Summer Kickoff

I feel like we started summer off right this year.  Our month was full of BBQs, birthday parties, horses, watermelon, and lots of fun in the water!

We are currently caring for a friend's horse, April. She has a kind heart and likes being with kids. Lillian especially has enjoyed having April around because April listens to her better than Beauty does and is patient.  We will all be sad when April returns home, even Beauty will miss her because her departure means Beauty's vacation is over!

We recently had some kids from church come out to see the horses. None of the kids have pets of their own so they were out of their comfort zones.  Their excitement at the opportunity to brush and ride horses made me smile. One of the mothers who came mentioned how magical my girls' life is, playing with horses every day and building forts in the desert.  I had never really thought of our life like that before.  What we do is normal for us.  Her comment opened my eyes and made me think about just how blessed we are to live the life we do.

My girls show no fear around these large animals.  Instead of shying away from a horse snuffling their hair, they smile, laugh, and kiss the giant nose being shoved in their faces.

 They think it is normal to have baby chicks running around their backyard, looking in their sliding glass door, and living in their dining room.

And they think having a pet rat who chases the dog and follows them around the house is totally ordinary.  I like our normal and I am glad that they do too.

On another note, May is the month in which we celebrate Mother's Day and we celebrated by attending church and eating my favorite dinner.  I prefer to spend Mother's Day celebrating the other  mothers I see every day, not so much myself.  I am surrounded by a group of wonderful mothers who bless my life. Each mother is a good example to me and I appreciate that because motherhood is a hard job.  This description of motherhood from Donna Bell resonates with me: "Motherhood is a choice you make everyday to put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you're not sure what the right thing is...and to forgive yourself over and over again for doing everything wrong."  I know there have been many nights, once the house is quiet and everyone is sleeping, where I replay the day in my head and worry that I did everything wrong.  I pray my girls don't remember those parts, and I vow to do better tomorrow.

These two keep me on my toes! That is for sure!

Just after Mother's Day we were able to fly up to see my mom in Utah and spend a few days with her and the rest of my family up there.  My mom has been and still is a great example to me of what makes a good mother. My girls love her just as much as I do and could not wait to see her.

The spoiling began as soon as we pulled in to the driveway at Nona's house.  Lillian immediately fell in love with this little car. Freya wasn't so sure. I think she liked the car just fine. It was the driver who had her worried.

 We very quickly saw that Freya had a right to be so concerned.  Lillian got in to a fender bender with the mail box and had to take her car to the body shop for some repairs.

 The girls looked so hilarious cruising up and down the street in their car that Auntie Sam had to get involved and take some silly photos for us. I promise no babies were hurt in the shooting of these photos!

We love Nona's neighborhood and always find fun adventures to go on.  These calves were just down the street so we stopped one day to feed them some carrots.

 Typical Freya, she decided to eat the carrots herself.  When one of the calves stuck its long tongue out and licked her arm she dropped her carrot, turned tail and ran!  She repeated this for several days after the incident,"Cow. Tongue. Arm. Yucky."

As usual, our trip was over much too quickly but we had to make it home in time for Josh's birthday.  He worked on his actual birthday so the girls and I brought his cake to the fire station.

 The next night Josh and I went out with some friends to The Gaslight Theater. It as one of the most fun nights we have had in a while.  It was a good birthday celebration if I do say so myself.

Between soccer and birthday parties, our Saturdays were packed this month.  Lillian loved her friend's superhero party because she was given a cape.  That night she ran ahead of me through the grocery store singing her own superhero music.  It was pretty entertaining.

Another birthday party we attended was a costume party with apple dunking.

 In this day and age with everyone's fear of germs,  I didn't even know apple dunking still existed!  Freya thought it was the most fascinating thing ever and was determined to get an apple.

We ended the month with a hose down from Josh's fire truck and a good old fashioned Memorial Day BBQ. 

 Once the kids were thoroughly soaked, they took a peek inside the fire truck and posed for photos.

The BBQ involved a water balloon launcher,

 amateur kite flying,

 and sparklers.

 We had so much fun this month that for a minute I worried June and July wouldn't compare!  Then I remembered we get to travel to San Diego and celebrate this little peaches birthday  in June and I am not worried any more!