May 2013

 Unbelievably gorgeous spring on our street

 Maren stopped taking naps last October. Right before we went to Hawaii, she started napping again. Of course, that went away with our trip, but once in a while, when she is super exhausted, she will still nap. And if you put her in the car she will be out in two minutes!! 

On this day she was calling me from her room (so I thought!) where she was supposed to be having quiet time. I was in the basement with Elena, who was asleep. All of a sudden, Maren got quiet. Mother's intuition told me I had better go check on her. This is what I found. I do not know how one falls asleep on the stairs... but I guess if you are tired enough! And, yes, the child has no clothes on.

Mother's Day presentation at preschool 

 Elena and classmates

Playdate at Naomi's house, a classmate of Elena's 

 A little pre-summer fun with the sprinkler. These girls could not wait to get their swimsuits on. They spent a couple hours out there. I was surprised it entertained them for the whole afternoon. Arizona girls at heart. 

 Isn't she beautiful?

Like sister, like sister. 

At our new favorite park in Morton Grove

A late evening trip to Home Depot to find some spring flowers. I love it when they let me put their hair in pigtails and here E actually has a ponytail. SO cute!

Baby and Jocelyn like to travel with us. These sisters are great mommies already.

Poor Maren... this no nap thing is just exhausting. This is just sad, she looks so pitiful! And she looks like Al Bundy with her hands in her pants, but her "security blanket" or alternative to thumb sucking is a finger in the belly button. So that is what she is doing here. 

 Elena with Miss Diane at her preschool graduation on May 17. I don't think they quite grasp that it is over... she did not want to go! Even though there was ice cream! Somehow the time after spring break got difficult for Elena at school, though we never found out why. She just did not want to go anymore. 

 Maren, Elena, Mia and Kailey from preschool

Elena hooked onto Mia the first week or so of school because Mia is Maliyah's, Elena's best friend's, nickname. Mia just adored Maren, was always trying to kiss her and touch her, which Maren never liked! And then one day Mia called Maren a baby - oh, boy, the wrong thing to say! 

 A little too much fun with chocolate pudding... and one of Elena's famous faces 

We love to dance in the kitchen. Elena usually likes to run in circles... but this time she let me dip her. Their favorite song is "Springsteen." Wonder why. 

I also got to spend 48 hours in Phoenix in May for a trial. I did not get to spend near as much time visiting people as I would have liked. The trial took longer than expected. I was so happy to be able to go and visit those I could. It felt like going home and it made me quite homesick for Phoenix and Arizona. And, of course, all my family and friends, not to mention my old job and colleagues. I did, however, get to see all the nonsense surrounding the Jodi Arias trial firsthand, as that was the building where the trial was. Quite a spectacle.

May was a good month.