May Fun 2019

Looking back at my pictures made me realize that May was another super busy month and made me feel a little better about being so behind in blog posts. It was a really sad month because Grandpa Bill died unexpectedly two days before he was supposed to come for a visit. We tried to keep things as normal as possible and I was overwhelmed with all the support, kind words, flowers, and love we received. Knowing how great of a support system we have made it a little easier. I also got a terrible sinus infection at the same time so May seems like a blur to me. If it wasn't for the pictures, I don't think I would remember what happened. 

We started the month off by celebrating Evy's fourth birthday with a Doc McStuffins themed party. The kids had a blast and Emmett actually hit the pinata hard for the first time! 

The kids rode bikes and scooters to the farmer's market and we even made it into the newspaper! We had fun with the photo booth, and of course eating lots of fresh produce!

We celebrated Mother's Day at Tio Robert's and Tia Erika's. We had delicious food and wonderful company. Apparently I didn't get a picture of Eleanora and Erika or her mom, probably because they were cooking.

Clara had a Making Memories with Mom event at school where we made pots and got to plant some seeds. Afterward Dada and Emmett joined us and Macy and her mom for frozen yogurt at Yum Yum Yogurt.

Lyla and Cooper turned seven and we celebrated them with a taco and swim party. We all had a great time and it was good to catch up with Natalie and her family!

The kids begged to wash our cars so Dada obliged them. We didn't really have any of the needed materials (I'm way too lazy to wash my car and prefer to pay the car wash to do a good job) but they made do. You would have thought it was Christmas over here they were so excited!

Emmett got to celebrate summer birthday VIP at preschool and he was so excited. He choose to bring doughnuts so we made sure to leave early so Clara could join us before we dropped her off at school!

Of course there was lots of cousin fun. Bailey even got to play in Olive and Winnie's tree house with the kids!

Who doesn't bring ALL of their babies to church?

Clara got a soap making kit for Christmas. I really dislike doing crafts with kids because I have no patience. Luckily Dada has more patience than me and did it with them one night while I had a meeting!

We celebrated Grandma Donna's birthday at family dinner followed by Tristan's band concert.

I had to go to San Bernardino for work. I was bummed because I missed Emmett's preschool open house, but I got to hang out with my friends Lisa and Erika who I hadn't seen in ages. We all lived together freshman year in the dorms  and it was great to catch up!

My cousin Nils was playing a show in Fresno. We weren't able to make it to the show, but he was able to come over for dinner to catch up!

We went to a local olive oil factory for their annual celebration. Clara had a great time tasting all the different oils and vinegar and Emmett had fun playing cornhole!

Both kids had to make dioramas for school. Clara had to choose a zoo animal and write a report too. Of course she choose a cheetah and is now an expert on them. She wanted absolutely zero help with her diorama and ignored any ideas I had. Emmett was supposed to do something under the sea. Apparently I didn't pay much attention to the "under" part and let him choose Noah's Ark (his teachers didn't seem to mind). Clara helped him a little, but he did most of it himself!

We went to the annual Swedish Festival and started the day out with the Dala Trot. Clara ran with Dada this year and did such a great job! She ran it in 19:37, a 10:03 minute pace! She was definitely tired at the end, but did such a great job! Emmett ran with Aba who pushed Elise. I ran back and finished with Clara and Kevin and then ran with Emmett. He definitely ran faster with me and also did a great job! Bailey ran with Tio and killed it! Tia ran the 10K, making it her longest run ever! It wasn't as competitive this year for the 2 mile so I was able to get another Dala Horse without having to kill myself. Tons of our friends and their kids also ran and that made it extra fun! We hit up the Swedish pancake breakfast after the run and then came back for the parade. The kids had a great time watching the parade with their friends. I love that the street has a hole in it for the Maypole! Unfortunately, I had to work the soccer booth so I didn't get to see too much of the festival, but the kids and Dada had fun!

Later that night we went to Elijah's and Sina's baby shower. They just moved back to the US from Cambodia and she had never had a baby shower before. It was fun and the kids had a great time playing with Elijah's older kids and of course, Sophie and Gracie! I had a great time catching up with friends from high school that I rarely get to see.

We went to Burris Park with the Engstroms and I can't believe we had never been there before! It is a giant park with trails, play structures, BBQs, picnic areas, and even a museum! We had a picnic lunch, the kids rode bikes and scooters, and we enjoyed a lovely morning! We will definitely be back.

Clara has been taking violin lessons and the year culminated in a Handel party. Each year the kids learn about a different composer and have a party complete with trivia, coloring contests, and cake to celebrate what the have learned. Clara started a month before the year ended so she had to learn really fast! The best part was the Handel cake!

We celebrated Tio Robert's birthday with the longest evening ever that involved driving on a completely flooded freeway and going to two different DiCicco's. The kids were troopers through it all!

As always, we took lots of bike/scooter tris to the high school. The kids love to run up and down the bleachers. They have no idea that it's work for adults!

We went bowling with some friends and realized that bowling is great for little kids. We set them up with a lane and they entertained themselves by running around and playing. I have a feeling we'll do it again!