Vaaaacation

Don and I are getting ready for our Mediterrean (sp?) cruise in a couple of weeks. We are leaving on June 25th and coming home on July 14th. Well I'm getting excited and Don is looking a little..uh....glazed. He's walking around with a calculator and I don't even want to talk about leaving the shopping bags in the trunk until he leaves for work, whew!!! Just kidding!!!! (sort of!) Anyway, it's our once in every 5 years big trip and we are really looking forward to it. We'll be going with Janis and Butch Caston from Elk Grove, Warren and Sue Wainwright from Mt. Ranch/Merced, and Kent and Sharon Chappell from Milford, New Hampshire. We hope to see some workers and friends and also maybe get to see the convention grounds in Greece. The trip ends with 2 days of convention in Norway. Thanks all to Esther Lynch, who is a travel agent from New York, born and raised in Norway. She and her husband John go back every year for convention so she made all of our traveling plans. She's just the best. I can't even watch Don pack. He says things like, "if we are going to be gone for 15 days, and I can wear 1 pair of pants for 3 days, and they have laundry on the ship, I can probably get by with yada yada yada (this is where he totaly loses me). I can't relate. I'm wondering how I can possibly get by with less then 6 pairs of shoes. He's got his dress and his casual. THAT'S IT! Men are certainly from Mars and women from Venus.

Chloe and Scarlett trying really hard to organize Nana's cabinets.
Jim and Alyssa, Luke and Mia after Sunday lunch.
Chloe giving "loves" to her baby brother!

Elijah Joseph Strassburg

Joe and Shana had their baby boy this (6/3/08)morning at 3 a.m. His name is Elijah Joseph Strassburg, weighed in at 9.5 lbs and 20" long. He has a hunk of dark hair but looks a lot like Chloe did as a newborn, but bigger. He is soooooo cute! Shana is doing really well and had a relatively easy (as these things can be easy?) time. They all will go home tomorow. Chloe hasn't quite figured out the "baby is coming home with us" bit yet. She is just having a fun time playing with all the stuff in her mom's hospital room. Plus GrammyZ is here so she's having a great time. Elijah is our 5th grandchild and 2nd grandson. YIPPIE!

More Pics

Nana and her #1 GG Chloe, who has learned to say, "No Way!"
My Auntie Eve and her daughter Elaine on Mother's Day
My sister Peggy and her daughter Marila on Mother's Day
Auntie Diane getting a kiss from Scarlett.

Am I lucky or What?

These are all my grandbabies. Chloe, Scarlett, Luke and Mia with #5, baby boy Strassburg at about -2 weeks. What a fun family day!

Cari and Juan hosted a Mother's Day feast for all of us Mother's and Grandmother's. It was really really nice and we all enjoyed our day. My mom and my auntie Eve (I'm her name sake) were there with all of their offspring and offspring's offspring (as it were!) :) I'll post more random pictures. Scarlett decided she was done with having her hair in pony tails so she ripped them out and looked a little...uh....scary. :)

Where does time go?

Spring has some to Elk Grove

Shana and Chloe
My sister Peggy, Mom, and Alyssa
Tami, Scarlett and Cari
Kenny, Tami, Jason and Nate
Chloe showing all her teeth. Too cute!
My sister, Diane and Mia



Well I've been a little bit of a slacker on "blogging." So I'll try to catch up a little here. This past weekend we had a little "family reunion" of sorts at my neice's house. Her family "Stark" were having a 95 and 100 year old birthday party for her grandma and great aunt. You would not believe how good these ladies look. But anyway...because of this, my sister Diane from Virginia City, Nevada, my nephew Kenny and his wife Tami, from Colorado, and their two sons, Nate and Jason, from Elko, Nevada and San Francisco, my nephew Jeff and his wife Linda from Idaho, my great nephew Aaron from North Carolina, were all here. It was just a lot of fun to see them all. Don and I and the kids and grandkids all went over there and we had a great time catching up. My mom, 89 and the matriarch of this family, was just loving it. Seeing all her kids, grandkids, great-grandkids and one great great grandkid is just about her favorite thing to do. I took some pictures, we'll see how good.

We are anxiously and gladly awaiting the birth of baby boy Strassburg. He is due the first part of June (the 4th I think). We are hoping that Joe and Shana make it through Mt. Ranch convention first. I'm bringing my car seat just in case Don and I are taking Chloe home. Shana is doing great, but she is so efficient, organized, and together, you wouldn't expect anything else. Cari and Juan moved to a new house and they seem to really love it. She is hosting a Mother's Day BBQ there for all of us mother's. My mom, my sisters, my neices, my cousin, my aunt and of course my kids. I think we figured out that Don would be the only one that wasn't a mother or a mother's child (his mom died in 02) so he has to take the picture. The twins, Luke nad Mia are now 10lbs and just very cute. Alyssa lets me come over once a week and play with them. They will have their first Mt. Ranch convention next week.

Well I'll end with this so far and add pictures.