April and May

Here I am again, putting two months together. It isn't that there wasn't anything to post, it is just that I have been so busy with the outside things that sitting down to post is the last thing I want to do when I finally get in.

April came in with snow and hail.  After such a cold wet winter, we are ready for sun and warmth. The daffodils came up and tried to cheer us up.

Jimmy celebrated his 92nd birthday. It is getting harder to load him up and take him anywhere, so we took his party to him this year.

Akinori Ando was a student that came to stay with us for a couple of weeks way back in the summer of 1988. I was a coordinator for a group of 30 students from Nagoya, Japan. 35 years later, he came back on a stop-over and we met up for lunch.

The birds have made their way back.

I put the yard decorations back out for the summer. After hanging a couple of birdhouses, I placed a little nest in the bottom branches of the golden chain tree. It looked cute there, but I made it even better by putting my two rock robin eggs in it. Before I could even take a photo, a stellar jay started tearing the nest apart trying to get to the eggs! After the nest fell, I picked it up and put the eggs in a little bowl of rocks. Later on, I checked out there and the rocks had been thrown all over and one of the eggs was gone!  I have no idea how a bird could have hauled that egg away. I suspect that it may have been a squirrel instead.

And suddenly I am 67!

Mom decided to try and do the Easter dinner at her place this year. Her first gathering at her place since Cyndi and Dan passed. It wasn't easy, but they did it!

Mother's Day the kids gave me baskets for my patio.

The kids had their spring concert at school. Josiah played the drums for the first time at a school event!

Jessi and I gave blood.

The big project for me this year was landscaping the side yard. When we first moved in, there was a big garden shed that we removed right away. In front of it was a giant patch of ivy, which covered up a fallen tree. Last fall, we removed it all and this spring, I have been busy making it into a garden. John put in the pathway for me and I had the neighbor man make me the arch.  I am so happy with it all.

I had John build me some raised box gardens. High enough that I don't have to bend over to work in them. Two for vegetables and the lower one will be for strawberries. Next to the strawberries, I am going to plant raspberries. I already have grapes and blueberries beside that area.

The girls helped me plant them.

We had a bonfire to burn the yard debris. The kids roasted hot dogs and marshmallows when we were finished.

God's artwork

The girls artwork, Josiah frying up his fish and Arianna at her volleyball game.

It has been an amazing warm and sunny springtime! After all the rain and snow of the winter, we are so happy! We took a trip with the kayaks to Round Lake in Washington on Memorial weekend.

The girls collected flower petals from the yard and made fancy dresses. 

Meanwhile, the kids away from us...

Josh returned from deployment in Japan,

spring concerts for Gabe and Daniel,

pool-time in sunny California,

hiking for John and Rachel,

Beau is 8 months now!