May Recap

After a long and cold spring, temps are finally starting to warm up and the evenings are getting longer! We've been trying to get in as much outdoors time as possible in between the jam-packed weekends. More often than not, it has been back-to-back events too so its been hard to just sit and relax. 

We started off the month with our long-awaited family cruise to Bermuda! We booked this trip last year in November during a Black Friday deal. We were so busy last summer with buying, moving, selling homes that we were too tired at the end of all of it to think about vacation. We did do small local getaways trip but really, nothing beats getting away for a week and not having to worry about meals or chores!  

The kids being ultimate tourists studying maps and carrying their little backpacks.
People got a chuckle at their studiousness as they walked by.

The sand was so soft and a beautiful pink hue.
It was a little gray to start the day but the sun came out in full force eventually.

This is the raw photo and the colors are already stunning.
No filters were applied to any of these photos. 

We attempted to do at least one meal in the dining hall each day and were successful!
A long, drawn-out meal with children can be quite trying but they are such good kids <3
This was one of my entree choices for dinner. I'm not a real foodie, but this I had to get a photo.
It tasted as good as it looked! 

Our new town has a free soccer club for kids aged 5-6 and C was finally old enough to join the spring co-ed team. His jersey number (randomly given) makes me laugh everytime I see it. C really seems to enjoy soccer so we have him signed up again for the fall as well. 

We participated in our neighborhood/town-wide garage sale. It happens every other year and is apparently quite a highly anticipated event. Our neighborhood association handed out little price sticker tags, shopping maps, and even set up all the signs to advertise. The event lasted all day. We could only set up for about 2-3 hours and were still pretty successful with sales! 

The kids were invited to THREE birthday parties this month, so we basically had a party every single weekend lol They were always so much fun though and it is rewarding seeing our kids make connections and build up their own little community. 

Onyx has been home with us for about 6 months. He is SO clever and picks up on routines/patterns quick. In other words, he knows exactly what to do but often opts for "selective" obedience especially during mealtimes. If there is food involved, he is game on. 

With summer quickly approaching, I do hope to continue these monthly recaps even as our days (and nights) get more and more busy.

Hopefully a reader (or two) is enjoying the posts as much as I enjoy putting these together. It is always amazing to see just how much life has happened in just a single month; definitely something worth celebrating and remembering! 

April Recap

This month's recap post is happening a little earlier, but our days and weeks have been so packed that honestly just a small snippet is enough here lol 

We had several glorious breaks in the cold and enjoyed more time outside together as a family and with close friends. 

C had spring break week so we all took a couple days off together. 
We checked out a new play gym on the cold rainy day. 

We stopped by a local nature center as well and really enjoyed it! 

Family barn weekend!
I spent a long time grooming and shedding out Quest's winter fuzz. 

Cookies, please? 
Quest is doing SO good and handled this past winter very well. I will forever lament how hard it has been to find a closer barn though. I've been searching since last July. Nothing suitable has turned up and I have actually been ghosted by several barns...but I'm a firm believer that the right doors open when they should. 

Nice weather = more zoo trips and more animals out on display. 
We finally saw the baby lion cubs after missing out so many times. 

We enjoyed a really nice day at Legoland during opening week and got perfect weather.
The kids were braver for the rides this time which makes me very excited for future theme park trips.

I happened to see this gem one evening during daycare pickup. 
My son is a literal poster child for reducing paper towel waste haha

Baby girl T had her royal princess-themed birthday party. 
This was her first "venue" party and we wanted to make it special.
I made the cupcakes and think they turned out pretty nice (: 

Bring Your Child to Work Day 2026 
My husband's company has an office location in One World Trade. 
The kids ate fancy snacks all day and now think that's what their dad does all day lol 

<3

My kids helping me clean up around the house. 
They do their best and I appreciate it. 

More kid birthday parties!
This playgym had a ton of super cool climbing features. 
C was brave and tried pretty much everything at least once. I was very proud of him.

Our local environmental center had it's annual Earth Day Celebration. 
They usually bring in a bunch of vendors, including a petting zoo. 
T got a pony ride and said hi to all the animals -
but what she really loved was feeding the 3-month old baby goats. 

Rewind: Trail Riding in Spain

My husband finally decided to tackle sorting through his years of junk e-mail and stumbled on pure gold. 

A fellow trail rider had taken took a few photos of our group in Barcelona while riding in Montserrat and actually also remembered to send them to us. They aren't the best quality, but they capture a very special time and moment for us. It was a beginner level ride but I got paired up with a super cute chestnut Arab mare named Mariposa which made it more fun for me. 

It was so nice to look back and remember what an amazing time we had on our honeymoon almost SEVEN years ago! Our life looks very different now, but not any less amazing.

March Recap

It was a wild and crazy month, in terms of everything. The weather couldn't decide what it wanted to be, poor C and W's seasonal allergies started up, and we had a very dramatic end to the month. Details below...

Cold frigid weekends mean we hunkered down and watch indoor go-kart racing.  

First brief respite in the temps = we are outdoors!

He is a very good noodlehorse boy.

Big bro helps his sister stuff her BAB birthday bear.
The machine is quite loud. I don't fault her for being scared of it. 

She enjoyed the shopping portion much more.

Mmmm...food samples!
My kids love family shopping trips to Costco.

Reading on weekend mornings.
There is always a steady supply of fresh library books thanks to my husband!  

My baby girl turned 3!
She posed when I told her to smile for this photo haha 

I finally set up my art/computer desk and finished up a very overdue personal memorial project. It felt so good to scratch the creative itch and have a dedicated art space again.

We went to our new town's annual Easter Egg Hunt.
The kids were in two different age group events.
C did awesome and held his own among kids 2-3 years older than him.

I helped baby girl and we found one of the golden eggs!
She got a special prize and has been cuddling it since then. 

I was in the office at work when the cameras in my driveway and backyard started going off like crazy. NGL it was very scary seeing huge black clouds of smoke pouring from the neighbor's garage and being completely helpless to do a single thing. I called W who was working at home to check on him/our house and it sounded like the fire department was on its way already. I watched my next-door neighbor jump our backyard fence and try to put out the fire using a household-sized extinguisher while the firefighters were en route. 

Unfortunately I have a 99.9% confirmed suspicion that this was probably caused by the neighbor himself. He smokes cigarettes outside his house and that location is his usual spot. Thankfully no one was hurt, but it is scary to see in aftermath how bad it could potentially have been. 

February Recap

Another month has flown by! I am starting to look forward to making these recap posts. It is a nice way to look back on everything and be excited for what is to come. 

The kids working on the monthly craft project at Home Depot.
We have been going pretty regularly and have become friends with the employees and other families. 

Husband and I celebrated Valentine's Day by trying a new-to-us restaurant.
The food was okay, but we value and enjoy our time together so it always worth it. 

My shadow is always watching...
It's been 3 months since Onyx came home, which is a major milestone in the adoption timeline.
I think I have a pretty good read on his personality now. He is definitely the quintessential greyhound, and more like a cat than a dog in someways. 

I had a really productive puzzle month! This one was my favorite. 

We bit the bullet and splurged on Legoland Season Passes.
In addition to theme park perks, the pass includes unlimited admission to a bunch of
other attractions like the Legoland Discovery Center and SeaLife aquarium.
The kids had SO much fun. 

In case you haven't heard...there was another snowstorm.
The kids were cooped up at home with us for a couple days,
so I introduced them to one of my favorite childhood movies. 

We had a break in the cold weather and did playground/park day. 
We swung by the barn first to check on Quest. The fur kids got to meet for the first time. 

Quest was perfect from the get-go (as I expected). Onyx was a little more wary but he warmed up and behaved very well. This photo makes me all sorts of happy on the inside <3 

We were enjoying the last bit of warm afternoon sun on the weekend.
Onyx has a whole entire fenced yard to himself but he always chooses me.
He gives the best hugs.