Isabelle's last day of school on Thursday, May 24th.

 Can't believe I will have a kindergartner and 2nd grader this fall!  Allie is so excited to join Isabelle at PVE.

 Best friends!

 Sweet sweet Juju.  She was playing with her pigtails and gazing off into the distance.

Juliette looks like she is up to no good and her sisters know it!  She also loves to play with sticks.  :)

Pre-K graduation at CLP

 Getting a hug from Miss Jen after receiving her medal

 Diploma in hand...she is ready for kindergarten!

 Proud graduate!

 So cute...when she saw her Dad in the audience she was so excited!

 Performing...

Juliette's last day of 1's and Allie's last day of Pre-K at CLP

If I could freeze time just for a little while...

Mother's day

I love them! Each and every one of my personal, heart-felt cards and gifts, I absolutely adore!

We happened to go to one of our favorite places in Indianapolis, the IMA for a walk among the gardens on Sunday. We got take-out pizza from Bazbeaux's in Broad Ripple and had a picnic on the grounds. It was a beautiful warm, spring day out and just spending time with my family was just wonderful. After pizza we went to Ritter's Custard and enjoyed some delicious ice cream. I was stuffed!

Young Author's Night

Hanging out at PVE playground before Young Author's Night.

A bit out of focus, but too cute not to share.

Isabelle reading her story, "The Lost Kitten".

The 1st grade classes at Pleasant View Elementary have spent the past month working on a book that they had written, illustrated and bound in a hard cover. Isabelle's story was about a kitten that decided to run away to Chicago where she befriended a dog that convinced the kitten to return to her mother and family. All of the kids got a chance to read their story out-loud to a small group of families. Isabelle got to stay after school, meet an actual illustrator of children's books and watch a movie with her class. Very special!

Mother's Day Tea with Allie

Allie loves the book, "Pete the cat". She is always very focused on the teacher! This is Miss Jill. I was invited on Friday to join Allie at CLP for a Mother's Day Tea. What a fun time! They greeted us at the door with a peach carnation and led us to our little chair. They then "served" us fruit, cinnamon pound cake and a mint with lemonade. She sang 3 adorable songs with motions and also we got a peek into what their "circle" time is about. We got a beautiful "flower" made of their handprints that was framed. I got a bunch of pictures but due to privacy I can't post them.

T.C. Steele

Lily pond

Juliette loves to be in the Kelty

Hiking on the trail of wildflowers...unfortunately we missed the peak season and there were only a few. Allie's expression is so funny in this!

Walking around the beautiful grounds.

We took a tour of his house and at the end we were able to see T.C. Steele's studio with a wide range of his paintings and could see his brushes, desk and squeezed out tubes of paint. The girls were able to do a few drawings of their own.

T.C. Steele is a famous American Impressionist painter born in the mid 19th century in Indiana. He settled in Brown county (near Bloomington where the IU campus is located) where he painted many famous Indiana landscapes. We visited this historical site on May 6th.

Last ballet class

Allie and her dance instructor, Miss April.

All the siblings got to participate in the "Wiggle Dance" at the end of Allie's class.

Sisters. The girls have had ballet class on Monday at Trader's Point Church since September and Monday was their last class. Allie goes at 4:00 and Isabelle at 4:45. They have a great indoor park area which entertains Juliette while her sisters are there. Juliette did discover how much she liked seeing the "show-case" with the end session. She kept creeping out there slowly and copying what the big girls were doing during Allie's time. When it was Isabelle's class, Juliette thought she could be out there too and so I spent a good majority of the time chasing her. Ack! She did get a couple of chuckles when she was doing her "moves". Isabelle expressed that she would like to do "gymnastics" next fall and Allie thought that she did too...and "cheer-leading". So, we will see where the fall will take us. There are two things are very important to me that I want my girls to do in terms of extra-curricular activities. I would like them to be very competent and safe swimmers and also play piano and another instrument if they desire. It is great to keep them active and working hard toward something!

Puddle jumping in our front yard

My girls like to get dirty and wet just like most boys and so it was no surprise that they were splashing and falling in puddles in the grass on Tuesday! We got a lot of rain in a short time which causes the drainage easement in our yard to get behind a bit. It actually becomes more like a raging river when we have torrential downpours. They all got their boots on...(not sure why when they were filling them and then wearing). Fun, Fun! Yesterday they decided to mud-slide in the back-yard...no shoes...just clothes. After a lot of rain we have a bit of a marshy back-yard. They were going down the slide into feet of slick mud. Juliette was even going down. They were COVERED with mud! They thought it was hilarious to be running around in their underwear (or be nakey...Juliette) and being sprayed with the garden house to clean off a bit pre-shower. Thank goodness we live on a small acreage mainly surrounded by woods! To be a kid again...I wish!