Out like a Lion

Most years April is a gateway month and once again that is proving to be true.  May is CRAZY around here with 4 birthdays, mother's day, and the end of school/start of summer.  This year we are also helping with a survivor celebration, and hosting a shower.  Phew!  But we have managed to get a few fun things in between all the planning and snow!
Last year Seth made our kids an amazing picnic table:

Then he started making them for friends and even selling them on craigslist.  It's been an easy gig.  Well using the same site for plans he built this adult table and bench so that our whole family of 5 could eat together. 

So far it's been much to snowy to use it, but rumor is it is suppose to be 70* this weekend!  Goodness our family is ready!  Big plans to grill pizza on Saturday!! 

He's also promised to make 2 lounge chairs and a couch, AND a little bar/serving area/potting table.  Hosting this shower has been awesome for the honey do list, now if the snow would stop long enough to actually enjoy it all!

 

And this past weekend my girl friends and I (the group Seth refers to as the Fab 5) ran another 5k in city park.  The only night it hasn't rained or snowed in weeks!  We were SO happy!  It was a nigh run and was called the Rave Run, so lots of loud music and lights.  Although I wasn't running for speed as I got to run with one of my besties Lindsay who was running for the the second time EVER, I did feel great and our time wasn't horrible.  I have 6.2 miles to go to hit my April goal of 30 miles so I'm sure I'll hit it!  Last month I ran 20 and before that, like 7. 

I am SO lucky to have such an amazing group of women to call my friends!  It has been such an amazing experience to learn to run with them, watch our children grow, and even become mothers together. 

 

Meanwhile, the kids are also staying busy with sports of their own!

Both John and Colin are playing Spring Soccer.  This is John's last year to be with the girls, and I'm not sure whether he will continue.

Colin's favorite part is still snack, but he also has 2 goal so far:)

 Emerson started a little gymnastic class 2 weeks ago.  She loves it and my furniture enjoys the slight reprieve.  She is SUCH a monkey and loves every part of the class, so we are going to sign up for a summer class at big gym over the summer.

I got to go to PROM!  The school where I work needed one more helper so I was my friend Anne's date.  We proved how old we were by yawning lots the last hour, but I had SO much fun hanging out with her and seeing all my cheerleaders all dressed up.

 John went snow shoeing with my mom last week and really enjoyed it.  Apparently he didn't whine the entire time!

 And finally this is what Seth and Rudy have been doing every chance they get, which for Seth is never and for Rudy is always:)  Poor Seth exhausted!
Rudy is growing like a weed and is 6 months old already!!!  Tomorrow he is heading in for the doggie snip snip.  All good juju welcome.  He is an AMAZING dog and I am so so happy he is part of our family!

 

Easter!

Every holiday has it's own hoopla here in the Haley house and Easter is no different!

This year the boys requested that I make their shirts, probably because of the stellar dress I made for Emmy.  But they also wanted to wear jeans.  So t-shirts with ties/suspenders it was!  They loved them and they were pretty cute:)  Emmy had a very cute outfit from Grandma Horsey.

As is tradition Katy and I dressed up our kids to have a little photo shoot, and our bunny Hoppy Joe was a rock star, well as far a bunny models go. 

 Emmy REALLY enjoyed taking pictures alone with the bunny too!

 And to refresh your memory, last year's adorableness!  How is she the same kid?!

 

On Sunday we had brunch and more eggs with the Haley's and dinner with the Rhoades' it was a wonderful day!

 

While there wasn't an official Easter craft night, Katy and I did manage to squeak out some floss eggs one day over lunch.  It was messy, but I do love the finished eggs!

 

I'm not sure why when I email them they end up upside down....  But I did manger to make a few bloggy updates!  I can read it better, and I hope you can too!

It's not easy being green, or is it?

For the second year we and our friends have had a Leprechaun party.  As with many things since the advent of Pintrest, it was taken to a whole new level:

Also with the help of a recent craft night, my St. Paddy's flair was multiplied:

 

And because it was the end of an era, I printed this to remind me of when they were little, and just how lucky we are!

This picture shows just what everyone else sees, I guess they DO look alike!

I had Courtney watch the kids Thursday afternoon so I could take them one at a time on a "date". 

Emerson, didn't really choose, but I do know that she loves nuggets, and animals so lunch and the pet store it was!

 
Colin chose bowling where after two rounds, I gave up.  Turns out he's really good, and my sore wrist reminds me that I lost, 3 days later.

John has been BEGGING to go to the pottery painting place to paint something to keep since we went at the beginning of the month, so we did.

It was very fun to see each of them alone, doing something that they wanted to do. 


I took a class on how to make a dress, it turned out great and I'm excited to put my new found knowledge to work!  Look out fabric world!  Em didn't not feel the same way about the dress:(

First Quater Round Up

Just so that you're caught up with what we are doing:

 

 Getting 3 kids and a dog in a picture is impossible.

 

Emerson is potty trained

Colin and Rudy are a couple, a true set for sure!

 

Colin put Emmy on the mowing crew, but she can't use the "good" stuff.

 

Em weaned, by drinking coffee creamer.And then weaned from coffee creamer.

 

 I ran in my very first race (5K) ever with friends for Finn.  It was hard, but SO worth it.  I have been enjoying the training, time alone with my thoughts, yes please!  Already signed up for two more 5ks, and planning on the Bolder Boulder 10k and the half marathon in October.  Seriously I NEVER thought I'd be running anything.  (Logged 6 miles this weekend!)

 My Dad turned 60!  We went to an Av's game to celebrate!

 

Seth and I left our kids for the first time to attend the wedding of a wonderful friend in Dallas.  Turns out we really love each other, enjoy spending time together, and will still sleep over most things!  We had so much fun!  Someone else needs to get married so we can travel again!!

Summer Bucket

There is NO WAY we only have two more days of summer!  It feels like we just got out of school, how can we be going back.  But alas, it's true the lazy days of summer are just about over and the crisp morning air is helping usher in the scheduled school days.  Lots of pictures to come from the first day I send TWO kiddos on Thursday.

As for the summer, clearly we were busy which is why there isn't many posts, so let's play catch up!
This year we made a Summer Bucket List and put it on the kitchen chalk board so we could see it every day.  Everyone added items and that helped everyone buy into it!  With only 2 more days and 4 more things I think we've done an awesome job!  We have plans to do the final 4 too:)


Our Summer Bucket List

1. Make homemade ice cream (Made vanilla that we are still enjoying, it is just SO good!)
2. Make ice cream sundaes (At a birthday party, the boys were in heaven!)
3. Mow (Like every day, with bubble mowers, plastic mowers real mowers the works)

4. Landfill (Seth took the kids this weekend, Colin was in heaven)
5. Make S'mores (A couple times, camping and with friends)
6. Go to a new pool (We went to The Bay with the big boys, so fun)
7. Go to a new farmers market
8. Pick fruit (went this morning and had a blast, it was a perfect day for it!)

9. Have a lemonade stand
(Wednesday)
10. Swim at a beach
(tomorrow)
11. Camp in the yard (Seth is such a trouper, and yet they slept in until 8)
12. Go camping (In our new to us pop up camper, SO fun, but hot... Really should do it again) Here's a post Katy wrote about it
13. Go hiking (Mimi took the boys, they had a blast)

14. Run through the sprinklers (Probably more than 10 times, it was a hot summer)

15. Play putt putt
(schedule for the 19th)


Awesome list right? And we did so many things NOT on the list that were so fun. And yet, because of yet another lost camera, not a ton of pictures, I know you're not surprised:)

 Weekend at the condo

 Downtown Denver with friends, rode a bus and got frozen yogurt

 Another weekend at the condo, got stuck in a crazy rainstorm.  Colin's not thrilled

 Seth rode over 150 miles on his bike for the Children's Hospital

 John lost 2 teeth!

 My green thumb finally came in, seriously best garden ever!

 Emmy sat on a potty, no pee pee yet, but we'll give her a bit more time. 

This summer has been amazing, I can't believe it's coming to an end and yet, I'm already excited to make a Fall List.  It really focused our days at times and made us do things we wouldn't have done otherwise.  I will probably come back and add more pictures.