Hart and Melissa's Fabulous Website

A few folks stopped by a couple weeks ago to BBQ with for a bearth day celebration! (thanks Greg and Robyn for the witty pun!)

Andrew posted a couple photos :)

Additionally, here are some photos from my actual birthday where Slush and Alaska Kate came over to hang out. Alaska Kate was up visiting from Costa Rica...I wonder how long Alaska Kate needs to live in Costa Rica before we start calling her Costa Rica Kate?

One of the many things I love about our neighborhood in the springtime is the sweet smell of all the blooming flowers. Another is the lovely carpet of petals the cover the landscape.

See the whole photo shoot here!

And these two stunning shots in the FoHawk bonus clips!

For Cinco De Mayo we decided to take Sierra on her very first camping trip! We drove out to Green Ridge State Forest, which is my absolute favorite local camping area. We camped with Mary, her sister Lesley and husband Chuck; and of course Scout and her new friend Lacey. We had the most amazing weekend with a diverse set of experiences for Sierra.

Saturday started out mild and partly cloudy, but then rained for about an hour and a half during the late afternoon. Regardless, we then had a relaxing (dry) hike along a valley streambed before dinner. Upon our return, it was dinner for everyone and some yummy smores! and more smores! Once the clouds completely moved out (probably around 10pm) the sky lit up with stars...it was awesomely peaceful.

Saturday night was quite cold for a spring evening, mid-40's. We were all bundled up in our tents but everyone had a (fairly) comfortable evening.

Sunday proved to be spectacular! 70's and sunny as far as the eye could see. We had a leisurely breakfast, broke camp, and then went on a nice hike along a mountain bike trail.

She seemed to like hiking the best, kicking her feet and making motor boat noises and "singing" the whole time.

A truly AWESOME first time camping for Sierra!!

Photos:
Setting Up

Day 1

Day 2

It's only been two days since standing took hold (here and here). And standing was good.

Today however, it was determined that standing wasn't enough....there should be a step! And lo and behold, there was!

(just one) (or two)

At this rate, we'll be rock climbing by 18 months!

A couple teasers of cuteness:

Sierra in the dishwasher at home

Sierra at the train station in Chicago

This year was officially Melissa's first Mother's Day! To celebrate we went out to this super fantastic nearby park with Grandma Shelli, Aunt T & Noa (who celebrated her 2nd Mother's day!!!) and complimentary men-folk. Later that evening we met up with Aunt Mikaela and Uncle Nick for dinner downtown. Yummy!

We were very lucky in that we had a spectacular day, sunny with a bit of a breeze, and everyone had a stupendous time!

Check out our nearly 100 photos of the fantastic day celebrating our Moms :)

First Big Set

Second Huge Set

Chicago is a pretty neat city!

We especially enjoyed the Millenium Fountain, the "bean" thing, and the Navy Pier.

Dont' forget to click on both Millenium Fountain links above ;)

While in Chicago for Lee & Jenny's wedding, we got to spend some quiet time with friends. Here's a few snapshots.

We had an absolutely FABULOUS time at Lee and Jenny's wedding in Chicago yesterday! A great chance to spend time with old friends...and meet some terrific new ones!

A long and wonderous marriage to them!

You can see a few photos here :)