Happy 6th Birthday Ty

Ty will be celebrating his 6th birthday May 30th and also graduate to 1st grade this same week. Lots of things to be thankful for this week! We are sorry that we are out-of-town and will miss the festivities. We hope you have a great party with your friends riding down Mt. Aggie.

Ty is a very talented boy....athletic, a pro at football and baseball video games, and has a real gift with numbers. It will be interesting to see where God leads him in the future. We love you Ty and pray your birthday is as special as you.

Strong Friendship

We visited the Washington State Capitol and had lunch overlooking Tumwater Falls in Olympia.

You know how there is an ease with some friendships, whether it has been a few hours or many years since you have spent time with them. That is how it is with Mike and Cindy. We have enjoyed our visit with them and loved Olympia. The photo of the young couple is their son, Zach and his girlfriend Molly. Their daughter, Courtney and her husband live in the Seattle area as well. The Strongs have promised to visit Texas soon and we are holding them to that promise!

Enchanting Cottage and Rhododendron

Steve and I are on a trip to the Pacific Northwest. Our first stop was to visit some long-time friends we met in graduate school at the University of New Mexico in 1979- Mike and Cindy Strong. They live in the most enchanting home on one acre in Olympia, Washington. As you enter the driveway lined with rhododendron in bloom you know you are in for a treat. The rhododendron are gorgeous!

As you round the corner you see the front of their home, a craftsman-style beauty.We had dinner on their huge deck and enjoyed a late night hot tub.

I'll include photos of Mike and Cindy in the next post....the internet service at the hotel in Seattle is really slow. The Strong's did a lot of the finishing work in their house and Mike designed and put in all the landscaping himself. What a fantastic job.

Homemade Ice Cream for May Birthdays

We celebrated the May birthdays of Kylie and Ty with a "garage picnic". The rain did not dampen our spirits or our picnic! The highlight was our homemade ice cream. Kylie and Ty helped me mix up the ice cream while Steve got the ice cream maker ready. While we grilled and enjoyed our meal the ice cream was turning and was finished just in time for dessert.

Singin' in the Rain & Fightin' in the Yard

The warm, steady rain on Saturday afternoon had Kylie dancing in the rain despite her fractured arm.

When the rain stopped, Andrew and Nathan started fighting in the yard. The soft bowling set we bought for Austin about 10 years ago has rarely been used for its' intended purpose. They work so well for bopping people. Luckily the pins are soft enough that the kids have not been injured seriously. We had a "garage picnic" to celebrate May birthdays on Saturday and it was so much fun.

Kylie Through the Years

Just wanted to post this collage of Kylie over the years....what a cutie. Happy 9th Birthday!

Happy 9th Birthday Kylie!

Hey Kylie girl! May 12th is Kylie's 9th birthday and she will be celebrating by having a skating party with more than 20 of her closest friends. Kylie is a very social girl. Unfortunately, Kylie fractured her right arm last week and will be enjoying her party from the sidelines of the rink with her arm in a sling. We are all so sorry that she won't be able to skate but hope you enjoy your 9th birthday anyway. Looking forward to celebrating with you next weekend. We love you Kylie and are so thankful to God that he blessed us with our very own princess.

Backyard Birds

I need more practice with my new camera so I have been taking photos of the birds as they come to eat at the feeder. These were taken from inside the house. Actually we get more of a variety than just cardinals and bluejays..... wrens, doves and brown thrashers. I don't know why the mockingbirds don't feed at our feeder. I have enjoyed trying different settings and lenses to take photos of these unsuspecting birds.