May Flowers

We started off May with walking with some friends through Olbrich Botanical Gardens.  It is such a beautiful place where you can just let the kids roam and enjoy the beautiful plants.  However, with Alaina, you can never have a leisurely stroll as she is trying to trample the flowers or jump in the small stream or touch the golden Thai building...but I manage :).  BTW--if you have not had the experience of being with Alaina in the last 6 months or so, you would quickly discover that she is a BUSY bee!  She does not stop.  She climbs, runs, jumps, and destroys.  Watch out!  She is the kid that will not stay with the other kids--she sees something and she wanders to it.  I gotta keep my eye on her 24/7.  Often she runs out of my sight and I have to chase after her.  I figure she is helping me to keep in shape.  At the same time, I am waiting for when she begins to be more responsive to me.  Right now, if I hold her hand to keep her from running off, she "rag dolls!"  (Meaning collapses her body so I am literally holding her up.)  Well at least she makes up for all this crazy behavior with her cuteness--oh and her kisses!  She is so affectionate!  Gotta love those kisses...ooh and her songs.  I will put up some videos of her singing soon, I promise.  She however, likes to run when I pull out the camera.  ARGH!  Anyway...back to my story...

Ky took a ceramic class with me April through May.  We really had a great time together creating different things and decorating them.  I do know that I enjoyed it a little more than Ky, but hey the idea is introducing him to different things.  The first day we were there Ky created the turtle.  He worked really hard on that little guy--and then enjoyed painting him.  After that he had the great idea to trace his hand.  We glazed that and poked a hole in it.  We plan to turn it into a Christmas ornament.  He also made the vase mostly on his own.  He saw a mom making it and pretty much copied her.  He is definitely pretty crafty, but I think the hour long class was just a bit much for him.  Alaina did not enjoy the ceramics class, I dropped her off in childcare when we went, and I could hear her screaming from down the hall every class.  Poor girl, but she got through it (well, let's be honest, she didn't really have a choice.) 

For Mother's day, Ky & Alaina painted pots and planted herbs in them.  They were quite creative little presents!  We also gave out personalized mother's day cards to our mother's.  It was really neat actually--as I am discovering more and more about saving money, I am also learning that cards DO NOT have to be $4 a pop if you preplan.  If you check out sites like shutterfly several weeks before a holiday, they will often have stellar deals.  You can then create your own cards with your own pics and the pay anywhere from $1 -$1.50 for three!  How awesome is that!  And of course grandma's LOVE showing off these personalized cards to all their friends! :)

Mid-May we made a short trip to Indiana to see my brother Joel, and to take my mom out for a belated Mother's day gift.  The trip there was long (well it always is...).  We were looking for a Bob Evans to stop at for lunch (Bob Evan's does not exist in Wisconsin).  And well, we ended up in the middle of nowhere--and ate at a very smokey Denny's.  (Living in Madison, all restaurants are smoke-free.  It's a hard readjustment when you walk into a smokey restaurant.)  It was a frustrating trip...

Anyway, we got to Bristol and enjoyed spending the evening with Joel & Jamie.  Joel, who is currently working towards becoming a pastor, has so much knowledge about the history of the Bible and the movements.  He also is discovering how different biblical interpretations change the context.  He really blew our minds away with a lot of the new things he has learned.  As well as raised up many good questions, that I have no answer to.  Being around a 4 year old and a 1 year old all the time, it is good to have some heavy conversation that really gets your brain working. 

Anyway--the kiddos had a blast with Uncle J & Aunt J.  There was a lot of reading and coloring and caterpillar catching.  Ky's favorite part was feeding Mr. Turtle.  In fact I think Mr. Turtle has never eaten so much food.  It is funny to think that that turtle used to be the size of a quarter 10 years ago.  He sure has grown. 

Saturday, I had a nice lunch with my mother.  She then came back for Jamie's yummy lasagna and some Uno game playing.  On Sunday we attended church with my brother and got a closer look on the kind of pastor he wants to be.  I have to say, I am really excited for him.  He has clearly found his passion in life.  I know that he will make a difference and will help many come to Christ as well as help to promote relationships with God to grow.

As always, the trip was too short.  We left Sunday afternoon.  No Bob Evans on the way out either....Bummer.  I guess we will just have to go back so we can get some good biscuits & pancakes.

May was definitely a hot month.  I pulled out the kids' pool many times and they enjoyed splashing around.  Alaina is a bit hesitant of actually getting in the pool, but hopefully with time she will learn to enjoy it.  I also finished the deck to the kiddo's play structure.  I am pretty proud of myself.  It looks good and is functional.  (Actually, it is not quite done, but it is functional & safe.) 

With the garden planted, I was able to start harvesting radishes and spinach!  YUM!  Sure signs of summer (as well as a relief to our grocery bill!) 

We have gone to the Farmer's market once.  (It was actually funny because we ran into people from our church on every side of the capital building.)  It was a good time and as always there are just so many yummy things to eat.  Stella's Cheese Bread is by far the best, and I am determined to figure out her recipe this winter. (Not a fan of baking in the summer.)

Alaina is now talking in sentences.  It all happened really fast for her.  Just today she said "Can you help me, Please?"  Blows my mind when these full and complete sentences come out--and with manners included!  She is just too cute and is always keeping Rob and I laughing.  I remember Ky being the same way at this age. 

Potty training is come and go.  We have pretty much let her take control.  She has peed on the potty 3 times and pooped once.  Right now we are in a dry spell.  She is telling me that she has to go, but not wanting to go on the potty.  I haven't pushed it.  However, I have let her watch Potty Power many times.  Anything to help encourage...

Alaina's hair is really long now as well.  I just don't even have the heart to take her in for a trim though.  For now, I just want to enjoy her beautiful curls and see how her hair grows.  She still appears to be strawberry blond and her hair is lightening with the summer.  Ky's hair is doing the opposite.  It actually appears to be getting darker now.  He reminds me a lot of my brother Joel--who started out as a blond and is now as dark as me.  Ky also has some of U. Joel's facial features.  I see it in his smile.  (This is good--it means Ky does have some of my genes!) 

Ky took a 6 week Spanish class in May.  He did well and REALLY enjoyed it.  I may have to look into getting him some other lessons or something.  It appears he is starting to understand that Spanish is actual words, not just gibberish.  Though my neighbor said he started speaking gibberish to some Hispanic men when she took him to the store--EEKS!  But he is getting better!

--one more thing that I have no pics of (b/c it wasn't allowed.)  I took Rob to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit for his birthday.  It was really neat seeing 2000+ year scrolls written out.  It was also neat to see how consistent the copies were.  The amusing part of this exhibit was the special lighting & cases that these scrolls were encased in.  Yet the original people who found the scrolls and put them together were smoking cigs with bare hands as they did it!  It is so funny how time changes things. (I am willing to bet that some of the missing scroll parts were due to cig ashes falling on it and burning it.)  Anyway, it was a really neat exhibit and we enjoyed it.  If it comes to your local museum, you should check it out. 

Well, that is all for May.  On to June--the busy month!