May days

olrichpond.JPGMay 19: We’re back from a full weekend in St. Paul.  Andrew is in his room, and Sylvia is sleeping (on and off), and I’m crashed on the chair amidst a very messy living room.  I have no thoughts for supper.  I can’t imagine (at the moment) having the energy to clean up the kitchen from lunch.  What I’d really like to do is nap, but I just can’t ever seem to nap, so instead I’ll hang out on the computer and hope that Sylvia keeps sleeping (there she’s crying) and Andrew remains happy in his room for another hour.
Bryan’s parents are on vacation in Israel right now.  They are on a tour with Chuck Swindoll.  The itinerary says that they are currently in Jerusalem.  I’ve also discovered a video blog of their tour, which is neat to see.  I imagine they are having an amazing experience!
Maretta’s wedding is in five days.  SO Exciting!  If I weren’t so tired at the moment, I’d call her to see if she wanted to come over to plan out details with me, but perhaps we’ll work on those kinds of things tonight.  It’s going to be a lovely event.
Pictures from the last week are in the gallery.

Last week, we we went to Olbrich, where I took some cute pictures of the kiddos in the gardens.  Friday was Terry’s 60th birthday, and Saturday  was Bryan’s 30th birthday.  On Friday evening, Michael, Tom, Terry, and the four of us met at Tenney Park for a picnic of shrimp po’boy sandwiches and gingerbread for dessert.  Andrew enjoyed playing in the playground, and we all walked down to Lake Mondota to watch the sun set.  It was a nice evening.
Andrew’s been getting injured quite a bit these last days.  He has a mild laceration on his foot (stepping on the edge of a piece of sheet metal), a huge yellow and brown bruise on the side of his neck (tripping on my foot and flying into a metal bench head first), and a cut and bruise on his forehead (climbing around in the car and falling on the corner of a wooden mirror frame).  I really do try to be a good mother:)  This past weekend he had a blast climbing around some low trees, and I was impressed at his recent levels of climbing prowess.  He’s a neat kid!
Sylvie is up now, and she is sitting on my lap goo-ing, ahhhh-ing, and playing with her hands.  She recently has discovered her hands, and let me tell you, they are cool.  You can hold one with the other, you can try to shove both in your mouth at the same time, and then there’s the fingers!  It’s all very amazing for a little girl.
On the drive home from St. Paul, I read several chapters of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book Farmer Boy to Andrew.  He seemed to enjoy it, and it’s pretty cool to think that he may be old enough to start listening to chapter books.  I’m excited about the possibilities!
Spring is fully here.  The lilacs have started blooming, the daffodils are all done, the tulips are past their prime.  It’s time to do a second lawn mowing, and we’ve planted some new perennials.  May is just about my favorite month, and I’m sad to know it’s nearly half over.  Luckily, I love all the spring and summer and fall months, so there’s a lot to look forward to.  May is something special, though!