Well, our youngest grandbaby is now one!
We had a wonderful weekend celebrating this sweet girl who was shy and awkward around us at first, but couldn't hide her darling personality for long!
Friends arrived on Sunday for sandwiches, salad and a fabulous "fringe" covered cake (because Nellie loves all things texture), about 20 adults and 12 kiddies ranging in age from 8 months to 8 years.
Balloons and streamers provided the decor, beach balls and bubbles (Nellie's favorites) were there to entertain.
It was a sweet time watching these young uns play in their own unique ways;
at times Nell wasn't too sure about the commotion and would crawl off in a hurry behind Dillon whenever he appeared in her sight!!
The cake was a huge success for both her and for the crowd. She loved being sung "happy birthday" to, but wasn't too sure about the texture or the sweetness of the cake. It was cute watching her explore this new world of sugar!!
Over the few days we were there Dill and Julie taught us a fun game called "Sequence". We beat them 5-4 and then called it quits for this trip!
The weather was chilly and crazy windy but we still managed to get in a few walks.
Now, back to the niceties of Nellie:
she smiles a lot
she's coy at times
she's sweet and happy and loveable
she's a great sleeper
and a pretty good eater too!
her face lights up the room
she loves crawling up their steep staircase
she does not like having her face washed
she's comfy going to strangers
and oh boy! does she love her mum and dad ♥️
As with all our grandbabies, we wish she lived next door.
Happy birthday Nell,
fast Nell!
We love you.
🩷🩷

As this week ends making way for the weekend to begin, Nev and I are at the airport once more, me enjoying a brekkie of blueberries and bacon as we wait to board our flight to Denver.
We're on our way to celebrate Nellie Ann's first birthday with Dillon and Julie, still in a mild state of disbelief that a year in her life and ours has already flown by!
Our week in Southlake has been filled with an Easter egg hunt with the girls and two dinners together with Ste and Candace too as we celebrated our risen Savior, JESUS; there’s been golf and wine tasting, poker (Nev's joined the Thursday evening group) and long walks (I've started training for my Camino in August),
and wonderful time in the garden as spring shows her glorious face in the spectacular array of colorful flowers just begging to be planted. 🌺🌼🌸
Since most of what I planted in the fall did not survive the freeze and the snow, our garden is a clean slate waiting to be colored and I have spent a lot of time talking to assistants at the nurseries around us, listening and learning and doing my best to discern what to invest in...
so far it's sages and vincas
lambs ear and irises
pentis and dianthus
and others with names I can't remember!!
We've ordered two Lacey bark elms to be planted on our sidewalk
and 4 "limelight" hydrangeas for the front garden too.
I love this time of the year (Nev maybe not so much!! 😂😂😂).
But for now it's all about our Nellie and we're looking forward to hanging out with her for three full days!
🩷🩷

It's been a wonderful week!
The girls spent a night with us and had great fun with their boa's.
Lily sang like a bird in her choir at school.
Jimmy Smith came to visit.
I planted our garden behind the pool.
Nev and I played in a "Nine and Dine" golf tournament together with Mike and Kim and placed second!
Nev and Jimmy saw the longhorns down in the Stockyards and visited an historical bar there that Jimmy had visited 40 years ago!
Brent and Jennie, Stu, Kevin and Rosie joined us for a fabulous night of food and stories and good laughs.
Candace was spoiled at a beautiful "Landing soon" baby shower for baby boy Clark due to arrive in the first week of May.
Palm Sunday at church yesterday was a glorious recreation with "Jesus" on a donkey going down the main aisle while we waved palms and sang praises.
We've had wonderful soaking rains and equally wonderful sunshine in between.
And now I'm at the airport, on my way back to Casa Azul to check on things for a few days before returning by the weekend, I hope, to celebrate Easter...
a week in motion for sure!

Stephen and Christopher were both prone to nasty ear infections from a very young age and had numerous sets of grommets (tubes) inserted into their ears to relieve the pain and drain the infection, this ongoing right up until we left for the States when they were 5 and 4 years old.
Unfortunately it appears both Makenna and Carson have inherited the same ear formation as their daddy and have also lived that same young life.
When we visited for Christopher's birthday both kiddies were sick with ear infections, high fevers, and the need for their mama only for snuggles and comfort.
However, typical of young children, there would be tiny gaps of okayness when Makenna went to the park or to her gymnastics class or Carson played with the ball or ran about the backyard, and both laughed and gave us hugs.
The good news is that they had surgery yesterday, Makenna a new set of tubes and her adenoids removed, Carson tubes only. They came thro with flying colors and are all better now! ♥️
Thank YOU! 🙏
I pray this is their last bout as my boys finally, at around this age, healed.
They're coming to join us at Casa Azul in May and I'm hoping the sun and the sea will help them along their healing journey. ♥️
Love you all.
It was a sweet time.
And Christopher and Allison: you are lovely, patient and gentle parents. 🩷

Today we celebrated Christopher's 36th birthday together, suddenly realizing half way thro the fun, that I am 63!
36:63
Love that we were together for this once in our life time moment!
He produced a wickedly delicious chocolate mint cake he'd made for himself that we all devoured!
And then Victoria, Allison's sister, kindly baby sat Makenna and Carson while we had the most fun and delicious dinner together at Hanna's, me especially thrilled because Christopher had two sips of red wine and said it wasn't too bad!!
Double history made today!!
I’m hoping the latter, the wine tasting, isn't a once in our life time event.
Happy birthday my kid ♥️♥️
Love you more!

This is a busy household we've been spending time in, both for the parents and the children!
Dax grows a veggie garden that supplies salad for the family plus he's making candles for an entrepreneurial class at home school and doing a great job marketing Dax's Waxes too.
Heidi has an incredible ability to memorize scripture verses and a huge talent for drawing that blows our minds.
Ryan is busy loving on his chickens or going to gymnastics or building tracks and tunnels for his trains or just tumbling and running and talking non-stop as he does so.
Trev and Star are carting children hither and thither in between their own fun schedules of yoga and mountain biking; then there are meals to be cooked and homeschooling to be done in between preparing for their return to Spain in May!
We played board games and card games and enjoyed this sweet and busy time with all...
they are growing up fast and we soaked it and them in...
In between all this activity I was also able to have a wonderful sushi lunch with my girlfriends Debi and Flea, the time always too short for the stories to be told and lives to be shared. Love and miss these ladies.
And Nev was able to squeeze in a yummy breakfast with his buddy, Rob, at his favorite breakfast spot in Oxnard, Mrs Olsen's.
All too soon it is time to move on, not too sad because Trev and the kids will be visiting us in Dallas in April...
Yay!
(our only regret is forgetting to take pics to capture this time together)