2006
2006 began and ended in Dalarna, at a ski resort in Orsa. Dalarna is about a 5 hours drive north of us and we have had the good fortune to be able to rent a cabin right on the slope. Unfortunately New Years 2006- 2007 was snow free, so being right on the slope wasn't so great. But we had fun anyway with our friends who had joined us.
The kids, as you can see are growing older even if Stefan and LaVonne are not aging at all! Ha Ha. Stephanie started a dance class and we got to see one of the shows.
LaVonne's parents bought a home in Branson, Missouri so we went to check it out over the summer. Her brother Jens and his family joined us all there and we had several wonderful days exploring the lakes on his boat. We also enjoyed the many amusement parks in Branson and visited several shows. Stephanie was turning 10 this year so I suprised her by taking her to get her ears pierced, something she had been wanting to do for some time. She was a little shocked, but it went well.
When we came home from the states we had a visitor. Hannah Kaplan, the daughter of friends of ours in Kodiak, Alaska, had come to stay with us for a year. She went to school in a nearby town and came home to us on weekends. We really enjoy having Hannah, she melts into the crowd like she was one of ours!
In the fall we attended a film festival in Estonia. Stefan won two prizes. Best Director - for Man and Bear and Best film for The Falun - Röros Expedition. After the festival traveled around Estonia with our friends Anders and Lea Liskar and their daughter Hanna. Lea is from Estonia and we visited her parents on the farm she grew up on. Estonia is a country rich in history and we had a great time among the ruins and in the midevil city of Tallinn.
The cat had kittens on the kitchen floor one evening in October. We had trouble finding homes for them and had to put all but one down. We kept a little boy, who was promptly rejected by his mother and we ended up bottle feeding him.
We were home for Christmas and Stefan's mother and brothers came on Christmas Day for a family celebration.
Highlights from 2006
