Strawberry fields forever.

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Sweet Berry Farm is one of our family favorites for picking spring strawberries...

In fact, we have been visiting the farm for quite some time (almost 5 years!!) and a visit is always an adventure.

Strawberries are always consistently awesome. It is the people that keep changing...

This year, we snuck in a "Lucy May Farm Day" as an early celebration of her Easter Sunday birthday the next day. I think that whenever you share a birthday with a major holiday... you should get an extra day to celebrate JUST you. So we did. 

The animals were on board.

Friday night the farm must have enjoyed a good deal of rain because Saturday proved to be fairly empty and SUPER muddy...

Kids stuck in mud is just about the funniest thing on the planet. Especially if one of those kids includes a certain Molly May-- who often has big opinions about MUD. I don't know that I have laughed that hard in a long time. Not to mention, I finally got a look at what it is to be about 3 inches taller. Have to say... I was a fan. 

My favorite moment though for sure was our visit with the horses. 

A horse took to sniffing Gabe's strawberries which he nervously thought was delightful...

That is until a certain bossy older sister pointed out a sign with RULES.

The fact that the horse did not forget about the strawberries and the guilty look of "are the farmers going to be mad at me?!" resulted in one of our most favorite Gabriel May faces.

Farming adventures... never gets old for these City Slickers.

Some Texas Blue

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Living in Texas the seasons here don't typically follow predictable patterns. Sure it may be "spring" but in some cases that can include a 40 degree temperature change with late ice, rain and then bright summer sun... all in the same day. You learn to roll with it.

While I ADORE the possibility of spring inclement weather... not for all the damage but more for all the colorful weather maps... it too is no consistent marker of a specific Texas season.

When I need to know that spring is coming... and with it the hope of less February gray and the more days of whispy, welcoming blue... I don't look to the sky, rather I look to the ground.

On the hunt for these bad boys. 

I can't begin to describe the joy I feel in my heart...

when I look out to a field full of dazzling blue...

Spring is my most favorite time to live in the Texas Hill Country. Sure you have the battling of horrendous allergies...quite possibly from what I have read the very worst place in the entire country for allergies... BUT you get Roundtop antique week, waterholes, wine tours, hiking trails, strawberry farms, hill country camping... so very many opportunities to just explore and live in the sunshine...

Not to mention a great excuse to get some cutey shots of my little people.

Hill Country goodness?? BRING. IT. ON.

The greatness of eight!

...

For as much as the work week can just seem to drag on and on, I feel like I blink and we are already taking another sticker month photo...every single time. 

HOW IN THE WORLD DOES THAT ADD UP?

Oh, 8 months. You are pretty magical.

I mean, there's the toothy smiles, the cooing, the laughing... if you weren't all wrapped in fiber glass, I am sure there would be the other things like sitting, crawling, bathing... 

Milestones, schmilstones. You make EIGHT look GREAT.

Big month for you, Nanners.

Possibly most noteworthy was the acquisition of your newest green gear. Surgery II has officially come and gone and you are looking quite fabulous in your lovely Irish green. It came just in time for St. Patrick's Day. Our Orthopedic Surgeon was so supportive of your green cast that he called his PA to run by his office on the way to the operating room and grab the perfect shade of green. It would seem everyone is a wee bit o' Irish in March.

Every time you go back in the OR under anesthesia, I am a ball of nerves. Even though all these procedures occur at my place of work, in a room I visit FREQUENTLY with patients... having my own child in that space is something that I will never feel comfortable with. You know what, I am okay with that. It is healthy boundary for me to maintain Mom mode with my little Mays... so that I can be a better Child Life Specialist when at work.

That anesthesia recovery never feels great.

But man, give you a couple hours...

 and you bounce back with haste. Have I mentioned how incredible you are?

We are halfway there through these surgeries and couldn't be more ready for June 1st. Next surgery scheduled for April 23rd and as an added bonus with a slightly shorter cast, we will once again get to see a little bit of those sweet legs we miss so much! Sitting? Crawling? Meh... KICKING. What a milestone that will be!

All that Irish green casting was the perfect addition to your Irish ensemble. We all agreed... there was NO way that you were getting pinched.

St. Patty's found you with a bit of RSV... "ish"... quite honestly, it never really amounted to more than some booger sucking, coughing, little bit of fever and extra sleeping/nursing sessions. Nothing we couldn't handle. Regardless, we did cancel our Irish potluck with buddies and quite frankly I was okay with it... Mommy and Daddy be crazy tired these days. 

But not you. You are too busy exploring all the new found loves in your life.

Like measuring spoons. There are very few things in this world you love more than measuring spoons.

You additionally discovered the greatness of playing with Lucy. She lets you knaw on lots of plastic play food and it apparently is exquisite. God help the person that tries to take that rubber piece of bacon from your clutches.

With the welcome of breezy and cooler March, came the return of patio dining. Bustling leaves, kids at play, live music and twinkly overhead lights? SOLD.

And because we weren't already sleep exhausted, back-pained and INSANE enough, we decided to attempt your very first tent camping trip... in a spica cast. It went beautifully! Seems that you mesh right in to camping with your siblings just fine.

It's the Annie May version of "roughing it".  (You can bet your bunnies that pacifier on the ground was most likely popped right back in your mouth seconds after this picture. 15 second rule?? No?)

I have a billion more pictures I could post from this month because it has been such a fun month with your growing personality! 

But I won't post them! It seems you might be on to me these days.

Ok... just kidding... one more.

You are so dang cute, kid.

We are incredibly thankful you're ours.

Lucy's FOUR.

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The other day on the playground, you rolled up to the playscape and a fifth-grader informed you that you were "it". Without missing a beat, you hopped of your scooter, helmet still on tight, walked right up to this towering fifth grade boy and immediately informed him that, "NOPE. I gave my it to someone else already." And turned and scooted away.

In that moment, I couldn't help but smile. What a perfect example of the fierce warrior you are. Afraid of nothing and ready to take on the world... immediately. God help anyone that attempts to stand in your way.

Kid, you are our household mastermind and you NEVER cease to amaze me. Pick the lock with a bobby pin to get out of your room? No big deal. Scooter downhill at 20 mph like you have longboarded for years? Done. The last one to sleep on movie night while nestled between your snoring siblings? Old news.

Your stride, ENORMOUS eyes, insane hair and awesome dance moves are so completely and wonderfully you. What you lack in stature, you beyond make up for in zest. You can determine a person's weakness almost within minutes of meeting them. Poor Gabriel, he doesn't stand a chance against you. Not going lie... there are so many days I stand in awe of your unfaltering confidence and witty sense of humor. We would have so much fun together if we were the same age... but alas, I get to parent you instead. Talk about daily checks and balances of keeping you safe but not crushing your spirit in the process. You are growing me as a parent every single day.

A couple weeks ago you helped me with a band-aid on my finger and I mentioned what an incredible doctor you could be one day. Silly me. How quick you were to remind me that you were going to be a popstar and sing in a band. And you know what? You probably will. Just remember how much Daddy and I love going to concerts down the road... perhaps some VIP seating??

Here's to you, Lucy May. My big and mighty four-year-old. What an adventurous year to come!

Love,
Mommy



Lucy's FOUR! from Julie May on Vimeo.

Spring Camping 2015

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I walked up from the bathroom to my friend's husband, coffee in one hand, Annie in the other like an outward facing, casted football just breeze right past me towards the camp fire with every intention of planting it in a chair with our youngest for a gradual morning wake up.

**side note: camping kids wake up hella early**

My own husband -- a couple tents down -- was showing two little girls (neither of them my child) how to help take apart (or perhaps put together??) some part of the tent. Gabriel was off with my friend and her son renting what would later become hilarious petal bike chariots, Lucy was hiding out in her bestie's sleeping space and Molly was far across a field, halfway up a tree, all lanky and laughing in the morning sun.

Of all the very many ways to love me... this moment was by far the best.

I think that it is very possible that for the first time in about 13 weeks, I took a deep breath and welcomed in that moment of beautiful and easy.

People sometimes ask how it is possible that Kelly and I manage to survive camping with four smallish children. The answer is so very simple.

We don't. We camp with 17 smallish children.

We know our limits. The power of community is something fierce and magical.

It's loud, chaotic and somebody is almost always naked.

But the chance to charge head strong in to battle with your freak flag just a blowin' in the air?

take a topless, glow-stick, hayride under the stars with your favorites...

coordinate an egg hunt between 19 fast moving, overly exhausted little people...

forever changes your heart.

Where exploration is endless...

The company is vast...

and the sunshine is abundant...

How can you do anything but grow from it?

If only I could capture that much sunshine in my everyday. Oh, the possibilities that would bring.

Sun through the storm.

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I was dreaming of a post night shift slumber but awoke instead to a very persistent voice on the monitor reminding me there was some sunlight to catch in our day.

Sunlight and Coffee.

Honestly, that is pretty much all that is holding the fort in our pantry these days...

It would seem the grocery store has become a long forgotten friend and while I sincerely had every intention of paying a visit.. my sleepy brain accidentally landed us at the park instead. Oops.

Who knew that a 43 minute jaunt to the park would gift us unexpected fun with a neighborhood friend who Lucy insists is "definitely named Duckling" and his precious baby brother...the proud recipient of all of Lucy's persistent affections? While sweet baby boy is the youngest of four and perhaps more tolerant of crazy, I am pretty confident Lu still managed to push that threshold a bit.

*Sidenote... ant bites are healing*

Early afternoon welcomed the most ridiculous "diagnostic appointment" with a plumber-- which essentially consisted of him standing in my home doing absolutely nothing and me yawning in the corner of the room while this appointment crept dangerously close to nap time.

Had I not been so sleepy from my previous night-shift and distracted by the cuteness of Annie eating puffs (which completely adhered to her drooly spots like glue and had Lucy in deep belly laughter)

I would have landed the plumber a classic Gabriel May, "I'm super annoyed" face.

That would have showed him.

You see, Mondays can tend to be long as I have limited sleep, lots o' extra curriculars and then a good ole' additional night shift to boot. Yet, when your kid comes bouncing to the car exclaiming how she can't wait for her next math session, as she had just hula-hooped some math concepts in the sunshine with her teacher after school, immediately my crunchiness softens and I find myself detouring from dance towards impromptu chocolate dipped cones--- all the while thanking the heavens for the amazing teachers of this world. More of that, please.

Spring is finally coming, friends.

Her palate is flourishing through the grays and browns and calling us to play.

Play... too bad we know nothing about that.

*Sidenote...Lucy is terrible at guessing flavors*

Here's to more sunshine and a bunch less gray.