Birthday Party #2

On Sunday, we had a family birthday day since Pappa was going to be at work on Marcus's actual birthday. Here he is in his birthday crown reading his new book with Grandma.

He was thrilled with the car cake idea but only wanted to eat the candy off it.

Another great present was the doctor kit. Here, Marcus is giving his bear a hug to comfort him after a shot.

Birthday Party #1

Marcus had his fourth birthday party with friends this afternoon. We played games, swam, and, of course, ate cupcakes. Here he is blowing out his candles with help from his friends.

Marcus's birthday would not be complete without a dip in the pool. In fact, as you can see, he couldn't wait long enough to take his clothes off.

Ellen is training Grandma to pick up her spoon when she throws it down after taking a bite, and Grandma is an eager learner.

Hot Summer Days

We've had amazingly beautiful weather for the last few days! Yesterday we had our first water play day of the summer. It started with splashing and then went to pouring buckets over their heads and, finally, to dunking their heads (Marcus's idea!).

Here's our happy eater, determined to feed herself.

Six Months!

Ellen is six months old today! Here she is trying her first bite of food, rice cereal. It went reasonably well, with some on her face, some in her hair, and at least a little in her mouth. We had the most success with giving her the spoon and letting her put it in her mouth by herself.

Johan and members of his old hockey team went down to check out the new roller hockey rink in Half Moon Bay, and Marcus, Ellen and I came to watch. After the game, the kids got a chance to play around. Johan is teaching Marcus the essential checking moves above.

Last Day of School

Friday was the last day of school for Marcus. The school had portfolio viewing, a graduation ceremony for those going on to Kindergarten, and fika. This is his class and the class above him getting ready to sing songs for the parents.

Camping

Camping has been a recent theme in our household--stories, books from the library, play with stuffed animals. With a six-month-old in the family, it's a little impractical to do the real thing, so we opted for the next best option: backyard camping. It holds all the excitement of regular camping (for an almost-four-year-old) without most of the inconveniences (for the adult). Above is the first step: roasting hot dogs over the fire for dinner. Actually, we grilled them first and then put them over the fire for extra taste... another benefit of backyard camping.

This little girl will have to wait for her first camping experience--she and I spent the night inside. Here she is wearing a party dress made by Grandma Betsy.

...and here are the two campers snuggled inside the tent. We'll see if they make it all night.

Sveriges nationaldag

Today is "Swedish National Day," and Marcus chose these matching outfits for him and Ellen in honor.

Sleepover

The big excitement this weekend was that RJ and the cousins slept over (so I could go out and watch Johan's band play at Hotel Utah). The next morning, the kids all went to the park. Here are the "trolls" grabbing Marcus's foot as he crosses the bridge.