Miscellaneous May.....

mis·cel·la·ne·ous

[mis-uh-ley-nee-uhs]

adjective
having various qualities, aspects, or subjects: a miscellaneous discussion.

The first weekend in May, Daddy celebrated his big __-0 birthday! We celebrated with a banner, birthday balloons, red velvet cake, his favorite dessert (lemon blossoms) and five of his favorite people in the world, along with his two favorite dogs.

At his request, we kept the celebration small in number but big in fun! We were so busy having fun, we didn't get many pictures, but here a few:

Another notable event from the weekend was bidding a final farewell to Anabella's crib.  Though she still preferred the crib to the "big bed" that has been in the nursery since February, we decided it was time.  The crib had become a jungle gym of sorts for Daniel, who cleverly learned to climb his way INTO the crib with Anabella.  Then, the two would jump in the crib and then both jump out together.  Needless to say, this newfound fun didn't last long before we said bye,bye, crib and Hello big girl bed!

Easy peasy.  The transition to big bed was seamless.

These next pictures were taken one day in May when Daniel was running around the house pretending to be a super hero, wearing sunglasses and a Chick-fil-a kids' meal watch, armed with a turkey baster! I found the baster while  looking for the meat thermometer and put it in their kitchen cabinet, as I knew they'd have fun discovering it later.

Sure enough, he had fun discovering it! The novelty of it, combined with the fact that he thought he shouldn't have it (because he couldn't understand what it was for- try explaining a turkey baster to a 2 year old), made it extra fun!

Ahhhhhhh.....boo!

The turkey baster has since lost its appeal, but the glasses continue to be a part of Daniel's every day. He wears them outside, inside and always to the fitness center, where he enjoys the attention of the staff members who always comment on them.

Dan Credle is one cool cat!!
Anabella's activity of choice this month, similar to last month (and the month before and before), was taking care of her babies. She is a very good Little Mommy. Chip recorded her changing Baby's diaper (Baby is named Baby), which she does several times per day.  (We go through A LOT of wipes!!!)

To celebrate Mother's Day, we went to my uncle's farm for a cook-out with my Mom's family.  Again, we had so much fun, we forgot to take pictures, but we do have a few of Anabella with her new favorite baby, (a real baby- Baby Hadley- Caleb's sister who is about 2 months old now). 

And there are two beautiful snapshots of Daniel and Daddy walking to the pond. All outdoor pictures at his picturesque farm are beautiful- I wish I would have gotten some of the kids with the animals- they had so much fun- next time!

This next picture was not taken on Mother's Day but one afternoon when Daniel was nestled in his chair to watch his new favorite show, Blue's Clues. Blue's Clues is both Daniel and Anabella's favorite TV program- about the only thing they can agree on these days!

I am not a soccer mom. At least not yet. Though I did get a little practice this month.  One Friday night we went to Sara (my Goddaughter) and her brother Will's baseball game in Front Royal.. Then, the next day we went to my nephew Hayden's soccer game in Strasburg.  Daniel and Anabella had a blast both places!

Friday night they worked along with some school aged kids to paint a concrete wall using water and sidewalk chalk. It was their first time painting with brushes- a masterpiece, let me tell you! Will and Sara's team won the game (they are two years apart but on the same team this year), and it was fun to get a glimpse of what our evenings may be like in a few years!

On Saturday, it was back to the field, though this time, a soccer field. Daniel and Anabella got to visit with Aunt Allie, Ryan and Hayden at Hayden's soccer game and then again at the MayFest parade, which followed the soccer game. It was their first parade!

Allie asked me to get some action shots of Hayden at the game, so I did have my camera this time.

 Daniel and Anabella slept on the way to the game, so it took them a little time to warm up (though it was plenty warm that day, let me tell you!)

 Anabella and Daniel adore Hayden.  And for good reason, he is very sweet to them. Always very entertaining!

 Anabella enjoyed waving to everyone in the parade.

 And clapping for the performers!

 Nothing like a little sugar to perk Daniel right up!

 Have I mentioned how difficult it is to get a picture of the four grandchildren looking at the same time?

A Shenandoah County parade is not complete without a monster truck!

Now that's a MONSTER truck!

And then there was the morning in May that Daniel locked himself in the bathroom....

I was making breakfast when I heard the door shut. I was waiting to hear water as he usually turns on the water to wash his hands when he goes in the bathroom (yes, we have safety knobs, but they don't provide much safety because he knows how to take them off- he's a master (of disaster)!)

I was just finishing mixing the pancake batter when I heard a little fuss and then the sound no parent wants to hear- the sound of a child trying to open a locked door! This has happened before- upstairs. Only the upstairs knobs are so easy to open, I can do it with my fingernail. This knob had a hole on the other side- the kind, I've since learned, that can be opened with a long skinny pointed object (which Chip found for me- for future use- after he came home from work that afternoon and screwed the doorknob back on the door). 

I didn't panic, and he didn't either, thank goodness, though he was frightened enough not to turn on the water.  I did try picking the lock with a paper clip, but didn't have much luck, so I did what seemed the next best thing- I removed the knob.  That didn't work either because the door was still locked. Doh! So, I used my neighbor George's trick and pried the door open with a flathead screwdriver! In under 2 minutes, Mommy Macguever had Daniel out of the bathroom, tear-free! He is a tough little boy.  And, the knob being off the door provided a great deal of entertainment as he tried to figure out to get it back on. (Though I wouldn't recommend it you try this at home.)

And, then there's Memorial Day weekend.

Ahh, the lazy start to summer with a relaxed weekend at the beach!

Pre-Kids.

This Memorial Day weekend was fun, but lazy and relaxed would not be the adjectives I would use to describe it. Though it did start out that way:

Chip and I spent Friday afternoon at Yorktown Beach, where we spent the afternoon sunbathing, reading and taking a leisurely walk along the water- just like old times!  And, we had an evening out at our favorite Thai restaurant in Port Warwick, just a few blocks from where the Credles live. MaMa and PaPa were happy to take care of their grandchildren, and I know Daniel and Anabella had a great time spending quality time with them. 

Up until Friday night, around midnight, it was setting up to be the perfect weekend, with plans to hit Va. Beach on Saturday and Busch Gardens on Sunday. Only Daniel woke up sick Friday night, and we had to go to Plan B.

Only, we didn't have a Plan B, but we did a pretty good job improvising and still managed to work some fun into our trip, before returning home early on Sunday.

Nothing like a little cold water on a hot day to soothe even the most unhappy, sick child. We didn't stay long, but our trip to the city center provided a nice break on what otherwise would have been a long day for a sick little boy.  As I write this, Daniel is back to himself again, thankfully. And, so far, surprisingly, no one else has gotten sick. And, we're hoping to reschedule our Busch Gardens trip sometime in the next few weeks; and, for the beach, well, it will only be that much warmer next time we go!

That's it for May....sorry for the long post recapturing a month's worth of miscellanenous! Hoping to blog more frequently in June!