9th Birthday Party

A bit late, but here are a few photos from Sarasvati's 9th birthday party (snapped with my phone). She wanted a sporty party, so we came up with "Olympics in the Park". Team Sweden and Team USA fought it out in five events: spoon-race, bocce-ball, sack-race, long-jump, and 4(!)-legged-race. I am sad to report that the Swedes couldn't quite keep up, and Team USA were declared winners.

This turned out to be such a fun and relaxed party, even though the whole thing was a completely last-minute arrangement. The weather was perfect, and for food, we just brought a couple of baguettes and fillings, and let the kids stuff their own sandwiches. To be safe, we also brought some pb & j on a softer bread. Some kids this age have very few teeth in their mouths.

Day Trip To DC

Did I mention things are busy here? In addition to getting ready to move, we had to take a day trip to DC this week. We had an errand at the Swedish Embassy that we'd been putting off for months because the Embassy is a 3 hour drive away. Well, those 3 hours are about to become 8, so we finally made a point to do it. I actually love going to DC. There is so much to do there, and so much of it is free! This time we visited Ford's Theatre, the place where Abraham Lincoln was shot.

Leftover Rice Breakfast

I always save leftover rice, even if it as little as a few tablespoons. It makes such a great breakfast. Just mix with yogurt, and sprinkle with some nuts and fresh berries. Yum!

Busy Days

Things are pretty hectic around here, as we are getting ready to make our big move. In just a couple of weeks we will no longer be in Philadelphia, but will be settling into our new home in Rhode Island! We are very excited about this (and maybe a bit scared too!), but right now, most of all, we are tired. We have so much to do still! Today we had a big yard sale, and were lucky enough to sell most of our "Big Stuff" that we're not bringing. Phew! The kids had their own table, selling lemonade and cinnamon buns!

On the Christina River

Our Mother's Day adventure: A sail on the Christina River in Delaware, with Kalmar Nyckel, a ship rebuilt after one that brought Swedish settlers. This area was known as New Sweden, and the river is named after Queen Christina, the Swedish ruler at the time. As you can see we had a beautiful day!

Sailing under the American flag. :)

Before the sail, we got a tour of the shipyard. Rasika made friends with the cat. He would have been just as happy staying there all day. Meow!