dear silo,

i write this as you sit with your 'brother' eeli watching Thomas the Train, on the eve of his departure. we have told you that eeli and silla and tiina and teemu are going home tomorrow, that they will take 4 airplanes to get there, that their home is far away and it will probably be a long time before we see them again. you ask questions, but it is clear that you have not fully grasped what is about to happen. there are signs that both of you sense the change that is coming, but i am so grateful that you have come together at the end of this day ... found a way into your make believe world in our back yard and played "firemans" with more agreement and laughter than we've seen all day.

at about this time 13 years ago, i was saying goodbye to tiina and teemu as a teenager, on my way back to minnesota. we did not know if we'd ever see eachother again. it was one of the saddest days i can remember and yet, tonight on the eve of saying goodbye to them yet again, i worry about your tender heart more than my own. i know the richness that has been added to your life because of the last 10 months, and i can see this in the perspective of your life, but you have not faced anything of this nature in your short life and as your mother i am not sure what to expect, how you will deal with your feelings, or how i will be able to help you through them.

i know you will be ok. i know that this is simply the beginning of your relationship with eeli and silla.... your lives will be interwined in ways i cannot even imagine right now. it is this that gives me some peace.....and it is this that i will hold onto in the days ahead as our life goes back to "normal"

thank you tiina, teemu, eeli & silla - and especially, my dear husband, souliyahn for opening your lives up to this time together. there are few people in the world who can do what we have just done. i will be taking lessons from these months for the rest of my life and my love for you has grown roots that are mature and long lasting. until we meet again.....and i will not worry about when that might be - instead i look forward to watching the opportunity unfold........

love,
your mom - tia

duluth day

we spent a PERFECT sunday in duluth for the palokangas' last trip before they head back to finland: a tasty breakfast, throwing rocks into the lake before a walk along the boardwalk and through canal park, lunch at my cousins' house (we at at lussi and sofia's house. eeli ate at taavi's house) and then we met up again for a ride on the vista fleet.

the boat took us under the Lift Bridge (or the "bridge of the whole city of duluth") - it's horn was loud!

we got to wave to the people on the pier.

and took in a glorious view of the city and hillside from the lake.

back in the harbor, we got to see silos and a variety of industrial buildings and products. (silo with silos)

we even pulled into the ore-docks and got to see a BIG ship close-up and the docks themselves. this was my mom's favorite part of the whole trip!

after the boat ride we had an early dinner at lake avenue cafe before heading back to grandma's house where i put myself to sleept at 7:30! we were all pretty tired after such a FULL day! it really was one of the best DULUTH days i've ever spent and it was so fun that eeli, tiina, teemu and silla were there with us! --- we've now entered the last few days of their time with us and we are trying to fill them as best we can. i cried when eeli's grandparents left after a 1 week stay. i don't think my parents are quite prepared for how this parting is going to affect our family. (my mom is crying just thinking about it.)

the "party"

brit's birtday, i mean grad-party was really more of a dinner than a party - except that there seemed to be as many children as adults - making it A LOT of fun! this is my new friend Yoko (the daughter of brit's greatest art mentor/professor.) she speaks japanese and english! we met once before, so it was fun to see her again. her new baby sister came along, too (2 weeks old)!! so, with me, yoko, toko, lussi, sofia, eeli and silla ... you can imagine the excitement (and NOISE) that was emitted from my grandma & grandpa's house!!

(we were watching WallE)

the card i made for brit

i was so excited about this card that i made for brit's graduation. my mom and i worked on it while she (and my grandparents) were at the actual ceremony and when we went to pick them up, i couldn't help but tell brit, "brit, me and my mommy made somethin' for you for your party, it's a surprise and i'm not gonna tell you about it." (or something to that affect)

even more special is the detailed list of items that are included in this drawing: some black dirt for the big sunflower to grow in, another flower in black dirt and some read water to feed them. the green line is the grass. then, there's even MORE black dirt for the banana tree with orange branches. that is brit (you can tell by her hair) picking a banana. she's wearing a red dress with an orange tie at the neck. she has a green eye and an orange face. her house is over on the far right of the drawing (i think it is in plan) the door is thicker band on the left and you can see the dots specifying where the kitchen, living room, tvroom and bathroom are. and finally, on the left you see a little tree that is 'in trouble' - it needs some black dirt to eat..........

a nap before brit's grad-'party'

readin'

my mom can't get over how old i seem these days....like a grown BOY or something...

i fell asleep at Don Pablo's