The Beginning of June...

What a fun season to be finishing up our time here in South Carolina! June is a month full of wrapping up activities and looking forward to summer vacation. Here, it also happens to be a month full of birthday parties and early summer fun..a good chance to visit with and say goodbye to friends. So, for the kids, this big transition is being marked by very tangible moments of accomplishment and letting go. I am so thankful for that. Here are the highlights from this week...

YMCA Soccer Ice Cream Social & Trophy Ceremony

While the cats were away, this mouse stayed home and packed, packed packed. But, when Hannah got home she was still on cloud nine over her trophy! She danced all around, placed it proudly on the dresser and then carried it around every where for a while. She almost fell asleep with it! :)

Water Play at the Park with Ella & Aden

I'm still not really sure what I'm going to do with out Brittney (Ella and Aden's Mom :). Not only is it quite possible that I will never have a whole year of 100% Visiting Teaching stats again :), but she is just such a great friend and there isn't anybody else like her. Benjamin will miss his Ella and Hannah her playmates! Thanks for all the fun times Filter family! 

He's not running here. He is dancing! 

Ben has an excited dance that delights the heart! :)

Benjamin Turns Two!!

Benjamin's 2nd Birthday began with a breakfast of pancakes and real maple syrup! Soo, yummy! :) Here he is digging in. Jared brought home balloons that morning, one of Ben's favorite things, in his favorite color.."geen!" Benjamin kept them close by throughout the meal. :)

For his next bit of Birthday fun we put the kids in their mud boots and took them out puddle stomping. Ben has really been wanting to get into the puddles this spring. We had been waiting until we unpacked the boots. After we did, there were a few days without rain, so the last time we tried, the stompin' wasn't quite as much fun as with great big full puddles. The night before Ben's birthday we got a great big rain and the puddles were perfect. He was delighted and the kids stomped and plashed until Ben fell in and we headed in for a bath. :) Wish we had pictures. 

Next up, haircuts at "Kidz Kutz." Hannah loved her "salon" experience! She was beaming the entire time!

Ben had a great time playing in the play area, but got pretty serious about having his hair cut. (He wanted to hold my hand. :)

Next was dinner at the Outback (which has nice gluten free menu) with Michael and Sally (our pals, the Hogues). Michael is really good buddies with our kids and Benjamin adores him! Thanks for celebrating with us guys! (And thanks to Michael for helping us heft heavy boxes around a couple times this week!)

Dinner ran long and so we headed home to bed instead of to cake. But that just meant Ben got two days of celebrating...quite appropriate, I thought! :) Day two included his presents, "A House is a House for Me" (a story book) and a sweet giraffe.


Then birthday cake! After we sang to him, he asked us to sing again. He joined in this time with gusto. :) Then he stuck the candle back in the cake and asked me to light it back up. He blew out his candle about ten times, loving every second of it! : ) Ben is so much fun! Happy Birthday, buddy! We love you!

Princess Party!

It was Hannah's first real princess party and she had a wonderful time. I was so glad to reunite and visit with my "Dance Moms." We became such sweet friends. I will miss them dearly.Playing doll house with Emma Jane.Showing off the lip gloss she just made.
Playing in the toy store.
Manicure time. Jenna is the birthday girl on the right.

 Jamie, Jenna's Mom and one of my "Dance Moms," is painting Hannah's nails.
Pizza!!

Happy Birthday Jenna!

Swim & Play Party

Again I stayed home for more sorting and packing, another nice benefit to all of these activities : ), but the kids swam and played the afternoon right away at Talon and Lauren's  party.