Meagan, Adam, Kylinn and Tegan have welcomed a new member of the family this year — and documented all of the fun they are having so far! From barbecues and parades to the first day of school and Julie’s first Target shopping trip, it’s been quite a start to the year in Michigan!

“It’s no secret that we are super busy in the fall. We are a very athletic family and we don’t have much downtime until the snow starts falling. We’re also pretty adventurous — so the fact that we had only eight days between deciding to host and having a student in our home wasn’t really that surprising. We chose a 16-year-old Norwegian girl named Julie. She likes kids, plays a lot of sports, and is social. We had just one chance to Skype before she was off to New York for Orientation. We messaged back and forth to choose her class schedule, as she was due to arrive just three days before starting school here. On Saturday morning, we headed to the Detroit airport to welcome Julie to Michigan.

Kylinn (age 10) and Tegan (age 7) couldn’t wait to meet their new sister.

Finally, Julie walked through the gates.

The whole family was finally together!

Home is where you hang your flags 🙂

We welcomed Julie to our family with a big American picnic at the beach. Julie loved playing with the kids, talking to so many of our friends and family, and trying to throw Adam in the lake.

 Julie and Kylinn both share a love for soccer.

The following day was Labor Day- we made a quick stop at Target on the way to the parade. Julie was amazed at how inexpensive items were in comparison to back home in Norway. Like most Americans, Julie is a regular Target shopper now.

We celebrated Labor Day at the Romeo Peach Festival- one of Michigan’s Oldest Parades!

Julie convinced her host dad, Adam, to ride on the ‘Ring of Fire.’ It didn’t end well for Adam.

The next day was also the First Day of School. Julie had a busy weekend and now was ready for her adventures as a Senior at our local high school. Not only is it a really great school, close to home, there are also three other exchange students there this year!

We’ve learned a lot since Julie arrived — Kylinn quickly learned that the Norwegian Cheese Cutter should have always been in our kitchen!

Fall weekends are for soccer, and Tegan hitched a ride in the wagon.

After soccer, we headed out to our Aspect Welcome Orientation to meet the rest of our group- three of whom are also from Norway.

Julie with host mom Meagan.

Getting goofy in the car.

The next weekend (after soccer) we went to Westview Orchard and had some fall fun.

Julie is so much fun- all we do is laugh together. We’re so happy to have her in our family.

Julie is an amazing big sister. Kylinn just adores her.

Back at Target, Julie found a familiar friend — Olaf! The movie Frozen takes place near Bergen, Julie’s hometown. (They also share that legacy with the band Ylvis…..what does the fox say…..)

We celebrated another week of school with a round of mini-golf. While in New York, Julie learned that the Statue of Liberty has Norwegian skin. Here she is pictured with Lady Liberty herself, in a tribute to her current duel-citizenship.

Are you supposed to golf at mini-golf? Because this is WAY more fun.

The last weekend of September, we celebrated with horrible bowling scores.

We also met a mermaid at the Michigan Renaissance Festival, and survived our own torrential downpour.

We can’t wait for winter, and to continue experiencing all the fun Michigan has to offer with Julie. Every day, we laugh, and share funny stories, teach new words and pronunciations, and learn about the similarities and differences in Norwegian and American culture. We are so happy to be on this incredible journey as a family.”

​