Celebrations

May is full of birthdays on the Tinsley side of the family. Celebrating Mother's Day gets tucked in neatly along with it. So, May is a favorite month of mine :0) My sweet husband gave me a new camera, so I am learning how to use it. Here are some of the first pics from it.

Talking with Farmer Bob while looking for the queen bee at the Bush-N-Vine in York, SC. If you are ever in the Rock-Hill area, this is a fun farm to visit, and my husband worked there growing up.

Feelin' right at home on the farm. Wally says his memories here are tied to crop rotation.

Fun in the tunnel.

If you are wondering where Rhianwen was, she was back at the homestead fixin' up some vittles with Grandmama which has been a wish of Rhi's for quite some time. She says Grandmama is the best cook in the world and has wanted to cook with her.

It was delicious! 

Then it was off to Greenville for my niece's, Kallie's, birthday celebration. Despite the fact that there was an awesome playground 5 feet in front of them, the cousins decided to monkey around in the bushes for a while. 

They got to go on a little train ride. This was after the tunnel with lots of high pitched happy screaming from Benj. Corwin is now assuring him that there are no monsters.

"Smiley" aka the birthday girl aka Kallie with her awesome mommy.

Sharing the joys of cupcakes.

Enjoying the birthday girl and Uncle Robeson.

Back in York for Mother's Day. We got to see Mary Ruth and her sweet mama and daddy. We had so much fun visiting with them!

Happy Mother's Day, Grandmama!

So thankful to be part of such a sweet, kind, wise family. I'm so thankful for Ruth's mothering to my husband and for always being available and valuing our relationship.

Risen and Camping

Although I am playing catch-up, we still have our "He is Risen" banner up in our dining room! The kids keep asking when we will take it down. Soon, soon. But we are glad the fact is there to stay.

Dyeing Easter Eggs. I had to donate one of mine to the little boy b/c he was so enthralled with this activity. 

Resurrection cookies: sealing the "tomb".

Adding the last picture to the Easter road.

Easter baskets! I felt like I had to especially tell Rhianwen that today was NOT about Frozen. She did a good job being excited and then shifting her focus back to Easter and worship.

Squinty, tired, ready for lunch after a long but good morning at church.

Oh, you didn't find a strawberry, but an egg?

Enjoying their "tiny-one jellybeans" as Corwin dubbed them.

Engrossed in egg peeling. 

Alden went off on his first camping trip with Daddy and a group of boys who are joining Trail Life USA. He was SO excited. Corwin was very sad, and kept insisting that he wanted to go. Once he found out that you had to be 5 to go, he said, "I not three! I five!....Yes, I am! I five!". As you may have guessed, he was stuck watching Frozen and eating pizza with the girls, but the highlight was that he got to sleep in Alden's loft while he was gone.

Alden's list of essential camping gear.

Throwing rocks in the lake.

Reading how to cook eggs in a bag for the next morning...it actually worked!

See?

Putting up a tent, taking it down, and repacking. They also lit a fire using matches. Guess who got burned? Yes, this stuff is for men...not mommies.

On a hike, in a tree, watching an osprey. Bonus points!

We are really excited about this. As you can tell, Alden felt so special and like a true adventurer doing this with his daddy and other guys. We hope there will be many more experiences like this for them.

Back at home, Corwin cut this almost all by himself, and he glued everything on with the correct orientation completely on his own. I was amazed, but maybe that's b/c I still think of him as my baby most days.

Cardinal eggs in our backyard. I love spring!

Duke Gardens, here we come. There were 9 little ducklings following their mommy around. You can see 3 in this picture. Yes, Alden likes to live on the edge.

Koi!

My sweet kids. 

Picnicking in a quiet spot.