Always find a way back home

May 2021

I love it when they get along and huddle around books. Matthew prefers to read silently to himself, so I love when I see him reading to his siblings.

Found this mural on the back of the door..."I love mom". But also, dear children, you could show me you love me by not coloring on the walls.

These two climb everything.

After getting home from Texas and celebrating Alex's birthday, we got to jump right into more fun when my mom came to town! Adaline was baptized the first weekend in May, so my mom came to hang out for the whole week. We went to music class, got treats at Trader Joe's, celebrated her birthday, and visiting/getting to play with the kids.

When grandma gives you money to buy your very own treat

eating broccoli straight from the garden

My cute girl in the dress that she picked out all by herself. Why does she have to look so old??

Gram and Grandpa got to come to town as well!

Adaline had a very small baptism with her immediate family, my mom, Andrew's parents, Andrew's aunt and uncle, one friend, her music teacher (who was also the pianist), and our bishop. That was the entire crew. I put Adaline in charge of everything and she chose a program that consisted of a song, prayer, baptism, confirmation, song, prayer. It was the perfect length, in my opinion. Afterward, we had a little lunch at our house with whatever foods Adaline chose. Later in the day, we went to the hotel Andrew's parents were staying at and had the whole pool to ourselves before picking up Panda Express (again, Adaline's choice) for dinner. It was a very Adaline day and I hope she felt how much we all love her and want to support her in whatever she chooses for herself. 

May also had a very not fun surprise. Just before my mom came into town, we discovered that tree roots had grown into our main sewage line. Andrew and I spent a Saturday cutting down the offending tree to get things ready for a crew to come out and replace the pipe. $8K, a 7 foot hole, a back hoe, and two days of our yard being a construction site and now are drains work again. The upside was that all the construction provided excellent entertainment for my kids.

Adaline and Matthew have completed two years of music class, but finally got to have their first recital since last year's recital was cancelled. They both did an outstanding job and it was so fun to watch them and their friends show some of what they've learned over the year. 

Adaline's braids are getting pretty good

I don't even ask anymore

I didn't pull out my phone quickly enough to capture it, but Matthew just shimmied straight up to the top of this light post in a matter of seconds. How does he do it?

Fell asleep while holding onto all of his dentist office "treats"

The kids got to go to the most fun spy themed birthday party for two of their friends. Andrew and I didn't stay, but we got to see the pictures and check it all afterward and it was seriously impressive!

cuties

Adaline's snapdragons popped up! I think she planted these seeds way back in November when we were planting our winter garden, and they just exploded recently. It's so nice to have the pop of color in the garden.

We also finally ordered the caterpillars for Adaline's butterfly growing kit and it was so fun to watch the progress. We couldn't believe how much the caterpillars grew, and when they started coming out of their chrysalises, we chose to be late for school so that we could watch them emerge. 

Letting them free before we left on our camping trip

Gualala 2021! Not getting to go last year was heartbreaking for the kids, and we were all SO excited for it to be back on this year. We had the best time visiting with friends, exploring, playing in the (very low) river, eating amazing food, riding bikes, and playing at the beach. I snuck in a run one morning and it completely ruined running in my own neighborhood. In true Gualala fashion, I took zero pictures, so you'll just have to take my word for it that we were very dirty and very happy.

Thanks for getting a couple pictures of the beach, Andrew!

When we unpacked our tarp to dry out at home, we realized we had a hitchhiker. Poor guy did not appreciate the dry, 100+ degree weather that we brought him to. So sorry, little one!