This is my off-track summary and my-computer-is-working-hurry-and-post-something post.
First, we found some monarch caterpillars. Very exciting! The kids named them Thunderbolt and Wiggles. Wiggles was the most friendly and everyone held him. 
Bryce was devastated that we put them in jars. He probably would've slept with his if it was allowed.
When the monarch's instinct tells it to become a butterfly, it'll hang upside down with the aid of a lot of silk and then hang there in this 'J' shape for a day or more (this is all written from observation, not pre-written scientific material).
The green hat is actually the beginning of the cocoon. It happen so quickly. Moving from the 'J' to this.
To this: all covered, but still stripey like the caterpillar. This all took about five minutes.
The cocoon is all finished here (well, there were a few more golden dots of color added as it ripened).
Then we waited.
In the mean time, Bryce began t-ball, Ella started soccer and Dane...got pneumonia.
Bryce is having a great time, but won't watch the ball. Ella is having fun with her best buddy on her team, but won't watch the ball. Dane is making a great recovery after about 10 days of being exhausted, moody and restful. He has only a couple of days left of his anti-biotic.
"We" did the final touch up painting in the kitchen. Just need to get those pendant lights installed and then the remodelling will really be finished.
More nature inside the house: found this tiny half-dollar sized mushroom growing at the base of one of my house plants. CUTE!
Then this morning! The metamorphisis was complete for Thunderbolt.
As of this moment, he's hanging on my ficus tree, drying his wings in the warm dining room. I have tiny sugar water supplies throughout the room.
Bryce was so gentle. We're excited for Ella and Dane to come home so that they can see, too! This has been a precious miracle to experience for our family. It's been great!
Bryce says that "Jesus is the best!" because he helped Daddy find the caterpillars in the first place.
We had a desire to expand our vegetable garden opportunities and came up with a plan to change this area (the winter was really hard on that ivy, but it's growing back). We started by removing a lot of the river rock and sod.
Cam carefully leveled out areas for gardening boxes...
...and then began building them.
WOW!
When it came time to fill the boxes, we got the kids involved in mixing up the soil.
Dane planned out where the 44 veggie plants should be placed. Bryce and I planted them all, some of them while it rained. 
We also planted two peach trees (on the right). Although we're not finished yet, we're so excited about the progress than has been made. So much hard work!
I didn't help a lot because I've been working on the west side of the yard.
Last fall we had a cement patio poured.
On May 16th, I began building a retaining wall out of river bed rock.
The work is basically a little bit puzzle and a little bit Lego and a lot of chiseling.
More pictures to come, when we're all finished!
Then we explored all around. This monkey found a snake and had absolutely no fear in picking it up. It didn't help that Cam encouraged it.
That evening Cameron's parents came for dinner and we played games.
