Dueck's Roost

And to finish off May we have ...  The kids car!!! Favorite family pastime (aka, the made up game of "Tips") Fun with the Mariner's  (thanks to a super awesome friend!!!) The brothers;) ... I will seriously miss these days. Chess Jamboree. (lotsa thinking going on here) (and Porter for the win!!!) Piano time. Mae bakes some more:).  (including this amazing Pokemon character cake for cute little Keaton's b-day) Mother's Day!!  (thoughtful gifts as always, including a cool climbing picture and poem from the hubby) And, last but not least, kayaking season has definitely arrived!!! Moving on!!

I feel like Memorial Day Weekend around here is pretty touch and go. Sometimes it's amazing and beautiful, and other times (much of the time actually) it's cloudy and wet. Yuck! This year was one of those amazing and beautiful weekends when living in the Pacific NW is definitely THE BEST (trust me, I don't always feel that way)! The weekends enjoy-the-great-weather festivities were ...  Fun at Dash Point Beach!! Family hike to Tradition Lake-- good one if you're looking for more of a nature walk than an intense workout.  Yearly church run/walk/bike + breakfast event. And kayaking at the neighborhood lake!! So ready for summer!!

I love Mae's knack for art--probably because it's a skill I have NEVER possessed. She submitted a piece for our annual city art contest this year, and won 1st place in her age group! Woot woot!!  The theme was What Liberty Means to Me, and all the winning pieces are displayed in the city courthouse. Pretty cool. What else was pretty cool, was that winners and families got invited to a special gathering and city hall meeting where the artists were presented with their awards. PLUS they got to take a tour of the court house with our super amazing city judges, and even got to try out the seat of honor--mallet and all;). Future judges maybe??!!

I feel like it was just yesterday that I was the young mom with a gaggle of little toddlers trailing me around the house. Yet somehow I celebrated my 37th b-day this year (What the heck!??). Not exactly old, but certainly a far cry from 21--my age when I had my first baby. That's okay, though, I'm actually kinda loving my 30s!! Which I guess means I'd better enjoy my final three years before the big 4-0 hits, cuz who knows what that's gonna bring;). As always I was spoiled for my big day with handmade cards, sweet hugs, and thoughtful gifts.  Oh, and new iPhone from my hubby, which was pretty much awesome! What more could I want?!!  Other than maybe brownies ...  And some extra love from my family! Bracing for 38!!