May is the new December

Holy cow, is May a busy month or what? Every activity is wrapping up for the year with some sort of party/ceremony/picnic. We have several birthdays in the family, two weddings this May, a baby shower, Mother's Day, end-of-school craziness, etc etc etc. I have some pictures to share of course...

Also, we were in the process of making several (biggish?) decisions. The end result is that I am having surgery on July 7th, and Luke is having surgery on July 24th. It will be a challenge (especially since my lifting restriction will mean that I cannot lift Anna for 6 weeks!), but I am really hoping that by August Luke and I will both be in better shape for it! It ends up that Luke can benefit from removing his tonsils, adenoids, and possibly placing ear tubes for reasons beyond the strep carrier diagnosis. We're hoping that he'll be able to hear better, sleep better, and have better attention and focus. We'll see.

And our other decision was that Katy was invited to participate in a gifted classroom for 3rd-5th grade, but that required moving schools. At first, we were really hesitant to move her, because she is settled and happy and has a great community at our home school. But after much (much MUCH) conversation with people who know what they are talking about, it does seem like it would be a great program for her. And as it turns out, she does have a friend going there also, and we've already met a few of the new families who will be going and they seem great. So, big changes ahead for next school year - kids in 2 different elementary schools and 1 preschool. It's going to be a whirlwind.

OH! And not pictured...Brian and I got TWO NIGHTS AWAY thanks to our saint of an Aunt Mel. She offered to do this for us. We ended up not even leaving town, just staying in a hotel and doing all the fun things we never get to do right here in our own city, eating way too much food, relaxing and shopping and walking and walking and walking. It was the best, BEST two nights. So needed, and I really appreciate Mel for doing it. And she even took them to the zoo, with Oma and Opa to help. We Facetimed and texted a lot, and we were close by if needed. She said it was harder than she expected. Oh, man...Mel, what would we do without you?

First up, the wedding of my dear friend Susan. We were figuring out post-college life in central Ohio together back in our 20's, and were roommates for a time. She met a fabulous man recently and I am thrilled for her. Plus, they got married at Ohio Village, where Brian and I got married! It was really fun to go back there again.

This a terrible picture, but it's the only one I took inside the church and where she is wearing *my wedding veil*. My veil was her "something borrowed," and she made it look so lovely. I was touched that she borrowed it.

Kristen, Susan, and I were a trio back in the day - it's been really fun to see them more often lately with Susan getting married and Kristen expecting her first baby. We've been able to do lots of celebrating together.

After our end-of-year Girl Scout ceremony, Anna picked up Katy's sash and was trying to wear it around the house. I thought she looked adorable. She always knows what things are for and tries to imitate using them correctly. Hilarious.

David came home from school one day SO excited because he lost a tooth at school. Apparently this is the envy of every kindergartener.

A shot from AWANA awards ceremonies...this is Sparks which is K-2nd grade so includes Katy and David this year. These kids work really hard for their awards, they are great kids!

Luke's Tuesday School had a graduation ceremony (I have to admit that graduation ceremonies for every little tiny thing drive me a bit bonkers. But darn it, those kids sure were cute singing up on stage in their pillowcases and paper hats. So we'll play along.) This child is so silly ALL the time, it is hard to get a good picture of him.

Katy turned 8! She had a couple of friends over to spend the night, which was a big event for her. We had trouble figuring out what to get her this year, it seems like an age of transition. Frozen soundtrack, Clue, hula hoop, Skip-it, etc. Oh, and giving her duct tape has kicked off this new obsession with making crafts with duct tape. She hasn't touched the rainbow loom in a week!

Another sign of her growing up. When I asked what kind of cake she wanted, instead of characters, she said, "Chocolate with my name written in cursive." Done, girl.

We've had a turtle sandbox since Katy was 2, and they kids love it and play in it constantly. But recently, sometimes they were all 4 in the little turtle, so there was only a small area to play in the middle because all their feet took up all the room. I suggested to Brian that we could build a big one out of wood. Well, don't suggest something to Brian unless you want him to google it, find the supplies, and get it done. It is a HUGE hit. They are playing in it everyday.

David with his kindergarten teacher, who we loved. Why is the last day of school so emotional? Every year... I think it symbolizes the passage of time, and if your kids had a good year at school (fortunately both of mine did this year), you feel a little nervous...will next year be as good?

Katy with her teacher (side note: both Katy and David's teachers were named "Katie" and both had a brother named "David.") You cannot avoid loving this woman. When I said thank you, she teared up and said, "Truly the joy was all mine." And frequently I'd be going on walks by the school at 8pm and her car was still in the parking lot. She gives so much of herself to the kids.

Nine am the first morning of summer break. All in their jammies with their blankies. So much potential ahead...swimming and slow mornings and playdates and parks and traveling to see family and hopefully just lots of healthy fun. Truth be told, I'm a little intimidated by the weeks ahead, but one week in, I think we will be fine. We will be busy and all will be good.

Luke's little soccer class...so cute. He enjoyed it, but this is one of the reasons that I'm hoping that his surgery will help him. I notice that he struggles to follow the teacher's direction, and I really don't think he's being ornery, just having trouble hearing or attending to it. We'll see...

So, the short story is that a close co-worker of Brian's was getting married, and Brian and I planned to attend the wedding. Less than two weeks before said wedding, they were in need of a new flower girl and ring bearer, and asked if our kids would like the job. They both wanted to do it, so we said yes and did a little scrambling to get their outfits all put together in time. But in the end, they did a great job and really enjoyed it.

They were old enough to know what was going on and asked lots of questions. David is pondering which song he and I will dance to at his reception someday. :)

Presenting the rings. Everything was beautiful. It was also a bit of a trip down memory lane for me, because the church and the reception were in the (beautiful, historic) neighborhood where I lived when I first moved here in 2000. We walked  by my apartment and through the park. Brian helped me move when I left the neighborhood in 2002.

Angelo, the groom. I could not get over how lovely the reception was. We were on this private covered 2nd floor patio that overlooked the neighborhood. It was gorgeous and the food was amazing.

And finally...we had a family portrait taken on Mother's Day, it's been almost four years since our last one. A mom friend from the kids' school takes them as a side business and does it for friends for pennies. I was so thrilled to get these taken. Here are a few favorites...(photo credit Kristen Kielmeyer)