Bday Party!

This year the Grand Opening of the Swing set was the setting for Sam's party. At first I was going to limit it to 5, but there are so many kids in the neighborhood and so many have siblings I was like, "Whatever, just come over and play!"

Picnic in the shade!

 A Jordan

 A Wesley

 THE Estella

The Cousins

 Unofficial Brother

 Hottest gift- Trolls Cinema Book.  Literally every scene of the movie in comic format.  Both girls are still obsessed!

 A Benes

 An Asmus

 Chilaxing

This is what "whatever, just come and play!" looks like!

Bubbles are a serious business.

Happy Birthday (again) Samantha!!!!

Playset

When we first moved in Audra gifted us her playset.  It got moved every year as the grass died around it and it got used a LOT.

So many memories!

Very typical scene

The neighborhood played on it HARD. Little by little things broke.  A swing rubbed through the metal ihooks.  The bench swing could no longer be repaired.  And then one day three big kids decided to all swing together.  Since we never anchored it- the swing set lifted, swayed and permanently angled to where it could no longer be used. 
Luckily,  your daddy and I had been plotting for months on a replacement.  We talked about what we wanted (staked, closer to the house) and what was used the most (cross bar as a pull-up bar, swings and the bench swing). 
Your daddy spent mother's day giving me an awesome gift building your new set from scratch while I kept everyone else alive and fed. 

We added little by little after the frame was done but we desperately needed those swings back up.  You and Charlotte both spend HOURS swinging every day when it's nice.

Slide and swing used from original set!

Also- SHADE!!!  It's shaded for most of the day now!

Not a bench swing, but the best we could come up with!

Two pieces still missing (balance beam and monkey bars) but we're calling it good for this year!  We're pooped!

The neighborhood is very happy once again.  And sweaty!

First Communion

Your first communion was THE event this Spring.

Your Godfather and honorary Godmother made a surprise trip up to be there with you!

We celebrated with STEAK!  Jeremy and Johnny couldn't be bothered to stop.  It was gooooood.

GG made your AMAZING dress.  With beads left over from when she made MY dress!

SO beautiful

Waiting for her guests

Rogene, who made our wedding cake, made Samantha's deliciously sugar-filled cake and cupcakes!  Charlotte informed everyone that those were "Chalices" on the cupcakes, not cups.

Johnny loved introducing himself, "Hello, I'm the Godfather."

These two!

Gabe :)

Saving for future wedding slide-show???

Little Luke Skywalker photobomb

Attempting a family picture (cause we forgot at Easter)

Oh well!

CONGRATULATION SAMANTHA!!

Swim Date

Samantha's best friend is still Estella from preschool! 

Oh, the conversations I overheard in the car!!

We picked up a friend of Estella's who fit RIGHT in with the dynamic duo.  In the car they got onto the topic of who weighed the most.  Sam, sadly, lost.  By a lot.

I tried to get a picture of all three jumping in at once.

"I'm going to count, 1, 2, 3 JUMP"

"1...2...

3...No, wait until I say jump!"

"Ok, let's try again..."

"1...2...3...wait!  Wait til you hear 'jump'"

"Ok, third time's a charm..."

upsie daisy...

"1..2...3...JUMP!"

Close enough :)