soccer dad

While I sat on a picnic blanket in the shade and knit a bit I got to observe Daddy and daughter at soccer practice. It was so sweet.

Afterwards I ran into Larry Kauffman, the organizer of Sports on the Hill, and he chastised me for not being more athletic. Apparently yoga and gardening are not physical enough for him. I doubt he's ever done a set of sun salutations or transitioned from Warrior III into Eagle without letting his foot touch the floor, never minding doing it while four months pregnant. Oh well.

And I'm not ashamed to admit that after a good lunch and working in the garden for a bit, we all took a luxurious nap before heading out to enjoy the Capitol Hill Restoration Society House Tour before enjoying dinner at 7th Hill Pizza. Saturdays like this are what spring/summer are all about!

Life lately?

We've been extraordinarily busy the past few weeks, but here are a few glimpses caught on camera.

Maya and Anya playing at the Honeybee Hive.

Maya telling stories to her classmates.

Getting some snuggles with Jasmine Bunny.

dinner at Kushi - yum.

More bunny love.

Maya roaming the yard in her St. Lucia costume.

draining the last bits of milk.

Colleen and her newly adopted baby, Siobhan. They stayed with us for a week before paperwork allowed them to cross the border to their home in Maryland.

getting our skate on...

Wednesday's co-op activity including checking out the skating pavilion at Anacostia Park where the kids got to play and then have a little lesson about wheels and friction. Maya's still a bit wobbly on her skates (a great find at the thrift store) but she always gets right back up. In fact, she never wants to take those skates off. Discovering the skating pavilion is a cool find!

meeting cousin Rowen

We can hardly believe two months have gone by since the birth of sweet Baby Rowen and this was our first time getting to meet her! Curse illness and conflicting schedules! But it was worth the wait - Rowen is a sweet-tempered, beautiful little girl. Another treasured addition to the awesome cousin club in our family!

We spent Saturday at Harper's Ferry and after some fun times on the swing set, trampoline, and kiddie pool we reluctantly said our goodbyes and promised not to wait so long between visits. There is just no excuse! And now that we got a does of adorable Rowen, there is no way we can wait to see her again.

Uncle Mark with his THIRD beautiful baby girl.

Mike getting some love from his nieces.

Beautiful Mama Erin with Rowen.

priceless.

Tuckered out. 

Friday afternoon

Last Friday Maya and I spent the afternoon at the National Cathedral's annual Flower Mart Festival. We happened upon it last year and enjoyed it so much. We were so happy to return again this year!

Jamaican boys choir for some entertainment.

Watching the stone mason carve - replacing some of the damaged parts from last year's earthquake.

The organ grinder was back!

Maya got five tickets to use for various carnival rides. She joined these two boys for a gentle swing ride.

Of course, the moon bounce was a must!

Last year this was a good game for her... this year it was a bit too easy!

A strawberry smoothie to cool down.

the merry month of May

We are loving our garden this year. The growing season for started a bit early, but things are really starting to take off now. We filled our new garden bed and planted it with all sorts of treats, including 3 sisters (corn, beans and squash) tomatoes, peppers, chard, radish, beets, soybeans and lettuce. Our other garden bed has already been yielding spinach, arugula and radishes and is about to start yielding some snap peas! The herbs are thriving, flowers are blossoming... it has been very exciting.

One of our recent projects was making a fairy garden for Mayumi. She selected the wooden house (it is actually a bird house!) and the colors to paint is, as well as the plants around it. Isn't it charming?

Besides that, she is a wonderful garden companion - so helpful with the planting and watering, and even getting good at discerning weeds from seedlings. She is awesome!

We're slowly working on the back deck as well, though it is so challenging to find things that bunny won't eat. Here is Maya sitting and chatting with our tenant Amaree, who is planting in the back yard below. She kept Maya occupied while I finished up dinner.

Today we had our co-op activity at the Arboretum and read a May Day story and did a couple May Day crafts. Then the kids just ran and played - so perfect!

May is such a lovely month. Happy Birthday wishes to my beautiful Mom - May is the perfect month for her I think.