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!