Another catch up blog - Easter to the beginning of May

Easter seems like a very long time ago to me - but I realized that I have never updated my blog!  So, I have decided that today is the day to do just that!  Here are a couple of pictures of all of us on Easter.  I love these pictures so much!  It is quite crowded around the dinner table these days. But it is just so good to be together.  I truly cherish these moments.

I especially love this "cousin" picture of Grace, Anna and Ellie.  These girls just love to be together and have so much fun. 

It was a beautiful day and the kids spent most of it outside.  We all took a walk in the "woods" on Gwen and Tim's property.  They have managed to clear a pretty good path into the woods which was still a bit "mucky" after so much rain.  Part of their 10 acres is wetlands, so the path pretty much loops back around towards their house once you reach that point.  There were lots of downed trees from a recent ice/wind storm so there will be some big bonfires in the future!  The kids (even Jimmy) loved the trampoline and I was remembering how insistent Ken was that we locate and purchase this one.  It was May of 2020 - the height of Covid - and everyone was looking for outdoor stuff for the kids to do at home.  We searched and searched and finally found this one.  Ken was so happy to see just how delighted the kids were and it has sure gotten a lot of use over the last 3 years!  

A couple of weeks after Easter, was the Youth Spring Retreat.  I have watched the kids during these retreats for many years since Gwen and Tim are leaders for these events.  This year, was just Anna and Grandma (and Sunny and Chandler of course).  Anna and I had a wonderful time.  We played board games,  we played cards, we went out to breakfast, we went shopping and sadly, I also shared COVID with her. 

 I had no idea that I had somehow (finally) gotten Covid.  I was diagnosed on the  Monday following the retreat and Anna was positive later that day.  Thankfully I was given Paxlovid and I never had very many symptoms.  I actually thought I had a sinus infection, which would have been pretty common for me in this springtime- everything is blooming - season.  I had a really sore throat but assumed it was from the sinus drainage.  I was pretty surprised to be Covid positive.  Later in the week, I made another trip to the doctor since I had developed Pink Eye, which is the most common symptom of this strain of Covid.  I never had a fever and never really felt bad at all.  So I am very grateful.  Anna never really had any symptoms and the worst part for her was having to stay in her room!  Being isolated was hard for her, but it sure worked since no one else in the family got Covid.  

Fortunately, I was out of quarantine and feeling fine to be able to watch Grace and Jimmy while Doug and Susie took a long awaited getaway. They were gone 6 days and I split the time with Susie's mom and dad.  Grace and Jimmy are used to Grandma and Yia-yia and Papa watching them, so it was a smooth few days.  

The weather was pretty nice and we were able to be outside.  Jimmy loves bubbles but mostly wanted to open the containers and spill them everywhere.  We finally discovered some small flat bowls with big blowers that Jimmy was able to use.  He spent most of the time shouting, "I did it!" every time bubbles actually appeared.  Grace was using a really large bubble blower and making these HUGE bubble tubes that were so neat.  Certainly a fun few hours.  The next day was a bit rainy so we mostly stayed inside.  We broke out the paints (which is always a hit with the kids).  Jimmy spent most of the time playing in the water for his water colors, but he did do some actual painting.  Grace was painting an actual canvas picture with "real" (acrylic) paints.  She was so happy!

All in all, it was a good few days spent with Grace and Jimmy. Doug and Susie returned home looking well rested and with evidence of time spent in the sun.  

This has been a busy few weeks and Spring has really arrived - finally.  In the last few days I have put away the snow blower and gotten out the lawn mower.  I did a bit of clean up and cut the grass.  I took care of some weed removal and cleaned the patio of winter debris.  Finally, I put up the screen enclosure on the back patio.  

My timehop app reminded me that Ken and I had first put up this enclosure in 2018.  I decided last fall, while I was taking down the canvas and screen, that I would need to replace them.  After 5 years, I am not surprised that they had weathered.  So this year the frame is 6 years old but the fabrics are new!  I have already been enjoying sitting outside and listening to the birds chirping.  

I am so thankful that these weeks have been filled with family time and springtime weather.  I have had a bit of unsettling news that I am trying to digest, and I am not quite ready to share on this platform.  I have been leaning into the great news of Easter - that because Jesus is alive, I can walk with confidence into the future.  That has given me a large amount of peace as I sort out details and facts from the past and think about what may be ahead for me.  For right now, I am so thankful that the sun is shining.  I am thankful that I have weathered Covid with few issues.  And I am forever grateful for friends and family who are willing to walk with me on a journey I never planned to take!  This blog has always been about truth telling, and I promise you all that I will share more about this in a future blog.  Please pray for me as I move through the next few weeks, making sense out of this unexpected news.  

Jesus, thank you for family and times together.  Holy Spirit, give me peace as I walk through these next weeks.  Help me to focus on what is most important.  Give me eyes to see the truth and words to share all that this means for the future.  Thank you for sunlight and flowers and the wonderful smells of springtime. Thank you Jesus for the hope we have because of your sacrifice for us.  Amen