May showers, May flowers and Mother's Day

After Justin spent a lot of time replacing her bike tube, Erica and I went for a little bike ride around the neighborhood. She was the only child home that Saturday evening so we had already taken her out for Mexican food. Someday soon the kids will compare notes and figure out if they are the only kid to stay home on a weekend night, they most likely get taken out.

Awesome girl that she is picked the Baby-sitters Club book.

 Sometimes it rains really hard and sometimes the drain at the corner next door gets backed up with debris and then our gutter gets full. And then our kids always make paper boats and float them down the gutter river. There were workers at the corner the next day cleaning the storm drain so maybe it won't happen again for awhile.

After playing gutter boats, it turned into tub boats and then the littles, already being in their swimming suits of course, decided to take a cold plunge challenge. They were shivering forever but wouldn't get out until I called it at bedtime.

At school the kids were making mothers day cards to go with their gifts. Isaac leans over and looks at Shep's drawing and says encouragingly, "Shep, that looks just like your mom."

What made the interaction even more funny was that Shep looked offended by the comment.

It took me like 3 hours but I finally got the garden cleared. It took so long because we didn't do much clearing out last fall. Shriveled tomato plants still in their cages, onion plants revived and needed picking. Justin and I took the girls to buy plants and then we made all the kids come out to mix in the compost and plant.

Lets hope the interest in the garden continues and it doesn't all die, dry, rot or taken over by weeds.

Mother's day! My kids always do such a good job because they like cooking and holidays. And me. They like me. I requested toast topped with cottage cheese and a fried egg and they delivered.

Justin got me flowers and a new cellphone with a much better camera. I'm excited for that.

The handmade gifts are always my favorite. James made me this at school and a Perler bead mountain at home. 

James also made me a coupon book at school full of free chores and days off of him asking for a turn on the computer. 

Erica made ma lovely card and a flower out of Perler beads.

And a paper kickball because the real thing was to be delivered later that day.

Sarah got me gummy candy and Henry got me the good chocolate chips because making and eating chocolate chip cookies for these goobers is my happy place.

At church I got to do a Q&A with the young women and share my thoughts and experiences on dating, marriage, and motherhood and bear my testimony. And I got to know them better which was the best part.