THE PARK POST

On Sunday my cousin Garan, his wife Ashley, and their three adorable kids came over to our house for dinner. Garan is selling alarm systems for the summer and they placed him here in Columbus, which we were thrilled about. I didn't realize how much my kids miss playing with their cousins until they were around some of our family. We went out on the balcony to watch the rain storm and Jackson decided it would be fun to take a shower. I realized this was my opportunity to actually make sure his hair was washed, since I have very little control over what he does in his shower these days. I scrubbed him good and felt satisfaction in knowing his hair would be clean for at least one day.

The father/son campout was this last weekend. Mike finally purchased our first tent for the occasion. Camping in our family usually means you sit around a camp fire and then shower and sleep at a condo/cabin for the night. But for this event they literally slept under the stars. Jackson loved every minute of the trip. He could be as dirty and sweaty as he wanted to be, and no mom around to nag him about it. They fished, played volleyball, went swimming in a pond, and enjoyed a chat around the campfire. Oh am I glad they don't do mother/son campouts!!

The last few months here have been gorgeous. We are used to Washington and Utah where it can still be raining or snowing on you until late May. In Georgia we have had 70 degrees or higher weather since early April and I am not complaining. These are just a few photos of our encounters with nature and food that make Spring, Spring.

Syd had to make a poster for Pre-K telling why she is special. She loves to create art projects and has a definite idea about how she wants things to look. She only wanted certain pictures on her board, and most importantly wanted her classmates to know she can ride a two-wheeler. Apparently that skill scores you big points in Pre-K. She did most of the board herself, with a little spacing help from me. On Thursday I went to the school for "Muffins with Mom." I guess Sydney didn't get the memo that she was supposed to be with me that day because she and her friend Caroline were stuck at the hip and she really didn't seem to notice I was there. When her teacher tried to take a picture of us together, she refused (the stubborn streak comes out more often lately). But when I offered to take one with her and Caroline she gladly hopped into the picture. As the other kids excitedly gave their moms the traditional tiled handprint gift, Sydney went ahead and opened it for h...

Here are a few of McKell's favorite things: Violin Xplosion Music Group Fitness!!