Pony Days Parade

After sitting and watching Shaylyn do the city parade last year, I was sort of excited that she wouldn't be doing it again. While it should be fun, and in some ways it is - it's mostly a lot of stress for me. And early mornings, which don't bode well with me, like ever.

Then we get the news that Lex's ball team was going to be participating. A mom of one of the kids on his team helps with the parade in some form and added their team to the lineup. I guess it was a good thing for the team as they were the team that won last year (not sure that all the same kids were on it last year).

So, Lex had to be there early and we decided instead of the whole family waiting for 2 hours or whatever it was, we'd just have Eric drop Lex off and find a place for us to sit. I'd get the rest of the crew ready and we'd head over closer to start time.

I got all the other kids ready and we headed out. We found Eric easy enough and got there just before they closed off a street, which meant it was almost time for the parade to start.

Eric and I were pretty annoyed this year as there seemed to be a lot more business advertising than there was last year and it felt more like a moving advertisement than showing off what talents and fun things there are in the city. We also had some kids infringe on our kids space - pretty much knocking them over and getting in the way anytime they threw candy. And the mother didn't say a word. It was frustrating. And I'm not talking little kids fighting my little kids. It was a girl who was probably 12 and her brother was probably 10, getting in the way of my 2, 5 and 7 year olds. UGH.

Anyway, we bit our tongue and tried to enjoy what we could.

{...Chickfila is always a favorite...}

{...I may have been a little overexcited by the dalmation, but Lex was following right behind...}

What Happens Next...

Play Ball!

I wasn't too great at taking pictures of the boys playing ball this season. I'm not sure why I didn't, but I just didn't. Eric's mom did take a couple at the game(s) she came to, but I don't have them currently.

One day though, I decided to pull out the camera and get a video of Lex up at bat. I would love to say that he hit that ball, but of course - because I was taking a video, he didn't. Oh well. At least I have some sort of proof that he played.

What I love most about this video is that you can hear all the people cheering him on. He was really on a great team this year that cared a lot more about sportsmanship than winning. Of course, winning was a perk, but to the parents and coaches this year it was more about being supportive of everyone.

What Happens Next...

May's Madness

And just in case you thought we weren't busy enough in May - here's a look at the other little things that happened.

A BOY AND HIS DOG

Jacen absolutely loves his uncle Greg's dog, Charity. Every Sunday or time we are visiting grandma, Jace can't wait to play with Charity. They are pretty cute together.

Eric kind of has a soft spot for Charity as well.

And this is how the older kids spent most of their time at grandma's...

{Disney Channel cause we don't have it at home}

Sometimes the older folk watch tv today. Mostly it's when Greg is also visiting. But we had all been out throwing the ball around before and we quickly decided we are all old. (Thus the wonderful look on my face.)

The little kids keep themselves entertained in other ways. Yay for imagination!

Because we knew we'd be gone most of the day on Memorial Day, we took the dogs to Grandma's house with us. On the way home (after a very long day), we made a stop at the gas station. Eric ran in to get something and Flower made sure she kept an eye out for him to come back.

When I made my Mother's Day gifts this year, I had to buy a big bouquet of artificial flowers - but I only used 4 of them, so I had a bunch left over. I was trying to figure out what to do with them, when I decided I could make a cute wreath of sorts. So I 'stole' some flower tape from my friend and went to work.

What Happens Next...

Play That Funky Music, White Girl

This was the 1st time since Shaylyn's started piano that she felt unsure of one of her songs. It was difficult for her and because of that she rarely practiced it. Both her piano teacher and I tried to tell her it wouldn't get any easier if she didn't practice, but she didn't really want to listen.

A few days before the recital, her teacher had her run over to her house to practice the song a few more times. She was also feeling nervous about it.

At the recital she stumbled through it, but kept with it and finished strong. I was so super proud of her for hanging in there and not getting discouraged.

What Happens Next...

Memorial Day 2015

This year we broke from tradition and did something different.

Knowing that this day can be hard for people that have lost someone and knowing that it's kind of a hard day for Eric now, we decided to see if Eric's mom and brother wanted to do something. We threw a few ideas around but eventually settled on going to the zoo.

So bright and early we got to Eric's moms house and from there we traveled to the zoo. I couldn't believe how crowded it already was and it was early. We made our way in and discovered that Eric's brother really wasn't feeling great. He sat down and told us to go and start seeing things. So we started off at the big dino at the front.

We then made our way over to the giraffes and the other Savanna animals.

But like any mother would be, Eric's mom was growing more concered with Eric's brother. It was finally decided that she'd take Greg home and we'd meet up for lunch/dinner after we finished with the zoo.

And because the zoo was hosting temporary dino exhibits, we had lots of fun with the fun things they had to go along with the dino exhibits.

{Yes we totally traded in the wagon for a stroller, Jace felt really unsafe in the wagon}

And because we have a membership we can never go to the zoo without riding the carousel...

So when we were done we headed back to Eric's moms house and had a wonderful lunch. We also got some time to hang out with Greg and his mom. Thankfully, Greg was feeling better and I think the boys were able to go out and throw a ball around - which was what Lex had been waiting for all day.

We would've spent more time with Eric's mom and brother, but with my little sister's upcoming hectic schedule, she decided to have her daughters birthday party that night. I didn't blame her and totally supported her decision.

Before we headed to the party though, I wanted to stop by my grandpa's grave as well as Eric's dad. It made us a little late for the party, but I thought it was important and I knew my sister would understand.

When we arrived at my mom's the party hadn't started yet. I can't remember why, but I was glad it wasn't because we were running late.
My dad was still resting anyway and I made sure I got a picture of that.

It was a very interesting day, full of many emotions. I am thankful for the time we got to spend with both of our families. And I'm always thankful on days like today that my parents and Eric's parents bought houses close together. 

What Happens Next...