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Small Squares – May 2018

May 30, 2018

by saradwells in Small Squares Post Comment

May is both my all time favorite month and all time least favorite month. It is my favorite because it is my birthday month AND Mothers Day. It is obviously a month focusing on ME. It is also a month of changing weather as it starts to get warm but not too hot and there are occasional rain showers (which is my favorite Bay Area weather). It is the month where I can start to see light at the end of the tunnel of four kids in three schools and ALLLLLLLL that entails for me in the carpooling/homework/project/after-school activity/lunch-making world. It means summer trips without worrying about pulling kids out of school. However. I also really hate May because EVERY SINGLE DAY is packed with two to seven things on top of regular life. End of the year races/banquets/concerts/award ceremonies/parties/fairs/get-togethers (which are fun…just a lot)/and everything else. It is where I start to get very nervous about having four children home from school while I am trying to work from home/keep my house pulled together. It is where I see the joy of having four to five hours at home with NO children disappear for the next two months. So…May brings up a wide range of emotions. Anyway, our May 2018 has been no slouch in the busy/fun department. Here are a few photos of what we did in May:

*^^^You can’t take a bad photo in Green Valley.*

^^^I photographed my friends backyard for an upcoming house tour (I will link to it once it is up) and their youngest son was OBSESSED with my camera. He found a way to get inside my arms and neck strap all morning. It was the best part of my day.

*^^^Fresh produce at the farmers market I go to in Napa.*

OK, now we are just going to put all of the puppy pics below. I have to try to not inundate this blog/my Instagram feed/my conversations with all things Bebe Beignet. It’s hard, you guys. She is super cute. This month Bebe started puppy training classes through our local Petsmart and so far it has been good. She isn’t technically a puppy since she is estimated to be about one but it is unclear how much (if any) training she had before we found her at the shelter. And we as a new dog family have had NO training so puppy training classes were in order. So far so good. Ask me in about six months :). We also discovered through a sad series of events that Bebe is prone to throwing up in the car…BUT if she has someone sitting next to her in the back of the car she does not throw up! She definitely still gets a little quiet but won’t vomit. Sophie is now our designated pup manager in the car.

*^^^Sophie and Bebe at puppy school. Sophie was dying that the training treats are hot dogs and she is an avowed vegetarian. Poor girl.*

^^^Simon with his two middle distance coaches for track. These guys are THE BEST and have cheered him on and worked with him since last August. Simon has made some great progress thanks to their work with him.

^^^Simon was recognized at the year-end track and field banquet as Rookie of the Year for track. He also received this honor at the end of Cross Country season last year. He ran varsity as a freshman for both XC and Track and currently holds the school record for the track two-mile (10:19). We are proud of him.

^^^This was me at yet another track meet. Right after I took this I burst into gut wrenching sneezes and was a complete allergy mess for the next two hours. Like SUCH A MESS. All I can think of when I look at this photo is “Poor girl. She has no idea that she is about to sneeze and sputter her brains out”. I had to use stiff paper towels from the snack shack to control my nose, you guys. It was misery.

*^^^I began a long-awaited foyer gallery wall revamp project. The wallpaper is from Target and can be found here. It was easy to work with. More to follow in a later post about this project!*

*^^^Beautiful morning on Green Valley Road.*

*^^^Sam and I went to Utah to attend our niece’s wedding. That post is found here. My dress is Calvin Klein.*

*^^^We were pleased to partner with Chef’d this month on a seared Ahi Tuna meal. It was a delicious lunch for me and Sam!*

^^^Sophie had her very last advanced band and jazz band concert this month. She has LOVED her middle school band experience (with the exception of Smart Music which she has hated) and is really going to miss her band director, Mr. Peckham. We are so lucky to have this incredible program at our middle school. She has sacrificed an extra hour of sleep all year to attend a zero period for jazz band and gets upset if she occasionally forgets her flute in the band locker of the weekend. She has become a great musician and we are proud of her!

*^^^Sophie’s cousin Emma came to see her last concert. She really looks up to Emma so it was awesome to have her there.*

*^^^Sophie and some friends went to the annual Fiesta Days in Vacaville.*

*^^^Our family went to an Oakland A’s game on Memorial Day and it was so relaxing! We had a great, easy afternoon.*

^^^Our seats were really close to the field but because the sun was pretty bright we hung out under the shade further back. Simon and Sebastian stayed down in the sun most of the game and we are surprised they didn’t wilt in the heat.

That’s it for May. We also celebrated Sebastian’s 9th birthday but we must have been having a good time because I don’t have any photos! Now we gear up for more end of the year parties, 8th grade graduation for Sophie and prep for upcoming summer trips.