Random pictures from April and May

Having an iPhone means having a camera with you 24/7. And while it sure is convenient to be able to take a picture whenever and wherever you want, I've discovered that it's hard for me to keep all my pictures organized when they're on different devices (digital SLR, phone, small point and shoot). Since I'm not an instantly-share-my-pics-on-Facebook kind of person (not that there's anything wrong with that), I sometimes forget about the pictures I have on my phone. Tonight, I was catching up on my role as "family historian" and decided to upload all of my pics to my computer so that I can store them in the same place as our other photos. It's been fun discovering forgotten pics, so I want to put them here so that I can remember them.

A few pictures from my time in Puerto Rico in April...

Beach at our hotel

Hiking in El Yunque Rainforest

Luquillo Beach

Hotel pool

Kids wearing Puerto Rico shirts I brought back

Every once in a while, the siblings are adorably cute and loving to each other.

The kids went to a birthday party and there was a climbing wall. My fearless little boy didn't hesitate to climb right on up to the top. And I was pleasantly surprised when my not-so-fearless little girl decided to give it a try too. Way to go, kiddos!

Speaking of climbing, it took Ethan about two days to discover this perfect climbing tree at our new house. I decided that I could either help him in and out of the tree multiple times a day, or I could teach him how to safely climb the tree by himself.  I opted for the latter simply because I had an entire house that needed to be unpacked! Not surprisingly, he quickly mastered the art of climbing solo and hasn't had a fall--so far (knock on wood!).

Kaitlyn's kindergarten class had a big end-of-year party at a local park during the last week of school. Here's Kaitlyn with her BFF Kate. They're both so sad that they have to go to different schools next year--and I am too!

The party moms knocked this one out of the park with a fabulous lunch for the kiddos and moms + fun goodies for the kids + beautiful matted pictures of each child and the whole class.

Her kindergarten class with their little Otter shirts

I'm all about creating a fun backyard space for the kids, one that encourages play and exploration and one that keeps them happily contained while I get other stuff done. To that end, we decided to install a wooden play set in our yard. This turned out to be one HUGE project for Jeff and I to put together. We completed the thing in stages, and the fort/picnic area was one of the first to get finished. On the day we got it done, the kids sat out there for at least an hour doing artwork and having a picnic. They even had dinner there too. I think this is going to be a wise investment and a sanity-saver :)