Goodbye To May and I'm Ready To Say Aloha

May has been a busy month (I know I've said that before) and it is coming to an end with all the birthdays, end of school activities and sporting events now behind us. Everyone in my family with May birthdays is now a year older, all the school age children are on to a new grade, the sporting events have been won or lost and the memories are all good.

My two 5 year old granddaughters, Anna and EJ are through preschool and ready to be kindergarteners.  These changes that seem to come so fast bring back lots of memories of when they were little.

Anna, right before her graduation ceremony.

EJ at her end of school field day.

It seems like only yesterday.......

Hope will be going from 5th grade to middle school. This "friendly sisters" pic from Hope's graduation is not the norm for these two who both like to dabble in the art of sibling rivalry. The look on EJ's face looks like  she is thinking. "Ok, Hope is being really nice to me right now, but let's take this picture really quick and let me move on before that changes."

I'm sure the day will come when they are best friends again like they were when this picture was taken about 5 years ago.

Jared will be going from 6th grade to middle school. He finished 6th grade with straight As through the whole year. Yes, that makes me very proud.

Jared with his buddy Gabe at their graduation.

Jared and Gabe  have known each other since before they were born when their mom's met at a birthing class.

As I say goodbye to May I will be saying Aloha to Hawaii where I will be going tomorrow for my cousin's daughter's wedding. I am looking forward to some fun in the sun, at least I will be if I ever finish packing. I'd better go and get working on that.

Catching Up and Being Thankful

I was just beginning to do a little catch-up post when I heard about the devastating tornadoes that hit Moore, OK today, a town where we lived when my two oldest kids were in early elementary school. One local official has described it as the worst damage from a tornado ever to occur in this country. Whether that is true or not the damage is incredible. My heart goes out to everyone there with a special prayer for the parents who are waiting with hopes of being reunited with their children at an elementary school that was destroyed.

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I've said before that I sometimes try to avoid posting too much of the same 'ol family stuff, though in reality that is mostly what my blog is about. Today, thinking of what the people in Moore, OK are going through, I am doing this little family catch-up with an extra measure of gratitude in my heart.

Our Mother's Day finished with a picnic to celebrate Mother's Day and several May birthdays. There was cake, baseball and the annual picture of me with my grandkids on the slide.

Beck wasn't too excited about the picture taking.

Later in the week I got to watch Hope perform in a school orchestra concert and at her school talent show.

EJ had her last soccer game of the season on Saturday.

On Sunday we went out for a birthday dinner for Hope and my daughter, Joanna, who both have birthdays this week.

Big news! Dodger (center)  has a new girlfriend.....the black dog on the right of the picture. He was doing his best to look cool to impress her at doggy day care.

Another busy week coming up with 4 grandkid graduations.....2 from preschool and 2 from elementary
school.

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Great news.....I just heard that all the kids at two elementary schools hit by the tornado in Moore, OK have been accounted for. As I recall the recent activities that my family has enjoyed, my thoughts and prayers go out to the families in Oklahoma who are suffering from the tornado damage there.
***I just heard an update that they are still looking for children at one of the destroyed elementary schools and that there are also some children that may not have survived.***

May Has Been a Blur.....and It's Mother's Day Already

It seems like for me that it has gone from the 1st of May to nearly the middle of May in the blink of an eye. As that time flew by we enjoyed a trip to New Orleans and a visit from Doc's son and family from San Diego, and I have been working way too much for someone who is supposed to be retired.

We had a great time in New Orleans, but I don't really have much in the way of pictures to prove it. The ones I did take have to do with food, which is appropriate since we spent a lot of time eating while we were there.

This is our dessert being prepared after a wonderful Sunday brunch at Brennan's.

This place was not quite as fancy as Brennan's, but the popularity of their fried chicken dinners is apparent from the line of people that was waiting to get in as we were leaving.

Doc's 5 yr old granddaughter, Avery (left) and one of my 5 yr old granddaughter's, EJ, became immediate best buddies while Doc's son and his family were here.

This morning Mother's Day started early for us with the Colorado Rockies Home Run For The Homeless race. This has become a very fun Mother's Day tradition for our family.

Joanna and Hope nearing the finish line.

Jared, Hope and Justin after the race. 

EJ getting a Rockies tattoo in preparation for the Kid's Fun Run.

Justin ran the Fun Run with EJ after doing the 5k race. She finished in style, still running fast enough to have her hair flying.

Beck was all set for the Fun Run.....until he changed his mind and said "no, thank you".

I'm off in just a little while to Mother's Day part II, a family picnic, another family Mother's Day tradition that I really look forward to. 

Beneath all the activity today are thoughts of my mother who died when I was 18.

I hope everyone is having a good Mother's Day.

May Fool's Day

A conversation between my daughter, Joanna, and my 5 year old granddaughter, EJ,  on Tuesday.

EJ: Today is the last day of April

Joanna: That's right....so what does that make tomorrow?

EJ: May Fool's Day!

It turns out that EJ was right and the joke is on us....this is what we woke up to on this May Day morning. We went from 80 on Monday to this today and it is supposed to snow all day.

No, this is not normal for us, and no, I do not love it. I sort of feel like the person I heard the other day saying, "If I hear one more person say, but, we really need the moisture, that person is going to get a snowball in the face."  What's wrong with a little rain?

I guess we won't be skipping around leaving flowers on people's doorsteps this May Day.

How is the May Day weather where you are?