It's May?!?!

How did that happen already? Weren't we (sort of) celebrating New Year's just last week? Okay, maybe it was Valentine's Day instead, but I really am surprised that we have somehow leapt into May now.

May is a busy month for us, and it will be even busier this year! We have a lot of family birthdays, which reminds me that I need to wish one of my nephews a Happy Birthday. Can you hold, please ... okay, thanks to Facebook, that is done now. So, like I was saying, a lot of family birthdays are this month, including Evan's. I have been busy trying to plan a wonderfully coordinated Transformers party for him and shopping for the requisite supplies. We've had friends at Evan's party for the last couple of years, and I am wondering about the wisdom of continuing that trend. I read recently that having birthday parties every year can contribute to self-centeredness. I grew up with the opposite, however, due to a birthday that was three days after Christmas. I rarely had parties with friends (like once or twice) while growing up, so I feel the need to make up for that with my own children. While I enjoy doing the parties, I can take it to the extreme. This can quickly turn the party from "fun" to "stress" for me. Now I am wondering about the impact on the boys, too. They already think the world revolves around them; should I do more to encourage that thinking? Or is that even what the party does? Man, this parenting thing can be tough!

Along those same lines, this May will be even busier because Evan is graduating from kindergarten this year. His class is also doing a play for graduation. I keep putting off finishing his costume, because "I've still got plenty of time!" Only, my time keeps slipping away. I suppose I could stop typing right now and get the hot glue gun out, but, honestly, typing is more fun. (It's cheaper than therapy, too.) I am actually a little excited about the play, given my own interest in acting. (I was his about his age when I was in my first play.) Evan is doing great with his practicing; in fact, he will frequently ask to practice his songs and lines. I am excited to see how he does in the actual performance. I am more excited to see how his personality and talents will continue to grow as he gets older. He currently demonstrates such an interesting blend of interests and abilities that I see in Steve and myself. I can't help but wonder what will "stick" with him as he grows.

May also means the end of the school year. And that means getting ready for summer. Summer is exciting and full of possibilities, but also a little scary. I realized at the end of last summer that we probably should have used a schedule more. I am not a "schedule" person, but I think that the boys might be. I also think that it might help us all to enjoy the summer better if we have some sort of routine to follow. So, I have begun preparing the summer schedule. It will probably be tweaked a lot as we go, but I am hoping that it lessens the fights and tantrums that we had last summer.

So, it is May. And I had better get moving on all of this "stuff to do". I think that this first Saturday in May I will begin by taking shower. That's a good start, huh!