Spring Has Sprung

There was a time when Easter meant new Sunday outfits, Easter baskets laden with goodies, dying hard-boiled eggs and grooming the backyard for egg- hunts. Lately, however, it seems those days are gone as my family goes their own way for the holidays. One of these Easters I want to have them all here for church and Sunday lunch. Maybe next year will be a good time.

Fortunately for us, we get to be with our oldest son and his family for Easter lunch. The kids will be excited about their Easter goodies and treats. It'll be fun to be with them for a while. I can't believe how big Jason's two children are getting. I turn around and Regan has grown inches since the last time I saw her and Aidan has lost several teeth as most 7 year olds tend to do. Today we get to attend Regan's 5th birthday party. She is so ready for kindergarten and has been for at least a year now. Ha, what a smart little cookie she is! Five years ago, Kim and I went to an Astro's baseball game and had a picture of our baby Regan taken just minutes after her birth. She was born in Michigan, too far away to be on hand at the hospital for the delivery. We are very blessed that they now live close enough that we can participate in their life events like birthday parties.

Spring is here in full bloom and my yard is living proof. Not that it is blooming with beautiful flowers like several of my neighbor's yards. On the contrary, its bursting with foliage of every type, grass in the plant beds, overgrown bushes, weeds, dandelions...etc. You get the picture. It's overgrown to the max. Kim finally was able to be home long enough to mow the yard and luckily, we didn't find any lost children or puppies in that high grass. Good thing!

Just this morning we observed a huge black woodpecker with a beautiful red plume on his head, pecking at bugs on one of our trees. He was down low and working all around the trunk of the tree. Kim managed to get a few good pictures of him before he flew off for bugs in other trees.

Indeed, its Springtime. There is a lot of yard work to do and if I'm to help my neighbors in what appears to be a beautification project of yards on our street, we need to find time to at least clean out the plant beds. But not today, we have a birthday party to attend for one of our all-time favorite little 5 year old girls. Happy Birthday, Regan!