Spring Leaps Into Summer; I Think I Missed It!

Warning!  I started this post weeks ago; am finally finishing and catching up.  AARGH!!
    
Where's the warmth?  You know, the warmth that comes from sunshine and spring?  We've had a bit so far, here and there, but I'm overhearing the weather forecast and it still includes phrases like ". . . snow in higher elevations."  Yipes.  The occasional burst of warm temps gives rise to hope, then a few flurries here and there coupled with high winds and hopes are dashed again.  But, there are ways to beat Mother Nature a bit and ours is to just drive south.

     We're heading out for LasVegas on Saturday, April 21 where online forecasts promise sun and 80-90 degree days.  The Jurgen clan is joining us at the Wyndam Grand Desert where we've rented a two-bedroom condo for a week.  We'll be rendevousing there Sunday for seven nights.

     All of us are leaving Saturday, but heading in slightly different directions.  Glenn and I are detouring to Pioche, NV on the way down; I've scheduled a short visit with my maternal cousin, Marie.  She's somewhat older than I and we haven't seen each other since(we think) 1998 at her mom's funeral.  Waay too long.

     The Jurgens will zip directly to Vegas because. . . SHH!  It's a secret!!. . . they've purchased tickets to a 'live' appearance of Thomas the Tank Engine for Sunday in nearby Boulder City.  Miles will be sooo excited; wish I could be a fly on the wall for that!

      We're all looking forward to this little getaway and not just because of the promise of warm weather and swimming pools.  Glenn has invested hours since my last post working on the second floor bonus room.  Since learning that his reoccurring bouts of esophageal spasms were the result of a hiatal hernia, thus no surgery needed, he's been going strong on this project.  At this writing, all drywall is up and it's been taped, mudded and sanded twice.  Ideally, only one more mudding and sanding (possible two in some spots) and he'll be ready to move on to the next step which we will hire out. . . texturing the walls.  We've selected paint colors and so on already.  His goal is to have the room finished by June; the way he's plodding along, he might just make it.

      With Glenn taking an hour or so every day to work on his project, my time for things like say updating this blog, has been limited.  Last year at this juncture, I might have written a few lines while Miles slept.  Now, we eagerly look forward to the 'golden hour' as Glenn's dubbed it. . . that brief period where both the kiddies might be sleeping!  Miles still naps about 1.5 - 3.00 hours every afternoon.  Mae, of course, at 11.5 months needs more rest than that, but she's something of a catnapper -- snoozing in bursts of 30-45 minutes.  Those times when they sleep simultaneously are rare and then filled with my own bursts of activity trying to get dinner ready, tidy the house or any other of a myriad number of tasks needing my attention.

      Since my last post, we've also done a bit of extra duty with the babies.  Meghan scheduled nasal surgery on Friday, March 2 in an attempt to clear up reoccurring sinus issues; the surgery she had in 1999 just didn't seem to do the complete trick.  She recovered from that fairly well but then was in New Orleans March 25-31 for work.  Good trip; too long she felt, but this type of thing means the kiddies spend a few more hours here with us.

(03/07/2012)  Certainly Meg will not be pleased I've added this picture of her post-op.  Her nose is still swollen from the surgery!

     

    

Wednesday, May 16

     O.k., as it sometimes does, life got away from me.  Sigh.  The trip to Vegas was awesome; enjoyed warm weather as hoped -- lots of time spent in the swimming pool with the kids.  Glenn and I took in two shows; one so-so "Legends" at Harrah's and one super-terrifice "Jersey Boys" at the Paris.  Meg and Josh scored tickets on Craigslist for a sold-out performance by comedian Daniel Tosh.

     We returned to Inkom on Sunday, April 29 and got back into the swing of things with the kiddies on Tuesday of that week.

     As I file this report, Mae is napping, Miles and Glenn playing and the wall texturing guy is finishing up.  We'll have a painter do an estimated in a couple of days (already picked my color scheme).  Our next foray "into town" we'll order the necessary closet door and schedule the carpet folks out to measure.  Between the painting and the carpet, Glenn and friend Barry will put the finishing touches on the baseboards, frame the windows and hang the closet door.  We probably won't meet the goal of being completely finished by June 1 as the carpet installers are 2-3 weeks "out" . . . but it will be pretty close.  Then I can begin the task spring cleaning, organizing and decorating our new room. . . .

     In the interim we've celebrated Mae's first birthday, Glenn's 63rd and a visit from Josh's mom, Marsha.

     Once again we're looking forward to summer and have a couple of guests preliminarily on the docket.  Good friend Mary Jo hopes to return in June; Glenn's mom has booked airfare and will be with us July 26- August 3.  The same day she leaves we're expecting overnight guests in the form of Annette, Bill and Jennie Edwards (Brenda's sister-in-law and hubby from Elmhurst, IL).

     Sandwiched among the much-awaited guests we'll try to get away to Yellowstone for a weekend here or there and perhaps an extended trip when Josh's folks (presumably) return in August for Miles' fourth birthday.

     For those of you who peek in occasionally to see what the Davises have been up to, I'll try to be more frequent in my posts.  Maybe next time I can put up a pic or two of the redone bonus room!?  In the meantime, check out the Grandkids page; I'm going to try slide in some new pictures later today!