My Little Pioneers

All ready to march in the ward Pioneer Day Parade

Following the parade we had a BBQ, pioneer games, a program, and fireworks.  After eating I emceed the running races for the kids.  WW came in 2nd for the 2 and 3 years olds and Holden ran fast but got distracted in the 4 and 5 year old heat.  Marcus won the 6 and 7 year old race as well as the stick pull.  Kjell was undefeated in the stick pull and eventually ran out of contenders.   Wether had the time of his life and ran in practically every age group race as did many of the little kids. 

Neither Run Norwalk

We have returned from our annual pilgrimage to Norwalk, Connecticut suntanned and refreshed. Here’s a brief synopsis of our trip:


I flew out with Port and WW a couple of days before Kjell and the boys. The airplane ride went smoothly mostly because Port had his own seat and Wether had Baby Einsteins to watch. Dad picked us up at Westchester Airport. That evening Uncle Tom arrived from Long Island. He came bearing gifts for the boys and played and played with Port. Wether got really sick that night with a fever and vomiting. This did not add to his sunny disposition.

Mom and I went shopping at my favorite store – the Goodwill in Norwalk – where I practically get a new wardrobe each summer. We found a bike for Marcus, which he rode around the Point a few times. Mom also treated me to a manicure and pedicure (heavenly!).

Meanwhile, Holden and Marcus were so anxious to go on a plane that it was the main topic of their conversation. Marcus even drew an elaborate picture of driving to the airport. Kjell arrived with the boys on Friday and they immediately requested to go on the boat. 

In the morning Holden kept asking "where's Merlin?"  It took me a moment to realize he meant "Marilynn".  He called Grandpa "Grandma".  After a few days "Grandma and Merlin" became "Grandpa and Grandma" although he did refer to Grandma as Marilynn every once in a while.  We spent all day Saturday aboard Maramor. The boys were enthralled. Marcus was in and out of the water constantly, which was a huge change from last year when Grandpa finally threw Marcus into the Sound (I threw Holden into the water this year).

Another highlight of our vacation was several trips to the beach on Wilson Point, which we always had to ourselves. We’d swim back and forth to the float, ferrying the younger boys on an inflated mattress. My childhood friend Nicole Denmen joined us at the beach one day and it was delightful to see her. We also visited a neighbor’s pool a couple of times.

Mom and I squeezed in a very brief tennis game cut short because of the intense heat.

Kjell and I went kayaking with Marcus to a little deserted island where Marcus made a valiant effort to catch frogs. Kjell went fishing with the boys off the floating dock. Although they didn’t catch anything with a rod, a bucket along the shore yielded a small fish which Marcus brought home to show Grandma and Grandpa.

Kjell and Grandpa took Marcus and Holden “camping” aboard Maramor. Marcus and Kjell swam around the boat 4 times while Holden watched.

After securing a babysitter, mom and dad treated Kjell and I to an authentic Italian dinner in Bridgeport one evening. The food was rich and delicious and it was a nice break from the kids.

Aunt Darcy and her friend Carrie came up for a visit after lunch one day. True to form, Aunt Darcy arrived bearing gifts and toys for the boys. Marcus spent hours constructing a 130 piece lego firetruck and WW and Holden played (fought over) Connect 4 and a dinosaur puzzle. We visited a thrift shop in Darien where I bought a tube and fabulous black heels. That evening we had a BBQ at the club with our guests including Tom and Marianne. Marcus and Wether played on the beach while Holden followed Tom around. Aunt Darcy took care of Port’s every need including walking him around and pushing him in the stroller until he fell asleep. Carrie was a big help too.

We ended up staying an extra night due to flight delays. Kjell sat in First Class with Holden and Wether while I sat in coach with Marcus and Port on my lap. Believe it or not, I had the better deal. Marcus behaved wonderfully and Port slept in my arms while Kjell had to deal with Wether the Terror. I’ll spare you the details so Kjell doesn’t have to relive the trauma but I will add that WW didn’t seem to bother the other passengers. He did fall asleep…on the car ride home.

Kudos to mom and dad for housing, feeding, serving, and entertaining us for over a week. Port didn’t have to go very long without attention from Grandma. He even fell asleep holding her finger and watching the moon. Dad drove to and from Westchester Airport 4 times. Thank you!

Where oh where is Wether's shoe?!  Wether confessed "Threw it in the ree-ver (river)".

Couldn't leave home without the Retro Rockets.  They were the only way we got Holden and Wether in the water.

There's room for 2.

Marcus fell asleep while leaning over the stern of the boat. 

Captain Love. 

L-R: Marianne, Tom, Dad, Mom, Me, Port, Kjell, Aunt Darcy, & Carrie (Aunt Darcy's friend). We had a BBQ down at the club.  Tom and Marianne joined us after work.

Holden still talks about "Cousin Tom".  High Five!

The newlyweds.

No hands! No swimsuit! J/K

Mom taught Marcus proper noodle usage and how to coordinate with your noodle.

Marcus and Daddy

Marcus showing off his mad snapping skills.

Future underwear model?

The life.

Let's run circles around the boat.  Over. And over. 

Wether liked to point out tugboats and sailboats.

Where's the baby?

There he is!

On the launch back to the club

Look at the camera Grandma

Holden reading up on proper airplane emergency procedures.

Do. Not. Take. A. 2. Year. Old. On. A. Plane.

The McCord Parade at the airport in Detroit.  Holden was quite taken with the moving walkways.

Copy Cat Art

I thought this was an interesting picture that Marcus drew and wondered where he got the idea...until I saw this:

Not bad for a 6-year old!

Swedish Pancakes for Swedish Cousins



L-R Holden, Ansel, Lars, Wether, Marcus, Kurt



Blurry picture...we thought it was cute the Heidi was "visiting" Port in his stroller

The cousins are here!  This is a much-anticipated event in our household.  We are grateful that Aunt Julie makes it a priority for Kurt (7), Ansel (5), Lars (3), and Heidi (11 mo) to get together with our kids as often as possible while she is in town.  On Wednesday we let the kids play while we chatted and staged a photo shoot for my kids.  Wether decided that he liked having his picture taken and pretty much followed Julie around whenever she had her camera out and said "my turn, my turn" while striking a pose.  Julie and kids slept over on Wednesday and much to Marcus' delight, Kurt, Ansel, and Lars slept in his room!  Wether and Holden slept together upstairs and even though Wether screamed in his crib for quite a while, Holden did not stir.  He was worn out! 

Thursday we began the morning with Swedish pancakes courtesy of Uncle Kjell followed by a few hours at Boondocks Fun Center in Draper.  The kids romped in an indoor playground, played arcade games, and drove bumper boats and race cars.  Fun!  Since Julie is such a talented photographer, I let her do all the work and I rarely get my camera out.  More pics to come when I snag them from her blog or she sends me a CD:)

We were able to get together with "the cousins" one more time on Saturday afternoon.  This time Uncle Per joined us so we had over Uncle Joshua and Uncle Shawn as well.  We mostly sat outside and ate and talked while the kiddos ran around.  Julie and I took some more pictures of the cousins while the brothers (the 1st generation) shot arrows with a bow at a target.  We plan to meet up with Per and Julie and kin in Oregon in August.

Freedom Festival Parade

Wether was scared of the guns

Wether, Holden, and Marcus watching the parade.  Wether loves tractors. Marcus is holding up his bag for collecting candy.  He was disappointed that he only got 2 pieces.

Pam and Port

Pam was kind enough to accompany me to the Freedom Festival Parade on July 4th while Kjell worked on fixing up a condo we just purchased.  The boys were well behaved in the hot sun.  Holden liked "the instruments" (the marching bands), Wether liked the tractors, fire trucks, and police motorcycles, and Marcus liked the Storm Troopers marching with flags.

We went to Rachel Gonzalez's barbeque at 1 that day.  It's a tradition to have a candy drop, where they throw candy (and water) out the windows for the kids followed by a water fight.  The kids had the time of their lives!  Everyone was soaked within minutes.  Marcus and Wether had a particularly good time and we practically had to drag them out of there.  Wether kept going up to the guy with the hose with an empty cup and saying "more water please".  He'd then find me or Kjell and throw water on us.  Again.  And again.

That evening we went to another terrific barbeque in our old neighborhood.  It was so fun to catch up with old friends.  Just as I feared, as soon as Wether found an empty cup, he filled it with water and ran up to me while I was sitting down eating and threw water all over me.  That kid.  We did fireworks in front of the Lillicos house and then went home and did some more fireworks in front of our house.  Aerials were made legal in Utah this year and Kjell and I watched the whole valley lit up from our bedroom window.  This went on for hours.  Marcus and Holden sat outside together underneath a blanket and watched for a while too.