Swinging Boys & Blueberries

At some point this spring Elijah learned how to swing himself :) Hoorray!

In early June we went Blueberry picking. It was really fun! =) We came home with 20 pounds of blueberries. I made lots and lots of jam and a few pies. yummy.

Happy Birthday to Elijah!

This year Elijah wanted to have a Star Wars Jedi party...so I went to work figuring out what we would do.

I found these inflatable light sabers at the party store-and they worked great!!! Each Jedi got one to use during the party and to take home.

This was the favor table.


During one of our Disneyland trips this winter my mom suggested I ask the food vendor that is by the Jedi Training area if I could buy a dozen of these boxes to use for the party. I decided it was worth it...so I went and asked-and they GAVE them to me! Perfect! So I came home with 15 of these boxes to put their party favors in. Inside each box was: a Star Wars Pez, Star Wars silly bands, three more of the name tags on the outside of the box and Star Wars fruit snacks.
Here is the link for the luggage tags from Living Locurto!


We had cupcakes.

Here are my Star Wars clan. Two Jedis and Princess Leia!

The birthday boy, ready for action!

A Pre-Party picture with our good friend Jenna. =)

Jenna's grandma made the girls' Leia dresses

The girlies.

Elijah wanted to do Jedi training...and so I recruited someone (who's name shall remain a secret) to be the Jedi Trainer. SOOO FUN!!! I found a Hans Solo outfit on clearance at the party store and he, well, agreed to wear it. He did a great job, and the kids LOVED it!

After Jedi Training we had lunch! My hubby worked hard the week before building these two picnic tables and putting up the umbrellas. They were PERFECT and have continued to serve our family throughout the summer!

Did I forget to mention that I made all of the Jedi Robes? Yep. I made them all. All 15 of them. Here is the link to the tutorial I used.

For food I got my ideas from Make and Takes.

This is the Joda Soda. =) 7-up with a scoop of lime sherbet inside.

Galactic Pizza, Go-gurt, and a Red light Saber (or, watermelon skewer)

Here is the Jedi Trainer and all of his Padiwans ;)

Another action shot.

After lunch we were greeted by the Dark Side (aka, my hubby). Each Jedi in training had a shot with Darth Vader...

And then there was a great battle between The Force and The Dark Side!

Inside opening presents.

It was a ton of fun planning for this party. A lot of work, but a ton of fun. And seeing the smile on Elijah's face made it that much more worth it!

Elijah's Graduation

This past week Elijah graduated from Central Valley Christian Preschool. CVC has had a Backlund child for the past 4 years...and we are going to miss our daily trips there! We have had an AMAZING experience there, and wouldn't have changed it for the world...and we are so looking forward to when Ethan gets to go! (for more reasons than one! hahaha!)

Look at my buddy...can't believe he'll be going to Kindergarten!!!
Here are some pics of Elijah and some of his friends:

We were super lucky to have my parents come and celebrate with us!! Originally they were going to be in Oregon...but as it turned out they came back to CA for a few weeks. While the circumstances of them coming back weren't the best...I was grateful for the few days we got to spend with them! We won't see them again until November!

And here's our little family! Love them!

Elijah and his teachers: Mrs Gracie (who Elijah has had 2 years!) and Mrs Monica

All the goofy boys in his class ;) (well, minus one, I guess)

After the graduation ceremony we came back to the house and had cupcakes and ice cream. Found these cupcake toppers online and they were perfect for our Star Wars fan!

...onward and upward...with his new backpack! He's all ready for Kindergarten!!

(but not sure if mommy is)

Alia learned to ride her bike!!!

Alia learned how to ride her bike in April...and she's a pro now! She's even trying to ride one handed!! ;) We are super proud of her. Now it's Elijah's turn!

A recap of (most of) April

We were able to go to a CUBS/Dodgers baseball game! Jason was so excited that he dressed us all up in Cubs clothing ;) We had some extra tickets so my parents joined us...

...and so did our friend, Lea!

Ethan's checking everything out.

A Dodger Dog!

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For Easter we went to our friends parents house for dinner!! We've gone there the past few years and really enjoy being included with their family.

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We took a trip to Legoland-our first time! The kids were excited and had so much fun!!!!!

A Star Wars sand "castle"

We were so lucky to be standing in the right place when the Darth Vadar mini figure guy come out for pictures!!!

And here's the lego Darth Vadar:

...and lego Chewbaca.

The following pictures are of the STAR WARS land...it was SO cool to see it all!

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Elijah had an Easter celebration at preschool. I went to help out. They made these cute little sock bunnies...which I took home and had our kids make a bunch for our friends we had over for a playdate during spring break. The kids LOVED making them!