Where Did May Go?

How, how, how is it June already? Seriously. The spring is flying by, and here we find ourselves at the threshold of summer… a move home… a new career… a complete change in life, really. My head spins just thinking about it. We have been talking to Isla about our move. We tell her how we will fly home to America and see all our friends and family. Every day she says, “I-ya go to airport.” and “I-ya fly big unpane soon.”  She then proceeds to rattle off names of our family and friends back in Oregon (including our dog, Bella). The movers come tomorrow and there are only 18 days until we board that plane. Crazy! So, before we dive headfirst into a new season, both literally and figuratively, here are a few favorites from our final spring in Shanghai…

 The weather has been very lovely and mild this spring. Thankfully, it was just cool enough to keep the mosquitoes at bay until mid-May, so we were able to enjoy a lot of time in our backyard. Our sweet girl was a prime target for the nasty bugs, and got a few big bites on her face. She pointed them out to everyone. With a stern face, she would somberly explain, “skeeto bite.” Isla’s first pony tail! It was Daddy’s first pony tail too- well done, Daddy!The birds made quick work of our cherries. The fruit barely had time to ripen before they were plucked from the trees. Unlike the fleeting cherries, the birds have stuck around. Unfortunately, they have decided that waking Isla every morning between 4:45 and 5:15 is their new calling in life. “Where’s I-ya?” We play this game A LOT. Isla is a patient and quiet little hider too!Isla’s passion for drawing continues to grow and she is now making circles, in addition to lots of bold scribbles and straight lines. She identifies her crayon marks now (water, fire, cat, Auntie Money) and even points out the same lines days later, and reminds us of what she drew.More than anything our little explorer loves to be “ow-side.”We have been letting Isla paint over the top of her crayon sketches with watercolor and the resulting paintings are really beautiful!Isla is further developing her yoga skills, and asks to do “yogo” every day. I bought her a kid-sized yoga mat and cannot wait to show it to her when we get home to Oregon.At some point during the past month Isla developed a passion for shoes. Each morning she rummages through the shoe basket near the front door, collects as many of her shoes as she can carry and parades them through the house. This kid. She cracks us up.