Jumping into June

Last days of school, weekend fun, playtime with friends and neighbors, our 14th wedding anniversary, a baby shower, and a week of VBS... 

A little bit of everything in the first month of summer!

Warm Duck Donuts at Ft. Ward!

Dinner and play while the hubbies were out of town.

Sharing a room while daddy was away. :)

Great practice!

 

Lilee's favorite playmate!

Lots of playmates enjoying the make-shift, outdoor "fort!"

My little artist.

Enjoying Duck Donuts. Again.

Maelee's 1st diorama- a starfish habitat!

Impromptu picnic with the neighbors.

School field trip to the zoo!

Such a treat to chaperone with my sweet girl!

Brownie "investiture!"

So happy to have daddy back after his almost week long traveling!!!

Enjoying breakfast with a Potomac River view during a trip into DC.

They even made a "friend!"

More impromptu neighborhood fun.

Lilee's rainbow :)

Celebrating 14 years on the 14th back at the  restaurant where we had our rehearsal dinner!

1st Grade Animal Habitat presentations!

Celebrating their successful presentations at Baskin Robbins!

Lilee's last day of school... can't believe it!

Surprise bday celebration for dear friend, Laura. :)

Field day at Lilee's School!

Watch out- she's one fierce super hero!!!

How is she officially a 2nd grader???

SO grateful to be able to make a quick trip up to Boston to celebrate my super special friend, Sarah, and her sweet baby boy in her beautiful new home!

 A successful first week of VBS.

And a couple final pics of Lilee at school!

Such a good little mommy :)

More pics from Lilee's last month of school:

https://pix.sfly.com/ZhkrF_

More pics from June:

https://pix.sfly.com/D3i4-t

Every parent-teacher conference I had this year for these two truly warmed my heart. Both class teachers gushed about their kindness toward others in the class and the leadership example they both were. Maelee was consistently the one her teacher would count on to help out in the classroom or help out with a new classmate, and Lilee was consistently the one her teachers would rely on to dote on any kiddo who may be having a rough day. While the selfishness, bickering, and often "wild" behavior is on full display at home, it was always so encouraging to hear that so many of the character qualities we work on and talk about at home are actually getting through to them out in the "real"(-ish) world! Very humbling and we are very grateful to God to see fruit being produced in their little hearts!!! 

Now that summer break is in full swing the sibling bickering has hit an all time high so it's good to think back on those meetings for encouragement!

Fond Family Fun!

Wow, I am really behind on our spring photos!  Including documenting some very sweet moments from May and June.

We had the Metheny Family reunion the first weekend of May, and then special evenings celebrating Mother's Day and Father's Day. With a couple random shots thrown in, too!

The rainy, gray Saturday in the beginning of May could not dampen the spirits of the Metheny crowd!  Close to 50 of us met over a lunch feast that could've fed 100 and it was such a sweet day of reconnecting, reminiscing, and making new memories.  The kiddos had a blast together and the chickens were a hit ;).  My dad will never live down his acceptance of a dare (a $5 dare, mind you!) over a decade ago at my cousin's wedding (not even on the Metheny side!) to dance "The Chicken Dance" so there were chickens and chicken jokes galore :)  Oh, and the fact that my dad and his "sibs" grew up on a chicken farm might've contributed to the chickenpalooza, too!

One BIG happy family!

Such a fun time with so many FUN folks!

Just a cute pic of these cute gals at a yummy brunch!

My dad's former colleague invited several of his friends and their families to a delicious buffet brunch at the Ft. Meyer's base and we all enjoyed it!

The girls always enjoy their ice cream treats :)

Sweet Mother's Day "tea" at Lilee's school. 

It was a very special Mother's Day this year as we had the treat of having Mandy and Holland AND Mandy's mom, Lucy, over for dinner!  The girls always love doting on "cousin" Holland and it was a very sweet day with LOTS of sweet mothers!

And onto more sweet celebrating for Father's Day! We went to a brewery in Old Town and loved celebrating the girl's daddy and the girl's Pop-Pop!  They are (and I am) very blessed :)

Lilee in her 3 year old ways is getting harder and harder to photograph and can be quite a stinker at times!  She thinks she's hilarious so needs to reminded we're not always laughing.  Haha.  It was a great spring celebrating family though and we are so grateful for the family we've been given!

More pics from our family fun:

https://pix.sfly.com/056cU2

A Memorable Weekend

The long weekend over Memorial Day ended up being filled with lots of sweet times with family, friends, and neighbors.  As it marked nearly 3 years since our move to VA, it was very confirming that we are right where God would have us.  We still feel like we're New Yorkers at heart in some ways, and we will always miss our friends there, the church we loved there, and the city itself, but we have built such a special community here having not just close friends, but amazing family and neighbors, that our long weekend at the end of May had us feeling especially grateful.

The weekend kicked off with one of our "dinner club" nights at our dear friend's home.  We have been doing these monthly for over 1 1/2 years now with 4 other couples and it is always a highlight of our month!  

Good food & good friends!!!

The next day was spent with some of our closest friends here who adopted their son from Uganda last summer.  Not only are they just an awesome family, but they have been an endless source of encouragement and guidance for us on our journey to adopt from Africa!  Our families spent the morning at a nearby nature reserve and the kiddos loved seeing snakes, turtles, fish, and ducklings!

Best pals Lilee & Emma :)

On Sunday afternoon, we were SO thrilled to be able to meet up with one of my most special friends, Cindy, and her family at the National Harbor!  The kids loved seeing one another and had a great time walking around the streets, circling around on the carousel, and enjoying the boat ride back!  And of course, the perfect ending to the day included ice cream! :)

Monday morning began with a sweet brunch with Nana & Pop-Pop at one of our favorite spots in Del Ray.  We love being able to get together with them so regularly!

Monday ended with a long afternoon/evening spent with the neighbors along our "path" for a bbq.  We had a little pool for the kiddos and we are so grateful to have such a wonderful group of neighbors surrounding us!

It was a very full weekend but it left us feeling more refreshed and grateful than worn out!

More pictures from Memorial Day Weekend:
pix.sfly.com/s-OkAMUE