Here it is at long last!!! Alex's Spidey cake!!! Mommy is tired, having stayed up, of course, way past her bedtime working on the details of His Spideyness...Alex was really excited!
Alex was a great helper to Mommy this morning. Here he is putting the goodies into the bags for all of his friends. We had lots of really neat treats!
Here is the birthday boy with some of the revelers. Henry, in orange, is holding his buddy otter. He's one of Alex's friends from both Sunday school and pre-school.

Evan, in black, is our new neighbor from across the street. He just turned six and is lots of fun.
What the hell is going on in here???

Puma works the crowd. 

Good morning, everyone! It is my brother's 5th birthday and we are all really excited! We're going to go to Alex's school after nap to have cake and sing!
Here is the birthday boy! He is five years goofy!!!
Here is the class...Poor teacher Jason...he has a lot to keep up with. These kids are ready for their cake! They made it themselves this morning with Teacher Val and then took it to Ms. Linda to bake it while the kids were napping...but now they are ready and chanting, "We want cake! We want cake!" Run, Jason, run!!!
Yum! Parker can't wait!!! Oh, and neither can Alex!!! 

We're down at Waterfront Park for the Autism Society of Oregon's walk-a-thon. It was really empowering to see all of the other kids and families there with us!
Our friend Lucy and her family came along for the ride...It was great to have them there with us. Claire-Bear and Amy joined us, too. Thanks to all who showed up in person or made a pledge to support us!
Holy shin guards, Batman! Back at the ranch, Alex cools the plants (and his baby sister) off a bit. Nothing relaxes a superhero like a little time in the garden...He's dressed for battle, though, in his mask, belt, shin guards and monster boots. You never know what bad guys could be lurking in all those weeds!

It will be much better in July! We're weeding and getting our beds ready to plant next week!
Not to be outdone, Adriana has come up with a sleep outfit that is rather unique. Her "beep beep" jammie top is a favorite. Here she has paired it with one of her louder pairs of tights and her NEW and fabulous ladybug boots.

"These my boots. They not Bennan boots. They not Alex boots."

Hannah had to hide these boots so she could get Adriana to wear her tennies to the playground the other day.

Top and boots available at Target, tights by BabyGap. :) 

We love to go to the zoo. Here we are riding an elephant. It was gorgeous this week, so we made the most of the sunny weather.
We don't normally run around pantless at the zoo...After riding the elephant, we found our silly friend Lucy and the three of us found some huge puddles...No, Grandpa, they weren't from the rain, but from an overzealous sprinkler system in the grassy amphitheater area near the elephants. Adriana was so wet, we decided to strip her down a bit. Kept her snazzy sandals on, though. Shades, too...We've got a reputation to uphold, you know!
Here is silly Lucy, fueled by chocolate milk. Lucy is also running around without pants having soaked herself as well. What a bunch of goofballs we are!
Here we are back at home with our friend Brennan...Brennan and Nana are daycare buddies, now home together with the fabulous Hannah, nanny extraordinaire.

It has been a busy day! 

Adriana makes a fashion statement in Carolina gear. No question about where her loyalties lie.






















Nana is out for a stroll with her friends, Baby, Baba (a.k.a. Piglet), Fox, and Bunny. (Goggy, or Doggy, is home hanging out in the lazy boy chair. He'll be sad to have missed out.) Do you think it bothers Baby to ride on her head in the stroller?

Alex and his new friend Evan are riding the big wheel (together) and have obviously done something to get Adriana's attention.

Like the display of toys and chaos in our yard in the background? We have lots of fun... 

Here is the "cookie plate" that Alex made for me. He has been busting to blow the secret since he made it on Friday...
The inscription reads, "Let's make cookies...love, Alex 2006"

How cool is that? 

"Happy Mothers' Day, Mommy!"

This little boy is REALLY excited about Mothers Day and the present he has created ALL BY HIMSELF for his Mama.

He practically launched himself onto the bed this morning to present the gift and was yanking the tissue out of the bag himself before I even had my eyes opened.s 

Wow! What time is it?

Clearly, the kids got a whole lot more sleep than I did.

These are the exceedingly flattering Mothers Day photos that continue the story of the boy and his gift to his Mama.

This is his baby sister. She's crawling on "sleepy mommy."
Someone is really excited...and someone else, while really excited, is also really sleepy. What's inside?

"Look, Mom! That is MY hand!"
Mommy tells Alex that this is the best gift she has ever gotten...short of the kids themselves...