Things I’m Thankful for This Month: May 2020

And just like that, another month has come and gone.  How is it that we are already at the end of May?! 

It’s all been a blur since we’ve been staying home the past couple of months.  But here we are, nonetheless.  

Since it is the end of the month, I’m back for another round of things I’m thankful for this month.  A little monthly gratitude list – a series perhaps, assuming I keep up with it past two months – of things big and small that I am feeling particularly grateful from the month.   (In case you missed April’s gratitude list, you can find it here.)

Gratitude List: Things I’m Thankful for in May

This month has actually flown by.  More than the others, I think.  It’s been full of celebrations and preparations.  Sunshine, rainy days, family time, and weekend take out.

Here’s what we’re feeling extra thankful for over here there days.  

Our Water Table and Outside Time

Almost every sunny day we’ve had, the big boys have spent outside playing with their water table.  They love to fill it up as high as they can.  They scoop and pour water from it, they wash their animals in it, and just have a really fun time with it.  

And while they are certainly not interested in any water conservation efforts that I may try to suggest, it has been fun to watch them enjoy it so much.  

Although I’ve been tempted, I haven’t pulled down their little wading swimming pool this year yet, so this has been the extent of their outside water play.  

I’m thinking the pool will come out soon though as it’s probably the last summer our oldest will even barely fit in it – and we’ll probably bring out the sprinkler for good measure.  

A Family Hike

Speaking of outside play, now that the pollen is not as bad, we’ve all been able to spend more time outside.  We took advantage of some cooler weather recently and took our first family hike with everyone.  

We actually went twice in one weekend because it started to thunder soon after we started our hike the first day and we made it back to the car just before a big down pour.  

The weather was perfect the next day though and we  had a really fun and successful family hike.  Minimal complaining.  No meltdowns.  The big boys walked almost the whole way.  And there were snacks to be had.  Huge success.  

We let our oldest “lead the way” with some instruction and he had a blast being in charge. 

Both of the older boys have already suggested that we do it again. 

Mother’s Day Celebrations

We also celebrated Mother’s Day this month, which was full of fun.  The boys made cards for me, let me get a nap in the morning after getting the baby down for his morning nap, while they snuck out to get coffee and doughnut holes.  

We ordered takeout for dinner (pizza for the boys and sushi for me) and had a fun day together. 

We also got to video chat with my mom and mother-in-law, which was a good time.  

Roku

Can I just say it?  I’m really thankful for our Roku.  I have been a lot more lax with screen time the last week and a half or so, and frankly – I am just so thankful for it.

We’ve been preparing to move, Hubs is working from home still, and I am back and forth during the day nursing the baby and getting him down and up from naps.  And in those gaps – especially when it rained for what felt like 40 days and 40 nights over here, we popped some popcorn and watched Roku.  

(Of course, I strongly prefer our days with less screen time, but some days/weeks you just do what you need to do.)  

At some point, I’ll put together a list of some of the boys’ favorite shows because they have plenty!

Preparing to Move to our New House

I mentioned in this post on Instagram that we recently bought a new house.  If everything goes as planned, we’ll be closing on it in just a few days.  We’ve been spending lots of time this month preparing for that – packing, doing all the due diligence things with the new house, making lists of work to be done at our current house, etc. 

It’s been a lot, but actually not as stressful as it could be.  

We’ve been working pretty consistently on it in pieces rather than trying to cram everything in at once, which I think has made a HUGE difference.  And actually, taking things down is making our home look way less personal, which is helping me come to grips with the fact that we are actually moving soon.  

That said, I’m feeling all sorts of bittersweet about moving.  

I’m excited for our new house – a new place to make home, more space to grow and spread out, a fresh start and opportunity to start something new.  But man, is it a little sad to leave our current house and neighborhood.  We have lived and loved so much in our home and I know there will be many things we’ll miss about this place. 

I expect that I’ll write all about it once I can take some photos, but suffice it to say, even though this place won’t be ours for much longer, it will always always have a special spot in our hearts and memories. 

Blogging

I’m listing blogging on here, because I have a lot of opportunities in this space that I need to sit down and organize, prioritize, and work on and I’m thankful for that.  

Now, actually finding the time to do those things has been  a little beyond me this month (I actually only wrote one other post this month), but I’m hoping to start carving that time out again soon.

In any regard, I’m still really grateful for this space and for every single reader and follower that stops by, comments, shares, etc.  It’s good to have a creative outlet and something that challenges me to learn new things and create new content.  

Carryovers from Last Month

…that will probably be on my list month after month. 

Grocery Pick Up

I mean, three cheers for grocery pick up, really.  We’ve been using it for so long (like I was THE first customer ever at our Wal-Mart’s grocery pick up), but it has come in so handy during these crazy times.  

Family Movie Afternoons

We’re still popping popcorn and snuggling in for a Saturday afternoon movie as a family over here and it is something we all look forward to each week. 

What is something that you are thankful for this month? 

WELCOME TO THE WEDNESDAY LINK PARTY! MEET YOUR HOSTS:

Jaclyn from Coffee, Pancakes, and Dreams
Brittany from Dreams and Coffee
Mary Leigh from Live Well Play Together
Tiffany from Lake Life State of Mind
Lindsay from Lindsay’s Sweet World
Keri from Cultivate an Intentional Life 
Holly from Bee Simply Organized