These months seemed to fly by. We spent time with Auntie Mary. The boys love to "crash" her place and stay the night. We get to do this pretty often, so everyone is happy. Thankfully, Auntie Mary loves having us. We even get to see our 2nd cousin Sarah and she and I have be crafty together. :) I've truly enjoyed that! Other than that, we have been taking advantage of our Lego Land pass (they have homeschool days, too), we had a wonderful raw dinner party at our friends' house, a dinner party with a Mexican theme at Cameron and Ella's house, our 2 park days and our karate classes. Kai tested into an orange belt (4th level of belt given) and was also invited to the black belt club. This is a huge honor and means he has the focus and motivation needed to train at a faster pace than the regular class. It also means we go 3 days a week, instead of the 2.
February seemed to be the month of cookies. Kade really enjoys snickerdoodles and asked for them at least once a week. His catch is he enjoys the dough, not the baked cookie! So, we had much in our fridge ready for him to nibble on.
March/April found us traveling to see Annie's class project! She made this awesome dress where she had to adjust a pattern and make it all work. It was a gorgeous deep purple and really showed off how incredibly beautiful she is. We got to see our friends Jessi and Luke, once more, too.
April/May came with many sad moments for me, too. My dear friend, Anne Benton, passed away. She has such a beautiful soul and her glow of radiant love always warmed those around her. She left Paul with us. I can't imagine what it would be like to face life alone after having shared it with her for 72 years. Then Clem, or Donny as some knew him, passed away in April, too. I set out for Yreka to attend the service. After flying up to Sacramento, I rented a car and started my unexpected journey back toward where I grew up. Clem was such a huge part of our lives (my bro Andy and I) while we were in high school and a tad before. Clem and Paula were our safe house who just happened to be our MYF(Methodist Youth Fellowship) leaders. They always listened and were just there. Always there. We got together as a group every week, but we also got together more than that. I house sat several times and just enjoyed hangin' out with them. Yearly they took us to Agate Beach where we got to camp. We had the Shasta camp where we learned about who we were and where we fit into this massive world that was making itself known to us. As I drove, it didn't hit me hard until I got to Mt. Shasta. How that mountain really brings my emotions out. It's hard to explain. I just started balling my eyes out...and had to pull over for a bit. Clem's service was great. I got to spend time with Paula and talk at her house after the service. I'm glad Andy let me steal a bit of floor at his house! I truly enjoyed seeing my niece, Mads, and nephew, Nick. They are precious beings so full of energy and love. We have had so little time together with them. Before I knew it, it was time to catch the plane home (a quick 2 night stay...not long enough to see anyone). When I got back, there was a note in the email inbox. My Uncle Bob was struggling in his renewed fight with cancer. He got to see his foal born and I know it meant much to him. Once again I found myself on a plane headed for Sacramento. This was an even shorter trip, as the boys were with Jeff (who had to work from home). I did see our Matteson friends (a bright spot of the trip) and chatted with my cousins that I seem to see only every 5 or so years. It was truly great to hug each one of them and see their precious kids. I felt overwhelmed with the volume of emotional trama, and don't know that I did more than show love and support for those I love.
In this April/May mix, we did have a visit from Baba. It's great to see her often, and I know the boys enjoy the few days she stays. Our kids are at a tough stage, in that they really like games on the Wii and DS. Because they are passionate about them they want you to watch them play. This can be challenging for those (like me) who really don't see the attraction to those types of games. This doesn't mean I don't like Wii sports - it just is tougher for me to get into Star Wars and Super Mario where there are many buttons that do many more things! My brain can't follow that fast! We did, however, get to go to the beach, the pool and try to see the sunset over the beautiful flower gardens that are planted on the hills on the east side of Carlsbad. We missed the best bloom time, but did get a sense of the feel it could have! We were also able to take her to our favorite park in Encinitas that has sand, water, grass and play structures. We had a great time with Baba.
May was ended on such a great note. LIFE is Good came at the perfect time. Thanks, Mary, for rounding us all up and providing us with a place to land! I know I made new friendships that will last a lifetime... How good is that? Mmmm...
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