El Derecho and all that followed

Last month we experienced a force of nature like no other.  Now between Mattias and I, we've experienced the Loma Prieta and Luzon (Philippines) earthquakes, El Nino, hurricanes, typhoons, Snowmagedon, Snowpocalypse-- none has compared the terror caused by "El Derecho".  It was late on a Friday night when we were getting ready for bed in the upstairs bathroom.  All of a sudden the wind started howling, and Mattias immediately thought it was a tornado.  Just then, there was a large boom and the power went out.  5 feet away a large section of our neighbors ancient/gargantuan tree fell down, nearly missing us in the bathroom.

 We grabbed the kids and head down to the basement, worried there was more to come.  But after a half hour of howling winds and rain, things started to calm down.  The kids were surprisingly calm, but very aware of the dangerous situation.  They never cried, followed all of our directions, and held us tightly the entire time. 

 In the morning it was much easier to see the damage.  Here is the other "branch" that fell, hitting our neighbors' cars across the street.  Now this storm could not have come at a worse time-- we were in the middle of a 100+ heat wave which was expected to go on for another 5 days.  And it was 2 days before Linus' birthday party.  Defeated, we rescheduled the party and moved in with Kerstin and Magnus, who still had power.

 5 days later on the 4th of July, power crews from the South (South Carolina, or Georgia maybe) came and restored power to our block.  We celebrated with a front yard fireworks display. At bedtime, the boys watched the US Capitol fireworks show from their bedroom window.

 The following weekend all of our friends came to celebrate Linus' 4th birthday.  4, can you believe it?  We had a pirate themed party complete with a Caribbean inspired menu of jerk chicken, rice and peas, shrimp and avocado ceviche, and fresh tropical fruit.  And just for Linus, I made a pirate ship birthday cake.

 The real show stopper was the pirate ship play house built by Kerstin and Magnus.  They were out in the 100+ degree heat for 5 hours working diligently to complete assembly before the party. 

I also followed tradition by making a homemade pinata, one that is flimsy enough for toddlers/preschoolers to break.  Unfortunately I am a crappy engineer and we had some technical difficulties.  But after a little jerry rigging, we were able to continue with the games, giving Maben the honor of busting open the skull full of booty.

After the kids collected their booty, it was time to fire up the canons and sing "Happy Birthday" to our boy. 

While that week was a stressful one, it will definitely go down as an interesting time in our family's history.  We survived it, but even better, we stuck together and found a way to make the best of the situation.

Our scallywag

Long time, no blog

Karlsson life, since returning from Chicago, has been akin to one of those ultra marathons.  I've never run one (nor want to) but I've heard that 1) one you don't sleep much at all 2) you never stop moving and 3) if you do a #1 or a #2 in your pants, you just keep running.  OK, maybe I'm exaggerating, but I'm pretty sure I've ignored vital bodily functions for the sake of keeping things going.  

In June, both boys finished their Spring tumbling class.  Magnus got his very first ribbon and did his ta-da in front of the class.  I've been taking Linus to tumbling since he was about 2, and always enjoyed it because it showed what an obedient, respectful child he is.  I can't say the same about Magnus-- that kid is a punk and a rebel, and I spend half the time chasing after his goofy butt.

We also got a visit from our dear friend, Michael Worful.  Michael has been Mattias' friend since the 3rd grade, and back when we were young we took an around the country road trip together.  He braved the Karlsson household and was smart enough to wear earplugs (provided, of course) to bed.  We had an awesome time catching up and showing him our favorite spots.  But best of all, it was nice to be reminded that great friends are great friends, regardless of distance and passing time.  Before he left, he was nice enough to draw a few pictures for the boys.

For Fathers Day, we celebrated as a group at the Cody household.  We didn't have the chance to go camping this year with the playgroup, so we decided to make awesome food together right here in Arlington.

The kids ran around like crazy, pretending to be super heroes and villains.

 

But not my Magnus, he just hammed around.

All fell silent once the cake was cut.  It was a great way to honor the wonderful fathers in our lives.

Then at the end of the month we did a traditional Midsommar feast at our house.  We set the table out on our screened in porch, and savored our dinner in the sweltering heat.  We laughed because Swedes never have to worry about it being too hot on Midsummer, if anything it rains there.

Well, that pretty much sums up the month of June for us.  Stay tuned for Linus' birthday party pictures!