March and April 2011

I love the rain. I always have. So this spring was heavenly to me. Here's a bit of what went on for us this rainy spring:


Isaiah had a bunch of his friends from church over for an airsoft battle. Our yard is perfect for airsoft battles--lots of hills and open spaces. Isaiah and his cousin James set up various and assorted obstacles to be hidden behind. But it was really raining that day. I thought for sure they'd all want to cancel because of the rain. So muddy and wet outside!! But I forgot who I was dealing with: BOYS! They all showed up and my friend Jana and I decked them all out in garbage bags (the boys that had brought their own rain gear shucked that good stuff off in favor of the garbage bags--there's the herd mentality at work for you!) and they were off! I thought maybe they'd be out there for an hour at the most before they became uncomfortable and wished to move the party indoors. But no! They battled out there for HOURS. We provided pizza and cookies and drinks and the herd trampled in (into the GARAGE, mind you. I'm not a total martyr and I really hate cleaning muddy floors) and decimated the food in about 10 minutes. They had a lot of fun. They are a nice group of boys.



We had our Easter egg hunts: one in the daytime for the little kids and one at night for the older kids (with glow-in-the-dark eggs!). This hunt has sometimes included ALL the cousins--Cliff's side of the family and mine--but this year I decided not to plan the hunt. Mom was kind enough to include my kids in the hunt she planned for her local grandchildren. I did the traditional Easter basket hunt for my kids on Easter morning and Mom planned all the rest. Here she is with Isaiah.




My brother Gerald, who lives in Taiwan, came to visit with his wife, Frances, and their two kids Angelica and Seth. I love it when they come!! Here's lovely Angelica and cute Seth. Seth, by the way, has indulged in the pastime of picking up the airsoft bbs scattered across the yard--popular with the under 10 set. Here he is ooohing and aaahing over his collection.


At every family gathering--and I mean EVERY family gathering--this is what my baby brother Ben can be seen doing. He is always either on his phone, on the ipad or on the computer. How blessed he is to LOVE his job. I've started to take photos of him at each family thing with his nose in whatever electronic gadget he's brought.... Why can't I read my book at these family gatherings like he's allowed to play with his toys? Could this be a youngest child thing? Hmmmm....

Isaiah got a birthday package from his brother Chase, who is on a mission in Boston. It's mostly edible, which is just what Isaiah likes. Chase is keeping in good touch with his little brother and I think Chase will always be Isaiah's favorite person in the world. Well, until a woman comes into the picture.

Finally, here's adorable baby Bruce, getting fatter and more squeezeable every day. Why is it adorable to be fat only when you're a baby? I don't know, but I love chubby babies! Bruce is Reed and Dorothy's youngest and he's a very good baby. We are all in love with him.

It's been a wet and beautiful few months, full of family and activity. Just what we like!