June. No seriously, June. Of 2011.

We did a fun little visit at home since Jon was doing a rotation in Utah. We enjoyed our time there, especially knowing how little time was left in New York. We visited family, met our new little cousin/nephew Ben, saw our old friends from New York, the Lentz family, and even stained a picnic bench. When we got back to New York Kate had her dance recital, took part in a commercial for the YMCA, and graduated from JoySchool. We picked berries and started packing little bits to move to Utah. It was pretty busy but I got a few pictures along the way. :)

Asher with Aunt Alicia

Kate staining Grandma and Grandpa's picnic table

Visiting the Lentz Family. Asher and Kiplyn playing together!

Melissa, Matt, and Sam got a new addition to their little family this month. Ben was just a little doll for the entire visit. I wish I could say the same for my own kids' behavior....

The Stalsburgs with their new baby, Ben
Grandpa West with Ben
Grandma West with Asher. He loves her!
Ben

Kate playing at her cousin Hudson's house during a family dinner

Asher really has a thing for animals. He seems drawn to them and loves to "talk" to them. If he sees them he starts yelling and makes it quite clear we had better get closer to them. Elephants and dogs do seem to be his favorites.

Asher with the Bay's dog

Kate playing on the trampoline with Hudson and Sam

Grandma and Grandpa Allan, Asher, and a mysterious blanket that may or may not contain Ben.

Back in New York we were busy enough. Kate's dance class from the local YMCA had a spring recital. Kate's class danced to a song called "Mickey, She's Got a Crush on You," so all the girls were dressed like Minnie Mouse. It was very cute. Kate was cutest, of course.

My own little Minnie.
Could she get any cuter?!
Even Minnie is thoughtful at times...
She would give the real Minnie a run for her money.

Kate graduated from her preschool program, JoySchool. It was great fun to watch her with her friends. I had to make the graduation caps which was not a small feat, let me tell you. But I think they turned out okay. The graduation program was very cute. I'm so proud of my smart little girl! I also can't believe I have a kid that old...

Showing off her new creds. And her shoes.

FANCY PANTS!!

Grandma came to help while Jon was in Utah and got to see Kate's dance and graduation. It was great to have her there and such a big help!

One of our favorite things to do in New York is to pick berries. There are so many farms that cater to self-pick. I loved taking Kate and this time around Asher was pretty entertaining with the late strawberries. He ended up just covered in red juice and quite contentedly sat down and picked berry after berry to pop in his mouth. :)

Kate is getting more and more efficient with the picking.

Little Man indulging his sweet side

May. What a beauty she is!

May was a good time to be in New York. The weather was beautiful and we had a good time. Kate had quite a few outings with her JoySchool group and Asher liked tagging along with his sister whenever he could.

We went to the zoo with a few of the awesome families of Liverpool.

Kate giving the penguins a little kiss.

Kate and Adella being penguins.
Asher just LOVES being around kids. He loves playing with Kate and her friends.

Kate and Asher riding a tiger. :)

The crew: Allison, Carter, Calvin, Adella, William, and Kate

Kate and Calvin milking the fake cow

Kate and Adella riding a baby elephant

Climbing the hills of the "desert"

Oh, the poses.

Now that is a crowd for the lions.

So Kate decided, one morning, that she was going to turn herself into a tiger. I figured what the heck, it's washable. Thank heavens it was washable. I had no idea how much "art" she was going to decorate herself with.

She loved it so much she kissed herself.

Kate took a sports class at the local YMCA. They tried all kinds of sports. It was awesome to see her with a bunch of boys. She had fun though.

Trying out teeball

We went to a Memorial Picnic the local church had. Kate wasn't so sure why this was a holiday. Her response to my explanation of the holiday was that she didn't know anyone who had died, could she still go to the barbeque? I replied that she could. Then she asked if the barbeque was in a graveyard. I really can't remember my response to that but I'm sure it had some jaw-dropping involved somewhere. Also muffled laughter.

The best big sister in the world, pushing the best little brother in the world.

CHEEKS!

Asher just loving the swings

Eating the lovely picnic. Kate decided it was inedible because it had "black marks" all over it. I explained how the grill worked but she had made up her mind and her nose stayed up in the air. I told her she'd be hungry but that was fine with her...

There is a beautiful park next to Lake Onondaga, about 10 minutes from our Liverpool place. We went there often, weather permitting. I loved photographing the scenery and, of course, the kids. They loved playing by the water, riding bikes, and running around.

Some scenery

There's something about a hot pink bike glove picking a little daisy...

Kate got quite good at her bike. She loved riding the trails.

Crocodile Dundee?

That cute little red hair!

Kate's JoySchool class was so good for her. The only thing was that I had to teach every once in awhile. It was very good for me but probably not as good for the kids... May was nice though because the kids could go outside.