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.

Good-bye to the Stump

Remember that one time when my Dad cut down the tree in our front yard? Well, the stump has been hanging out in our yard since October, and it has been driving Steve crazy. As a part of his birthday gift (sexy, right?), I organized a bunch of Steve's buddies to come help him remove the bad boy. It was an epic man day, and it meant a TON to both Steve and I that his buds were willing to give up their Saturday morning to help us out.

Man vs. Stump

Josh keeps the Jude Monster at bay.

L-R: Josh, Cheston, Mike, Steve, & Joaquin

This stump did not go quietly.

You know how tall Cheston is, right? It was a pretty deep hole...

Now to figure out how to get the stump into the truck...

Of course Steve's Dad got in on the fun!

Alas, the Ford didn't work out, so on to Plan B. Plan B also included denting the tailgate of Josh's truck. Oops!

It's gone! Happy birthday, Stevie!

Jude loves to sit in "the pit." On this weekend's agenda: fill in the pit. Sorry, little man!

Easter

Easter in Riverside was absolutely beautiful. I have come to the realization that spring is my new favorite season. Autumn has always been my go-to season, and boy did we have a good run. However, fall in southern California is just plain depressing. The weather is still very, very warm, and I am homesick for Oregon, Pumpkin Funland, and OSU football. But spring in California is a different story. Spring brings out all of the good qualities of California, it reminds folks why so many people actually want to over-populate this great state. So yes, the day was beautiful, as well as the holiday. Such a beautiful reminder of how much has been freely given to myself and my family.

So excited about their Easter baskets!

I love this picture, dorky mom bathrobe and all.

Chocolate! Easter grass! Life is swell.

This picture is awesome on so many levels.

All I wanted was ONE picture of the two of them in their Easter duds.

The Monster just wouldn't cooperate.

Steve tried to contain the little guy...

Any guesses who purchased Delaney's dress? If you guessed Grammie, you're a winner!

I really do love this ball of energy.

After church we headed over to Nana and Papa's house. Our friends Caralee, Fiona, and Ellison joined us for dinner and an Easter egg hunt.

Ellie, Delaney, and Jude. At least they were all sort of looking my way...

Look what I found during the Easter egg hunt! Caralee!

This girl is all sweetness.

Fiona's thinking about her next move...

Uncle Monkey and Auntie Beans overseeing the hunt.

Surveying the loot.

Party beads!

The Swingset

This year, for both kids' birthdays, we petitioned family members to donate to the Delaney and Jude Swingset Foundation. Grammie, Grandpa, Nana, Papa, Gramps, Grams, and Uncle Jimmy were all willing donors. And it just so happened that my parents were down for the weekend on a business trip and able to assemble the beast of a play set. Let me just say that swingsets have come a long way since my 1980's childhood.

First things first; washing strawberries with Grammie.

Male bonding time.

And then there's this guy. Do you know what Brun did? He ate the assembly instructions. Thank goodness for the internet!

Dad (Grandpa) in a jolly good mood.

Steve, Papa, and Grandpa cheering for Delaney on a trial run of the monkey bars.

There she goes!

Jude's turn!

Such a great monster. And such a wonderful shirt.

Aquarium of the Pacific

It dawned on me the other day that I very rarely feature photos of Nana and Papa Dunlap on this blog, which is a crying shame. We are spoiled to have them involved in our everyday lives, and so often I forget to capture those everyday life moments on film. Which, again, is a crying shame. So, travel back in time with me to the end of December. Marsha (Nana) joined the kiddos and I at The Aquarium of the Pacific. It was a lovely day and I was having fun playing around with my Instagram app on my iPhone.

Jude, lost in thought.

This kid! She's a silly one.

Nana and her boy.

Delaney and a super-duper big fish.

This is a puffling! Here's a shout out to Nights of the Pufflings by Bruce McMillan. Thank you, third grade reading curriculum!

Oh look, Delaney got wet. Sound familiar?