So far in May . . .

- we've had an enjoyable visit with a new friend from Abliene, Texas. We were blessed by his presence in our home. My kids loved Steve, though Ella was terribly confused thinking he might be one of her Grandpas, but called him "Grammy" the entire week. We were thankful for all he did for and with us. I especially enjoyed the times he played with Ella and rocked Noah.

- our church hosted a tree planting at a former landfill site. We planted a bunch (around 450) native trees, bushes and grasses with friends; some old, some new. Jason, along with others, had spent several month preparing the land for the planting, and many hands made for light work on the day. By light work, I don't mean "not hard", I mean I'm thankful for the help. It would have taken much longer without those folk. If you live in Wollongong, consider joining us for another tree planting on November 13th.



- I turned 33. Jason made a great video from snippets of home video we've taken over the past almost two years. Ella stayed up and watched it with us while we ate Thai food. All I can say about the past two years is "wow".

- we introduced Ella to the Sound of Music and she loves it. Her favourite song in the Yodeling one. I have good memories of watching this movie as a kid, so I'm thrilled to see Ella enjoying it. Her other loves of the month are the Park, calling relatives on the phone all by herself, telling stories about The Park, climbing, and asking to go to The Park.





- and, we said goodbye to the Baby Mullet/Rat's Tail (i.e Ella's birth hair). It was time. The next day I found Ella with the scissors in her hand (???) saying "Cut. Hair." Thankfully, she didn't.



The end of the month will be busy. We're heading to a Youth Retreat where Jason will speak on Saturday and we'll get to hang out with a great bunch of people. We also have family and friends arriving from Texas and Oklahoma and look forward to catch up with them.