Water Balloon Launcher

Kjell left today to go rafting with the scouts through Desolation Canyon. We had quite a bit to do last night to get ready but spent almost the entire evening on what was obviously the highest priority - a water balloon launcher! The other rafts better beware.

Summerfest

We always look forward to Orem Summerfest, ever though it has rained the last 2 years! Actually, a little rain means practically no waiting in line for the rides, so no complaints here. We went to the carnival as a family on Friday night. I took Marcus and Holden in the bike trailer on Saturday where they got balloon animals and rode on more rides. That night we went to the parade, which is really spectacular, especially for a small town. Our favorite floats included policemen on motorcycles, Civil war soldiers, bagpipes, fire trucks, gymnasts, karate kids, horses, school bands and cheerleaders, and lots of candy thrown at us (except by the UVU float because Marcus was wearing a BYU hat!)

Nightstands

I came across 2 Pottery Barn nightstands/dressers on KSL for $25 a piece. I painted them to match my curtains.

Pictures by Julie

Julie McCord got some great shots of the boys while she visited this month. Here they are:

(The picture of Marcus in his pajamas was taken by me on his last day of Kids Village preschool - Pajama Day. Marcus took the last picture of Wether and I.)

My 30th Birthday

Yup, as of this month I am officially 30! Kjell worked very hard to make my birthday special and he certainly succeeded. I began the day browsing some garage sales with my sister-in-law Julie (I found a glass 19 liter Italian Beverage Jar). We arrived home to a delicious breakfast of swedish pancakes. Afterward, we headed up the canyon for some fishing, lunch and a short hike. The afternoon was spent resting and preparing for my birthday party. Uncle Joshua kindly took the boys to Chuck E. Cheese so we could enjoy an appetizer potluck at our home with some of our friends. Kjell also hosted a trivial pursuit tournament, made 3 huge "better than church cakes", and passed around a notebook for everyone to write me a birthday note (how sweet is that?). Lastly, we played the "name game." What a great start to a new decade.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day dawned sunny and beautiful. Kjell and Marcus began the day helping the scouts put up flags in front of everyone's house in the neighborhood. Next we bought some Einstein Bagels and hiked to the top of the "Y" with Uncle Joshua. Following our hike, we drove to Sandy for a barbeque with Per and Julie and Julie's family. The cousins had the best time playing together. I finished the day by antiquing a hutch (see previous post).

Hutch

I found this hutch on KSL for $100. All the drawers are dove-tailed. Here are the before and after:

Holden is 3!

Holden turned 3 on May 18th and we celebrated with a small birthday party in true Holden style - freeze-dance, lots of pizza (his favorite), a fruit-snack scavenger hunt, an obstacle course, squirt guns, cupcakes and presents. Mason White, Bailey Schauers, Thomas Sims, Uncle Joshua and Pam came for the festivities. Earlier in the day we went to Chuck E. Cheese.

A little bit about Holden - he loves to wrestle, play with blocks and train tracks and Little Einsteins, throw rocks, read stories, and go in Pam's car. Lately, he's really enjoyed watching Marcus do 100-piece puzzles and can do many puzzles himself. His vocabulary increases daily and his nightly prayers inevitably contain a plea akin to "Holden no hit, no kick, and no push". Holden is definitely independent and can play by himself for quite a while but also loves to be with Marcus and entertains Wether (they all like to chase each other). He frequently requests to go in the "white ban [van]", loves the "hamburger store" (fast food), the "doughnut store" (grocery store), and thw swings at the park. Holden can't wait for Daddy and Uncle Joshua to throw him in the air and catch him, known has "going high". Although he can certainly be trying on the patience with his long bouts of whining and/or crying and/or knocking over other kids, he is certainly a sweet, special little boy to have around most of the time. Holden especially melts my heart when he sings in his loud, deep voice.