Cuteness is not enough. There must be cake!: May 2013

MAY 2013

Growing up, there were two cartoon cats that I loved to read, Heathcliff and Garfield. Out of the two, Heathcliff was my favorite. Where Garfield was lazy, Heathcliff was on the prowl. Where Garfield wouldn't hunt mice or birds, Heathcliff was stalking them down. I looked forward to the Sunday comics where I could read about Heathcliff's latest adventures. One spring day, the comic had Heathcliff out in the grass and the caption said, "Spring has sprung, grass is riz, I wonder where the birdies is." I have loved that caption ever since and repeat it to myself every spring.

May is my fourth favorite month of the year. If I had to list the seasons in order from favorite to least favorite, naturally summer would be first, then spring, then fall, and dead last would be winter. Next to summer, I love the spring months. May is when the flowers really start to bloom, almost all of the trees have their leaves out, and the weather is getting warmer. By May, I have broken out the shorts and the flip-flops. I've washed the winter coats and put them away. I've seen snow fly in May but it doesn't bother me as much because I know that it's just the last of the spring flurries and the promise of summer is not too far away. May is the anticipation for summer vacations. The kids are all geared up for the last day of school and quite frankly, so am I. I am NOT a morning person. I look forward to the last day of school when I can turn off all of my morning alarms on my phone. Come May I am out of my winter funk and geared up for yard work, and spring cleaning in my house. I love the warm May afternoons when I can open up all of the windows to the house and let the fresh spring air clear out the stale winter air. I love the smell of a warm spring afternoon.

We get to have two holidays in the month of May, Mother's Day and Memorial Day. Memorial Day ranks in at #7 and Mother's Day at #8. Memorial Day is a time to get together as a family, have picnics, visit graves, and enjoy each others company. It's a time to reflect on our ancestors and honor them. It's a time to honor those brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms. To me, the family gatherings and picnics are like the kick-off to summer long outdoor picnics and fun. I have had some Memorial Day's where it's cold and snowy, some where it's blazing hot, and some where the weather, to the majority of people, is quite pleasant. I like the blazing hot Memorial Day's the best. I like Mother's Day in that it's a day set aside special for all of the wonderful women in our lives. It's a day to honor Mother's for all of the sacrifices they make for their families. And since I'm a mother, I enjoy having a day for me.

I have three fantastic women in my life that I am so thankful for.

First is my mother. I don't know what I would do without her. She's gentle and patient. She's a whiz at math (I would have never survived high school without her). She's very talented, the bead ornaments she makes are amazing.

Me and my mom on my wedding day.

This is one of the many different kinds of ornament she makes out of beads.

Another example of her talents

Snow men, Santa Clause, horses, carriages, packages, and many many more.

Second is my mother-in-law. She's a great listener and gives wonderful advice. She too is gentle and patient. She's a kindred spirit in that we both love adventures, parties, and a good time, yet our backs don't agree with that.

I love her smile.

Third is my grandmother, Bammer. No one can cook like Bammer. Many of my fondest memories of Bammer involve food in some way. Bammer used to make our names out of pancakes when I was a kid. I remember one summer when she made me bacon every morning with breakfast all because she knew I loved it. Bammer taught me to cross-stitch, which I am thankful for, because it's one of my favorite things to do.

Isn't she just beautiful?

Well then, what did May 2013 hold for my family? We put an offer on the house and it was accepted. We were so excited, but at the same time trying to not be over excited just in case something fell through. Finally, after many many long months of fruitless searching. we found what we hoped would be come home.

Lion Heart had his first ever Pine Wood Derby. He skunked everyone. Let's just put it this way, my dad is an engineer....he knows Pine Wood Derby engineering. Lion Heart had grandpa help him make his car.

Lion Heat with his car and 1st place ribbon.

His car is the one in the lead.

I was in the last month of pregnancy and anticipating the arrival of our sweet baby. I finished his baby announcement cross stitch just in time too.

I don't take many selfies.

All that was left to add was the name, date, weight, and length.

Nathan's aunt (my aunt too :)) threw me a fantastic baby shower. I just love Nathan's aunt. She's got such a talent for putting together parties. It was a lot of fun and I am so grateful for her taking the time to put together such an awesome party.

I love this picture. My grandpa did such beautiful crochet. He made baby blankets for everyone of his grand children and great grandchildren. As he was becoming more and more frail, and while he still could, he made up a whole bunch of these afghans. This is the last one he made.