May has come and gone...

I'm sorry did someone hit me over the head and flip the calendar from April to June?

May is the busiest month of the year for moms with kids in school. It is just simply insane...but I love it! No long narratives this time just a recap of the month of May.

Our family started the warmer month off with our first family camping trip (one that included sister girl). I was honestly very nervous about the whole sleeping in a tent together but it was great! Everyone had a wonderful time...got extremely dirty...and we found our new favorite camping/hiking/water hole site only an hour away from the 'boro.




While cupcakes were being eaten, publishing parties being thrown, buses were loading us up for field trips left and right my sweet husband went on a mission trip to Namur, Belgium (see previous blog post). I survived the week alone - well not really alone - I truly couldn't have survived all the activities at the boys' school without the help of my parents, Nate's parents and then my friend and partner in crime! The best part was when Nate returned...with a box of the best (and probably most expensive) chocolates ever!!! I know I ate 3/4th of the box within three days!!
But I deserved it right?





The boys successfully finished first and third grade. They really enjoyed their teachers and breezed through the year with no drama and little tears. I was so appreciative of their teachers this year!





A celebrated tradition we now have with cub scouts is placing flags at the Stones River Battleground in preparation for Memorial Day.




The end of May and final class parties means one thing for the Callender family...vacation. We seemed to have set upon a trend of every other year going to the beach so this falling on our off year we were invited to the East TN. mountains with Nate's family (parents and two sisters). We stayed in a three story cabin fully furnished with video arcade, pool table, hot tub and flat screen t.v. in every room. It was a low key week - a little swimming in the pool, aquarium in Gatlinburg, some river play, put-put, a few date nights (thanks to Nanny and Papa)and lots of eating! The highlight of the trip I think for the kids (and the biggest kid - their dad) was when we were playing in the river and what we thought was a hell binder salamander about two feet long came crawling by Nate's feet. Yes, you can imagine what happened after that...the chase was on. Each child was able to touch it and Nate tried his hardest to catch the thing but to no avail. But he was rewarded for his persistence when he caught a snake (yes I said snake) a little further down the river. Don't worry...he has been trained through the "Crocodile hunter and Bear Grylls do it yourself videos". It was fun for everyone to hang out together for that long since it doesn't happen to often anymore, especially with Aunt Hannah who moved so far away to teach math at a university. (yes, two math nerds in one family - you should hear how they talk to each other about equations and never ending formulas)









Now we are home. Don't roll your eyes but it hasn't even been five hours since we were met in the driveway by those God forsaken Middle TN. ear piercing cicadas and we are unpacked, dirty clothes washed and folded, van vacuumed, plants outside thoroughly hydrated after I neglected them for a week, and children put in bed!

Now to conquer June!