Jude's First Haircut

Someone's hair was getting a bit too willy-nilly around here. Papa suggested that Jude take a trip to the Dunlap family's barber, Barber Dan. So that's what Jude, Steve, and Papa did the other night. Jude left the house as a baby, and came back as a a big kid.

Before the haircut

Backside of the mullet, pre-haircut.

Jude's pretty thrilled to be in this position.

See what I mean?

Barber Dan doing his thing.

Fluffy hair!

Love this shot!

So serious!

Aahh! The clippers!

Steve tried to get Jude to sit in the chair by himself afterward. It didn't go over so well.

The after shot. I love my little man.

Jude's Trip to Oregon

Just as the craziness of May was winding down, Jude and I took a week long trip to Oregon. I hadn't visited since Christmas, and I was missing my Oregon people. And just my Oregon in general, with it's greenness and drizzle. Because Jude is still under the age of 2, he flies for free. So I thought it would be fun to visit with just the little man in tow, and allow everyone a chance to get to know the Jude Monster better. Sometimes his overly vocal sister steals the thunder, so it was nice to have some one-on-one time with J. Billy.

 Look, we're somewhat happy before take-off! Riding on an airplane with my small, very active child  is pretty much on the top of my Dislike List.

 Once we arrived, Jude became a regular little ranch hand. He really enjoyed helping Grandpa.

 

Jude also really liked all of the available mud to muck around in.

Jude and Eddie had a bit of a stare down.

I couldn't resist taking pictures of the farm boy. As the second child, there aren't many pictures of just
Jude. Well, there are now!

Cuddle time with Uncle Jimmy.

 These guys like each other.

My BFFs Beka and Alison and I gathered all of our little guys and camped out at their parents' condo. It was crazy, we ate a lot of junk, but we were together and we all surrvived.

Our faces say it all...

Jude, Sam, and Ayeresam, AKA Yoppie

Uncle Brandon helping Jude out on the play structure.

The boy line up--Jude, Yoppie, Jack, & Sam

Gentry Dudes and J. Billy. I hope these guys will be life-long friends.

Jack and Sam have a rock box in their back yard. Pretty much the best boy toy ever.

Jude I also had the opportunity to get together with my cousin Lora and her girls, Bailey and Olivia. This is a terrible picture, but proof that we saw one another!

And of course we made it up to my Grandparents' farm. Gramps made a special trip to the store just for popsicles for Jude. And I suppose popsicles for himself as well.

Mr. Mischief

Jude loved being pulled around in the flower cart. Look, Ma! I picked you a shoe.

Grammie's always willing to do the dirty work.

See, Jude really loved those carts. And Grams was happy to comply.

Grams, Gramps, Jude, King, and the Famous Rainbow Chairs.

The whole gang.

Love those chairs.

My mom took us to the airport and I was feeling very sick with a sinus infection and very tired of chasing the Jude Monster. My mom asked if she could get a pass to escort us to the gate, and what do you know, JetBlue granted her one! My mom got to hang out with us for a few extra hours, we ate lunch, and best of all, she chased the little man around. It was a sweet way to part ways.

This picture was taken when we landed. Our adventure was over. Spending one-on-one time with Child #2 was so beneficial for our relationship, and I'm really glad we did it. Watching the reunion between Jude and Delaney was absolutely priceless. There were many, many kisses, hugs, and squeals.

May 2012

So, here I am, blogging once again. How about a May recap? Enjoy.

 For Mother's Day, my little family planted me a rose garden.

 

After we planted the rose garden, we went to the park and strolled through a really, really big rose garden.

 

 Later that week, we met my dear, dear friend Christina "Pinkie" Thomas and her little Brody man for dinner at Downtown Disney. Delaney wasn't entirely sure about why we were basically at Disneyland but not going into Disneyland. All in all, she took it like a champ.

 This kid likes his mom.

Here is a terrible picture of some very cute friends. Fiona Weber, Delaney, and Brody Thomas.

 

 Reunited and it feels so good! My dear Oregon/Camp Tadmor friends hanging out in Riverside. Pinkie, Noogie, and Chimi.

 Delaney, our 3 year old going on 13. This was at an open house for her preschool that she'll be attending in the fall. Her dear friend/neighbor Agatha was helping Delaney to the dress up clothes. The preschool has all things Delaney: a pet bunny, art supplies, and dress up clothes galore. 

In what deserves an entire blog post in itself, I am taking some time off of teaching. Here I am with my AMAZING teaching partner and friend, Tracey. We sported Thing 1 and Thing 2 outfits for a Storybook Character Day. I love, love, love my school and coworkers, but am looking forward to being home full-time with my kiddos.

 Jude loves the tree stump pit. But guess what? It finally got filled in.

Jude also enjoys doing manly yard activities with his pops.

Delaney got to attend a Build A Bear birthday party for her 5 year old friend Gwyneth. Such a great place to spend A LOT OF MONEY. 

Last August, we said good-bye to our feline friend and family member Charlie. Our thoughtful friends the Heuns bought us this rose bush in Charlie's honor and it is thriving. It brings a smile to my face every time I see it.

May is my favorite month because we get to celebrate Mother's Day, my birthday, and the end of the school year. We celebrated my 32nd year of life at the Old Spaghetti Factory, Thankfully, the place is loud enough to handle the crazy antics of Delaney and the Baby Monster.