Keeping up with the Karlssons: The Big Thaw

Thursday, March 15, 2012

The Big Thaw

This past winter was nearly nonexistent, but we still heralded the first signs of Spring. The daffodils started to bloom, my greens survived in our planter box, and we have had plenty of opportunities to play outside.

We also celebrated a visit from Lola, who was pleasantly surprised by our California-like weather. She got to dig in the dirt for worms with Linus, and push Magnus around on the bulldozer. The last time Linus saw her he was a little bit of a terror (think the peak of the terrible 2s/3s), but this time he was a complete darling.

Every time she comes we tend to feast. I think we're having Korean food here.

She even got to come to Friday playgroup, which is a lot crazier now with 5 preschoolers and 3 toddlers!

I tried to entertain the kids with my newly acquired balloon animal skillz, but it only led to utter disappointment as my animals popped one by one :(

Her visit lasted about a week, but really felt like 3 days. With all the kids activities, shopping, cooking, and hanging out, we didn't get much down time. When we did, we watched my new favorite show "Downton Abbey" on Netflix. It's pretty amazing, my mom coming to visit us at least twice a year, all the way from California. She could be in Hawaii, or somewhere else more fabulous than our little house in Arlington. But she chooses us, and that makes us feel loved.

Then a few days later we celebrated a most central and beloved person in our family: Kerstin. Her 60th birthday warranted something special, even though she insisted on simple take-out and an evening at home. We did a little bit more, with balloons and decorations and a fancier home cooked meal. Thanks to many friends and family who sent in pictures, we were able to make a birthday slide show set to music. Kerstin cried, as we expected.

After toasting with champagne we enjoyed a roast pork tenderloin accompanied with a Swedish wild mushroom cream sauce and roast squash and carrots. Mmmmm.