MAY?! No way!

So what have we been up to this BUSY BUSY month?

Well....

 

 I bought a $5 bread machine off of Craig's List and love it.  I need to get much better at cutting the bread, but we're getting there:)

 We found a fox den near our soccer practice and got to watch 4 baby foxes grow! 

 We got cuter!  I mean really, LOOK at her!

 We finally dug up the rest of our carrots and they were HUGE!  over a foot long! And they tasted great!

 We went to an 80's party, it was super fun!

 

We made the news! Okay well my back did, that's me wearing glasses (inside, nerd) and the pink shirt

 

And we made the paper!

Emmy continued to LOVE gymnastics! We're taking a break until June when we're going to the BIG gym in town, I'm sure she will think it's cool.  Colin, might not!

 We worked on science experiments, mixing  color while John was gone. 

 We celebrated John Michael's 6th (!) birthday!

 Twice!

 Someone lost his second top tooth in the celebration ice cream!  It wasn't a rock;)

We celebrated with Finn!  Seriously best party ever!  And no pictures to show:)

 All of the big kids!  Mal, Riley, James, John, Finn, and Colin.  M, R, and John met before they were born:)

 We got a play house :(  Kids love it, mom wonders why the park 20 yards away wasn't enough.

And we finished soccer (YAY!). for the season.  little kids are funny. 

 

Only one week until Emmy's birthday, Katie's shower is this weekend, end of school next week!  Phew, and then summer AKA when it's really hot AND we have places do be:)



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!

 

Friday Flashback

Vintage john video:

What we did in May...

What did we do this month? Well, we:

Hosted girls in our beds:)


We ate tomatoes at Roosevelt park



WE attended lost of birthday parties with our friends:


We went fishing on Haley Lake:

We went to the zoo and monkied around:


We went to a really, really cold Rockies game with the Nichols’


And John learned how to ride a real bike:


So while we were MIA, we were busy having fun!! Right now J is running through the sprinkler while I type, really life here at the Case de Haley is good, very good! Hope it is at your house too!

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:(

Early March

We have enjoyed the start of March, minus the shoveling.  Today is a beautiful day that we have spend entirely outside.  (Waves from back deck). 

 

Seth and I celebrated his birthday a bit early at one of those paint and sip places.  Monet we are not, but we had fun together!

 Oh and yes I dyed my hair, although is looks black in this picture it's really dark brown.  I love the dark brown, I don't love the fact that it photographs black.

We had dinner with our friends the Atherton's after MUCH too much time apart.  With 6 kids between us, lots has changed since Anne and I worked at the Little Gym together.  With so many kiddos, we decided that it would be easier if we didn't have to watch the girls.  Just kidding, they loved hanging out in Rudy's cage together!

 

Great Uncle Tim decided that my children deserved to cheer on a "better" football team than the buffs and outfitted the kids in Michigan gear.  While we are not abandoning our beloved buffaloes, there is enough room in our hearts for the blue too.

And two weekends ago I hosted a gathering to make bowls for the Empty Bowls campaign here in longmont.  And I brought along a wonderful date John Michael.  We TRULY enjoyed our grown up time together making bowls and then going out for ice cream afterwards.  It is so fun to see him alone in his elements.  I cannot wait to hangout with him again!

I have NO idea why the middle two pictures are upside down, and cannot figure out how to fix them, we will all survive!

St. Paddy's is coming!  Prepare for the fun!