Summer Solstice (aka Midsummar)

Yesterday, we celebrated the longest day of the year; also called the Summer Solstice.  First, I want to quiet any worries that we are going all pagan over here.  We don't do any fertility rites or such things.  I just think it's nice to celebrate the changing of the seasons.

In past years, we have attended the Swedish Heritage Society's celebration.  However, with the move, our plans have needed to be adapted a bit.  Thus, we didn't do a traditional Swedish celebration, but a less formal family celebration of summer and the sun.

Anna and I started out by making some sugar cookies.  She really enjoyed stirring, but the best came when she got to roll the dough and cut different size circles out with cookie cutters.  After they were baked and cooled, we decorated them like suns.  Anna thought the red to be the best color so she stuck with squeezing lots of red puddles on her cookies.

Later, we used yarn and sticks we found in the yard to make Mexican stars.  We used red, yellow, and orange yarn.  Anna had fun even though she didn't quite catch on to the way to wind the string.  Her little sun is cute.  We used the three I made to make a little door hanger.

Steve brought me a beautiful bouquet of yellow and orange flowers (unasked!).  They were a perfect centerpiece to dinner.  At dinner, we served wedges of watermelon and oranges arranged to look like a sun and ate our cookies for dessert.  Then, to cap off the day, we all headed to the park to play.  Anna was so excited, she kept telling people, "Today is SUMMER!  Today is SUMMER!"

Half Moon Bay

On Saturday, we loaded up the kids and headed to the beach!  We were so excited, especially Anna.  We packed all the necessary items for a great beach trip: food, towels, swimsuit, and sand toys.  The drive to Half Moon Bay is only 40 minutes from the house, very doable for a day trip.  We decided to go early and beat the crowds.  We got there around 10am.  Unfortunately, once we crossed the mountain between us and the coast, the fog rolled in and the temperature dropped 20 degrees.  We had clouds and about 57degree weather the entire time we were there.

Anna was beyond excited to go see the ocean.  We spread out our big 2-person towel for Matthew and I, then Steve and Anna took off.  She went everywhere.  She collected feathers and bits of shells in her bucket, then joined another family to build a sand castle.  Later she ran back and forth trying to keep out of the waves and caught huge bubbles that another family was blowing.  As you can tell, Anna has no problem introducing herself to strangers.

Matthew and I watched the fun.  He was mesmerized for quite a while by the waves, but didn't want me to put him down at all.  Steve and I switched, but it didn't last long because Matthew was crying his head off.  I finally fed him and he fell asleep.  He slept most of the time we were there. 

After a picnic lunch, we decided to head home.  We washed our feet off at the bathroom foot-washing station (I accidentally sprayed Anna in the head) and left.  On our way out, we stopped at a fruit stand and bought Rainier cherries and a flat of strawberries.  Yum!

Pinecrest Lake

We went up to Steve's  parent's cabin this last weekend.  His brother, John, and his family were down visiting from Idaho and we wanted to get a chance to spend a little time with them.  They've got 5 kids from 16 down to 3 with another on the way.

On Friday, we decided to head to Pinecrest Lake and spend some time out on the water.  Apparently, it is a Wheeler tradition to rent one of the party boats and spend a couple hours riding around the lake, so that's what we did.  We also rented a 2-person kayak.  Steve's been interested in doing a little kayaking and this was the perfect opportunity.

Anna was really good about keeping her life jacket on (rules require kids under 13 to have them on), but Matthew wasn't having it.  He was so uncomfortable.  Maybe if he knew how to sit up on his own it would have been easier.

Steve and the oldest nephew, Nathan, headed out in the kayak and everyone else piled onto the party boat.  We spent the first hour or so driving around the lake, visiting the dam, and looking for some elusive rocks that are close to the surface of the water.  We finally found those rocks, but Steve and Nathan couldn't find us.  They spent most of the time going from party boat to party boat looking for us.  Steve really enjoyed rowing even though he ended up with a funny sunburn on the inside of his knees where the sun reached in the kayak.

The really brave ones jumped in and swam to the rocks.  Tiffany and I stayed on board with the little kids and Grandma and Grandpa.  Tiffany and cousin Josh were good enough to dangle Anna off the side of the boat so she could get her feet and legs wet.  Steve and Nathan finally found us, so we had a quick picnic lunch.

Nathan and Josh bravely announced that they were going to paddle the kayak back to the dock in the 20 remaining minutes of our time.  We decided to follow in the boat just in case.  Lucky for them we did.  They both tired out quickly so we tied the kayak to the side of the boat and towed them most of the way in.

After returning the boats, we found a spot on the beach.  Steve took Anna to the lake and she could get in and splash around.  She had so much fun.

Anna's First Hair Cut

Before

This past Tuesday we all went in for haircuts.  Steve needed his regular up-keep, I needed something shorter and cooler so Matthew couldn't grab it so much, and Anna needed her very first haircut!

We'd been talking about getting Anna's hair cut off and on for a few months, but with the move and everything it got moved to the back burner.  Also, Steve wanted to put it off as long as possible.  He thought it would be cool if she didn't get her hair cut until she was 5.  I finally convinced him to let her get it cut anyway.

She didn't have a whole lot to cut.  The lady at the store just trimmed a little from the back and on the sides.  She did tell me that I should have shaved Anna's head when she was younger and it would have grown in better.

After

Anna sat very still and was really good for the 5 minutes it took.  She's so proud of her big girl hair and even Steve  had to admit that her hair looks much better.