Pool Season is Open!

We had a lot less prep to get the pool set up this year.  Our dirt pad stayed in great condition over the winter and required minimal work.  We did have to start a much larger project that will be featured in a future post.

I started filling it on Tuesday last week and it finished on Wednesday.  We have a new hose that has a much greater output and it filled in half the time as last year.  It was pretty brisk coming from the ground.

Parker has been asking for weeks about the pool and wanted to get in right away.  Jimmy was hesitant, but I let him give it a go.

He didn't last too long with how cold it was, about 59 degrees.

Esme finally hopped in Saturday. These kids are brave!

I took my first dip on Sunday and it was to about 70.  The solar cover has been doing some heavy lifting and we will be at a good temp in no time.

Esme's Special Lunch and Field Day

I got to pull double duty at Esme's school this week.

On Monday, I got to join her for lunch to celebrate completing 12 extra sight word clubs (24 total).

I brought her a special treat for after lunch.

She got to choose a few friends to join us.  I don't get a chance to talk to other 7 year olds much, so that was fun.

On Thursday, I volunteered to help with her school field day.  I was her class helper and moved them between stations.  We lucked out with the water ones first, so they had time to dry off.

It was also color day in her class and they tried to wear as many colors as possible.  Her and Elinor looked great in tie-dye.  They finished with freezies!

Several kids remembered me from her birthday party and it was fun to get to know the whole class a little better.

The Middle of May

Here is a quick snippet of what we've been up to.  We hung our with our favorite baby cousins.

We made several trips to our favorite store.

Esme got a belated birthday gift, the Bluey Camper that included a Jean Luc figure.  I think this completes her collection of Bluey toys.

We finally got out to one of our niece, Emma's, softball games.

We had Rick over for dinner again.  Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas this time.

Esme was shy at first, but warmed up to him after we started playing Mario Kart.

Finally, on Mother's Day I joined in with a couple of our senior high schoolers to wear my prom dress to church with them.  Jamarcus wore his finest duds as well!

The Bride is Right - Anagrace's Bridal Shower

I had the honor of co-hosting a bridal shower at church for my friend and pastor's daughter, Anagrace.  She is a young and fun gal, so I proposed a "The Price is Right" theme and she loved it.  I did a similar thing for a baby shower back in 2015 and have been itching to do it again.

I took charge of the game and game specific decor including a custom sign and price name tags.

I made a powerpoint fot the game and was able to repurpose a wheel we have at church.

My co-host, Jinjer, took care of managing the guest list and food, including this awesome donut wall!

We had a variety of brunch staples and a tasty beverage bar.

Sherry also helped with the decor.  Here are the three hosts with the bride-to-be.

I found a skinny microphone backstage that was the perfect finishing touch to my hosting duties.  We had 6 rounds of bidding on items that were on their registry, plus a dream honeymoon showcase showdown that the moms of the bride and groom participated in.  There were just the right number of people that everyone got to participate.

We closed with more food, gift opening, and prayers for the couple.