May

We're counting down the days until summer begins and, of course, Madeline's little sister finally joins us. But we didn't let the excitement ahead make us lose sight of the present, and we had a very enjoyable May. Madeline finished up her second year of preschool and really seemed to be coming out of her shell - just in time for the year to wrap up. She can be very shy and tends to blossom in more individual situations and when talking to adults. We hope to get her together with some of her preschool friends over the summer.

Otherwise, we spent a lot of time outdoors this month (I feel like I say that every month, but it's true!). In fact, looking over my pictures I see that none of them were taken indoors. We hope to keep up the trend through the summer and have been sprucing up our yard in anticipation of lots of time spent at home with the newborn in the coming months.

Here are some pictures from the month:

Madeline's end-of-the-year class gathering was held at Maymont Park. Not only did we get a personalized tram tour of the park, but Madeline and her friends discovered something crawly near the petting farm!

Madeline enjoyed a game of catch with one of her better friends from class.

For my birthday we spent the morning kayaking at Pocahontas State Park. Madeline rode with me and we had our own voyage of discovery through the calm waters. Above, we approached a large turtle who didn't seem too concerned about our presence.

After our paddle we had a wonderful picnic at the park. Pretty much the perfect birthday for me - a nice little outdoor adventure with my girls.

Madeline and I were playing in the backyard when we discovered a mole rooting through the grass. We kept an eye out for cats as he dug around.

Later we even discovered a tortoise in Aunt Amy's backyard! Actually it was just Amy and Ryan's pet tortoise, and Madeline enjoyed petting her and feeding her lettuce.

For Mothers Day we made an afternoon trip to Agecroft Hall - a genuine Tudor mansion that was disassembled and then rebuilt in Richmond in the early 1900s. We all enjoyed touring the manicured gardens...

but Madeline's favorite part was finding her way through the grass maze in the back yard.

Next up was the Urbanna Meet, the annual weekend gathering of small-boat enthusiasts near Lacey's parent's house. Madeline hung on for dear life took a ride on the rope swing that dangled from a large tree.

She also was very excited to head out on one of Papa's boats for a leisurely sail on the river. I think her favorite part of any boat ride is dangling her hand in the water (which you can also see her doing on our kayak tour a few photos back).

Once Memorial Day arrived we were able to make our first visit to the pool. Madeline was excited but a little tentative at first. She enjoyed her new kickboard and goggles and was even jumping off the side before our visit was done.

Usually when Madeline has a pencil and paper, she's making little lines and squiggles - mimicking the writing that she sees her parents do. She hardly ever draws anything, which seems more a matter of motivation than ability. But finally she decided to draw for us, starting with a picture of our house and then producing this wonderful portrait of her mother, complete with earrings and pregnant belly.