Last Day(s) of Kindergarten!

Olivia's second to last day of kindergarten 

Olivia with her classmates after their end of year ceremony

last morning of kindergarten

school's out for summer!

had dinner at the Greene to celebrate the end of school/beginning of Summer

Olivia's Ballet Recital

Olivia started taking ballet back in January. She decided to participate in the end of year recital, which meant extra practices in addition to her weekly class. Her hard work paid off and she was a beautiful ballerina at her recital.

That Day in May!

I think it's safe to say that That Day in May is one of our favorite days of the year - ranking right up there with major holidays! Despite the rain, we still managed to have a fun day. Yusaku and the girls participated in the Fun Run and while Natalie started out in the stroller, she finished the last part of the race on foot.

The run was quickly followed by the pancake breakfast at the high school and then, a little while later, a parade watching party at our friend Katie and Russ' house.

After the parade, we headed up to the high school to enjoy some of the fun carnival rides and games. We managed to pretty much miss the rain as it was just starting to sprinkle when we left.

Later that afternoon, Olivia had her ballet dress rehearsal and if that weren't enough excitement for one day, we capped the evening off with the Triangle Block Party!

Fort Wayne Trip: the Zoo

As it turns out, the Fort Wayne Zoo is really awesome! We really enjoyed it! In addition to the animal exhibits, they had a ski lift ride, a log flume ride, and a train ride - all of which, the kids loved!

these eyeballs just crack me up!

Fort Wayne Trip/Auntie Maureen's funeral: Part 1

In May, we visited Fort Wayne for my great aunt's funeral. While it was a sad occasion that brought us there, we found a lot of joy during this trip as we got to reconnect (and in some cases, meet) family we hadn't seen for a long time. The girls really loved getting to play with and getting to know their cousins. We also were able to explore Fort Wayne a little bit during our visit and discovered some really neat places, including the botanical gardens and the zoo, where Auntie Maureen had volunteered for a very long time. It seemed like a nice way to honor her memory to visit a place that was so special to her.

my mom looking at photos with Uncle Clem

Natalie playing with her cousin, Adalynn

Olivia with Seattle cousins, Jack and Daniel

enjoying Aunt Sarah snuggles

the kids playing with Uncle Clem's "grabbers" in the basement

MOMs Group Field Trip to Young's Dairy

We took advantage of the MOMs Group field trip to Young's Dairy on an unusually chilly spring day. We started off with a video about how they milk the cows and make the cheese and ice cream they sell. Then the kids got to practice milking a pretend cow, go on a hayride, feed the goats, and "ride" on the old fashioned tractors. To top it all off, everyone got a little cup of vanilla ice cream! :)

April Phone Pics

We took advantage of the nice Spring weather this month and enjoyed trips to the park and walks in the woods, among other things.

painting her bird house at Home Depot

apparently not in the mood to have her picture taken - Olivia painting her butterfly house

family selfie

working hard on her bean house at the library's fun fairy tale event

Natalie working on a princess and the pea craft

sticker face

free ice cream day at Ben & Jerry's

Natalie and I explored Fort Ancient together for the first time

Anne and Violet met us there

view from the top

friends!

Natalie and Ian at White Oak Camp

Natalie and Mommy selfie at PawPaw Camp

First lemonade stand of 2016

Finally got to use a gift certificate for Pinot's Palette that I got
for my birthday for a date night. It was a lot of fun!

cuties hiding during a shopping trip to H &M

friends on the porch swing

before the Father Daughter dance - they both had a great time!