Well, it's been pretty busy around here as many of you know. Karen, Jerome and the boys arrived on the 18th and it's been gangbusters ever since! Karen is so good about "doing things" with the boys...I try to keep up with them. That is the challenge! I had some wonderful pictures to share...but "had" is the operative word. I saved them as a shortcut rather than a copy...bad idea. Especially since I very dutifully deleted them from the camera immediately after! Not such a good way to do things. I still blame it on the anesthesia--it takes a while to get out of your system!! I was able to save three--don't ask me how. Here they are. There will be better pictures later, I promise.

Lauren's got an extra big smile because she won the lottery--SHE got to give Kolbe his bottle!!!

My mother always said that we should be celebrating every day--not just some special occasion. I guess she meant that every day was a day to celebrate! This year has been just that! First of all, I am feeling so much better. It's amazing how you really don't know when you're not in the best of health! After all, when the doctor says "How are you feeling", the question becomes "Compared to what?" Well, compared to last year, I am feeling fantastic (and I thought I was feeling pretty good then). Go figure!

Bernard and two of his friends went fishing on the Missouri River out of Great Falls the week before Mothers' Day. From what I gather, the fish catching was slow but the fishing was fantastic. They camped out and I think that was the bigger part of the trip. They saw eagles, osprey, loons, mergansers, and lots of other birds PLUS deer and big horn sheep. It was three days of "boy scout heaven" for them. I've linked a few (very few) pictures below. Bernard doesn't think much about taking pictures until he comes home and I'm asking questions.

Mothers' Day itself was a beautiful day. Lauren, Bernard and I went to morning Mass and then took off for Red Lodge. It was a fantastic day for a drive. We took the road to Bridger and came around the backside of Red Lodge. There were some interesting old cars parked off the side of the road--all for sale. Of course, we had to stop and check them out! When we got to Red Lodge, Lauren and I shopped. I think shopping's a lot like fishing--you don't always have to buy to enjoy the looking! We ended the day at Red Lobster where we discovered the mega Bahama Mama! If you're wondering, we three shared one (though I did get my fair share)!

Oh, the flowering tree is named "Thunderchild". It is quite stunning this year. I couldn't resist including some pictures of "her".

Easter--what a blessed celebration! We were able to participate fully in Holy Week services beginning with the Seder Meal on Wednesday and culminating with Holy Saturday and the celebration which is the center of our Faith. Being with our catechumens and candidates as they became full members of our Faith Family made it especially memorable. We do have a few pictures to share:



Easter morning, we found that TWO Easter Bunnies visited us...hmmmmmmmmmm. You can follow the link on these pictures for a little look!




Judy and Jeremy joined us for Easter Dinner. It was very simple this year--but then it shouldn't be all about the food! We enjoyed the fellowship. Again, the pictures will link you to another page of pictures.

Lauren lived up to her April Fool-ing reputation...this year, dinner was a bit "unusual". There were some of the usual pranks--Bernard even set a few traps himself! But dinner was the highlight. There were Meatloaf Muffins complete with Mashed Potato Icing and Sugar Wafer Fish Sticks served with Strawberry Jelly Catsup! A real mind bender of a meal--but actually quite good. Even Shiloh was given a muffin which she devoured--meat, potatoes, and foil muffin cup. Silly Shiloh!!! Hope you all had a happy April Fools' Day too!

So Mom got released from the hospital Wednesday afternoon, and she was definitely ready to come home. She's feeling pretty good (probably thanks to all the pills she's taking), and will probably be hitting the phone circuit soon. So stay tuned...

Thanks again for all the prayers!