Matt's 40th birthday and our going away party

Matt turned 40 on June 5th! I don't think it was too painful as he was surrounded by lots of friends. Our friends gave us a going away party on his birthday and even though it poured buckets, the kids had a blast getting drenched while running around in the rain. Matt's favorite gifts were a vase of 40 shotgun shells given to him by his shooting buddies (because he is such an excellent shot!), a jar filled with 40 dog treats for his BFF, Macy, and a Matt and Macy's magical moments grab bag filled with 40 dog toys. He and Macy spent the rest of the day bonding!

Brooke's first dance recital

My little dancing girl LOVED her first dance recital!! We loved seeing Brooke is her beautiful costume!! Her dance was the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies from The Nutcracker and the whole company did a jazz dance at the end. She has done her dances everyday since the recital, and has taught them to anyone who is willing to learn. She will be completely thrilled when she sees the dance room in our new house complete with floor to ceiling mirrors, wood floors, and a ballet bar! Her friend Meghan came to show her support and was a trooper as she along with our entire family sat through the 3 1/2 hour recital!

Random Pics

My azaleas looked so bad all year and I thought for sure they wouldn't bloom. But they surprised me and bloomed the prettiest they ever have. I guess that was their going away present for me. The picture with the kids and me was taken on Mother's Day. We went to brunch at Mustard Seed (delicious!) and then spent the rest of the day at a flag football game! The last picture is Andrew palying the part of a king in a class presentation. I kept telling him he was typecast since he does like to be (or thinks he is!) in charge.

Mother's Day Centers with Brooke

It is tradition at Fort Island that the kindergarteners prepare special Mother's Day centers for the moms. They had a "spa" set up where we were treated to a manicure and massage, we were given a snack, sang to, and were given a memory bag to share special memories with our child. Brooke loved it and then recreated it for me the next week at home. She loves making things special for others and I will miss my mornings with her so much next year:(

Visit with new niece Marielle Jenay van der Meer

I had the BEST time in Texas visiting with my sweet new niece, Marielle. She was absolutely precious and it was therapeutic for me to be with her and get away from the stress of our house selling for awhile (at least physically because the mental stress ended up following me!) Anneke was so sweet with her and is going to be a great big sister. Lauren is doing great adjusting to being a mother of two and I loved getting to see my parents as well. We were with my parents on the day of the Kentucky Derby and my dad put a lot of effort into making mint julips for everyone (except me - yuck!). Lauren and I now have a new face for dad - blender face! He worked so hard on those julips! I love and miss my family!!

My Birthday

I had a great 38th birthday! Matt's parents came in town and it was the first birthday in years I can remember celebrating with any family outside our immediate family. It was big excitement as they pulled into to the neighborhood with their impressive new camper. I can't believe I didn't get a picture! Brooke decorated my cake with little fairies and helped me frost it pink (of course!). Matt gave me a beautiful silver chain and the first season of Glee! Yes, we are total GLEEKS!

Easter

Well, we returned from spring break the day before Easter. Our wonderful neighbors invited us over to their parents house for Easter dinner. They live on a beautiful property with a lake in the backyard. The kids were able to fish (check out the fancy fisher girls!), played football and kickball, and of course had an Easter egg hunt. The weather was beautiful and we had an awesome meal. Elizabeth's mom set up a table just for Brooke and Meghan. They felt very fancy and special. It was a perfectly relaxing day and one of the best Easters we have had in a long time.