May 2013

May 1-

^Mads is pretty snuggly these days and no one is complaining.

May 2-8

^ Warm weather has brought many outdoor projects. Ed and I have been working in the yard a bunch. Ed planted some more trees to try and create more eventual shade in the backyard. I did a detailed clean of the van and Ed's car after over a year. We have been clearing all the bark out of our flower beds and replacing it with mulch. Mom has come and helped me plant more flowers throughout the yard. 

May 9-

^Sarah's Mother's Day program

AND her little crush sitting next to her. They write each other love notes and I recently learned they kissed! What?! It's true. At school on the playground. Sarah swears he kissed her. Don't worry, we had a talk about kissing boys in Kindergarten. She's a little(a lot) young.

^After the program I got to stay and eat lunch with her for the first time in the cafeteria to show her where she'll be eating every day as a big 1st grader next year! Love our Sarah!

May 12- Mother's Day

^Ed made waffles for breakfast, and dinner in the evening.:) We went for a quick visit to see Grandma Johnson, and Grandma and Grandpa Harman joined us for dinner. 

Even though my kids are sometimes a challenge to me, they are the greatest blessing. They make me a better person. I love them dearly and feel very lucky to call them my own. Ah! They're just adorable!

As for our mom's, they're beautiful and wonderful. So grateful to be taught by them and loved by them. Even today. :)

May 15-

^Florida here we come! Sans kids. First time to FL for both of us. Conference for Ed. Our "us" trip of the year that usually doubles as our anniversary trip. 

May 16-

^Ed went to a portion of his conference and then we headed for Universal Studios. We did one side of the park each day. Harry Potter section was probably the favorite. 

^Silly pics guaranteed at theme parks. :)

^The weather was nice and warm (humid) so we went on some water rides. These rides don't just splash you, we were completely soaked!! I don't think I dried the whole day, but we had a great time. :) We got back to the hotel, relaxed for a bit and then went to dinner at the steakhouse in the hotel. Love my steak!

May 17-

^After a little more of the conference we headed back to Universal for the other side. Also very fun filled day!

^That evening we just hung out at the pool, had dinner there and got ice cream every day at some point. ;) The pool area was amazing. The kids would have loved it, and the entertainment. Movies in the pool and all. We hot tubbed a couple nights. Good way to end the day and relax before bed.

^Speaking of the kids, sweet Debbie and Landon watched them for us for the 4 days we were gone. We're so lucky for their willingness. 6 kids total made for busy and some chaos, but we're grateful we got some "us" time. Thanks to everyone who helped and made it possible.

^The hotel we stayed in was neato! It had an indoor atrium full of live tropical greens. Beautiful. The rooms overlook the atrium in the center.

May 18-

^Our last day Ed went to the conference, I went for a short run (so hot and humid) and got a pic of the outside. Then I went to the pool and Ed joined me after his conference. We stayed there all day. Activities are fun, but I'm glad we ended on a relaxing note.

^Our last evening we went to the steakhouse again since it was so delicious. :) Ed knows me well. Finished the evening with ice cream again. Florida was a nice visit. We may be back.

May 20-

^This little bean was already taking some steps before we left, but quickly upped the steps when we got back. We have a walker!! It's so cute seeing her little body cruising around. She's still so tiny. Love our little babe. Bittersweet to see her grow out of this stage.

May 21- 9 Year Anniversary!

^Some of the loot be brought the kids back from our trip. Giant suckers! :)

^Ed and I celebrated 9 years of marriage. Ed surprised me with some pearly whites. A necklace, bracelet and earrings set. He's so good at surprises. I'm a lucky girl. We celebrated where we always do- at a steakhouse. :) Flemmings never disappoints. They even gave us a little gift. When we got home we watched our wedding video as tradition.

^The last year has maybe been one of the hardest. Lots of change and such, but I'm glad I have a man by my side that's willing to work. Marriage is hard work. I know the next year will bring greatness. Before we know it we'll be at 10 and beyond! Love you Ed.

May 22-

^Snuggly adorable girls. 

^Kai is a 1st year preschool graduate. His class celebrated with a pool party. Kai is our little firecracker of a personality! You can see it in the pics. He has a lot of energy, but he is such a smarty and pleases us with his large vocabulary and imagination. He is such a good boy when we engage and give him one on one, but probably gets it the least. I can already tell this next year is going to bring a lot of good change for him. He might start listening? ;) Love you Kai Kai!

May 23-

^Today marked the start of our long summer at the pool. We usually come almost every day for an hour or so. :) The dynamic changes every year. I think this is going to be a good year. All the kids love the water. Sarah can swim, Kai is comfortable and may learn how to swim without a lifejacket, Madison just wanders around with toys, sits in the pool or splashes on the side. She also visits with everyone. All kids are super social. Zero stranger danger.

^I love it when they're so worn out they sleep. :)

^Kale salad. A new healthy favorite.

May 24-

^Cute girlies.

May 27- Memorial Day

Invited the family and started at the pool.

 ^Then we came back to our house and went straight into bbq and hung out and visited. Weather was pleasant and so was just chillin together. The kids played well too.  Blissful day. Love family. Thanks for arranging Neil.

 ^The boys.  Kai, Zachary and Crew.

 ^The girls.  Avery, Elle and Sarah.

The babies took naps most of the time while we bbqed.

^Auzi even got some love. She loves Cami and Aaron and being around people.

 ^I love just letting her wander around and discover.

 ^The men.

^After a fun-filled day with family, the Davis's invited us over for the evening. We had rio salads, played on the trampoline and played badminton and had cookies and ice cream. We're lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful friendly neighbors.

 May 29-

^This double rainbow was gorgeous!

May 31-

^Morning time snuggles in our bed are a typical these days. Fun phase of life.