Boys

It is finally warming up in Spokane and we might have some nice weather. I say this because yesterday Lucas shared with me the kindergarten dress code for Spring. Shoes must have backs behind the heels, girl's tops must not have Noodle(spaghetti?) straps, shorts must come to the knees, and no one should go around naked on the top.

Cyd is arriving tomorrow with Peyton and Walker so it is nice to have them outside in warm weather. Miles can teach them some of his tricks like hitting my hyacinths with a long stick and also pouring cranberry juice into his carseat cupholder. He did say a barely sincere "sorry" after each deed so I'd think it was an accident until his mom informed me that he tried that same pouring trick in her car a day or two before. Miles gives his teacher a kiss when he leaves school each day. He may have a future in politics. No one would like to see the inside of my car these days however.

Miles and Lucas' mom was honored this week as an exemplary faculty member and Brett, Claire, Lucas and I were proudly observing in the first row. The best part was that she did not expect the award and did not see us until she stood on stage. The worst part was sitting through more than an hour of honors awards and speeches. Academics are really anxious to tell you all about their accomplishments. The award means that Anna Marie has given hours of her out of class time to individual students and she often mentions how much she likes all of them. She is the tiny figure on the far right.

Did you see the photos of the Memorial Day lodge? Kind of tiny I'd say so I hope it doesn't rain. Also would it be possible for you to add the TriCities Walk to your ALS website? You have all the passwords and format. It all benefits our one and only Dorena and we think we should be called Dorena's Dynamos.

ALS

You are on top of things with your pledges for the Dorena walk. I love her photo on your donation page. It is something that’s on all our minds every day now so it is good to start some positives to help. I found 6 or more walks in September 2009 in our area so I’m hoping we get a group together for a walk in Washington State. Meanwhile the good assistance that’s available for her at Virginia Mason Hospital is encouraging. And Dorena is a busy person so I know she will use her time wisely. Ronnie, however, could be a problem but I hear he is doing well with new recipes in the kitchen.

My mom would want to know about this I think but no, she doesn’t remember anyone anymore, even her daughter. She is so healthy now and has lost twenty pounds mostly because of thyroid medication. She is walking well again and anxious to go home.

Well, Diana and I have been talking about Memorial Day, wondering if anyone will sleep in the lodge, (you will I’m sure) and wondering if anyone will show up or stay for more than 24 hours. I know we can count on a few diehards for Monday morning at least.

Nothing much going on around here but the day to day routine, broken by a snowfall yesterday and vomiting at school, which turned out to be a wonderful accomplishment for Lucas because he could have made an experiment. Can you think of any Greek food you could prepare for Memorial Day?

Judy is Zorba

This is only funny to some of us as Judy entertains from the bow of the Aquamarine. Hank, Diana, Jim, Nancy and I find it hilarious. We were in the cabin watching Channel One. I think you had to be there.

The End of Spring Vacation

It isn’t as good as the beginning but yet it means only 9 more weeks of school and then summer will be here, believe it or not. Since I was a full-time babysitter for the week I decided to babysit in a place other than my home so Lucas and I drove off to the Seattle area on Monday. I was kind of worried that perhaps I had too much responsibility with someone’s child for 5 days but I soon realized that Lucas was not going to let me go astray in any way. We had not gone 5 minutes from his house when from his back seat perch he peeked between the seats and announced that I only had half a tank of gas. Luckily we were able to fill the tank in Ritzville so he could have fewer items of concern. It is very reassuring to have someone else checking up on the driving details for you but it immediately reminded me of Bill’s mom who insisted upon filling the gas tank every time it dropped to a half tank.

When we arrived in Seattle we headed for the Pacific Science Center where we spent 5 hours and I guess we would have stayed longer but it was closing at 5. The Space Needle turned out to be more scary for Grandma than for Lucas because he kept running from place to place and all I could imagine is that he would find a trap door to fall from. The elevator operator assured me that no one had fallen but I checked Wikipedia and there have been 3 suicides from the tower and 6 base jumpers.


We spent the first two days at Linda’s where we also played on the windy beach near Mulkiteo, the place I know you remember as the spot where you helped Grandpa fish. Wednesday we went to the Seattle Aquarium where Lucas was fascinated by a huge fish tank with not only fish but a SCUBA diver who held the fish, fed the fish and peered nose to nose with the children pressing faces against the glass.

We arrived at Cyd’s later that day to spend time with the twins until Friday when headed home. The secret weapon for the trip was the iphone with many new apps for game playing. In fact Lucas asked if he could come to my computer first so he could download new games before he saw his parents and brother. I’m now changing my itunes password as there isn’t much memory left for many more games.

It is time to start fussing about Memorial Day. I wonder if everyone is planning to be there? It is nice that the menu is in Leslie’s capable hands. Anna Marie found a conference to attend that weekend so the boys are looking forward to camping in a tent and I’m sure they’d like to paint t-shirts again. Miles may cause us to shorten our attendance time but you never can tell.