A Finn in the Frozen Tundra

Here are Schwartz (left) and Waffles at yesterday's Green Bay Packer game. They guys had a very comfy bus ride, an all you can eat tailgate, and nice seats for the game. Mr. Silly Pants joined the fun while I stayed home (are you kidding me? It's too cold for me to sit up there in the Frozen Tundra on a relaxing Sunday!).
Here's the story of the origin of our Finn. I was an exchange student myself in Finland "way back when" and Schwartz is the son of my host sister. So, he was family even before he arrived this summer. He arrived in August within 24 hours of our return with Blueberry from Ethiopia - so it was trial by fire for all of us together as our family grew from 5 to 7, adding 18 year old and a 5 month old sons to the family fabric in the same weekend.
While we did get our share of raised eyebrows regarding our decision to have Schwartz come and live with us, we knew it would be better than fine. Schwartz's family is wonderful; I have connected again with them in deeper ways than the annual holiday card and occassional e-mail greeting. And, Schwartz has kept our family eye on the teens in ways we didn't anticipate. It's important as a host family to fulfill informal obligations of "seeing America" - Schwartz's presence has kept us on our toes for sporting events, road trips, and attention to the everyday details of "Americana." This has been great for the whole family and has kept the balance between baby needs and teen life in focus.
It's been great - simply ihana (Finnish word for wonderful/lovely).