march, april and may. the recap.

march and april came and went.
ben turned SIX and we went to the beach.
it was chilly most of our time there but still, we were together doing practically nothing.
glorious.

josh turned ELEVEN and decided, for the first time, that he wanted one big gift instead of a birthday party. (the kids get to choose one or the other but not both)
he chose a paint ball gun.
heaven help me.



anna turned NINE and had a sleep over.
only one girl stayed until morning.
these girls and the drama.



josh gave up baseball and asked to play soccer instead.
he loves it and is learning more and more each practice.
it's amazing how much happier he is.

anna is still playing softball and doing gymnastics.
she hit her first home run a few weeks ago, and just this week, she hit a GRAND SLAM!
she also learned how to do a one-handed cartwheel and a front hand spring.
and had some art in the art show again.



ben has learned so much this year.
he's talking so much more and understands so much.
his favorite toys are a beach ball and a half of a pool noodle that he drags everywhere--our makeshift bat and ball for inside the house.
he can hit that ball like a champ!



he's learning to bump a volleyball and kick into a soccer goal too.
sitting still is not his specialty!



when we were at the beach in march, we found a house on the bay that we fell in love with.
we have spent years dreaming about owning a place at the gulf but everything was still too expensive and out of our reach.
when we found this little cottage, it felt like home in so many ways that it honestly surprised me.
and when we couldn't get it out of our minds, we decided to take a chance.
we are now proud owners of a little periwinkle cottage on mobile bay.





yesterday was davis' SIXth birthday.
even though the situation with russia is still unknown, he is still so much a part of our family.
what i wouldn't do to be there with him.
i pray he was celebrated and showered with love!
thank you all for remembering him in your prayers.

we are in the midst of end of the year school parties and awards ceremonies.
next week is the last week of school and then summer is officially here.
i can't wait for the slower pace and for all the activities to be over.
we are all craving some down time and a nice long break from all the crazy.
just one more week...