a great mother

Absent her usual parents, Schuyler's parenting game is raised. Lucky little girl!

swedish wedding

Sami and Mere show how a wedding should be done.

Carefree smiles of the baby-free

Schuyler's Dad is (un)lucky enough to have been appointed toastmaster where he flatters the wonderful couple, accidentally insults Swedish rites and quite possibly disappoints his audience with aplomb.

kiddie pool at Atlantis

water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink.

the kiddie pool: 80% water, 5% chlorin, 15% pee.

Sackin' out in front of the big tank. I don't think this girl gets enough time to stare at fish.

swedish impressions

A Vermont girl feels at home...

Our bed and breakfast about an hour and a half outside of Malmo, Sweden was a great little place surrounded by cows and haycocks.

bonding

Hugo and Schuyler in some toddler bonding.

Lou and Kim in some parental bonding.

Papa Ward and Schuyler in some digital bonding with Auntie Shan and cousin Lara.

Captain John vets the potential boat mates for cleaning acumen.

hello sweden

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... or at least, Sweden... Schuyler's parents were enjoying this beautiful sunset at, oh, about 10:30pm.

boat friendly baby

Papa Ward, thinking "i hope she doesn't spill that"

Ryan and Kerry assist in the mission of keeping Schuyler alive with feedings at the bar.

Demonstrating her already expensive tastes. Until you have your own credit card, the answer's "no".

Chillin' aft on Goodtimes.

strollin' underwater

While Schuyler's parents endured the hardship of her absence, Schuyler completely forgot they existed and settled into the Atlantis lifestyle.

day 1 - other side of the atlantic

Schuyler's Dad looks fetching with his black handback, matching the bag toting Lydia and Richard.

Look kids! Big Ben! Parliament House! Whoohoo! Child free! Wielding our time machine issued by Schuyler's grandparents, Liz and Jonathan were transported to a strange pre-Schuyler world where sleep is unlimited, naps are for grown ups, staying up late is practically a requirement.

We love being parents but having a respite from the unyielding responsibility of parenthood was an amazing halcyon time. Just sitting in a cafe all afternoon and reading a book was a cherished delight. Thank you, Kim and Ward. Thank you. We made the most of it!

day 1 - schuyler and goodtimes

Schuyler's grandparents have either started taking some very potent new medication or their generosity got the better of them because they offered and then insisted that they take Schuyler for a full week while they are in the Bamahas aboard "Goodtimes" and Schuyler's parents are in Sweden attending Sami and Mere's wedding. In any case, the deal was struck and within one day Schuyler had broken all kinds of parental rules regarding fire safety equipment and a strict "no casino" rule. We are so happy that she was able to spend this time with them - it was such a relief to know she was in such good hands. They did a great job as subsequent posts will attest. She is a very, very lucky little girl.