So here is May in pictures...
Annika is on her first "real" softball team. She has enjoyed it for the most part. She is learning and likes when she actually gets to play. We have been a little frustrated with her coaches this year, but at the same time, she is already losing steam and we still have three weeks left. She is the youngest on the team and can out slug and catch a bunch of the girls. You go girl!
The ducks moved back in on the neighbor's pool. We got a huge kick out of watching them.
I have been watching too much Clean House and Hoarders: Buried Alive and went on a purging spree. Which is always bittersweet. Needed to make room. We can actually put away toys now and walk through the laundry and storage room. But after it is done, I always miss a couple things. But it felt good to donate all of this. And I talked the girls into taking the toys to Once Upon a Child and they each earned $20. Those items are not pictured, and I took three tubs of clothes back to Iowa to hand down to cousins. All in all a big project that was worth it.
Our Brookfield Zoo membership ran out. I am a little zooed out, and think we will do other memberships this year. So we went one last time with Daddy. Of course I forgot to take pictures of our picnic or of the kids and Jeff together. But I did get this picture of Phoebe before bedtime with her facepaint. (And Annika is mad that I am posting it because I wasn't supposed to take any pics according to her.) The new bear wilderness is pretty cool.
We spend every morning outside so the boys can play and run. They are at the door at 7:30 banging and yelling , "OUTSIDE!" Annika and I have been playing a lot of catch while the 3 little ones dig in the sand. One day I got her to practice some of her gymnastics moves and she just flipped over backwards right into this backbend. No warm up, no fear, just blip and over she went. Oh to be that limber! Now she is doing it all the time. The Easter bunny brought a trapeze for the swingset, so both girls are spending a great deal of time upside down as well.
Tanner loves his dirt. He will spend an hour filling the "digger" and then dumping it into his semi truck so he can move the dirt to other piles. I love that it keeps him busy, and really, considering he spends that much time in dirt, he isn't that filthy.
And Miss Phoebe turned 7! I had way too much fun decorating and both girls helped make most of the food for her fancy tea party. I can't believe she is getting so big! She has grown into such a sweet and wonderful little thing.
The birthday girl and a few of her close friends had a lovely time sipping raspberry lemonade, eating cucumber sandwiches and fruit salad with whipped cream, and polished off quite a few candy dipped pretzels topped with molded almond bark butterflies and ladybugs. Then they made a little craft and played with their American Girl dolls. Phoebe got several new sets of clothes for Molly and is saving for furniture for Molly. 
And Annika graduated from preschool! They had the cutest little program with songs and awards for each child. Annika was best leader...5 going on 25 and always ready to lead you how to do something the right way. That's our girl!