MOTHER'S DAY MEMORIES

I have some very special memories of Mother's Day Weekend.  On Saturday, I was able to spend several hours with my Mom and sister, my oldest daughter Jennifer and niece MaryBeth.  We attended a lovely luncheon at my parents' church sponsored by their Christian Movement organization.  My Dad was there to help serve. The pasta/chicken salad and fresh fruit were delicious, followed by a yummy dessert.  The theme for the luncheon was "Step up to Friendship" and all the table decorations were "shoe" related!  Very clever! The church pastor welcomed us, offered a prayer and the ladies in the Christian Movement did a wonderful job with their greetings, stories, and the program. A special group of tap dancers (all over the age of 50!) danced to several favorite songs with a few costume changes between! Amazing!! It was a very enjoyable afternoon!

On Sunday, my children put together a special brunch for me.  Alissa and Alan hosted at their home.  The mimosas were refreshing, followed by a delicious egg cassarole, fresh fruit, muffins, bagels, and coffee.

Here is my husband enjoying Mother's Day after church...this is his usual posture on Sundays! ;-)

Here are the beautiful tulips which graced the table; Alissa shared them with Corissa and I when we were leaving. 

Here is Corissa on Mother's Day with her children!

Landon was really excited about the "open staircase" at Uncle Alan and Aunt Alissa's house! 

Cailyn and Landon kept us smiling throughout our meal, and afterwards we all headed upstairs.  Cailyn found Aunt Alissa's exercise ball...never knew there were so many ways to enjoy that piece of equipment!

Uncle Alan even took time during our visit to read stories to his niece! I love this picture!

This is my favorite photo of the day...

My children made me feel very special and loved on the day reserved for Mothers...actually, they do that everyday, just by being who they are!  THANKYOU again, dear ones, for all your gifts and love! I LOVE YOU!!

Finally, Easter!

Yes, Easter Season is 50 days long, so I better get our Easter pics posted before the Season ends!  On Easter Sunday, after mass, we enjoyed a family gathering at my sister and brother-in-law's home this year.  Terry and Ken hosted a delicious potluck lunch after a traditional egg hunt in their backyard.  Dad offered a special blessing over all the food that everyone helped to bring.

Terry's grandsons pictured above range in age from 8 years down to 21 months. With our grandchildren, ages 3 and 1, there were 6 kids busily looking for fun-filled plastic eggs in their beautiful backyard.  The weather was a bit warm, but no surprise there!

Here is Cailyn getting started...she had lots of practice on Saturday at home with another egg hunt, so she had the hang of it!

Landon is walking everywhere now, and of course, initially called the easter eggs "balls" but quickly corrected himself and said "eggs"! Balls are his favorite toys!! And, yes, he keeps the sunglasses on most of the time!

Aunts Alissa and Jennifer were nearby to assist with the egg-opening...Terry spreads her "everyday quilts" on the grass so the children can sit in the shade to open the eggs!  Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Janne helped fill the eggs, so they enjoy watching the children hunt!

Here Bode and mama MaryBeth are finding lots of surprises!

Ethan is an expert at opening his own eggs this year, with mama Amy watching the fun!

Here Cailyn is showing off a favorite "prize" to her mama Corissa!

After our delicious lunch, Mom and Dad surprised all of us with beautiful table mats that were lovingly quilted and sewn over the passed several months.  The table mats were given as "thankyou gifts" to all the families who traveled from far away to attend Mom & Dad's 60th Anniversary party and our family's reunion in March.  We will always treasure our mats as momentos from a special celebration in 2012!  Thankyou especially to Mom and Terry for all their time, talent and love in sewing the mats!

I love this picture of my sister with Landon! 

In April our roses were very beautiful.  The heat is slowing the blooms now, but we have enjoyed a fresh bouquet in the house a few times!  

Catching Up with March/April Highlights!

It's been a long break from my blog, but I'm ready to begin again!  Time marches on, and the calendar says that April will soon be over.  Yikes! In Arizona that means the HOT weather is just around the corner....actually it's arrived this weekend.  (Had to put the A/C on already!)  Since my last post, so much has happened, so today's blog will be a quick recap of the highlights.  More details may be included in other posts to follow....but I'll keep you guessing!  Easter will be a separate blog, as this one is too long!

In mid-March, I enjoyed Spring Break from my work, and prepared for out-of-town guests and our parents' 60th Anniversary celebration

and Family Reunion!  It was so wonderful to see more than 100 guests at an Open House reception for Mom and Dad at their Church's Great Room.  Above is Mom and Dad at their party, and earlier photo is a gift which "traveled" from Virginia for them from Aunt Lea and family. Our out-of-town relatives traveled to Arizona from

VIRGINIA...

Here are  Aunt Lea, her daughter Debbi and Debbi's husband, Lyman, all from Williamsburg.

KANSAS....

Here are Aunt Carol (Dad's sister) and Uncle Dave from Lawrence, Kansas and Dad's youngest brother, Uncle Butch (pictured below with Aunt Carol) is from Wilson, Kansas.

NEW MEXICO...Below is Cousin Judy and my sister Terry.  Judy lives in Farmington, NM.

and TEXAS! 

Here is Cousin Sharon (Judy's sister) with her beau, Jerry, who traveled from Odessa, TX.

Last, but not least, Cousin Carol (Judy & Sharon's sister) and her husband Larry traveled all the way from the Dallas, TX area.  What a blessing it was to meet two of their children at last!

Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Burk enjoyed the celebration too...they traveled from East Mesa to join the festivities!

It was truly a blessing to see these sisters reunited again after so many years....

and it was very meaningful to see these siblings gathered together once more at a happy occasion!

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Daughter-in-law Corissa celebrated her birthday at the end of March, however, due to illness, we were not able to celebrate with her until April 1st. 

On Monday nights in April, we continued our "sewing lessons with Terry"!  We missed Corissa on a few Mondays, but the rest of us have worked on coin purses, and Alissa is making an apron on her new sewing machine. 

 Jen has taken to sewing like a duck to water! 

Alan even joined in on our "craft night" and painted his models while the sewing machines hummed along.

Thanks to my sister, Terry, for being an inspiration to all of us, and encouraging our creative spirits!

Grandkids Sleepover...

March 2 was the day I offered to keep Cailyn and Landon for an overnight, so their mommy & daddy could enjoy a much-needed date (and break)... We had a fun evening after supper, and Aunt Jennifer was here to help entertain her niece and nephew, including a tea party, puzzles, and peek-a-boo with Landon!

It took a few hours to get everyone settled in for the night; Cailyn figured that since Aunt Jen would be her "roommate" that meant lots of chatting, like a slumber party!  Once asleep, everyone slept through the night until about 6:00 a.m.  Landon was first to awake, but there's no quiet voice for a one-year-old, so very soon everyone was up! ;-)

After a hearty breakfast cooked by Grandpa, there was time to watch a little Mickey Mouse Club on Saturday morning, and play peek-a-boo under the "fort" we built in the family room.

Then it was time to play outdoors, and Landon took his morning nap.  Sandbox play, chalkboard drawing, and gardening too.  Cailyn enjoyed playing in the dirt, and watering the newly planted garden vegetables.

We had a great time...

making memories together!  These little ones bring big doses of love into our hearts each time we see them!

We love you, Cailyn and Landon!!  Thankyou Aunt Jennifer for your extra-helping hands!!

JENNIFER'S BIRTHDAY!!

Feburary 28 is our first-born's birthday...The years have soared by and Jennifer is a beautiful woman.  We celebrated her birthday a little early on Sunday evening with a family dinner.  She requested mexican food, and Dairy Queen provided the ice cream birthday cake! 

Her niece Cailyn helped open birthday cards and presents...

Nephew Landon was cheering from a distance...

Jennifer has learned to be flexible, rolls with the punches that life dishes out, and is an independent individual.  Her life has not been smooth sailing, but the choppy waters have certainly made her stronger as a person. 

 We are very proud of you, Jen.  Happy Birthday, dear Jennifer...we are so happy to be celebrating with you in Arizona this year!  We love you!!