May was a whirlwind.
But then again, what month isn't?
I think I start 90% of my blog posts by commenting on how much we did and how quickly.
I assure you, I don't do it on purpose.
I value lazy days, and peaceful nights.
But it seems that with 5 members in the nuclear tribe, plus all the local extended family, something is always on the calendar.
No sense in fighting it. Might as well climb aboard, and enjoy the ride!
I turned 34 on May 10th.
We had no formal plans for my birthday. It was a weeknight, I'm pretty sure. But my parents were sweet enough to surprise me anyhow. I heard a knock at the door, and opened it to find the Carter gang.... and the world's largest Costco cake.
Matt and the boys helped me celebrate with a hot Garlic Knot cheese pizza. They also made me chocolate covered strawberries. And my gift this year was a new bluetooth speaker.
Not bad, not bad at all!
The kids helped arrange the candles on the cake.
(So let me set the record straight. I'm not 43. Not yet at least....)
And just like in every other year, the next day was my Dad's birthday.
I dug some old photos out of the fire proof safe, and shared the memories on Facebook.
And since he was new to town and all, I thought what better gift than a little father-daughter date. Out on the town we went! He was allowed to choose 1 restaurant and 1 shopping experience.
We stopped at Al's Newsstand for cigars. And then ended up at Fiona's (where my dad ordered an underwhelming gyro.) Matt and I have frequented this sandwich shop for almost a decade. It's one of our favorites. But it failed to capture the heart - and the stomach - of my father.
So I suppose we'll just need a re-do! The quest for "our place" continues....
And just like in every year previous, Mother's Day also fell into that tiny window of early May.
(That's 3 celebrations in a 4 day span, if anyone is keeping track...)
I rummaged through the fire proof safe, once more, to find another round of adorable family photos.
My mom and I look like twins in that bottom picture!
May was also the peak of planting season.
We were busy in the yard, helping nature do its thing!
We built a compost pile.
We nourished and amended the soil.
We planted strawberries.
Which quickly doubled in size.
And all the while, we enjoyed the late Spring cascade of color.
From daffodils to tulips to irises. And much more!
Some days were cold, some days were hot.
Either way, the plants were happy!
We also planted tomatoes.
Lots and lots of tomatoes.
We grew 20 different varieties this year.
(And had multiple of each variety.)
The porch was overrun with tomato starters!
We had space for about 11 different tomato plants in the yard.
But what to do with all the excess starters???
Seemed such a waste to toss them out.
And so we signed ourselves up to vend at the Drake Road Farmers Market in mid-May (the 19th). This would be a great opportunity for us! A market practice run. We could learn a little bit about the vending process, and return in August just "a little less novice" than we were before. We could also make a little cash on the side!
In preparation for the market, I purchased some booth supplies.
I also designed a sign for our newly minted business. And while we're at it, how about some business cards?!
The more we could prepare now - the better August would be!
I found a great tutorial online for making paper dahlias. I was immediately hooked on the concept. Some hot glue, a piece of cardboard, and a pad of multicolored paper is all we'd need.
Bright colors, low budget, and floral themed. Seemed perfect!
The backdrop for the sign was even easier. Just a piece of fabric wrapped around cardboard and stapled.
A great centerpiece for very little investment!
And here's those tomatoes I was talking about!
20 different delicious varieties.
We had some difficult weather on market day. A tough initiation to the market scene!
It was really rainy. And it was cold. So cold it was almost snow.
We could see our breath!
Market traffic was low due to the weather.
And I don't think those who did show, were much in the gardening mood. Matt and I had lots of time to sit around, chat, and dream of August.
We did offload about 20 or so plants.
And we got a good feel for what was ahead.
It was Farmers Market 101.
Then on May 23rd, Rowan was scheduled for outpatient surgery in Denver. Rowan needed some assistance getting one of his parts into just the right place.
We were scheduled with a great urologist to do the procedure.
But it was the general anesthesia I was most concerned about.
One of the hardest parts of the day was fasting him, or so I anticipated. Little guy couldn't have anything in his belly for 4 hours.
But he did great! I imagined pacing the hospital with a screaming baby. But there was so much else to distract him, that he barely made a fuss.
Baby fasting wasn't nearly as traumatic as I thought.
Rowan tuckered out and fell asleep right before the nurses came to transport him back to the operating room. I felt so at peace handing over a sleepy dreaming baby.
No fear, no stranger danger, no tears. Rowan was in a great state of mind!
And he did beautifully!! Everything is in its proper place now. Tiny incisions. Hardly noticeable. And no more surgeries. One and done.
In the days following, he barely even needed pain killers. I gave him some ibuprohen and some tylenol a couple times, and that was it. He was back to normal, and full mobility, within hours.
We could gladly put this behind us. Hurdle cleared!
And just a couple days later.... the Diemers arrived for a long overdue visit. It had been 6 months.
Last time we saw them we were on the beaches of Florida, and I was still on maternity leave.
We hosted a BBQ to bring the Carter and Diemer families together.
What a treat to have the whole family tree in one place!
(This might have been the first time Sage had all 4 grandparents together under the same roof.)
We also spent an afternoon at the Loveland Laser Tag Center.
And in addition to all those events, celebrations, visits, and appointments - was just the hum of regular life.
Lots of snuggles, funny faces, kisses, and laughter.
And finally, a quick re-cap of our May recipes.
Caramelized onion frittatas with homemade hash browns.
Chipotle and lime roasted cauliflower tacos.
The ever-present quiche.
Chocolate chip banana bread.
Deviled eggs.
Breakfast potatoes.
