June update

Sometimes there is so much going on in a big family, that it is hard to keep track and harder still to keep up.  I continue to take as many pictures as I possibly can get by with, although there are always stories to be told along with the photos. So far the month of June has been a blurr!  Ballgames, (softball and baseball), a weekend trip to the YMCA camp in Estes, a once-every-5-year reunion with Mom and my siblings, trips back and forth to the Candlelight Playhouse where Gabi has been practicing for her role in "Annie", a 2 night performance beginning tonight, and Grayson's 4th birthday.  Today Nancy will come from California to see the play and then will take both of the kids back with her later in the week.  I will post my favorite pictures from these past two crazy weeks!

 Yesterday at the pool, I thought it would be worthwhile to get a picture of the seven kids together.  Ok, harder than it sounds!  I took about 10 shots to get this one.

 Action picture of Elijah doing a cannonball off
the side of the pool, with Grayson's escape.

 cupcakes and pizza for the pool party, along with diving board antics

 

Keva's first pool excursion with Grayson displaying how to get REALLY wet!

 I asked Grayson to hold up his fingers to show 4, and he did.  Later we had a Batman birthday cake and the birthday boy was all smiles until he fell backwards off the stool he was on.  Only Gramma would capture the after effects!

 Great Gramma played bridge on Friday and her driver (who shouldn't be) backed into the electrical box and knocked it entirely off into the street, never stopping,  Wow!  Good thing it was only THAT.  Brad got out his shovel and was cheered on by Gabi.

 Wehad a couple of hot nights at the ballpark, and one day Carli brought Corbin to the house to get ready for his game.  Are you ready for this?  She allegedly has TWO more months until her baby boy is born!  One of the biggest pregnant  gals I've ever seen!

The sibling thing didn't go off quite as planned, but it was great getting together anyway.

 Amie and her kids participated in the Color Run and had a blast (along with 6500 other runners!)And Emma's friend from Ogallala came to spend a week.

 The YMCA was a great experience, enjoying the usual things: ice cream, wild animals, smores and sleeping on the floor and mini golf!

 ,

 It's a wrap!

In a bit of a funk

You can always tell when I may need to increase the dosage on my happy pills,when there are no blog postings for days on end....I do attribute  some of my lack of writing to Meredith.  Why? you ask.  Well, it is she who got me started reading an extra long, but fascinating book, "The Goldfinch" over the past weekend, cutting into my time sharing family experiences.  I had just completed two books prior to beginning this one, with the intention of reading a little here and there while unable to sleep at night.  Ah well, so much for intentions....I was able to tear myself away from it this afternoon to update you on the past couple of weeks.  Just for the record, the motivation for writing just hasn't been with me lately.  Call it lack of events to share or lack of enthusiasm on my part....
Anyway, I survived TWO rainy, dreary four-day weekends , back to back, and emerged without getting my name in the paper for abusing those who live with me!  Quite an accomplishment!
As the pictures reflect, it's been family stuff that has kept us busy (and kept my sanity).  Corbin played in his first baseball game (looking quite stylish in his new attire) and Gabi in her

first softball game (with hair ties for the team completed on Sunday.  Both kids played catcher during their games.

 

 Little Grayson showed his new skills riding a scooter.  The boys, (Brad, Curt, & Spencer) and Carrie played poker at Sunday dinner while at the other table, the rest of us played "31" where Meredith and  Sophie were the big winners.

 

 Last Friday, I took Corbin to get his new athletic glasses (as seen below) and had the goofy 5 with me!

 Later, after taking them back to Eaton, they did some trampoline jumping and some cousin bonding.

Yep, when the times get a little hard to deal with, these are the people who hold me up!

One lucky mutha!

Strange and unique Mothers Day this year.  First of all, it snowed for the second consecutive M.D., which just seems odd for this time of year.  At my house there was no breakfast in bed or bouquets (except for the one delivered to Gramma at 8:30 that morning via FedEx).  Gramma wanted me to wash her bedding, so I did hers along with ours, getting our clean sheets on the bed just in time for Brad to take his afternoon nap.  And, (BONUS) she handed me a list of some things she needed at the store (scrawled in her shaky handwriting) which, if you've ever seen her writing, you know it's almost impossible to discern the word "Bugles" or "post-it-notes", so it was challenging to figure out what she wanted. At this point, I started feeling a little like Cinderella (thanks, kids, for knowing the REAL me).

 OK, Meredith, Carrie and Amie, someday I'll have one or all of you running all over Wal-Mart looking for stuff, so I think I won't complain and just be grateful that I have the ability to run errands, M.D. or not!  Brad started the dinner before he got too tired and baled on me after he got the ribs in the oven.  In the morning, we took over the nail salon with all eight of us girls getting pedicures.  Fun and relaxing!

 

Later, we gathered for dinner at our house, where, silly me, thought we would never be able to eat all of the ribs we'd made, missing two of our big meat eaters, Elijah and Rory.  But, our 4 little peeps made up for that!

 

 And Emma was sweet to help Brad assemble the spicy coleslaw.  After dinner, we played cards and then were invited to watch a Mothers Day performance directed by Emma and starring the 4 littles.

 Our biggest laughs of the day came when some of the adults tried riding Corbin's new "clown bike", with some of the riders landing on their butts!

 

 It was a great Mother's Day!  Thanks to all of my family for making it so special!

 Friday, I took Brad to Lafayette to get an EEG per his neurologist.  Unlikely that anything will show up, but we got it done.  Saturday we played a double session of bridge in Ft. Collins and placed in both morning and afternoon (out of 36 couples) which was really remarkable, considering Brad's memory issues!