May Day 8 Day

May has been a whirlwind of activity! Arabella and Elijah were both attending Breakout and Kids Quest every Tuesday, and they wrapped those up this month. Arabella also had an overnight event at church for all the kids moving into 6th grade. I was hesitant to let her go, but knowing Audrey would be supervising made me feel a little more at ease. It turns out she had a blast! Her friend Jacqueline was there, which was extra special since Jacqueline is moving out of state soon… this might have been their last time together. The kids stayed up half the night just enjoying themselves.

The next day, we picked Arabella up and headed straight to our other church for a kids’ NERF day. Even though she was tired, she was still excited. Elijah had fun too, although he lost his leather jacket at the event, which really bummed him out. We looked for it but couldn’t find it. While the bigs were at Nerf day we took Luca to ride the carousel so he could have something special too!

I’ve been attending Mom to Mom, and we just had our final meeting of the season. It was such a meaningful experience… meeting new people and learning so much together. I’m really going to miss some of those ladies. I have so much respect for them. Even though our lives are so different, their impact on me was real. Community truly matters. Despite my social anxiety, I felt a kind of comfort that’s hard to explain.

Now that Mom to Mom has ended, I signed up for the women’s Bible study. We’re doing a study on the Lord’s Prayer using the book Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools by Tyler Staton. So far, I really like it. Still, I miss my old group… at this point I still feel a little awkward and out of place. But it’s only five weeks, so I can manage a little discomfort.

We also visited my dad and met up with Angel and her family. The kids had a blast at the train park. We’ve been there before, but it never gets old. Arabella especially loved seeing Sophia, and it was great to catch up with my sister. Visiting my dad is always a highlight… I treasure those hugs and the time we get to spend together. The kids also enjoy being out in the country.

The garden is finally in! We planted six tomatoes, a pepper, a cucumber, and a zucchini. We also added dahlias, cosmos, zinnias, sunflowers, dill, basil, and in a contained area added mint and lemon balm. Everything is starting to come together. I’m really hoping things grow this year. Last year, the slugs destroyed a lot of my plants, so fingers crossed!

We even made it downtown for the fireworks. They were absolutely stunning over the waterfront. Arabella brought a friend, and we all had a great time. Life has been busy, but it’s been good.

Buggsy turned eight… and my heart can hardly believe it.
How did my little boy with the wrinkled nose and sparkling baby blue eyes grow into this big kid so quickly? Time has a way of slipping through our fingers when we’re not looking. He’s still my sweet, curious soul—just a little taller, a little bolder, and still wonderfully him. He’s wild about Battle Bots, dinosaurs, Universal Studios, the Titanic… really, anything with a story etched in time. History has his whole heart.

This year, he dreamed of a birthday wrapped in movie magic: Universal Studios-style…so we did our best to bring it to life, a little piece of each world he loves. From Jurassic Park to Men in Black to Jaws and of course Harry Potter, Back to the Future and a Minions. Judging by his bright eyes and constant grin, I think we pulled it off. We also adventured to the Train Museum and OMSI to see the Jurassic exhibit…dinosaurs and Legos galore.

He is still my cuddly one, the boy who wraps his arms around me like home. He loves his mama, Jesus, and basketball. He has a kind of joy about him that makes you stop and watch. My heart is so full. I can’t believe I get to be his mama. What a gift.