Stick a Fork in Me....

...I'm done.  Granted, this is a little saying borrowed from PW, but I cannot think of any other sentiment that would adequately describe my current state of being.  And if you actually did stick said fork in me, I probably wouldn't bother to protest much.  Maybe a small squeal, a slight quiver of the affected extremity and then I would again lie dormant in my doneness.

Oh, enough with the drama.  Somewhere back in the early part of May, that feeling of having it all together that I somewhat tentatively grasp, began to unravel, and it has been rolling downhill ever since.  I have had plenty to blog about, but just not the time or inclination to get it out there.  I wanted to blog about my Mom's birthday (May 2), Mother's Day, Maren's soccer games, Marissa's viola recital,  Marissa's fantabulous room redo, my 5K training (or lack thereof) and the Tulip Festival.  And maybe on the down side, the fact that my dad was once again in the hospital.  That journey has been harder than expected.  Someday I will write about that again, but not today.

On a lighter note, I think I will just cover all the above in one fell swoop.  So bear with me. 

Mom's Birthday.  Mom turned another year older on May 2.  She spent a large portion of the day assaulted by the clamor and noise of her 8 grandchildren.  She wouldn't have it any other way.  All her grandchildren complain about her wet, sloppy kisses, but they always seem to come back for more.  Even Jackson.  Lizzie is too young to know better and therefore carries the brunt of mom's affections, as you can see here.

 Lizzie doesn't really mind at all.  Mom loves all her grandchildren full well.  I think the feeling is mutual.  Happy Birthday Mom!

Which brings me to Mother's Day.  My heroes have always been Mothers.  The Captain and I have been blessed to come from good mothering stock. I had a wonderful day myself.  The Captain was gone, but he had coached the M's quite well.  I asked Maren if she was going to feed me breakfast in bed, and she went and got me a Dt. Dr. Pepper.  Good girl.  I love being a mom. So does my sister-in-law Michelle.  This pictures speaks Mother's Day to me.

Being a Mom means attending soccer games. Even in bitterly cold "Spring" weather.  I almost wished for a Snuggie.  Then I stopped.   I will not give in to the Snuggie.  I will prevail.  Anyhoo, this was Princess Maren's first year of soccer.  She seemed a little more interested in doing cartwheels on the sidelines or playing with her new soccer friend than actually chasing that silly soccer ball around.  She actually scored a goal.  Much to her surprise.  What can I say, she loves being a princess.

Moms also go to recitals.  Sweet Marissa had her first viola recital.  And in the words she loves so well -  she rocked!  So proud of her!

Moms also have to step back and let their babies grow up a bit.  Sweet Marissa recently decided that she needed her own room.  Some privacy. A place to call her own.  So we did some renovating in the basement guest room.  Here's the before and what Marissa thought of it.

Here's our after:

And Marissa helped.  Helped paint.  Picked colors. Made a cute little bulletin board insert for the back of her bookcase.  She did good.

Yes, she still tolerates a visit from the Princess Maren every now and then.

Moms occasionally try to end their lives prematurely by running participating in a 5K Run that they may or may not have adequately trained for.  I got a little off track with my C25K training program with Dad in the hospital and a little brush with the start of pneumonia this late winter/early Spring.  I had to do a little walking to get 'er done.  But regardless, I did it! I am proud of me. Next goal: complete a 5Kwithout walking. Notice no pictures here.  The IA Pilot Wife wogging just ain't pretty.

And at long last we come to the Tulip Festival.  We were happy to have the Captain's fam come to visit all the way from Wichita, KS, again this year.  Had a good time. Lots of laughs, lots of food, and maybe one too many parades. : )

The local yokels like to compare Tulip Festival battle scars. Goes something like this.

  We did Ride Night, 4 parades (afternoon and evening), street scrubbing in authentic Dutch costumes, saw the Dutch Dozen, the Night Show, ran the 5K and hit the Pancake Fly-In Breakfast.

 

Well, we'll raise you 6 parades, Jr. Dutch Dance times 4, float riding, one trolley ride, the Quilt Show, worked the poffertje stand,watched fireworks and the Night show, did Vande Fear AND we even made it to the Community church service on Sunday morning.

Phew!  Nothing speaks to our fine Dutch heritage like martyrdom.

So I will leave you with some shots of the Tulip Festival.  I feel much better.  I feel caught up.  I feel like I can go on.  To Kindergarten graduation, summer rec registration, last day of school.... ahhh guess I'm not quite done yet.

Ok.  Now, I'm done.