The Belbin Brigade: May 2009

The tulips in Kai & Bumpa's special
garden that bloomed for Mother's Day

This past weekend encompassed all of the best moments of parenthood. We were together, the sun was shining and there were a million little moments that added up to make it the most special Mother's Day I could have asked for. Some things were broken, a big mess was made and there were a few tantrums thrown in for good measure. But, there was also a 6-man tent set up in our living room for a very rowdy sleepover, fears conquered, and some of the most simple, fun & proudest moments of our lives.

Drew broke this by accident while helping me pitch the tent in the living room.
He then painstakingly put it back together with scotch tape. "All fixed!"
(Bumpa, we may need a new one next time you're in Japan)

On Friday, Kai had a sleepover with her friends Amy & Kaitlyn from school. It was a first sleepover for both girls and I kept the nervous mothers updated throughout the night with photos & emails. I took the girls to the movie store & they were convinced everyone thought they were triplets because they were all wearing jammies, holding dolls and they were all wearing gold medals around their necks (?). Their constant chatter & High School Musical madness was hilarious...until about midnight when they finally fell asleep.

On Saturday morning we packed up some tired girls and set off to the BMX track for "new racer day". Drew & Aidan each got to practice & then race three times. Drew was very nervous ("I'm so anxious it's eating up my insides!") but after a few practice rounds he was ready. Kai, who was "not tired at all" fell asleep in the bleachers while Drew came in 2nd in all three races and was awarded his newest prize possession - his trophy.

On Sunday Drew & I were up early to run the Big Brothers/Big Sisters 5K race together. Drew was the only kid in the race which got him a lot of attention! He was high-fived and cheered the entire way. I finished the race in 3rd place in the female division, 5th overall & Drew finished in 40:40! Watching him run through the finish line all sweaty and proud of himself was a chest-bursting moment for me. Afterward we collected some prizes, ate donuts and enjoyed the sweet feel of victory...for a few minutes. Then we were off again! Dad, Kai & Mara had a huge Mother's Day breakfast waiting for us at home before DK had a gymnastics birthday party to get to.

Here are a few randoms from the last few weeks...