Weekend Fun with Family & Friends

Peter's parents (along with two nephews Eldon and Lewis) came over for a weekend visit. Clifford was very excited for their visit because he had invited them over to attend his last soccer game of the Spring season. I wasn't so sure they would come since they had just gotten back from round 1 at Disneyland and figured the last thing they'd want to do is get back in for another long drive, but to our surprise, they did indeed come. I think it's safe to speak for everyone that we all had a great time. Here's some highlights of the weekend.

Our friends Mel & James joined us on Friday as well. Here are their girls out enjoying the little kiddie pool we picked up at a yard sale.

 They decided to "cannon ball" in

 I FINALLY got a pool!!!! It may not be the underground type that I wanted, but this is a start! Peter knows how to make his woman happy! Once Peter and James made it home from work, the guys started setting it up. 

 Here is a view from our back deck. Looks good!

 It happens to be Friday the 13th. Peter did NOT escape bad luck. He burnt his finger at work really good. Poor guy!

Peter soaking his finger in ice water. Hmmm....Deja Vu! (bottom pic is from when he burnt his hand bbq'ing on Easter back in 2011. And this is why I have to keep a bottle of burn jel around lol)

 Eldon, Kristjan and Lewis laying out to dry

 Peter and Mel working hard on bbq'ing

 Hot Dogs & Burgers & Sides....YUM!

 Mel made us a lemon curd cheesecake for dessert. Oh My! I made sure to keep a few slices before she took the leftovers home.

 Mickey made me a new wreath. I love it! Perfect for my beach-themed bathroom, and I had the perfect spot to hang it up.

 Saturday morning we made the drive to Granite Falls for Clifford's last soccer game of the Spring season. He was so happy to be able to play and have his grandparents watch (last time we attempted that, he got into the bike accident and hurt his hand right after they rolled into town). He played hard. He helped assist in one goal and even made a goal himself!! Great way to end the season!

Clifford had plans to attend his best friend Matthew's birthday, so he gave his goodbyes before heading over for a night of fun.

After dropping Clifford off, I made a quick stop at the store to pick up some items to make a BLT Pasta Salad for dinner. It was scrumptious! 

STEM Projects

My STEM projects are finally done!!!........uh, I mean the boys STEM projects are done! :)

All fourth and fifth graders are to participate in the STEM science fair. Each student must do an experiment, and then create a display board with their findings. We, of course, have known about this for about two months. We, of course, had a whole month to work on this once they narrowed down what experiment they would be doing. We, of course, waited until the night before to have everything completely finished. But in the end, I think we all did a great job. Clifford and Kristjan ended up choosing the same project, so I did my best to try to make each of their boards look different [it would have been so easy to have just used the same write up and pics for each, but these will actually be displayed in the school gym in a few weeks for the whole school to see....plus, I think they actually get judged to move on to the next level. Probably a good idea to make them look different].

Clifford

 Kristjan

Middle School Night

Last night we took Clifford to Middle School Night. This was a chance for incoming 6th graders to walk around the school and meet some staff members. I think Clifford is a little intimidated by all of this. August is when we get to come back to pick up his schedule and see where all his classes are located, as well as his locker. I think at that point he'll be a little more at ease.

Mother's Day

I had a very nice Mother's Day this year. The boys made me sweet cards and drawings. Peter, to my surprise, shopped AHEAD of time and gave me awesome gifts - a new rain jacket, a pair of Teva sandals and a pair of Sanuk flip flops (these are amazing!!! I've been wanting a pair for a year now. They're made out of yoga mat material and are soooo comfortable!). Peter was too excited to wait to give me my gifts, so he had me open the delivery box the day everything came lol. On the day of, I started the day with a scrumptious breakfast and ended with a delicious dinner. In between all that, I had two requests: 1) for us to get in and finish Kristjan's science project (that's due on Friday) and 2) for Peter to work on finishing his hammock project for his side job. And that was it. Very low key, which was fine with me since we won't have too many more days like this for the next few months.

The only pics I managed to take today were of my meals. Peter did a great job! 

Start of Our Summer Fun

Even though we're a little more than a month away from summer vacation, this weekend is the start of our hectic busy schedule until the middle of September!! And the weather has been so amazing outside that it already feels like summer!

So to kick off our busy schedule, we were invited over to Anne & Erik's for a bbq and swimming. Erik manned the grill and we moms sat around the patio table while watching the kids swim. Unfortunately, Peter had to work (all day) today and didn't get to join us until later in the evening. It was very relaxing and felt good to soak up some sun.

Clifford and Jackson taking a break from swimming before all the other kids show up

 Kristjan wasn't feeling too great today, so he spent more time laying out than swimming

 Pool Time Fun!

 Dinner Time

 Anytime our friend Rhaya and her kids are around, her youngest Isla pals around Peter. He helped her dish up her plate and get her to eat. So sweet!

Teacher Appreciation Week

All this week the boys took little gifts to school to show how much they appreciated their teachers.

Monday was flowers

Tuesday was a sweet treat

Wednesday was a book to add to the class library

Thursday was some relaxing bath salts

And today (Friday) they took in a little note they each wrote about why they liked their teacher. Kristjan did a great job with his picture, and Clifford wrote a sweet letter to his teacher!

Cinco de Mayo

Feliz Cinco de Mayo! I decorated the dining room after kids went to school, and prepped all day for our meal. Our friends Mel & James and their girls joined us for dinner. Mel made a taco lasagna, while I made chimichangas and sopapilla cheesecake bars for dessert. It was a good night!

Dining room all decorated for dinner

 Chimichangas and Taco Lasagna!

Mel had an afternoon appointment and James/Peter would both be working late, so I helped babysit the girls. They enjoyed playing on the slides in our yard. Then we walked over to the school to pick up Kristjan (Clifford had after-school soccer club).

Yard Work

On Sunday, after Peter and Clifford came home from their camping trip, we went out as a family to do some yard work on the side yard. We spent about four hours working in the hot sun. Peter weedwacked while I mowed. The boys' job was to rake up the excess grass trimmings. I had to constantly remind them this is part of them earning an allowance each week because they spent soooo much time complaining. I was so exhausted around the four hour mark that I told Peter it was time to quit. The sad part is we're not even done!! There is still a small patch of area we need to mow on the side yard, plus we still have to take care of the front and back yard. But the work we have completed has made a huge improvement and looks really good. AND we were able to take the last of the junk pile that was left in the yard when we moved in to the dump! That really made me happy. No more crap lying around!

Boys working hard

 Last of the junk being taken to the dump!!

Barclay Lake

Peter needed to do some final testing on some camping gear for his side job, so he and Clifford went out again on a quick backpacking trip. Their destination was Barclay Lake. I was actually surprised they went there. The boys and I did this hike last summer with my moms group. The hike itself is super quick and easy, and the spot is very popular. But from what I heard, they had a great time. And Peter was able to finish up his testing on his gear.