Birthday and Mother's Day

Cleaning out the invasive vines in our backyard area

Now what to do with all these vines....

Tag!

Beautiful birthday dessert from Isolene

Tacos and Margaritas - birthday dinner for me with two of my favorite people, Rebecca and Kate

Luke loves playing goalie

Planting all my flower pots!  It was so cold and rainy out that I didn't want to plant outside, so my amazing husband set me all up in our heated garage:)  

Ready for non-frosty nights!

Sunrise at the lake

Birthday and Mother's Day breakfast in bed!

Facetiming with Grandma (Happy Mother's Day!!)  and Grandpa, doing silly faces

For my birthday I just wanted to be outside, per the usual, so the kids begrudgingly walked outside in the freezing cold.  Look at this big beaver dam!

Planting our seeds in the garden

I can't believe the kids went in the pool - it was heated, but still.    The pool had just been opened for the season and it was too exciting not to go in.

Plus Dad had gotten new floats to race on

Birthday girl stayed in the hot tub 

Birthday presents from K&C!

Loved everything!  Travel yoga mat especially!

Claire finding birthday wild flowers for me

Exploring behind G&G B's house - there for Mother's Day/birthday Sunday dinner

Very proud of Luke's Religious Ed report card!  Glowing reviews from his teacher.

On a work trip this week to Columbus, OH

Face timing with home

Tried out my new yoga mat in the hotel room!

Matt took the Cub Scouts to Fort Sheridan to do some badge stuff

Glorious Weekend

Just a few unimportant updates from May:

- Claire has this pink puff ball hair rubber brand that she wants to wear to school every day
- Luke's been really into the 'dot to dot' books, he's up to "extreme dot to dots" that are over 100 dots to connect

- Both Luke and Claire started piano lessons.  Luke had taken a couple years ago until his teacher moved, so he's picking up where he left off, but this is all new to Claire.  Luke is really into practicing and really enjoys it.  Claire likes the lessons, but doesn't like to practice.  We are not forcing it....yet.
- Claire screams "Get out of my room, Lukey!" almost every night when they're getting ready for bed.  Luke gets ready for bed faster than Claire and comes in her room, where I usually am with her, and we just wait for the inevitable scream.

Soccer

Volunteering at Bernie's Book Bank sorting books

Matt picked up the kids from school on bikes one day and they rode home.  Claire is riding bikes now so this is very exciting.

The sandbox doesn't get much action these days, but it was cute to see him in here for a minute.  He used to spend hours in there!

Cooking class at the library

Duets

The polar vortex caused the Boxwood Blight - we lost a bunch of our boxwoods because they were dehydated from the cold polar vortex air - not enough moisture in the air to keep the boxwoods hydrated.  We had to rip these guys out and plant new ones.

Bunny sighting

Deer sighting in our side yard

Dinner group takes on The Shanty!  We ran into my second cousins Don and Laura there, small world.

Luke and I explored this park while Claire was at a nearby birthday party.

Right on the beach

Cinco de Mayo party at the McCarney's house.  Look at this margarita glass tower!

Ole!

Beautiful weather for some weekend morning outside time

breakfast al fresco

Viburnum starting to bloom

Claire picked all these dandelions and wanted to put them in a vase

With the pool closed, but the weather so nice, we spent some time in the hot tub.

Guess Who?

I started swimming with a group on Monday mornings at 5:30am outside!  Being outside in early May is just fine when you have these unseasonably warm temps happening.  It was nostalgic, like being back at Wirth Park Pool.

Last Pack Meeting

Wolf Den - ready to be Bears next year!

Pictures from the year's activities

The world welcomed Emma Marie Richardson!   She is so loved!