This Extremely Long Pause Sponsored By...

Gastroentiritis!!!

That's right. We were all very down and very out. All four of us seemed to have different bugs, so we had varied responses, but it's only in the last two days or so that things are (somewhat) back to normal. That's not enough of an excuse, I know, but we're back (for now) with a big update and a whole lot of pictures!!!

May has been a lovely month - the first part was fantastic, not too busy, not too calm. The second half (minus the bug) has been the same. And right in the middle? Mother's Day!!! My three favorite people made it into a three day weekend with Friday at Disney World and Saturday and Sunday at the beach! It was fantastic! (Although it's hard when four people are in one hotel room and the littlest will only go to bed when the others go to bed. I'm not sure when the last time I was in bed and asleep by 8:45 was, but hey, it's all part of the big picture!)

On the teacups at Walt Disney World. Amiya, excited. Kev, trepidatious.
Trepidatious? Nah, it's all good!

"Miss Mary Poppins? I have to tell you you are my very favorite Disney character ever!!!"

Vinay says he'll need some motion sickness medication before he does this again with Amiya!

Mother's Day Morning. The best ever.

And then there was other stuff, too! April saw Amiya studying the solar system at school and she is very, very into it. We may be heading to the other coast again to catch the shuttle launch this coming weekend. Did you know they're retiring the shuttle in 2010? The timing for this launch (if it isn't scrubbed) is really good for our family, so we hope to make it!

Amiya's solar system project. This was just for "fun" she said - it wasn't a class project. The balls are polymer clay that she rolled and baked on sticks, then the orbital paths are Daddy's idea and not true to scale or shape, but helpful for a bunch of 5 year olds to visualize what is going on. She's very proud of this project!

Kev continues to grow and is slowly adding words to his vocabulary. We had his hearing checked earlier this month and learned that he does have some hearing loss in his left ear, however it is not significant enough to warrant a course of action at this point. We may find out that he has no loss, he just skewed the tests when he wouldn't quit wiggling at the first appointment. His speech is within the normal range for his age and so it seems we're too worried about nothing, but holy crap does he get frustrated when he tries to tell us something and we just can't get it.

Swimming lessons are progressing as expected. He is fearless in the pool in our neighborhood. It's going to be a loooong summer with him if he continues to jump in, walk in, fall in, etc. The good news is that swimming is making him take beautiful naps and lovely night time sleeps:

How can that be comfortable?
And I'll throw this one in just for good measure. How can she sleep like that?

Amiya and Kev are definitely fully into the love/loathe phase. If she even looks at a toy that he's playing with he shrieks like a zebra being felled by a lion. It seems to occur a great deal when I'm on the phone, but it's by no means limited to those occasions. However, upon waking from a nap, Kev doesn't want me - I'm the mean Mom who put him there! He wants Didi and only Didi:

Isn't she the best? She eats this up!

And she pulls him around for hours in his little wagon.

By the way, do you notice her very dirty dress? I sent her to school in that dress in pristine condition and she came home looking like a chimney sweep. She's the only one in her class who can manage that task - her teacher and I are both baffled.

Daddy and Amiya after Vinay's victorious initial foray into the gaming world of Pretty, Pretty Princess. P3 is a riveting game where Princesses race each other to accumulate jewels. Whoever attains her jewels first wins the game and Vinay won masterfully. He was very proud of his earrings, especially.

And finally, the only cake for May! Whoohee! It's a vanilla and caramel IMBC cake with fondant and gumpaste accents.

And 40 sugar cookies to match!