Funny boy

Parker is hilarious. He loves to entertain us. Even when he's just eating cereal. 

Strawberry picking

There are lots of farms around us, so we decided to give strawberry picking a go. It wasn't too hot, so that was nice, but boy is that a lot of work for very small strawberries! Granted, they taste great, but after about 15 min of bending over to retrieve strawberries 1/4 the size of Costco's, I lost interest and relied upon the boys to do the job. Pregnancy and strawberry picking... not so much. 

There were also animals to feed and playhouses to play in. 

 And I loved the Amish out with their kids stocking up for the weekend Farmer's Market, I would guess.

 We loved going with Blake, Austin's best friend here, and his mom Cheryl. They are great friends of ours.

Our little ray of sunshine

Austin is such a crackup. While his moodiness has somewhat stabilized, the pouty face is still a staple in our house. 

He is most content when he is lounging and eating. 

This is how he rolls at a little kid's birthday party. All the other kids are running and playing. He is lounging and eating. 

 And then there are times when life just isn't going his way. He is perpetually hungry and let's you know it. "What do you have?" aka "What snacks are in your purse?" is a question I hear about 1,000 times a day. "I'm still hungry" is another common phrase I hear multiple times per hour.

Here we are after Parker's last soccer game, celebrating with the team at a pizza place. It was late, he was tired, and the food was taking a long time. He was not happy.

 He was pretty mad there wasn't a trophy with his name on it.

But he also likes to ask for something and if we respond with something to his liking, either giving him what he wants or providing a reasonable alternative, he will respond, "Thanks Mama." He's a very grateful child.

End of Year Preschool Program

At the end of the preschool year, the kids put on a musical show for the families. Their theme was "Silly Songs", and they were silly. Parker loves to perform and as they've been preparing for the program, he would proudly tell me that Mrs. Vaughan thought he was the best singer. Not sure if that's true, or if it was just the voices in his head telling him he's awesome, but regardless, I love to see him embracing something I love as well. They were told to dress nicely, and to Parker that meant a full-on suit. All the other kids were in collared shirts, but Parker was the only one with a jacket and tie. As he was getting ready he told me, "I think Mrs. Vaughan will really like my outfit. She'll probably want to marry me." 

Parker and his friend Jadon. 

 Plus little brother...

 Mrs. Vaughan and Parker. We couldn't have asked for a better teacher to help us transition into school here mid-year. She was so loving and thoughtful with Parker. She said that she'd never seen a child transition so well and become the leader of the class, when he didn't even start the school year with the other children.

 Owen and Parker.

 Austin liked drawing on the tithing slips.

 And Pete was able to make it from work in time for the program too.

 I have a preschool graduate. Onto Kindergarten!

End of school picnic

At Parker's preschool, they have one of the last school days designated to the End of School Picnic. So instead of going to school, we all meet at a park and the kids play and eat a picnic lunch. It's a fun way to chat and enjoy the other families. There really are some nice kids in his class. 

Austin liked the bird seed sensory bin. 

 Parker and his buddies. It's funny because when he runs around there are literally 10 kids running after him. When he stops, they stop. He's the leader of the pack for sure. We have focused a lot on the responsibilities of being a leader, and how it's important to be a good example for others that are naturally following you. I think he does this very well. He also tries to include other children who are more shy, which is so sweet.

 Some of his best buddies this year were Owen and Jadon. His other buddy Ben, we recently found it, is from Michigan, so his mom and I have bonded over that connection.

 He also gifted me with some Mother's Day love in the form of a questionaire. He was the only one in the class to get their mom's age right. He has become very attentive and his answers were pretty much spot on. I also noticed that he has been asking me some of these questions at home, once Mrs. Vaughan got him thinking about some of these things.

Awesome improvements

When my parents were out here they helped do a lot of improvements around the house. They went above and beyond to make our house feel fresh and inviting. We are so grateful.

But first, here's my cute almost-Kindergartener!

 One thing was reupholstering the dining chairs. Ours have survived many moves and stains, but were definitely showing their age. With some new fabric and an awesome staple gun,  my dad taught me how to recover them. Super simple and in about an hour, we had chairs that were like new!

 I know I've shown this table before, but they are still loving it.

 And this pool continues to be a hit!

 My summertime mantle. I was sad to see the easter eggs and bunnies go, but this'll do.

 Some of the flowers my mom added, along with a small herb garden.

It's amazing how you live with things a certain way, and then a little update can totally transform the space. Like adding more stuffing to our couches. I actually want to sit on them now:)