May flowers

May. Also went ridiculously fast. Temperatures rose, daffodils and tulips bloomed, and we started mowing the lawn every week. It rained a solid week or two, so we got a slow start on some spring-time fun.

 The girls beaded some headbands

We blew bubbles on the deck

My dad came to town for a few days...he had a business meeting in Chicago, so he spent three days with us. And we put him to work. He built me two planter boxes, 3'x10', which after he left, I ever-so-painfully-and-slowly filled with 2 cubic yards of topsoil. I had to take the dirt from our driveway to the far corner of our backyard, where I thought we would get the best sun (and least amount of interference from children). My back is still in pain. But my garden is planted. More photos of that to come.

After Dad's meeting in Chicago, we went to the Shedd Aquarium. Photo dump follows...

After Dad left, we started having marvelous 70 degree weather. So we went to the beach whenever possible. One reason I love the location of our house - one mile from a nice little-known beach on Lake Michigan. If it weren't for getting so sandy, we would go every day.

Once when we were there with friends they actually found buried treasure - a total of about 65 cents - so it was hard to pull Hattie from that spot as her pirating dreams were literally coming true.

When Dad was here, he got started building a swing set, which Paul finished up throughout the month. The kids pretty much live outside now.

Random, I know, but while cleaning the laundry room, Niels discovered the hole in our floor, designed for flood drainage (I think), which is usually covered by a rug. He couldn't stop putting stuff inside it. He hasn't been that entertained in months.

And my silly Anna-bug, who, when being baby sat at a friends' house, preferred to sleep on the kitchen floor rather than in bed with Hattie.

 And who, a few days later, conked out naked on the floor after a bath. I love this little bug.