The May Seven

Summer Cuts

2009-07-01T12:20:00.000-07:00

As a very proud mommy, I just had to show off the very cute summer cuts my two big girls got today. It just doesn't get any prettier than this!!! :)

We have a climber!

2009-06-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

We have noticed in the past few days that Cambria seems to have discovered her insane climbing ability. Maybe, it's just been awhile since I've had a 14 month old, but I don't remember so much crazy climbing going on at this age!
The other night we were in Avery and Valie's room getting them ready for bed and I turn around to see Cambria attempting the bottom step of Avery's top bunk ladder. I stand there to observe exactly how far she'll get, and in a matter of moments she is at the top (SO proud of herself), crawling around all over Avery's bed! We now must remember to remove the ladder during the day!
And yesterday when I got home from work, Tom tells me about how she carried the little foot stool over to the kitchen table. Then used it to climb onto the chair and from there got up onto the table. Crazy girl! I have a feeling we could be in trouble with this one! :)

Meet May Baby #5!

2009-06-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

Tom and I had the joy of seeing our newest child this past Tuesday, through the 20 week ultrasound. Yay! We are happy to report that Baby is growing perfectly and is right on track developmentally! Praise God! As with all but one of our previous pregnancies, we chose to wait on finding out gender. Thank goodness Tom is strong in our resolve to be patient. I, for one, get to the room and falter in my resolution every time. But he did not! And, after the fact, I am so glad for the surprise that awaits us when we get to hold this new family member. There is nothing like it!

Meet Baby #5! :)

May Baby clip #1

May Baby clip #2

And, here is a rare glimpse of me by picture during pregnancy. This shot was taken on Tuesday after our ultrasound. (I know, I look huge! Can I make my excuse be because it's #5!?!!!)

20 weeks

I am so grateful to have the confirmation that everything is great with this little one so far. We're 1/2 way there!!! :)

Cambria at 1 year

2009-06-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of this month I took Cambria to get her 1 yr pictures taken. It wasn't the best she's done with pictures, I think mainly because she did not have her siblings there for encouragement. And although she wasn't extremely cooperative, I think we were able to get a few cute shots. So, here are the best and the worst...!

The best...

...and the worst!"don't let go, Mommy!"

"you DID let go!"

"How about I lay down and cry, then?"

"or maybe I should just look cute and tear up your props, hmm?"
(I wonder where that silent rebellion comes from....)

All in all, we captured the many moods of Cambria. And isn't that what milestone pictures are all about?! :)

Happy 4th Birthday, Valie!!!

2009-06-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

We had a fun and exciting Saturday this past weekend celebrating Valie's 4th birthday.
She chose to have her party this year at J&R Gymnastics here in town - and she loved every minute of it!

At the age of 4, Valie is our firecracker, as those who know her best will testify!! Life with her is never dull! She is sweet and loving (most of the time!) and extremely passionate about everything she does. She is a defender of justice and will not hesitate to let you know if she feels an injustice has been done! She will defend herself and anyone around her with no timidness. She loves fiercely and gives stronger, harder hugs and kisses than anyone I know! She also wants to be able to do anything and gets frustrated if she can't do it on the first try. For that reason, she exhibits more concentration and persistance than most other 4 year olds I know. She is excitement, enthusiasm, energy and all other action words rolled up together in one cute little package.

*I can't wait to see what God's got in store for this amazing little girl!* Because whatever it is, it will be big. You watch and see!!!

Happy Birthday, my Valie! We love you so much!

Dance Recital

2009-06-08T13:02:00.001-07:00

Avery had her dance recital on Friday and Saturday of this past weekend. Can I just say, it was cute, and exhausting, and cute...! In fact, perhaps I should titled this post as the Week of Dance! It seemed to be all consuming last week, with group pictures at the studio on Tuesday, dress rehearsal on Thursday and the recital on Friday night and Saturday. One thing I will say about The Pointe Dance Studio that she goes to, is it's very professionally run and operated. As if all these children are being reared up to be professional dancers. And maybe they will be - who knows!!? They put on a great performance. While I was there volunteering back stage on Friday night, one of the other mom's told me, "Ms. Katherine (the owner) doesn't put on a recital, she puts on a show!!" And so she did. Anyway, here are a few pictures of Avery in her costume.

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And as a side note (if you haven't had enough cute for the day), our neighbor invited us over this weekend to pick our fill of homegrown tomatoes. The kids LOVED it, especially because our tomato plants have yet to flower for some reason!! We've known for a while that Cambria is a lover of tomatoes and will eat them until we take them away! She got a hold of one and munched on it for the entire wagon ride back to our house until it was totally gone! Gotta love summer gardens!

Graduation - Kinder Style!

2009-06-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

Last month, in the midst of clearing over 500 bachelors degree candidates at work for my College at Texas State University, our family was celebrating graduation on the other end of the spectrum. Carson graduated from Kindergarten to 1st grade and Avery graduated from Pre-K to Kinder! :) I'm sure my pride at each (very cute) ceremony could easily rival those parents I saw watching their college grads walk the stage! Here are a few pictures.

Carson waiting with his class to "walk the stage"

With his class on stage
Checking out his diploma
:)

Avery's graduating class

So smart.... ;)
Her 2 very sweet best friends from pre-k

I can't believe I now have 2 school aged kiddos! :)

In addition to that excitement, the month of May held so many busy activities, I don't even know where to start. We had Spring performances at church and school, award ceremonies (Carson received a "Terrific Kid" award in his class), Field Days and Splash Days at school, Field trips, etc..... Not to mention, work was extremely busy for me in May.

And June is gearing up to be just as busy. The three oldest kids will be attending a Summer Fun Day Camp at a christian school here in town, 3 days a week during the summer. Summer Fun will involve swimming, gymnastics, bowling, and other activities every week. And we've hired a very sweet high school student from church to come to our home to watch Cambria on 2 of those 3 days when Tom and I will both be at work. They are very excited about all of that! I'll try to post as I can, but be patient if electronic contact slows down for me as other things occupy my time! :)

Baby #5 update: Things are moving along, quite literally! I'll be 17 weeks tomorrow and have been feeling lots of tiny movements this past week. How fun! I had a regular OB appt last Thursday and got to hear a strong heartbeat! We have scheduled our 20 week ultrasound for June 23rd, which I'm so excited about. It's always so nice to get that confirmation of another healthy baby!

Happy Summer! Check back later for more updates!

Poem

2009-05-05T11:54:00.000-07:00

I was directed to a very sweet poem by my sister this afternoon that I wanted to share with you guys. It is posted on the blog of a mutual friend of ours. If you have an extra moment, pop over there and check it out! I hope you enjoy! :)

Name Change!

2009-04-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

That's right! This blog has changed it's name from The May Six to.... The May Seven! How's that for an intro into "We're Pregnant"!!!! Yes, again. :)
It took a little while for it to sink in, but I believe we are ready to make it known to the world that we will be welcoming this 5th little blessing into our lives in early November. We are thrilled, and humbled, that God has given us another one of His children, along with the promise that He will never give us more than we can handle!!

So, may I perhaps answer some questions for you that you may be inclined to ask, in hopes that you will join with us in the Joy that is a Child.
*Was it planned? Always - in God's plan!
*Was this an accident? There are no accidents - certainly not when we're talking children.
*Don't you know what causes this? Most definitely, thank you very much.
*How are you feeling? Um, tired, thanks. :)
*Are you happy? Of course, how could we be otherwise?
*Are you crazy? Only crazy in love, with each other and our kiddos!

Hopefully, I covered most of them for you. If not check here where you'll probably find your question and you can pick your own answer!! :) Or feel free to ask me, I will happily hear any questions or comments on one condition - that they are not negative!! We only want positive thoughts around here, thanks!! :)

I would love to leave you with some reading material on children and God's Plan. I found my way over to Jennifer at Conversion Diary for a beautiful post that explains so well her thoughts on family - to which I say "Amen!". If you don't have time to read it, let me tell you in summary Jennifer writes, "Children are only burdens when they're theoretical. Once they're here, you don't need any further analysis to know that they are priceless gifts from God, that whatever you had to sacrifice for them to exist was a small price to pay."

Please also visit my online friend, Courtney at Storing Up Treasures in Heaven. She eloquently writes, "I believe the world NEEDS more people who will change it. I believe the world needs more people who will preach the gospel to the lost. I believe that God desires this also. I believe that He is pleased when a new life enters the world or an orphan finds a home. I believe the angels rejoice. Satan's greatest tool is to deceive Christians into thinking that children are a burden. These days many Christians are choosing not to have children. When Christians stop having children, the world grows darker. One day we will not be here, and our children and grandchildren will need to carry the torch. They will need to be a light in an ever increasing dark world."

We are thrilled with the upcoming addition to our family. We hope you will share in our joy and excitement!! Thanks for being a part of our lives! :)

Conversations

2009-04-27T06:34:00.000-07:00

Carson: It's a windy day today.
Me: Yes.
Carson: Bad day to be a bird!
Me: (pause) ...really? Um, yeah, I guess so!

1st Birthday Joy!

2009-04-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

My sweet, sweet little Cambria is 1 year old today! How, on earth, did this happen? Where did the year go?

One year ago, at 6:40am, she entered our lives and changed our world forever. During this year she has learned so much, and taught us so much - like what a blessing the 4th child is!

Cambria has mastered the "look" of shy coyness that only little girls know how to do. Who teaches this look? :) She will wrap you around her little finger with this look, so watch out!
Cambria can hug you sweeter and tighter than any little 1 year old I've ever met!
Cambria can make you laugh out loud at the little dances she does every time she hears music (or something that resembles music). All this while she tries so hard to maintain her balance!
Cambria can make her Daddy pick her up into his big, strong arms at every little whimper. (Early-learned manipulation?! Nah!!)
Cambria will give you the most innocent, sweetest, most beautiful smile you will ever see - with zero prompting.

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY, MY BEAUTIFUL BABY GIRL!
We love you so much!

Easter Weekend

2009-04-23T10:22:00.001-07:00

I realize this post is coming a bit late, but better late than never, right? Easter weekend was joy and a blessing for the May Family. We had a great combination of the May Six family time, along with May-Judisch extended family time! We left on Friday to head up to Norman, Oklahoma to visit with my brother and his family. We decided to take the time on Friday to stop at Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glenrose, Texas. It was a beautiful drive that ended in a beautiful stop on the Paluxy River. The river was low enough for us to be able to see lots of dinosaur prints while splashing around in a few inches of running water. Fun was had by all, and we know it's definitely a place we will stop again soon.Late afternoon, we continued our drive towards Norman. After running into stand-still traffic in Ft. Worth we decided to pull off the side of the road and get dinner and a hotel for the night. A very wise decision.

The next morning we finished the three hour drive to Norman and got there in time for lunch and non-stop play time with cousins. Easter Sunday we were able to visit my brother's church for Easter Mass, which was a great opportunity to see where he and his family were worshipping. Afterwards, we enjoyed a delicious Easter dinner and more visiting with family and friends. It was so nice to have my parents up there as well, and to be able to visit with so many family at once.

Dying Easter Eggs

Easter Baskets on Sunday morning

After church

We also took the time to celebrate Cambria and, her cousin, Lillian's 1st birthdays. Cambria turns 1 April 24th and Lillian turned 1 on the 19th - 5 days earlier. Great fun for all of us!

Such good memories!! Thanks for hosting us, Neal and Janice! We love you guys!

Question...

2009-04-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

How is it that a 23 lb, almost 1 year old baby can feel like a 250 lb, 6 ft tall man in the middle of the night when they are sleeping in bed with you? Here's a visual of our night last night - Cambria, sideways, flopping, kicking, rolling all over the middle of the bed. Tom and I - laying on the very edges of either side, trying not to fall off...... Are we just crazy?

Road Trips

2009-04-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago we decided to pack everyone up in the car and head to Blanco State Park for the afternoon. It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed the outdoor picnic and fishing.Family Time is ever so precious and I'm grateful for every moment!

This Friday we're heading to Oklahoma for Easter to visit with Neal and Janice and the cousins. On the way we're planning to stop at Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose Texas to see what we can see! The kids are so excited about this adventure and of course getting to see their cousins. I'll be sure to post a recap when we're back!

Happy Easter!
He is Risen!

Leaving it up to the Boy

2009-04-03T07:06:00.000-07:00

Lest anyone think that the May children do not get into trouble, (I don't know why anyone would think that!) here is a conversation between me and Carson from the other day.
Me: Carson, why did you lie about that?
Carson: I don't know.
Me: You wouldn't have been in trouble for doing what you did, but you are in trouble now because you lied about it.
Carson: silence
Me: What do you think your consequence should be?
Carson: silence
Me: No TV for the rest of the day?
Carson: No
Me: No computer games for the rest of the day?
Carson: No
Me: No trampoline?
Carson: looking up - How about no school tomorrow?!

Oh, yes, that will do it. Great idea....

Monumental Weekend

2009-03-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

So, it was a monumental weekend at the May Home. That is, in terms of milestones. I'll start first with our youngest! Little 11 month old Cambria took her first steps this weekend, and, boy, was she proud!!!! She's been practicing her stand for a week or two now, but had yet to take a step. And Saturday was the day. We saw 2 steps at first. And then an hour later she made it 1/2 across the living room all by herself! How exciting! And, oh, how cute!!! :)

And then there was Valie, our 3 year old! (You should stop reading now if you don't like the word "poop") For those of you that know us, Valie has been potty trained for a long time now. However, she decided at one point that she just would not poop in the toilet. It wasn't going to happen. "I'll do it when I'm 4, Mommy!", she would tell me. So, rather than fight her on it (which I learned long ago, does not work with this issue) we kept a supply of pullups in her room for her, and would change her whenever she needed to go. Well, I don't know what did it, but we were at Target on Saturday and she decided she needed to go potty. When we got in the Family Restroom (which I love, by the way) she said she was going to pee and poop.... in the potty. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it so I said, "OK! Go ahead" and it happened!
She did it! It was at that point that I made a HUGE deal out of it - yelling and clapping and hugging. You would've wondered what was going on had you been standing outside the door! But it was awesome and we are SO excited and proud of out little girl! And if you don't understand the hugeness of this, you will when you become a parent!!!

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

So much for "several" posts this week. Oh well.

I was home from work with the kids on Tuesday and and Thursday, which I loved! It reminds me of the good ole' days of part time work! On Tuesday we had a fun St. Patrick's Day together. We went to the Public Library in the morning to hear a bagpiper play and join in a fun "green" craft. San Marcos is really good at putting fun and free activities together for families. It's great to live in a small town.

Here are the girls with their shamrock headbands.
Try as we might, Cambria was NOT going to keep that thing on her head!
("no way, Mama!")

For dinner that night, I gave it my first attempt at New England Boiled Dinner. Now, I had to question why this would be a popular choice for St. Patricks Day, considering it's from New England. But I was reassured that there were bound to be Irish roots. Regardless, it was good, and a fun new thing for the family to try. Tom, who is not a lover of cabbage, even went back for cabbage seconds!
And we topped the evening off with shamrock cupcakes that the kids got to decorate on their own. Fun!
It was a great day!

Birthdays and Such

2009-03-16T08:03:00.000-07:00

This past week has been packed full of activity. I will try to summarize...
March 6th: Avery had her tonsils out. She surprised us all by being totally resilient. The worst day, as you would expect, was the day of her surgery. However even that day, by evening she was asking to go to Parent's Night Out at church with her siblings and wanting to eat Bean and Cheese soft tacos from Taco Cabana! Crazy girl! The only real tears she shed were when we had to tell her no to things she wanted to do like jump on the trampoline! I'm glad we got the tonsils out before she starts Kindergarten in the Fall and we hope she will be healthier for it! She was a great little patient!
March 9th: We got to celebrate Daddy's birthday! Unfortunately, I had to work all day, but I brought home Carino's for dinner and we had angel food cake and strawberries (his favorite!) for dessert. Happy Birthday, Sweetheart! We love you!
March 14th: Valie's first "Valie's friend" birthday party. Don't get me wrong - Valie has been to many a birthday party! But this was her first party that it was her friend only - a little girl in her class at Mother's Day Out. She was sooooo excited! In fact, she was in the car waiting, gift in hand, a good 10 minutes before it was time to go. Really cute, how excited she was!
She didn't get to go entirely on her own, though! Mommy and Cambria went along for the ride, too. So, Cambria got to experience the excitement of a jumpy castle for the first time as well.And that is our week in a nutshell. Which brings us to today, the first day of Spring Break! Even though I have to work several days this week, I've made it my mission to try to post several times this week. So, check back!

Since We're on the Topic

2009-02-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

Carson lost his 6th tooth this weekend! As I said, he is a pro! :) However, this one was big. It happened to be his 2nd top front tooth. I just had to post a picture and give recognition to our toothless boy! It's a good thing someone told me once, not to worry too much about your child's smile during this phase of their lives. Had I not been given that advice I would have FREAKED OUT by now and been calling the dentist/orthodontist/whoever to get him immediate help!!! Instead, I just close my eyes and pray that all his teeth will come in just fine and he'll end up with a beautiful smile! :)

The Tooth Fairy Came

2009-02-18T11:35:00.000-08:00

for my sweet little Avery's first lost tooth! Even though this excitement happened over a week ago, I couldn't miss sharing her good news. Luckily, her big brother (who is a pro at losing teeth) showed her the ropes. She was gifted with a nice shiny new gold $1 coin. Apparently the Tooth Fairy is handing them out these days.

I'm not sure why this loss took me so much by surprise. She is 5 afterall. But, I just couldn't believe we were at that point with her! Sometimes I wish I could hold my kids so tight that the days will slow down....

...and it was THIS big!!

2009-02-09T06:31:00.000-08:00

Tom is grooming Carson up to be a fine fisherman! This past Saturday was the annual Kid Fish here in San Marcos. So, while the girls and I went down to San Antonio to get Cambria's 9 month pictures, Tom and Carson went fishing. And, boy, was it quite the trip. My little man caught 12 (count 'em), 12 Rainbow Trout! He (and Daddy) were so proud! And by the time the girls and I got home that afternoon, the fish were all cleaned up and ready to cook. We had a perfect dinner of fresh trout, thanks to our little fisherman!

So much to do....

2009-01-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

Carson (as Tom is waking him up this morning): Daddy, I'm too tired. Because I'm the Line Leader and I have so much to do.....

I love it!!! :)

The Collector

2009-01-14T19:25:00.000-08:00

Every family has one. You know, the one who can't throw anything away. The one who wants to save everything, just in case...! In my family there are at least 2 - so far. And it drives me nuts. Tom and Avery are two peas in a pod when it comes to "collecting" things. Avery is the child I have to hide trash from. If I throw something away that she once owned (or touched, for that matter) it must be hidden at the bottom of the trash can. Otherwise, I will either find it again the next day somewhere else or I will be faced with the heartfelt, "Who threw this away???!!!" question while looking into large anguished eyes. "But, Mommy, I wanted this!"

So, tonight, after pulling out new toothbrushes for everyone and tossing the old ones into the trash can, I could see the look in Avery's eyes.
Avery: Why do we have to throw toothbrushes away?
Me: Because they are old and it's good to get new ones sometimes.
Avery: But why can't we save them?
Me: Because we don't need them anymore.
Avery: (thinking.....) Well, don't they have a toothbrush recycle?
Me: (LOL) Ewww! I don't think anyone would want a recycled toothbrush!
Avery: (smiles)

At least she's thinking "green"! :)

9 Years Ago

2009-01-08T11:25:00.000-08:00

9 years ago today - Tom and I promised each other our forever love.

At that time, I could have never imagined what that would mean and how wonderful that promise would actually be. 9 years of being loved by a beautiful, amazing, self-sacrificing man. He has by far exceeded my expectations of him as a husband and father. No words can really express my love....

Lord God. thank You for placing this man in my life.

What's In His Future?

2009-01-04T19:28:00.000-08:00

So we have this book. It's called Ingredients and it's been a wonderful addition to our kitchen collection. With stunningly beautiful photographs it documents every type of food ingredient that you could possibly use and more. I love it. Tom loves it. And it turns out that our 6 year old little boy also loves it! This book has been his bedtime story of choice for the last several nights. As I sit here in the livingroom I can hear Tom reading to Carson all about the different cheeses that exist in our world. It's quite endearing. And I'm glad for the little eccentricities that are welcome family members in our home.

Snapshots of Christmas - Part III

2009-01-03T21:21:00.000-08:00

The finale in the trilogy of Christmas Snapshots! :) We were able to visit with my brother and his family twice at my parents home in San Antonio. It was fun to see them and let the cousins play together.

Opening more gifts at Grammie and Papa's!

Watching a movie in 3D on Dad's new Blue Ray. Too cool!

The youngest of the cousins playing together.

This concludes our Christmas synopsis. Now to begin a new year...!!

Snapshots of Christmas - Part II

2009-01-03T10:52:00.001-08:00

All dressed up for Christmas Eve Service

Four friends celebrating their first Christmas Eve together.

(Me/Cambria, Amy/Bryce, Jennifer/Kate, Bree/Coleton)

Christmas Morning!

More to come...

Snapshots of Christmas - Part I

2009-01-02T09:06:00.000-08:00

I suppose we were just too busy living our posts to be writing about them! Christmas at the May Home was beautiful and relaxing and all good. We were healthy when we needed to be, thank the Lord! And were able to celebrate the birth of our Savior with many of our beloved family and dear friends. Here are a few snapshots of our celebration.

Here are Valie and Cambria making Christmas cookies.

Avery and Daddy taking a detour from stringing Christmas lights on the house.

Valie playing the drum to Little Drummer Boy at the MDO Christmas program.

Avery as an angel in the MDO program.

Carson decorating reindeer Christmas cookies at Grammies.

Sights and Sounds

2008-12-12T09:48:00.000-08:00

San Marcos has a sweet little Christmas tradition that Tom and I have enjoyed each year since we were dating. It's called Sights and Sounds of Christmas and it's pretty much your typical small town Christmas festival. One of the endearing main attractions, for me anyway, is a whole Bethlehem set up, with live nativity, camels and donkeys, candlemaking, breadmaking, and angels that stand sentinal on either side of the "city" entrance. As all good things do, Sights and Sounds has grown through the years to include carnival rides and lots of food and craft booths - more than I think is necessary. But, it still remains one of our favorite events to fit in each December. Petting the donkeys

Valie at the water well

At the Nativity
Cambria by the fire

Making candles

On the carousel

The Negotiator

2008-12-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

A conversation heard recently in the May household between Valie and me:
Valie: Can I have some candy?
Me: No
Valie: Please!
Me: No
Valie: Why not?!
Me: You didn't eat your dinner.
Valie: If you give me some candy, um, I'll give you a trophy....
Me: what?

My First Tagging

2008-12-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

So, I've now experienced one of my first inductions into blog world - I've been tagged! (thank you Kristen!) After needing an explanation of exactly what that meant, I discovered my job is to post the 8th picture out of my 8th folder. Well, I have to say I'm SUPER excited about this one!! Because here is that super special picture :) (I hope you don't mind, Mom!)I LOVE this picture of my mom. She had just turned 4 years old - so sweet!!! And if you'll indulge me, here are two other pictures I have of her as a little one. They bring a smile to my face everytime I see them!

Here's to you, Mom. I love you so much!

Rolling into December

2008-12-03T11:16:00.000-08:00

There's not much new to report around here. We are all fighting off colds and coughs, unfortunately, including me, which is the reason for the lack of posts or Thanksgiving pictures.

We had a nice, quiet Thanksgiving holiday. Dinner with Tom's mom up in Austin on Thursday. Did a little shopping on Friday. And settled in with breathing treatments, cough meds and warm sweaters/PJ's the rest of the time. Hopefully, we'll be on the mend soon - and I pray we don't catch the stomach virus that's going around! Yuck!

We had lots of sleeping bag time!

Avery in her warm footed pj's!

Lots of hugs and kisses to make us feel better!

This one about sums up our weekend. :)

Non-Christmas Pictures

2008-11-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

With the babies, I've always tried to do pictures every 3 months until they are 1 year and since Cambria was at the 6 month mark - it was time. So, I called Penney's and scheduled our appointment for the earliest time possible for last Saturday. Anyone that has taken young children to get pictures done knows - go during the week and go early. Unfortunately, now that Carson's in school and I'm working M-F I knew my first rule would have to be broken. I scheduled it for a Saturday but at least I was able to get 1030, thinking that they opened at 10am. 10:30 would be only the 2nd appt of the day so they shouldn't be too far behind, right?

After the appt was made, I then (agonized) umm, contemplated for a week over what they could wear that wouldn't require me spending lots of money on new clothes (darn it)!

And the day arrives. We pack everyone up in the car with extra brush, spray bottle, hair spray, hair bows and clips, bib for the baby, etc (you all know) and we headed to the mall. Because we are always on the verge of being late, if not already way past late, a jumble of May kids plus 2 parents bustle through the mall and are then stopped short by (literally) a crowd of people standing OUTSIDE of the studio waiting area at Penney's. Lots of kids and less parents all standing around in their Christmas finest, waiting.... I think we were the only crazies who were there to NOT get Christmas pictures. Why I didn't remember never to go get pictures on a Saturday close to Christmas - I don't know. And as it turns out they open at 9am during the holiday season, not 10 as I originally thought. So, what are we to do, but join the waiting. And we did. Our appointment was at 10:30, I believe we were taking pictures at 11:30 and finally out the door at 12:15. And not a moment too soon since all of our kiddos were, of course, dying of starvation! Oh well, it is almost a humorous memory by now, made somewhat better by the CUTE kids in (the non Christmas) pictures I now have. :)

And if that wasn't enough cute for ya, feel free to login to our Smiles by Wire at https://www.smilesbywire.com/home.asp?AC=LTPP0822102971JCP and just type in Kim May next to customer name. Enjoy!

aaand.... it begins

2008-11-22T07:29:00.000-08:00

Things around the May house are about to become tricky! Just this morning, I set Cambria down in the livingroom next to her basket of toys and went to go strip the beds. After picking up a few toys in Carsons room and pulling off his sheets, I peeked into the livingroom to check on the baby and she was no where to be found. Hmmm.... I looked around and ultimately found her in the kitchen - right next to the dog bowls. I hurried over to find her little fists full of dog food and 1 piece in her mouth! Noooooo! I don't remember her asking if she could start crawling!

The Price of Cute

2008-11-17T08:30:00.000-08:00

We had our first real cold snap of the season this weekend. Cold, at least as far as Texas is concerned. So, I took the opportunity (I had been waiting for) and put a hat on Cambria's head before going out to church on Sunday morning. Not just any hat, but one my sister handmade for her before she was even born! She looked so cute in her little pink flower hat, I couldn't resist a few pictures. Unfortunately, as you can see, she would NOT be still long enough for my cheap little digital camera to get any clear shots. But you get the idea!My sister also knitted Cambria a beautiful little purple cardigan, which she has already worn several times. I remember the first time I put it on her it was probably only 68 degrees outside that morning. Tom looked at her in the sweater and said, "Um, I don't think it's that cold outside!" Oh well! I took it off when she started to sweat! Call me a bad mom for teaching my girls all about the "price of cute"!! :)

Learning to Ride

2008-11-11T14:50:00.000-08:00

So, we had a fun and busy weekend that extended over into Monday for me. I was able to take the day off on Monday and spend precious time with the kiddos. I have to say I'm grateful for my job but I sure do miss being home with my kids. On Saturday while Tom worked, I took the kids to my parents house and we went on a little road trip to Medina to visit the Love Creek Apple Orchard and Country Store. It really was a beautiful drive. We stopped at a little park by a river and took a few pictures. I had to laugh at most of the pictures because in the group shots the sun was SO bright and right in our eyes - the kids could barely stand it. Can you tell?!
Look at Avery in this one!
Too funny! Anyway, in spite of the killer sun, it was a great time!

Then on Sunday afternoon, Avery decided it was high time we take off those training wheels on her bike. She was determined to ride with 2 wheels! It's funny how kids decide these things and then all of a sudden they are ready. We've been talking about it for a while with her and she never wanted to do it. But, when she decided, that was it. She did a GREAT job and I'm so proud of my "girly" girl, with all of her princess ways, that she stuck it out in spite of the falls and scrapes and everything else that goes with learning how to ride a bike.

All in all it was a great three days and a beautiful weekend.

Here we are!

2008-11-07T13:41:00.000-08:00

Well, wonders never cease! To those of you who thought it would never happen, here is my blog in all of it's green glory! I look forward to keeping in touch with everyone this way and hope to post frequent updates on our family for anyone interested. As so many of my eloquent friends use this forum for all kinds of thought provoking and mind stimulating conversation, don't expect much of that around these parts! My main intent is to provide fun pictures and stories about the excitement that perpetuates in the May Household. :)
So, to begin....
If you are reading this you probably already know all about us. However, for those who haven't been recently updated on our comings and goings, I am Kim, the wife of a wonderfully bold yet sensitive husband and amazing daddy, who is an artist in every sense of the word. We've been happily married for going on 9 years. I am also mommy to 4 sweet blessings, Carson - age 6, Avery - age 5, Valie - age 3 and Cambria - 6 months. You can probably guess, there is no being bored in our home! To indulge more, I work fulltime outside the home and am right there in the middle of the struggle between balancing work and family - all the while maintaining family as priority. I am an artist in waiting, hoping one day to return to my love of making pots! I am also a daughter of the King, to whom I humbly give all of the praise and glory for the many blessings He has bestowed on me and my family. To whom I also must daily submit my fears and inadequecies. I am so thankful for my family, The May Six, as well as my extended family who made me into the woman I am today.
More to come....