Our grandbabies are changing and growing so fast.  On top is Oly with his dad, John.  And then there is Matt and Grandpa Strode with our sweet Camille.  We are so blessed to have such darling grandchildren (and wonderful sons).  Great visit!

Here is the Seattle portion of our family--John, Oly, Amy and Janelle, Matt and Camille!  We had a grand visit in the Northwest in May.  Strode stayed for a long weekend and then Grandma Judy stayed for an additional 2 weeks to babysit while both Amy and John were working.  Judy was able to see many friends and old school colleagues.  As usual, it was wonderful to see our boys and their families. 

This past weekend-I (Judy) spent 5 days with our family in Des Moines.  As per usual, we had a grand time.  We didn't do anything special, but we did get lots accomplished: church, Girl Scout event, movie, ice cream, shopping, baking....and more!  The weather was very nice so we got out several times.  It is always a treat for me to spend time with our daughter Michelle and her family.  (Michelle and I were able to get in several good visits over breakfast, running errands, lunch and chillin' out!)

Last weekend Strode and Judy headed to the Denver Botanic Gardens for a perfect spring day tour.  As you can see by the photo--it was a lovely day in the "Gardens".  The structures you see in the water are made of bamboo. They were a few of the many bamboo displays through out the garden.  The gardens were full of tulips and lilacs.  It was a wonderful day to be outside and stroll through the color...very peaceful!

What a wonderful long Easter weekend we had with our family in Seattle. We got in lots of hugging and laughing with both sons and daughters-in-law. Of course, the highlights of the trip included lots of loving on our two precious grand babies--Camille and Oly! We feel so blessed to have such adorable grandchildren. We loved our meals together, our Kubb at the park, Easter brunch with the McWeavers, lunch with Matt, breakfast at Jay's, and generally just savoring family time. We are still smiling!!

We had a grand trip to Des Moines to visit the Houghtons. We filled each day with "just right" activities with our grand girls--Sara and Lori. Here they are with a couple of their creations. Sara had an extended assignment for 3rd grade and she created an amazing Statue of Liberty--we were wowed! Lori had been working on a model of the London Bridge--so she and Grandpa Strode decided to complete the project. The weather was very decent in Des Moines so we were able to be outside quite a bit. We played with Maisey and walked her several times. It was even warm enough for the girls to run through the sprinkler in the back yard! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family and we are grateful that they continue to share their lives with us!

It isn't really spring yet, but the Denver Units spent this beautiful 60 degree day at Barr Lake --near Denver. The focus of our outing was to see some bald eagles nesting in the area. We had great success. We observed the female eagle in the huge nest sitting on her eggs. And then we followed with our binoculars the male eagle swooping over the area. It was amazing. Our walk around the lake was the first of many (we hope) this coming season. We live in an lovely place with so much to see and do. We look forward to more adventures in the near future!!