drive there. Another 5 minutes to undress and get to class. The total time is 1 hour and 25 minutes. And that is if everything goes as planned. Does it you ask? well usually not ;)

I know one day they will get up with an alarm. I just laugh at how much of a struggle every morning is.... Okay now I feel better.

Fun in the blazing sun!

2010-07-18T23:08:00.002-06:00

WOW. It has been HOT here in Finland. I ask myself everyday if we moved to the right place cause I don't remember Finland ever being this hot!! We are going to the beach almost everyday just to stay cool. The kids are enjoying the swimming and playing so that is nice.

Antti has been working for a construction company doing window installations. He will soon be quitting to start school. He is excited to get started on his career path and get working. The school will last about 7 months or less and he will have 2 months of internship before being out in the work field.

We are excited for the future and looking foward to new experiences.

Reaching our goals

2010-03-28T12:09:00.003-06:00

I am pooped. I think trying to be positive and keeping a smile on my face isn't as easy as I thought. What happened to my upbeat and ready for a challenge attitude? I feel myself losing interest in doing more. We are both a bit frazzled by the unknown but are trying to be faithful. We have forgotten fast Sunday for the 2nd time since we've been here. It's depressing. Why aren't we more organized. We have a calander and a message board. I am noticing we are a bit depressed. New place and new responsibilities. We need to dig deep and find our energy and motivation to achieve the necessary things.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest" - Galatians 6:9

Fun with friends and time at the lake

2010-03-21T12:54:00.007-06:00

Friends from our ward invited us over for dinner a few days ago. They live about 25 minutes away in a city called Orimattila. Thearea is very quiet and seems great to own a home. Not to expensive and also a popular place for young families to buy who work in Lahti. Our friends home was not expensive and was quite nice. We are now starting goals to buy a home in Finland one day. We still aren't sure if we will stay in Finland forever. I think it's good to start making goals and also keeping our options open. Also, another friend of ours recently bought an old shack/house and remodeled and added to it so they could live in it. It's like a cute cottage and they have already built equity. They are willing to live in a small and old house to eventually have something better.

We visited Vesijarvi (the lake near our apartment) and played in the snow that covered the ice. It was a lot of fun. Antti and I had more fun than the girls I think! We ran around and threw snowballs and also made a snowman. Andrea just loved watching us run and play. The girls pretended to be snow tigers and penguins. The lake is fun to play on in the winter because it's open and you don't feel restricted. It was so peaceful just laying in the snow and being in nature. No noise and no people. Just us. We really are the most happy when we are outside.

Here are some pictures of both occasions:

Lahti living

2010-03-10T10:55:00.007-07:00

There have been so many new and fun experiences here in Finland. I have learned some new things about myself and also about our girls. They are very tolerant with change. They are stronger than me. They miss Utah and of course family and friends. Eila drew a picture for Abby today that she wants to mail off. It's a picture of Ariel from the Little Mermaid.

We have been playing in the snow a lot. There is so much snow here that when it melts I am worried of a flood! It's not to cold but it is a little windy because we are near a big lake. Our area is so beautiful. It has a large playground and lots of grass/trees. We are going to get bikes this year so that we can get around quickly without driving. So many people here ride bikes in the snow. I am always worried they are going to fall.

Antti has had a few golden nuggets in regards to jobs but we found out today that his CDL license in Finland does not transfer over exactly. He gets dropped down to Class B license. I guess that means he has a weight limit on the vehicle he can drive. He will be checking out the courses for completing the requirements. In the meantime he is still searching for something to earn extra money.

I wanted to show a few pictures of the city we live in. I will put up pictures of our apartment soon.

The last 3 pictures are right near our house . The building all lit up is the Sibelius House. There you can see musicians play. It's made of wood inside for better sound but the outside is made of glass. We live behind that building.

We're here!

2010-02-28T16:27:00.003-07:00

I don't want to be in an airplane for at least 10 years :)

Our flight to NY was cancelled due to wind and snow so they routed us to Paris instead. We had to wait in Salt Lake for 6 hours before the plane took off. The girls behaved pretty well but they were restless by the time the plane was ready. Eila did very well considering the 9 1/2 hours we flew to Paris. Liana feel asleep before take off and slept for about 6 1/2 hours. She woke up for food and colored a bit. Andrea fought sleeping for the first 3 hours and eventually dozed off. Antti and I stayed awake most the time and read a book. Overall we got through it okay.

We miss Utah. On our way to Antti's parents house we were in seperate cars. He went with one brother and I went with the other. We both afterwards said how we felt anxious and wanted to go back. It's funny when you are sure about something you can still be scared. I think we are doing better. Once we feel a bit established I think it will get better.

Finland is beautiful and full of white snow. The air is clean and fresh and feels great. The girs have already played in the snow a bit and are going next week to sled and ride a pony! They are very excited. We miss our family in Utah and have already spoke on webcam today. It was nice to see them.

Keep Smiling...

2010-02-19T20:57:00.004-07:00

Today was Antti's last day at Kennecott. I was anxious all day because I know how much he loves his job. I take on his sadness because he is putting on a tough face. I know he is hurting and is scared about his future employment. In a way I feel responsible for his pain.

Since about 2 1/2 years ago I started feeling the need to consider moving back to Finland. I consider myself to be someone who doesn't focus on something unless it is important and this feeling seemed important.

I was afraid to tell Antti. I knew how much he loved living in Utah. He has wanted to live in the western/desert lifestyle since he was young. He got his dream and I was about to take it away. Surprisingly though he wasn't opposed to the idea. He was a bit shocked and needed some time to process this possibility.

We didn't talk about it much for a couple months because I think we were both still processing. The feeling never went away for me. In fact it got more intense. I was freaking out a little because we had just bought a house a year earlier and our family life was great. Antti's job was solid... It couldn't get any better.

I soon knew I had to approach Antti with discussing it again. We both knew that because of a spiritual promise made to me in the past I was supposed to gain inspirations for my future family. Talk about pressure! I just knew I needed to stay with it and not push the thoughts away anymore. We started discussing different scenarios. Maybe school. Maybe work. Maybe stay. Maybe not.

In the early part of 2008 we decided to plan a trip to Finland for a vacation. I had already lived there but I needed to go back to feel it again. To get some clarity on my feelings. To see what it was that was calling us back. No, I didn't get any sure sign or anything. I just felt peaceful like I was at home. My kids were at home. Even though I saw possible hurdles and struggles I knew. And I think Antti even felt it somewhat.

We came back and started planning little by little. Still I think for Antti and others it didn't seem real yet. At this time we started experiencing financial struggles. We put our house up for sale and it wasn't even getting tours. But after a few price drops and a few months on the market the tours started. We got 1 possible offer but it didn't work out. We tried everything. We invested money in building onto the house. By the time we reached the end of 2008 our yearly income had been cut in half due to the economy. I was 7 months pregnant and we couldn't afford our house anymore let alone pay for the baby to be born. To top that our vans transmission went out 3 days into the new year. That was the month we started making major decisions.

About that time I think I realized how the Lord works in mysterious ways. Everything was happening so fast. All of these changes that we couldn't control were happening to prepare us for our future.

I don't know what is going to happen in Finland. Sometimes I think we are moving there for my selfish reasons. I know that this is wrong but I still get bouts of guilt when I see how sad someone gets about our decision.

My Father in law spoke at our wedding and he said something like this: "Your life will not be easy. The kind of marriage you have is not typical, it's not going to be perfect all the time and you will have to work at being happy. But if you do stand by eachother and listen to the Lord, you will be happy".... I believe that.

Finland and the fears

2010-01-27T14:13:00.003-07:00

We are about to embark on a new journey. Many of you already know that we are moving to Finland at the end of February. There are many mixed feelings about leaving but mostly we are joyful. We look at this change as an opportunity to start over again and make our life better. We want to stay positive and not get down about the "what ifs" in our future.

I will miss my Mom. She is a great influence in my life as well as in my daughters life. She loves them so much and it is very hard knowing that they will be seperated. I hope that Mom can travel to Finland often considering we will not be able to visit the U.S. very much. My Dad is okay with our leaving and understands what we are doing. That helps me to feel like I can say, "see you later" rather than goodbye.

I don't like goodbyes. I don't like them AT ALL. I avoid goodbyes at all costs. I seem cold and distant when I say goodbye (or so I think). We are not emotional people in my family. My Dad's side is more emotional and that is a refreshing change when they come around. I just don't like that feeling of not seeing someone again. I already choke up when I think about missing out on something. That is why I am going to start writing out my thoughts. So if you don't think I will miss you.... I assure you, I will.

I have always wanted to get closer to my aunts, uncles and cousins but with different lives and busy schedules it's been hard. I feel close to them even though we don't spend much time together. I truly am a very deep loving person. I think that's why I struggle with emotion. I don't want to look like a lunatic when I see someone... I am very loving with my girls and my husband. I could be more so. But I do think I try.

I will keep up with posting my thoughts and our family adventures. Please check back often. I want to stay in touch.

The blessing of Andrea Briell Patomo

2009-05-06T18:39:00.002-06:00

On May 3rd, 2009 we presented our baby girl to Heavenly Father. She was very calm and slept most of sacrament meeting. We are grateful to those who came to support us on such a special day.

Happy 30th birthday Antti! We love you

2009-05-06T18:28:00.002-06:00

We had a fun get together with all of our close friends and family for Antti's 30th birthday. My good friend made this cake because Antti is from Finland where berries are very common. We wanted to give him a little bit of his homeland at his party.

I am so happy that I have been able to spend these past 6 years with such an amazing man. He is truly the heart of our family. We love you Isi.

Park time!

2009-05-06T18:24:00.003-06:00

We love going to the park to play! What a great day to be with friends.

Thank heaven for little girls!!

2009-03-16T12:07:00.004-06:00

Christmas Day

2009-01-09T11:54:00.001-07:00

We had a great Christmas. Girls slept in until 7 am and Nana and Papa came to watch them open gifts. We have done this for 2 years in a row. We have enjoyed having them be a part of our Christmas morning. When Eila opened her new blanket she was SO EXCITED. She cuddled right up. It was nice to have Hannu with us also because we don't get to see him much.

Santa came for Christmas Eve!

2009-01-09T11:50:00.002-07:00

This was so fun! Santa walked all the way from the North Pole to visit us. Eila happened to be sitting in the window when he walked up... She said and I quote: "Santa's walking down the sidewalk... Santa's coming up our driveway.... HEY SANTA'S COMING TO OUR HOUSE!!" It was very fun. She really enjoyed it. Liana not so much but she did watch.

Visiting Joulupukki

2009-01-09T11:47:00.002-07:00

Of course Liana hated sitting on Santa's lap but Eila was starstruck. She was so excited to tell what she wanted. Eila had forgot to mention she wanted a new blanket because we had lost her original so since the line was so long to go back around we just decided to have her whisper it to him across the mall and he would hear it... Worked well :)

Craft day!

2009-01-09T11:43:00.002-07:00

I saw these very inexpensive wooden toys that I thought the girls would love. They both picked out thier own. Liana picked a train and Eila picked a boat. It was a lot of fun to see them so happy.

I know, I know.... Halloween is over

2009-01-09T11:39:00.003-07:00

I just wanted to show you how cute our girls were!! Liana was a unicorn and Eila was a horse.

It will grow back..... I hope!

2009-01-09T11:26:00.004-07:00

In October of last year we took the girls to get a shorter haircut because it was just becoming to much to deal with the screaming and crying over tangles. We took off at least 6 inches on Eila and 3 on Liana. It was a lot of hair and I was sad!!! It has been 4 months and I am not seeing to much regrowth yet but I hope for the future :)

Witchapalooza!!!

2008-10-27T15:43:00.003-06:00

We took the girls to witchapalooza at Gardner Village after we went to the doctor and it was so fun. The little stores there are filled with cute baby items. We started looking at girly stuff and found a pink and brown peanut shell harness that would be great for shopping and walking. I will be getting that soon!!

OH BABY... Girl!

2008-10-27T15:39:00.003-06:00

So my Mom came with us to the ultrasound and also to my doctor's appointment. It was a fun day. We got a DVD made of the baby and she is so cute already. Looks a lot like Eila and Antti. Here are some pictures of our day:

The first snow!

2008-10-27T15:33:00.004-06:00

We are fortunate to live in a city where it snows more than in the valley. We got our first snow storm on October 11th. We immediately sent the kids out to play and they loved it! Liana tried to eat as much as she could before it was gone...

Oh what joy children can bring!!!

2008-10-27T15:29:00.002-06:00

So I had some friends over for a baking day and my 2 year old and my friends 2 year old were playing outside. We got to talking and must have been oblivious to our children because we noticed some dirt on Liana's hands. Then we followed this trail of dirt that led downstairs to our loveseat! All I can say is I wasn't mad... I was in SHOCK. We couldn't believe we were only 6 feet from them and didn't hear or see a thing! They managed to bring in Eila's dump truck full of dirt more than 1 or 2 times to fill our carpet and loveseat with dirt! We had to use a shop vac and will have to get the carpets steam cleaned soon.

The reward of planting a garden!

2008-10-27T15:22:00.002-06:00

In late spring I planted my tomatoes and pumpkins. I wasn't sure if the pumpkins would be ready before halloween but they surprised me!!! Here in this picture it shows about half of the pumpkins we got. The plant overtook my entire garden and in fact killed my green beans. So next time I will have to remember to space out my pumpkins from the rest. My mother in law used to make pumpkin jam in Finland and it was so good. I thought, "why don't we do that in America?" I mean we eat a lot of pumpkin pie and pumpkin cookies. Why don't we eat pumpkin jam.

I found a recipe for pumpkin butter that was written by a woman in England. I guess they don't eat pumpkin pie much so when they do get pumpkins they are creative with what to do with them. I copied the recipe and made about 20 jars. It is so good!!!! I have given it away to many neighbors and friends and have heard nothing but compliments. 2 have made a batch themselves and one friend created a recipe from it. Pancakes with pumpkin butter and whipped cream... Easy pumpkin pie... Also my butter is very healthy and has a ton of fiber. You can even substitue sugar for a synthetic sweetener.

Arches National Park

2008-10-27T15:18:00.002-06:00

The Arches are just beautiful. I could spend all day here.

Mesa Verde and Moab

2008-10-27T15:10:00.003-06:00

Our family decided it was time for a family vacation. We decided to visit Colorado for Labor Day. Antti had work off and also took a day to spend time with us. My parents came along as well and it turned out great! The kids had a DVD player to distract them on the ride and we just talked and talked. We arrived late to our hotel so we just went to sleep and prepared for the next day. First we visited Mesa Verde and the Indian ruins. They are so cool! I can't believe they are still in such great shape. We want to go back sometime without kids so we can see more. They let you climb and go through the houses but we couldn't do that with kids.

An updated picture of our home

2008-10-27T15:06:00.001-06:00

We recently listed our house to be sold but unfortunately not even one potential buyer came to see it. Our price range was not to far from the market comparisons but it still didn't appeal to anyone right now. I am not surprised but it was sad to take it off the market. We are one of those who got an ARM loan and it is going to adjust in December. We have a few options to get out so we are hoping it all turns out well.

Liana's Birthday

2008-10-27T15:01:00.002-06:00

Liana turned 2 on August 4th of this year. Since most of you know I haven't had access to downloading pictures now you can see what you have missed. Liana was sick with a cold on her special day. Seems like our kids are often sick or cranky on holidays... Anyway, Liana got an elmo singing happy birthday that she loved. She didn't even pick up any of her other toys! We had pizza and cake with family. It turned out well because I saved time on not cooking.

We're having a girl!

2008-10-24T09:20:00.002-06:00

Well it's #3 for our family and the boy is outnumbered! We are very excited and are looking forward to her arrival. Now it's onto names and clothes and preparing the room. We will get the CD made today and post pictures.. I PROMISE.

Nickelback - Gotta be somebody

2008-10-20T11:52:00.001-06:00

I recently heard this new song by Nickelback that just hit me. I hear a lot from friends that it's so hard to find the right one for them. I think love is so complicated but beautiful at the same time. I am grateful for my husband and how I know I am loved. I don't have to worry about finding someone anymore or wondering where my life will end up. This song is for all of you out there who feel discouraged in finding your companion. Enjoy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaved-rGoq8

I know, I know.... I've been slacking!

2008-10-13T13:02:00.002-06:00

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures at the moment. I keep forgetting to take our disk over to Wal Mart to make a Photo CD. My computer won't allow me to download pictures from my camera anymore for some reason so Wal Mart is my only option. It is my goal to head over there tonight without any children and then upload some photos.

Just a little recap on what has been going on... I am now 5 months pregnant and will soon find out if we are having a boy or a girl. I am very scared because I am not looking forward to hearing "it's a girl!". I know I will get over it but this will probably be our last baby and that will mean 3 girls and no boys. Antti will have a harder time in the long run because he wants a boy to do manly stuff with him.

For labor day our family went to Cortez Colorado and Moab. We visited the arches national monument and Mesa Verde indian ruins. It was a long 6 hour drive to Cortez but I have to say it was worth the trip. We had a great time looking at such neat creations. To think that indians climbed hundreds of feet to make a home in an opening of a mountain. It was unreal. The arches national monument in breathtaking. Most often you were an ant compared to the size of the arches and figures. Our kids enjoyed the scenery and climbing the rocks.

Hannu our brother in law is coming for Christmas this year. We are so excited to see him. He has never seen our home here. He will stay for 2 weeks and also into new years. Our plans are to take him snowboarding and to the temple. What else should we do?

Eila and Liana are growing like weeds. Liana is starting to potty train right now which is great!!! I hope it turns out a positive experience. Eila is doing at home pre-school this year. I would like to watch her progress before kindergarten and so far she is doing well.

I am studying knitting and advanced crocheting to develop my skill. So far I can do a single, double and triple stitch and a couple fancy designs. Knitting is a little harder for me. I am hoping to get some help from others. A lady in my ward started me on knitting and I felt so silly because for some reason my hands couldn't hold the needles right. Hopefully soon!

Antti is still studying Krav Maga. He is loving it. I think he has an advancement day in a couple weeks. He is hoping to move up a level. He is starting to come home with less cuts and bruises! Which is nice for me! One time he got a black eye!

Our family will be spending christmas without the extended family this year due to some family differences. Many of them are great people but often turn Christmas into a drinking party. I would rather my kids be away from that this year. It was a hard choice to do that but we are all about changes right now.

I have been waiting to send a package to a friend and some family in Finland but everytime I think it will get out to the mailman it never does. So some have expected a gift... Sorry to you guys! It's coming I promise.

That's about it... Pictures soon will follow.

Wheeler Farm Fun

2008-07-29T21:11:00.003-06:00

My daycare lady Megan and I decided to take the kids together to Wheeler Farm last week. It turned out to be a great day even though she had 5 kids with her! We played in the pond and looked at the animals. Eila enjoyed feeding the horses, even though she wasn't supposed to.

My man.. What a life he gives me!

2008-07-29T20:59:00.003-06:00

I wanted to show you all what Antti did for me when he found out I was pregnant last month... He bought me flowers and also a card that was so cute! Here it is:

Fun up in the mountains!

2008-07-29T20:39:00.003-06:00

We visited Park City and Heber City for a weekend getaway with the family recently and it was so much fun! We weren't expecting to get a kitchen in our condo but we did! We used it to keep our leftovers cold and actually we didn't even think we would use the fridge. It worked out. We went swimming and sightseeing and also rode the train up at Heber Valley Railroad. The girls loved it. It wasn't very long though and my husband wanted to go into some caves or through the mountains. We might do Thomas Train for the kids some other time because they say it's really awesome. Here are some pictures from our trip:

My beautiful little women!

2008-07-21T08:43:00.003-06:00

We had some fun at a photoshoot the other day and this is the result. The one with Eila in black in white took my breathe away. Antti said that he needs to buy a gun! LOL

2008-06-29T15:26:00.002-06:00

We visited Donut Falls yesterday for a family outing. My parents came along also to grill come hamburgers and hot dogs. We had SO much fun. This place is very pretty! So many trees and a large flowing river close for kids to throw rocks. I made some salads and cut up some watermelon, the flys sure liked all the food! We stayed up there for about 4 hours and just relaxed. We are going to come back to hike the trail to donut falls. I didn't wear the right shoes to do it this time (I never do). There were a lot of campers and hikers out.. Guess the gas prices aren't changing the travel much. We are headed to Cortez Colorado over labor day for 4 days to see the old indian ruins. I am very excited about that. When we get our pictures downloaded I will show you some more of donut falls.

WE'RE PREGNANT!!!

2008-06-25T21:43:00.002-06:00

I am only a few weeks but we are SO excited! The estimated birth is beginning of March. We are hoping for a boy but will be happy with either.

Visit to the Salt Lake

2008-06-24T12:34:00.005-06:00

Antti and I were able to spend some quality time with just Liana recently. My parents took Eila for the weekend so we decided to drive to the salt flats to look around. I don't like that place much. It's stinky and there are alot of brine flys. I mean ALOT!! They look like dark maggots or something. Anyway, the view was nice but there is no way I would step into that water. We took some pictures and also spotted a snake. Antti had the best time out of all of us :)

Eila's birthday!

2008-06-24T12:24:00.002-06:00

We had a great time at Eila's party. Since we already have so many toys and enough clothes to last another 6 months or longer, we decided to rent a bounce house instead of buying presents. It was a winner! She loved it and so did all of her friends. We had all our close friends and family enjoy a nice summer lunch. It was definitely memorable.

2008-06-19T15:12:00.001-06:00

Oh Finland, how we love thee!

2008-06-19T14:59:00.004-06:00

Well it's time for an update because I've got lots of great pictures from our trip to finland. It was purely magical. It had it's rainy days and sunny days. It was all I wanted it to be. Thanks to everyone who made it special.

My loving husband right after sauna

Eating grilli at Lahti Tori

Mummi reading stories to the grandkids

Playing at the park and enjoying nature

Rest in peace Gordon!

2008-01-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

June 23, 1910 - January 27, 2008

Top 3 laughing baby´s

2007-12-31T08:38:00.001-07:00

this is hilarious

A little message for a friend

2007-12-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

Okay so a girl named Cara living in Australia came up with the idea to give her boyfriend of 5 years picture from random people around the world that say "Cara loves Jeremy" so I decided to do one for her...

mummo

2007-12-14T16:11:00.001-07:00

This happened in Finland. That Mummo is one tough old lady!

Get to know questions

2007-12-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

What is your favorite horror movie, do you like horror movies? I really don't like scary movies!

Do you do dance crazy when no one is looking? Duh! Doesn't everybody...

Do you like to sing in the shower? YES! I sound so much better in there.

What do sing in the shower if you do sing? It's to late to apologize and If I were in Bethlehem

Whats your fav colour? RED

Do you like baths or showers? I used to like baths but now I don't.. I have seen to many floating things from my kids baths that I wonder what I am swimming in?!?! So I guess I am a shower girl.

Do you blow dry your hair? or just let it dry on its own, or towel dry? Sometimes I blow dry it if the kids are not tugging at me but most of the time I towel dry and comb.

At the beach would you rather play in the sand, or play in the water? I don't like playing with sand because it gets everywhere.. You know what I mean.. Now I have kids though, so maybe I would enjoy it more. It's been years. I love swimming in the ocean though.

Do you think people should eat the fish they catch, or just let them go? Well I think if your gonna fish then you should eat it. If not though it's okay to let them go. Fish is good for you.

What do you like better hands or feet? Well.... if your asking about my husbands feet then I like hands :)

Do you like curly hair or stright hair? I have really straight hair so I love curls. It gives me bounce.

What is your favorite thing to drink? I love Eggnog in the winter. I also love God Jul from Sweden at Christmas. And I love Ice Water.

What is your favorite Male celebrity? McDreamy!

What is your favorite Female celebrity? hmm. I like Jennifer lopez because she is so girly.

Amongst your friends and family who do you admire the most? I admire my friend Laura.. She is such a strong person.

What is your favorite band or singer? ONE REPUBLIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What was your favorite toy as a kid? I loved my karaoke machine. I loved to sing and I still do.

Cooking or Eating out...Why? I love to cook. There is no greater feeling than to prepare a meal that you are anxious if anyone will like and then it turned out they LOVED it.

Cold or hot? HOT... When will this winter end?

Toast or cereal? Toast! With cinnamon and sugar

Cows or horses? Ummmm. Horses.

River or ocean? Ocean... Magnificant!

Okay so I have heard of this tagging thing... It means you need to copy the questions into your blog and answer them. I tag all of my friends on my list..... Annakaisa, Laura, Sandie, Daniela, Kristy! I will add Sheri but I don't know if she has a blog!

Kitty Cat Dance

2007-12-12T13:32:00.001-07:00

This is laugh on the floor funny!

Family Photo Shoot

2007-12-09T21:09:00.001-07:00

We had so much fun dressing up the kids and going out to take pictures. It was cold but worth it.

Kirby Heyborne

2007-12-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

Okay so some of you know who Kirby is but for those who don't he is a funny mormon actor who has been in some mormon themed comedys (The RM, Singles Ward, Saints and Soldiers). I just love his sense of humor and have followed him for a few years. He also sings folk/country/whatever type music.

I got an email from somewhere and I can't even remember now but It said he would be at this show that is aired here in Salt Lake called Good Day Utah. He was scheduled to make an appearance and sing. He also gave away some DVD's of his new film Singles Ward 2 but alas I didn't get one.

We had so much fun! It was great. We had to clap on cue and we also were part of games and drawings. I ended up with a free gift card for a facial, manicure, pedicure and lunch for some place in American Fork. We also got Kirbys Christmas CD for free. It was great!!! Here are some pictures:

HALOWEEN!

2007-11-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun together on Haloween. Eila went to preschool in her costume and then later that night we went trick or treating with some friends in Salt Lake. I dressed up as snow white and Antti as spider man. Wouldn't you like to see those photos?? ha ha. We'll see. Eila was a bride and Liana was a chicken. We didn't get to many of Liana in her costume. Oh well, maybe next year.

Penicillin Allergy

2007-09-24T21:59:00.000-06:00

Well we found out that Liana has the same allergy as Antti with penicillin. Thankfully her allergy is not as bad as his. He was in the hospital a few days when he was a baby. Liana just needed allergy medicine.

Labor Day at Silver Lake

2007-09-24T21:53:00.000-06:00

We got the whole family together to go up to this beautiful foresty area at Silver Lake. We walked around and looked at fish and ducks. We hiked around and had some treats. Eila loves spending time with her cousins Abby and Alyssa.

Eila and Lexus started preschool

2007-09-24T21:49:00.001-06:00

It was so cute to watch Eila wear her backpack and have such an eager desire to attend school. My baby is growing up. Lexus is the one I babysit and she also attends the same school. They are good buddies.

Madness!

2007-09-24T21:43:00.000-06:00

My Brother recently got married and one of my gifts to him was to take his 2 daughters for a few nights while they were on thier honeymoon. It was a lot of work but it was great. We enjoyed playing and watching movies. I decided to stay home because I felt it was better to keep them in the house then to drag them out. By the way, I also babysat my neighbors sons because last minute her sitter cancelled. Not to mention I already provide child care for a 3 year old. It was a taste of what it could be to have so many. I had a total of 7 kids with me. Yikes!

Mommy's Birthday

2007-09-24T21:31:00.000-06:00

I didn't want a cake for my birthday this year so instead I decided to have eclairs. Bad thing is they weren't that great. They were actually very dry. We ate at a delicious Thai restaraunt earlier that night and it was so great. Thai is my favorite type of food.

Liana's Birthday

2007-09-24T21:25:00.000-06:00

This was a really fun day! I love it when our babies turn one. It's very symbolic of no longer being a baby but becoming a kid. Liana loved her cake. You can obviously see that on the pictures!

Eila's birthday

2007-08-21T11:56:00.001-06:00

This was a great day! We had so many friends show up to celebrate with Eila. She is growing so fast and is so beautiful. Isi and I purchased a used bike at the DI and rebuilt it so it would ride well. She loved it but is scared to ride.

Cute Couples

2007-05-06T10:13:00.000-06:00

We had a visit with my parents and my brother about 5 weeks ago and these are the pictures we took when we got bored... Some turned out pretty good.

I cherish you

2007-05-06T10:10:00.000-06:00

I had to post a picture of my man on here. I love him so much and wouldn't trade him for anything... Not even for chocolate :)

Darling Girls :)

2007-05-06T10:02:00.000-06:00

What a great visit

2007-05-06T09:55:00.000-06:00

So we did so many fun things with Tuula in the 3 weeks she was here. We went swimming at a local pool hall, we visited a theater and watched a musical called "thoroughly modern millie", we visited the Bountiful and Salt Lake temples. Antti and Tuula went to a place called "crater bath", it is a natural hot spring where you can swim and snorkel. We visited Antelope Island (Island that is on the Great Salt Lake) where we drove around and hiked, you co8ld see antelope and buffalo and other creatures, it was very fun! We visited family and had a couple of party's at our home. It was great. I hope she had a fun time.

Eila wasn't that nice to her at first but after a week or so she got a little better. But that didn't last to long because she started up again pretty quickly. She was out of control and very mad. She cried almost every day. We couldn't figure it out. Tuula left on Friday and the kids spent the night at my Mom's in Salt Lake, that night Eila got really angry and said her ear hurt, so my Mom took her to instacare and there they said she had ear infections in both ears and that the left one was about to burst. Now we knew why she was so angry all the time. Now she is on antibiotics and is feeling better already. She even says she misses Tuula-Mummi.

Now we are getting settled back into the old schedule and will soon move Liana out of Eila's room and put her back in the nursery where Tuula was sleeping. Soon we will go to finland and it will be great!

Mummi is gone!

2007-05-05T19:40:00.000-06:00

Just some pictures of Tuula's visit. We miss her :(

Playing outside

2007-03-21T15:36:00.000-06:00

Fun to play outside! We fertilized our grass today and soaked up some sun!

Sisters are fun!

2007-03-21T15:29:00.000-06:00

I loved this picture! They are both pouting thier lips. So cute!

Beautiful Eila

2007-03-21T15:25:00.000-06:00

Liana's and Eila's rooms

2007-03-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

Antti's weight set

2007-03-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

Tuula Muumi tulossa!

2007-03-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

I think I said that right!??? She will arrive on April 15th and will stay for 3 weeks. We hope to do many fun things together. She is bringing items from finland we haven't had in a while. Like pea soup and finnish candy. We are excited for her to see Liana and Eila. Antti will be taking off a week of vacation. That will be so nice! Here are a few more pictures of the Patomo's!

Cute Eila in the bath

2007-03-01T10:59:00.000-07:00

- Always loves to be in the bath

Eila and Liana

2007-03-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

The girls are getting big! These are some pictures of our princesses:

Our house!

2007-03-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

We've lived her now for a few months but I decided to post a picture so everyone can see:

New year! Time for changes

2007-01-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

Okay so we have been busy busy busy but I don't want to neglect things that are important in our lives. I have started thinking about what I as a wife and mother need to work on and I have listed a few:

Listen to husband better (I do listen but I am cleaning or cooking or etc. I want to give him full attention so that he FEELS that I am interested in what he is saying)

Hold regular FHE! (We need badly)

Give my children the one on one time they need (Need to become more like a child at times)

Clean less and be a part of the moments I am missing (I need to put down the sponge during dinner)

Do my makeup and hair everyday (This is a toughy.. ha ha)

Let my husband be a big influencer on decisions for our home (I tend to take control to much)

Go outside more often (It's surprising how much happier you can be in nature.. Come on summer!)

And that's all for now. I hope to add more soon. I hope everyone else's new year will go well!

Lots and Lots of changes!

2006-12-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

We have recently purchased a home. Our very first house! It's very exciting and we are loving every minute of it. It is a humble home in a city called Tooele, far away from everything:)

We also have had our little girl Liana. She is now 4 months old and is such a joy! She is very calm and sleeps well. We are so lucky.

Our little Eila is in preschool now and is learning so much. She is 2 1/2 and already can count to 20, do her ABC's and knows her shapes.

We are getting ready for christmas and the new year. I have plans for next year already!

40 Weeks and no baby!

2006-07-30T12:19:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness! I can't believe I have waited so long to write on this blog! Sorry about that. I will do better : )

Well I am 40 weeks and 3 days pregnant! Still no baby. I don't know what it is but I just can't seem to get these kids out on time. Eila was 4 days late so maybe it will happen today. I have an induction scheduled for August 3rd if the baby still hasn't arrived. I am so ansy to see what she looks like and to hold her. We are very blessed to have so many friends and family members concerned about how I am doing. I recieved a call from my RS president and was told that I would get a few meals brought to me for our family. I am excited. It will be so nice to relax a bit.

Sad news

2006-04-30T20:41:00.001-06:00

My Brother and his fiance told us about 2 weeks ago that they are having a baby. We were a bit shocked at first because she already has 2 kids from a previous marriage. Both are under 3 years old. I was worried about her stress level because I know how hard it is with one child alone.

She was having pains and some bleeding so she went to the hospital today. They found out she miscarried. Luckily she was only 1 month along so it wasn't painful. She and my Brother are sad but they will be okay.

Decorating is so fun!

2006-04-30T20:30:00.000-06:00

Antti and I have been getting more and more excited about moving. We have now purchased a washer and dryer, couch and loveseat, kitchen table & chairs, entertainment center, Eila's new bed and my favorite thing! A decorative bookshelf! I am also planning on buying some cute frames for our pictures and some plants to give the house some color. We would love to buy a new bed but we need to wait a little while. That gets pretty expensive. The picture shows the decorative bookshelf. I wanted to buy 2 but maybe later.

Happy Birthday!

2006-04-30T19:57:00.000-06:00

Antti turned 27 yesterday. We had so much fun! I planned a surprise retreat for us at a hotel called Little America. It's one of the more romantic hotels in Salt Lake. It was a bit expensive, but I figured it was worth it because when my birthday and our anniverary rolls around, we won't have the opportunity to go anywhere. The baby will be about 1 month old then. The hotel room was gorgeous! We had a 600 sq. ft. room and an oval tub. To bad we couldn't have stayed longer!

I remember how hard it was when Antti and I went to Helsinki for our one year anniversary. Eila was only 3 months old, I got a breast infection because my milk got to full. I had a fever the whole night and couldn't eat until morning. We did have fun though.

We also went to dinner and rented a movie from the hotel. We saw a funny show called "The Ringer", it's about a guy who hires an old co-worker to mow his lawn, when one day while mowing the guy sliced off 3 of his fingers. The guy who hired him didn't have insurance so he had to figure out a way to pay for surgery. His Uncle talked him into fixing the special olympics so that he could win on a bet. It was cute and very funny.

On Saturday we had family over for cake. I got Antti an ice cream cake with a finnish flag on top. I had the baker write Paljon Onnea Antti! I was impressed that she was up for it. He liked the cake and thought it was very sweet. My Grandma gave him 2 short sleeved church shirts and 2 ties. My Mom and Dad gave him a head razor so that I can cut his hair. My brother and his fiance got him a shirt and a sunglass necklace. I planned the weekend but he's still getting either sunglasses or a shooting pass from me.

A new bed for Eila

2006-04-18T18:31:00.000-06:00

Eila is growing so fast! Antti and I have decided that it's time to take away her crib and give her a toddler bed. We know that we will deal with a few nights of adjustment and hopefully not to much crying. It's cute, I bought it at walmart.

What is wrong with us?

2006-04-18T18:02:00.000-06:00

First, Eila was sick all saturday night. Now Antti and I are both sick. It's always disgusting to clean up other people's throw up! However, when it's your own child it's not as bad. I used to always fear that when I had my own kids that I wouldn't be able to clean it up.

So anyway, on Saturday night Eila woke us up at 2 am because she had thrown up all her milk. It was horrible. I had to take her bed apart and wash all of her bedding. Antti and I stayed up and watched Chicken Little all the way through. She was so tired after that movie. We ended up sleeping in until 9 am. We didn't go to church because we didn't want her to throw up again. Antti gave her a blessing and she was fine after that.

I thought Easter might be ruined but fortunately it went okay. We went to my Grandma Boulden's house and had a barbecue. All the grandkids were together (Cheyenne, Bailey, Carlee, Eila). Also my brother Jason introduced his new girlfriend Kim and her two kids Alyssa & Abby to the family. It was a great party. We also had an egg hunt for the kids. It was hilarious. Bailey crushed an egg during pictures and started eating it. Eila was taking eggs out of the cartons and throwing them behind her. Carlee was fascinated by the colors and excitement. It was almost impossible to get the kids to hold still for a picture. I will post some pictures of the day as soon as I get a CD made.

I am very sick today. My back has a dull aching pain that won't go away and I am dizzy! I worry when I am pregnant that something could be wrong but how do you really know when to call the doctor. I hate going to the doctor just in case and then it ends up being nothing.

Antti was sent home from work today. After he tried to stay his boss sent him home because he threw up all over the pavement. I hope he's okay. He was just in the doctor for a possible ulcer. We are hoping it is just stomach acids and nothing more. We will see. He is going to the doctor tomorrow. It seems like we are always sick. Time to use more soap and water I guess.

Rain Rain, go away!

2006-04-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

It has been raining on and off for a few days here. I think it's a good sign because at least there is no more snow falling. The flowers are starting to bloom in our front yard so that definitely means spring is here. I can't wait for it to get hot, I love going outside in light clothes and flip flops. I remember when Antti and I went to Mesquite, NV on our honeymoon, it was so hot that we would run from our hotel room to the lobby because those few seconds outside were so scorching! Antti even ran to the car barefoot to get something. It was so funny watching him run back into the room hopping and dancing around.

We bought Eila a swimsuit yesterday. It's so cute! It is a Winnie the Pooh suit with a robe. The sides are open so that you can see her stomach. Antti doesn't know if it will keep her warm because it's 50% cotton and 50% nylon. It will stay wet longer so I guess she could get cold. Oh well, it's cute! What us women will do for fashion!!!!

We are going to the conference center tomorrow for the evening session. We are excited because we have never gone together. Eila is getting babysat by some friends. I will write on here on it goes.

Goodbye and God Speed

2006-03-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

Our Brother Hannu will be leaving Finland tommorow for a new adventure. He has been called to serve in Birmingham England. Good luck and enjoy your time there. It will go by faster than you think! : )

Snow fun

2006-03-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

We took these about a month ago up in the canyon. We wanted Eila to get the mountain snow experience. She loved it! We took so many pictures but these were our favorites.

Now I can breathe

2006-03-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well the presentation at the expo went well and now we are getting prepared for another week. I am going to be working during the mornings and Antti will be doing some overtime. We are happy about the progress we are making in our financial security but it's not always fun to be pushing yourself all the time. Especially when your pregnant : )

The baby has started kicking more and more. She was jumping on my bladder during church today. I was not happy because I had to read a scripture that was coming up so I couldn't just run to the bathroom. Though it was nice to feel her kicking because she doesn't really move much. She usually wakes up when I am about to go to bed.

Eila was not a happy girl today. She was crying and whining about everything. She didn't want to eat or play. We realized later that she had a stomach ache. She is better now after eating some light yogurt with blueberries. She doesn't really like the blueberries much. She kept wanting me to take them off her tongue.. HA HA it was funny.

I am thinking about becoming a scrapbooking consultant. That is where I can hold parties and give out catologs that advertise easy to use scrapbook items. I need to finish Eila's book up so I can get started on the new baby. I used to write so much about my 1st pregnancy and lately I just haven't thought about with my 2nd.

What a week!

2006-03-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

Okay so I am ready for a two day nap! Antti and I have been preparing for a geneology expo for the past couple of weeks and now we are up to the last day before the event. I have to make 100 Karelian rice pasties for a presentation Antti will be doing about Finland. I also had to put together a poster with information on Finland and its customs! Man, since I am a perfectionist I can't do it quickly. I will put some pictures of the poster on here soon. I need to go to the store and make a CD.

Eila has been waking me up at 6:30 or 7 am everyday the past week or so. I need rest! Being pregnant you don't sleep all that well and you get hungry at night. I couldn't take naps this week because I was so busy with preparing everything for the expo. Antti has been working tons of overtime and is enjoying it because we are making DANG good money with time and a half. We are feeling blessed at the moment.

I miss Finland when spring starts to come. I miss the fresh air and the trees the most. I loved taking Eila for walks to downtown. It was our time to be at peace. Funny thing is I also miss our old apartment. even though it was older and not that big. I miss that comfort. Hopefully we get that back when we move in May. I am so excited to move.

I am thinking about names and I have found one I really like. I want to name the baby Isabelle. I love that name it so feminine. Antti likes it but hasn't said much about it yet. We'll see. I think he's still getting over that we're not having a boy.

Well tonight we are going to a birthday party for two friends. Laura and Wendy. Laura is my ex-boyfriend's girlfriend. (yes he's the one I left for Antti). We have become good friends and I am happy that he has found a nice girl. It's St. Patty's day so wear your green!

Our new home!!!

2006-03-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

Okay so Antti and I have been waiting and waiting to move out of my parents house. I love them but we NEED our own space. We have decided on a 3 bedroom apartment in Herriman. Herriman is a small little town west of everything. It's a in a fast growing area. This is where all the new shops and homes are being built. We are excited for the change.

We are having fun picking out furniture, so far we agree on what we want but I can tell that there will be problems with colors! Antti loves multi colored items. I am more basic like tan, red, black and etc. I want to use a couple of bold colors and then accent them with others. He would probably buy a couch with striped colored patterns if I let him!!! Just kidding he's not that bad.

Our Apartment Complex is called Legacy Springs. It's cute with an onsite daycare and playground. Our ward is like one building. It's so crazy to come from Finland and back to America when you are in the church. It's such a change.

Inspired to do more

2006-03-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

I have never really given much thought to doing family history work. I know that it's important to do but I guess I don't know where to start... Anyway the point of this post is to explain my feelings when listening to our Relief Society President talking about her father who passed away. Our President has been trying to encourage the sisters to focus more on researching our own families, so that we can share with our children experiences and challenges our ancestors faced.

She spoke about how much she loved her Father, but never really told her own children about who he was. Her Father was in Honalulu at the time Pearl Harbor was bombed, he was a airplane mechanic for the Navy. Her Mother told her that he assisted in cleaning up the mess that was left behind. The President mentioned that her Father never told her this because it may have been a painful memory to drudge up again. He wasn't proud or boastful that he was there. This was something she never would have knew if her Mother hadn't told her.

I want to be the kind of Mother that my children can come to and ask questions about who they are and where they come from.

I also need to start doing temple work for those in my family who are gone. I know of a few tools I can use to start. Hopefully I can get some help through the ward. People say you can become addicted to it because it becomes so fascinating.... We'll see.

A blog! What a great idea!

2006-03-04T18:58:00.000-07:00

Okay so I have to admit that creating a blog didn't just come to me. I have so many friends that use one so I guess you could say i'm a follower : ) ha ha (thanks Daniela!)

Actually I need somewhere to write down my experiences. I also want to allow others to see how we are doing in our family. Hopefully there will be some interesting stuff to read.

Today Antti, Eila and I went to pick up a ceiling fan that we are going to install in our new apartment. It's so cute! We are planning on doing the kitchen and dining area in blue, silver & a bit of red. We are excited to move, it's time to move away from the old parents... Anyway we are planning on so many things for our new home. I hope it turns out well.