Grandpa and Grandma's visit

It was so nice to have Grandma and Grandpa visit, but it went by much too quickly. The weather was nothing special but at least the snow waited until they were gone. We enjoyed our time all the same. Can't wait until they are retired and can come for 2 weeks!

... Auntie's visit

We enjoyed Auntie Carla's too short of a visit, but we'll take what we can get. It was especially nice to have her here for Keithan's birthday party. The extra hands came in, well, handy!

We've been spending hours upon hours outside. The boys already have brown faces and necks! When the neighbor kids are out too we pretty much fill up the street with bikes, trikes, push cars, etc. We have a neighbor Crystal who Keithan cannot seem to remember her name. The other day at home he was calling her Sparkle. I reminded him that it was Crystal, not Sparkle. Well, yesterday he called her Silver ... to her face!!! I just about wet my pants laughing! Wonder what her name will be tomorrow?

Keithan's birthday bash

April news

Good morning! We are still alive and mostly well up here ... Auntie Carla phoned this morning to check it out for herself. The weeks go by a lot faster than they used to! Samara has been off school this week for Easter Break, but she's been sick most of it. Now she's almost back to normal and Grady and I are possibly starting to feel better. Grady is walking - short distances! His balance isn't the greatest so he makes about 6-10 steps and then plops down and starts over. The more tired he is the fewer steps he makes ... but he loves being the star of the show and keeps on going ... and going. It was so nice to have Uncle Keith and Grandma here, even if it was only for one night. Mike Hassett was also here. We had an evening get together and about 45 people came to hear about what is happening in Ecuador and Pakistan.
The flowers were a gift to myself and the family ... to celebrate the first day of spring ... and we were having company for the weekend! The picture with all the snow was taken a month ago. At the moment the snow is disappearing, with a few snow banks still left in our yard. Rhett says it is not spring until the snow is all gone. The street in front of our house has been busy with little bike riders. It is nice living on a quiet street. Keithan agreed to have the training wheels taken off his bike last week. By the end of the season last year they weren't touching the ground anyway! Now he's trying to do tricks already ... stay tuned for pictures of big scrapes! It hasn't happened yet, but I'm prepared!

Farwell to Hawaii

These will be the last of the Hawaii photos .. I promise! It has been fun slowly adding them, and reliving the trip! These photos are from the Hilo region and the Volcano region. The banyan trees were planted in the 1930s by famous folk - the ones shown were planted by Amelia Earhart and Babe Ruth. The bed and breakfast place we stayed in was absolutely perfect (Orchid Tree if anyone is interested in going there). The lava flow was neat - the darker it got the more the red showed up (but of course my battery was dying). We couldn't see the lava going into the ocean because of a lava wall blocking the view, but we could see the steam and the red glow. The other volcano views are from the national park. Until next time, goodnight!