May and June

So let me tell ya, over the past two months it has been nothing but a giant party here at the Newell home. It seems like every other day is someone's birthday. Plus, it's summer so there are lots of fun things to keep us occupied. Since it's been SOOoooOOooo busy, I'll start off with May and June.

Brad's birthday shindig. Lots of fun had. We went golfing and out for some yummy dinner.

Joseph graduated kindergarten. It was so super cute. The school had a little ceremony for all the graduates.

Axel's Pirate Party. Joseph and Andrew's friend, Axel Nelson, had a pirate themed party for his 6th birthday. The kids all dressed up, got to paint their own treasure chests, and had a treasure hunt. So cute.

Pittsburgh Zoo. We went to the Pittsburgh Zoo with grandma, grandpa, and aunt Stephanie. It was a really rainy day, but we got about two hours of rain-free fun, and it was a great day to see the animals. We were able to see almost every animal up close. The kids' favorite was the stingray tank, and Brad and I loved the penguins and the polar bears.

Over the Hill

Happy 30th birthday to the most wonderful husband a girl could ask for!

(Does this look like anyone else you know?)

The End

This Sunday, my favorite show on the planet came to an end. To mourn the end of LOST, we threw a party, complete with plenty of Dharma Initiative goodness and vague references to the show. Much fun was had by all! Someone at the party commented that "this was the coolest party he had ever been to." I was really flattered. Then, the thought came to me that maybe he hadn't been to very many parties...

...I'll just pretend that he has been to lots of parties, and mine was just so super awesome that it earned the title "The Coolest."

The kids and I spent a great deal of the afternoon on Saturday making these cookies. Unless you watch the show, you won't understand.

I made all of these delightful DI labels for our food. Again, you have to watch the show to understand.

And, I made t-shirts for the whole family.

To honor those who crashed in Oceanic flight 815 on September 22, 2004, I made these adorable little cupcakes. I made the white chocolate airplanes, which I then "crashed" into the sandy beach (gold golored sprinkles) in the South Pacific (cupcake liners that look like waves). I'm just so darned creative!

We asked all of our guests to bring some Lost-themed refreshments. Marci and Ryan brought "Sun" chips and "Jin"ger ale. Again, obscure references to the show that only fans would understand.

Costumes were optional, but we thought it would be fun! Our family dressed up as members of the Dharma Initiative, and our friend Morgan (left) was Richard Alpert (pay close attention to his black eyeliner) and his wife, Kim, was an Other.

Just one more obscure reference, I promise. Our friends Lindsey and Phil brought a pizza that resembled the famous "fish biscuit" eaten by Sawyer and Kate when they were trapped in the cages.

I leave you with my favorite scene from the finale:

Until the next time, Namaste.

T-ball and the Teddy Bear Clinic

Joseph and Andrew are playing t-ball through the local YMCA. It is the cutest thing ever. Brad and I had as much fun watching them as they did playing. The highlight of the first practice: Andrew hit the ball and ran to third base instead of first. I about died laughing.

Also, Joseph's class got to go on a field trip to the "Teddy Bear Clinic." The students take a teddy bear or stuffed animal to the local hospital and they do all kids of "tests" to their toys. I went to watch with a few other moms, and they even let Andrew participate.

Look how cute my little boys are!

Joseph giving his puppy a "shot" at the TBC.

Isn't this darling? They gave them little surgical masks and hair nets and everything!

Joseph's puppy using the nebulizer. Haha!

As you can see, we've been busy now that the weather is nice. How have you been spending your warm sunny days?