HE DID IT!!!!

My fabulous Joseph graduated the beginning of May, and I am so proud of him! It's been a long road, and he's stayed the path so well. There were definitely times we wondered if this was the right path, if going back to school was the right choice. I'm grateful Joseph was able to take those steps into the dark, knowing that it was the best thing for his family. I'm so grateful for his hard work and perseverance. I'm grateful that for the most part he was able to leave the stress of school at school and come home and be a dad and a husband. I'm grateful for all his good friends at school that kept each other going - the 'Mormon Mafia.' :) I'm grateful I'll never have to pay for another filling again! I'm grateful that Joseph and Jacob chose the same career path, and they can keep each other excited about dentistry. I'm grateful for the awesome support of wonderful family, local and distant.


And I'm grateful I'm married to the hottest doctor I know. :) Love you!!


(Are any of you Anne of Green Gables fans? Remember when Anne was grown up and their housekeeper called her Mrs. Doctor Dear? I've just always liked the sound of that....) :)

backtrack!

I've been 'cleaning house' on my computer and found these pics from the St. Patrick's Day parade -- a bunch of my momma friends got together and drove downtown and had ourselves an adventure hauling kids all over to see a bunch of crazy drunks in a parade. Check that one off my list! The walk back to the car was a little long, so I let K and J-boy hitch a ride in Baby A's stroller. Who needs a double stroller?
I love the video clip -- K turns around, realizes we're taping her, then she gets all crazy. :) Ah, my little exhibitionist!

Jammin' J-boy

We were at K's school for the Spring Carnival, eating dinner in the cafeteria with music blaring on a stereo.  J-boy just couldn't contain himself -- he just HAD to move. :)

BIG & little

The past few months have brought us several transformations - some big, and some little.  

I made my first solo batch of freezer jam.  There's just something wonderful about freezer jam...  It's probably that there's just as much sugar as there is fruit.  The berries here didn't come from the raspberry patch by the shop (ah, Washington!  My home!), but they did make tasty jam.
Ms. K lost her first tooth!  It was quickly followed by baby tooth #2, and the dentist in the family (more about him later) was pleased to see the permanent teeth sliding into place.
Goodbye, Lafonda (our voluptuous black beauty), hello Sadie (our new-to-us silver sienna).  Lafonda served us well, and squished 3 carseats in the back with great economy, but, alas, it was time to move on.  It is official, I've traded in my youthfulness for practicality, and I am a mini-van mom.  
Baby A's fauxhawk had to go.  
I LOVE SPRING!  The midwest seems to have a knack for dramatic seasonal changes - these pictures were taken just a few weeks apart.  I love watching the trees come back to life.

Ms. K's Recital

 

The 1st of May Ms. K graduated from Let's Play Music.  Her past three years of music class culminated with a recital where she played her original composition.  She decided to write a lullaby (because she loves to sing to Baby A).  At one point Ms. K made up words to it, too, but I don't think they were ever the same words twice.  In the video you'll actually hear Baby A singing along at times.  :)

I have to add in a little story -- a few weeks ago, K was singing to Baby A in the car on the way to school.  When we got to school I turned around to help K hop out of the car, and was surprised to see tears on her cheeks.  I asked her what was wrong, and she quickly replied, "Oh, momma, these are happy tears -- I just love to sing to my sister."

K is such a sweet and loving big sister.  And I'm so proud of her for finishing Let's Play Music -- it wasn't always fun to practice every day, and it wasn't always fun to have her mom for her teacher, but K kept going (probably because she didn't have a choice... sometimes agency is overrated), and it almost makes me cry 'happy tears' to watch her.   :)

Tara Runs Into a Tree

Because I promised and Dave asked for it.  

I'm wearing the camera on my goggles, following my sister in law (in the blue coat).  

Silly Tara.  Stick to the courderoy.

March to May....

(This is for you, Katie -- I LOVE the socks!!! And so does everyone else - the compliments are inevitable!) :)

Vail was a blast -- we stayed in a beautiful home just minutes from the resort and skiied half days for three days straight (the snow wasn't fantastic, but the weather was gorgeous). We doubled up with Joseph's twin's family - always a good match. The kids played nicely with one set of parents while the others' skiied, then we swapped.
The funny thing about this trip was that it was an accident. The 3-day 2-night stay in the 'condo' was up for bid in a fundraising auction last year at Joseph's school. He jumped in at the minimum bid, never thinking he'd win it, and DID! THEN he called me, and explained what a great deal this is, what a fun time we'd have, how we'd never be able to take a similar trip for this modest amount, and shouldn't he bid on it? Once he'd talked me into it, I heard his buddy laughing in the background - I asked him what was so funny, and he told me it was actually a done deal, he'd already bid and won (albeit 'by accident'), and he was really glad that I wasn't going to be mad at him. :) What a charmed life he leads!! :)