May: All the Celebrations

May 2021 was kind to us. We had more sunshine, two birthday celebrations, one fun-filled Mother's Day, a family "Yes Day," an adults only weekend staycation for Peter and me, and our first Girl Scout camp-out.  Here are pictures of all the fun......

The sun finally emerged and the entire city bloomed. It has been really beautiful, even though we still need jackets most days. 

I organized a neighborhood progressive dinner/orthodox Easter egg hunt.  It was a great way to celebrate our community being vaccinated.  We had eggs hidden in three different yards to coincide with the three courses that were served at different houses. It was a good day.  

The next day was Mother's Day and this was my breakfast in bed.

Delivered with beautiful tulips and these two smiles.  

Susannah made me an awesome scavenger hunt complete with all of these clues.  

I went for a walk and soaked in the new spring landscaping at our neighborhood park. 

Peter had to leave that afternoon for a work trip, but the girls kept the pampering going with sparkle glitter manicures and pedicures.  

The following Monday was a holiday here so the girls had the day off from school.  We drove an hour outside the city to a horse stable with some friends.

Two besties in yellow.  

It was a great way to pass a beautiful afternoon.

These two sitting at their post while I work out in the garage always makes me smile. Can't beat that royal blue sky! 

The next weekend was another big one---I turned 40!  I started the day with coffee with my friend Raya  She brought me these beautiful flowers. 

Later that afternoon, Peter and the girls decorated the house with 40th birthday decorations.  Even Sally got in on the decorating.  

My cake was as delicious as it was beautiful.   

We had a fun family celebration that culminated in the video Peter had made from family and friends wishing me a Happy Birthday. It was the best gift ever.  Thank you to everybody who participated.  Many tears were shed.  ;)

My 40th wish.  

Homemade cards, a book of poetry, and some skin care products were all happy surprises.  

The next morning we headed a couple of hours outside the city to a wildlife refuge for Susannah and Sarah Avery's girls scout/daisy camp-out.  I was pleasantly surprised with the set-up.  Everything was nice and already set-up for us.  

The girls loved having another occasion to ride horses.

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These baby pigs were the favorite of all the farm animals on the property.

This Appaloosa was so beautiful.  

He took the girls on a fun little carriage ride.  

This tower gave awesome views of the park.  

We ended our adventure with a post-breakfast hike.   

We traversed a couple of these swinging bridges.  They were so cool.  

The scouts!

Part of our hike was through this aspen forest.  It was remarkably beautiful.  

The next weekend Peter and I headed downtown for 48 kid-free hours. Here we are on our way to meet some friends for dinner and drinks.

The restaurant was like like something in DC......gourmet craft burgers and amazing cocktails.  

Kalen and I had to show off our crazy cocktails too.  

What's a 40th birthday without tequila shots????  These three ladies have been such good friends to me this past year and I was so happy to celebrate with them.......even if they did make me take my first shots in 15 years.  ;)

Breakfast room service for the win.

We got so lucky with the most incredible weather.  It was what Peter's mom called a "soft day."  Saint Sophia was shining in the sun.  

We had brunch at one of our favorite restaurants.   

And then strolled through the botanical gardens and people watched.  It was glorious.  

That evening we had dessert on the same rooftop where we celebrated our anniversary 9 months ago.  So much has happened in those 9 months.  It was nice to watch the sunset and reflect on all that we have walked through together.  God was faithful and good through every step and we are grateful.  

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.........Our beloved babysitter (and her family) took care of the girls.  

These two had the best time and are already asking when Ms. Avery will be back to spend the night.  

Susannah has been the helper at Sarah Avery's little neighborhood story-time this year.

She is so amazing with the kids.  She even dressed up to match the book theme for this meeting.

Sarah Avery and Ivy worked hard on their building crafts.  

My book club had our last meeting at a restaurant to say good-bye to one of our members who is moving back to the states.  We had such a great night with good food and lots of laughs.

And then May 30th was upon us which meant time to celebrate Daddy!

In addition to Peanut Butter cupcakes, we celebrated with grilled steaks, home-made cards and presents.  (His favorite gift was a new ax and a back-scratcher.)

Sally........she loves the girls so much and so well.  

Despite my weekly tirades about her hair and muddy paws, I'm so glad she is a part of our family. 

And now June is here and we are looking forward to our big trip to the good ol' US of A.  We can't wait to see many of you........big, tight bear hugs are in order very soon!  Love and hugs from Kyiv!