May Madness

The monkey halloween costume that inspired her monkey birthday party. She's kind of a little monkey all of the time... but a cute one!
A sunny day at the zoo!
The new barnyard toy!
And the learning table
But, we don't really need new toys. Metal bowls and spoons are great fun!


Anyone else feel like May is always a crazy month? I remember growing up, that the end of May always held graduations, birthdays, and all sorts of "end of the year" celebrations and parties. With a baby's birthday in May, I feel like this year is as crazy as ever. We also started our softball league this month, and we have games every Friday. Rachael's bachelorette party is this weekend and we have been invited to 4 baby birthday parties this month, plus a bridal and baby shower. Whew!

Speaking of baby birthday parties, Coranelle's is coming up. I never would have imagined that her first birthday would be important to me, but, turns out- it is! I have invited at least 50 people over for a dinner/ BBQ and cupcakes. I so want all of our family and friends to be there and celebrate with us (though I have to remind myself that a one year old's birthday doesn't matter as much to anyone else). Anyhow, I have picked out the perfect cupcakes to make her. They have adorable monkey faces on them and I will need to practice them before the big day. I got her an adorable outfit with a monkey on it, and even matched the invites to the monkey theme. Ridiculous, I know! But, she's my girl and I am excited to have a party in her honor and celebrate with lots of friends and family. We actually bought her some birthday presents this past weekend. She got a new play table that has all sorts of songs and learning activities in Spanish and in English. We also got her a little barnyard set that makes the noises of all of the toy animals. I remember having a similar one as a kid, so I was thrilled to find a little piece of my memory at Target. Coranelle loves the animals as she is really into animal sounds right now. We also purchased some great pop-up books for her that she is super excited about. It's crazy how fast this year has flown by (well, the last 4 months. The first 6 or 8 were a bit rough with all the crying and seemed to drag on, but it's still hard to believe that almost a year has gone by).

In other news, I have a new appreciate for baseball and softball players. We had a practice on Sunday and I was incredibly humbled at my lack of ability. I am afraid of the ball, so catching is rather difficult. I can bat once in a while, but usually I hit the ball right into someone's mitt (in the infield). They had me run bases for a while, while people were practicing batting. Ironically enough, now my quads and shins are super sore from the sprinting and stopping that I am not at all used to. Regardless, I am excited to play and think this will be a fun experience.

Another event in May is Mother's Day. This year, I'll officially be a mom! Every year for the past 3 years, we've done the Title 9 mothers day walk. This year, I'll be walking with Mom, Heido, Claire, Molly, and this year- my daughter. Afterwards, we'll have a BBQ at my Mom and Steve's house. It should be a really fun day and I am looking forward to it. Hopefully Coranelle can handle the 9K in the stroller- maybe she'll take a good nap!

Not much else to report. I hope you're all enjoying this crazy month!