"You say it's your birthday" (SuchGreatJoy blog, birthday edition)

Two of my very favorite people have their birthdays in the span of about 2 weeks. Lily turned the big 3 this May, and we celebrated with a Sleeping Beauty party! Our little Brier Rose had a blast with her friends and family, even with a little mid-day shower that brought the party inside.

Once again our gift to Lily was a bouncy castle, one of her most favorite things in the whole world.

Her cake, by request, was Sleeping Beauty.

Blowing out the candles and making a wish!

Our family of 3- plus a bun in the oven.

Inside for crafts and Princess sing-along.

The birthday door!

All the kids were invited to wear a princess dress or costume.

That afternoon the sun came out and Lily had a BLAST with the neighbors into the evening. We had a BBQ and enjoyed a full day of jumpy fun!

Lily and Anna

Matthew, Ryan, Anna and Lily

Dancing all around!

Passed out on the couch after a long day.

Lily and Siri

On Lily's actual birthday we celebrated at another party with a jumpy!

How lucky is this girl?

On the night of Lily's real birthday we celebrated with one more cake- of Lily's current passion, Veggie Tales. She is in love with Larry the Cucumber.

Great grandpa and great grandma Mitchell were there to celebrate too!




Lily and Sam came and visited the Como Zoo while I was there on a fieldtrip with my 7th graders. They get to hang out a lot in the summer!

Lily also has a new passion for water colors.

Best buddies!

Kathe watched Lily while we went out for Bjorn's birthday, and when she got a little too rowdy Kathe had her "kennel up."

For Bjorn's birthday we celebrated with family and friends at the Cheesecake Factory, walked around the mall and saw a movie. Fun date night!

We also celebrated and Mom and Dad's with cake and presents- at this rate, Lily is expecting every gathering to end with candles.

Bjorn got a weed whip! Watch out weeds...

On a rainy day we went bowling with some friends at the local lanes.

Lily has a wicked curve.

All the girls watching for technique.

Bjorn's got the form down and bowled a solid 210.

In closing, I will share an incredible life skill Bjorn has passed on to our daughter:

she can lick an Oreo clean without breaking the cookie. She doesn't like to dip them in milk yet.

We couldn't be more proud of this 3 year old!

"Let's go fly a kite, up to the highest hight..."

April was WINDY in Minnesota! While the wind is not loved by many outdoor activities, it is particularly well-suited for one- kite flying! Especially when one very wonderful Grandpa David sent us 2 magnificent kites. We have a huge field next to our house, perfect for activities such as kit flying. The box kite was a bit more tricky, but we were able to get one of the kites high enough that it crash landed half a block away.

WAY up high!Bjorn attempts to work some magic.
Lily and Gia flying together.
Elliot put in a lot of effort with this one.

Lily has truly become her own person lately in her sense of style. She went through several weeks when all she wanted to wear was her rubber boots. "Mama, where are my rubber boots?" "Can I wear my rubber boots please?" Easy to put on and highly fashionable, they make quite the statement.

We finally busted out the fire pit that we got 4 years ago for our wedding. Here is Lily roasting her first marshmallow. S'more? How can I have s'more if I haven't had any yet?
At the beginning of May I was able to road trip to Door County with 5 of my college roomies to cheer on Margie and Tavia as they ran in the 1/2 marathon. It was a great excuse to be together and we had a fabulous time!

The amazing athletes!

The only picture I have from the weekend with most of us.

Lily has been taking swimming lessons during the month of May with her dear friend Melina. They are quite the pair and have made any apprehension for swimming lessons disappear for each other.

The cutest girls at the pool!

They have the coolest platform for the girls to stand on and hold onto as they kick.

With the warm weather the apple blossoms bloomed a bit early this year, but still looked fabulous.

Last weekend the rain finally let up, the cold went away, and we were able to head to Bachman's to buy our annuals. Lily thought it was wonderful there, especially when I showed her the lily section. She would read the labels and exclaim "Mom, these are my flowers!!"

She hid out here for quite awhile. Her own secret garden.

Last Saturday we had a bonfire, what a beautiful night! It was warm enough, with no bugs. Lily and Anna ran around the dark yard chasing their shadows and enjoying the chance to stay up late.

Erin, Julia & Elliot stopped by and we decided that we'll have to do a lot more bonfiring this summer.

What is a good limit when it comes to marshmallows?

Dressed as her favorite garden fairy, Lily really got into the spirit of watering the flowers. Hopefully we can train her to do the lawn too by the end of the summer.

I was wondering where she got her mad gardening skilz, but needed to look no further.

Like father like daughter.

These two really know how to light up my life. We're so exited to share another great summer together, and to welcome our new little flower this fall. It just doesn't get any better than this.

Sliding into summer with a smile!