June Redemption

Okay, June, you made up for the May showers.  Who doesn't love the end of the school year (outdoor concert), beach trips with family (complete with a zoo trip and dolphin-watching tour), celebrating Father's Day with a climb, sailing Lasers (not shown), finally graduating in a personalized ceremony with a room full of some of your favorite people, and Hershey Park?  

 

Happy Half Birthday, Alma

 

Alma is a fun kid.  We all knew this but what makes her especially fun is that she is always up for almost anything.  She is a roll-with-the-changes, "it's okay," and look on the bright side type of person.  I love that when the washer breaks (wait, I don't love when the washer breaks ...), she is game for going to the laundromat to learn about how that works and sit in the trunk of the car with me while we wait for our clothes.  She is always anxious to support friends -- wanting to go to her friend Taylor's musicals, loving watching her cousins play sports, and was always cheering me on as I made my way through my doctoral program.

I love her adventurous, try-anything spirit and cannot wait to see the trouble ... I mean "adventures" we get into in the coming years.  Happy half birthday, Alma dear.

May Happenings

Oh, May 2022.  What a month you have been.  This first picture of how James fell asleep -- upside down with a mask on -- sums it up well.  

Highlights of the month:

1. Negative: Joshua and I took turns getting and recovering from COVID. Positive: The children enjoyed 20 days of single-parenting, which they feel has some benefits.

2. Negative: Our pipes leaked and/or broke throughout the house (crawl space and the only shower in the house). Positive: So much has been replaced, thus avoiding other problems which were on the horizon.

3. Negative: Our washing machine broke and the prices for new ones are bonkers.  Positive: Both children learned about the wonderful world of laundromats, which are actually not as bad as I remember them.

The month wasn't all bad -- it was just sprinkled with challenges. There was also a lot of time outside (thank goodness for my lovely hammock spot, the slip-and-slide, archery, and the trampoline) and inside (puzzles, board games, getting our nails done, etc.).  

Unfortunately, with getting COVID, I missed graduation.  I wasn’t especially looking forward to the attention of graduation, so I was a little glad for the “bad timing” of getting sick.  Happily, we scheduled a private hooding ceremony for later in June, which should be nice.