Update in pictures

The pictures are in reverse chronological order.  So start at the bottom if you want to see the oldest first. These cover the month of May thus far.  It has been a very busy month with birthdays and sacraments and end of year events!  We aren't done yet as we hope to go to a Memorial Day event at a cemetery tomorrow, a homeschoolers' May crowning on Friday, and another baptism on Saturday!

This is just a sweet photo from last Friday morning.

Another sweet photo that I caught on Friday morning when we had a few minutes to play and get some energy out before morning Mass.

Another photo of all the kids on that same morning.  Nothing newsworthy, other than I like the pictures!

Sammy held on to this little clover flower for several minutes walking all around with it, until he eventually gave it to me. 

Rachel's real birthday, at our house.  I made her dinner and baked her favorite cake.

Joseph won an award for his score on a national French test.  He placed in the ninth percentile for his age group, which is a national ranking and earned a medal for his achievement.  (One boy has makeup on his face because they performed a little play in French about a cat without a home.  That boy played the cat.)

Dirt babies... about two weeks old.  First haircut!

Clara and Simon with their dirt babies.

On May 11, we welcomed a new goddaughter into the church!  She and another baby were the first baptisms performed in our parish's new chapel.  It was lovely.

On May 10, Joseph received his first Holy Communion.

Joseph with a couple of his buddies. (twins)

I made Joseph a First Communion cheesecake and lit his baptismal candle.

Simon got a skin infection on his face.  This was not its worst.  Dad diagnosed it by a picture we sent him and Simon had to take antibiotics.  He's doing much better now.

Clara put some lovely octopus stickers on her ears for earrings.

Field trip to the Raptor Center.

Checking wingspan at the Raptor Center.  (Joseph still loves birds and birds of prey.  Simon is starting to get into birds some too.  It is sweet to see the boys developing mutual interests and playing together around those interests.)

Bathtime fun with shaving cream.  Just a fun picture!

Clara and Simon's dirt babies as newborns.

Clara at Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens.  We went there on her birthday.  They were having a homeschool day with a variety of activities.  We had a very nice day!

Happy Birthday Clara!  With pink cake, of course!

This is actually the last day of April - the Catholic Schoolhouse presentation night.  The boys here are listening to a dad tell an ostensibly hilarious story while they were waiting for the evening to officially begin.  ("Hugh and only Hugh can stop florist friars!")  I had to get a picture of them in their bow ties!

The geography fair part of the evening was on African countries.  We did Niger, of course!

The boys are in the chorus. Hopefully you can see them in the middle of the picture.  Clara was not in the chorus, but just decided to get up on stage and join in anyways.  She also did this on the French presentation night.  During Joseph's class' play, she was up on the "stage" talking to one of the students who was dressed as a bunny!

Here we are in front of our Niger presentation.  All the families were also supposed to make some food from their country.  We made "Touo" with cornmeal porridge.  

Babies on both sides!