Fishing
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After nearly nine years, George and Ethan tried going
fishing again now that we have moved here to Washington. Notice the distance between them in the picture.
There is a reason for this. When Ethan was not-quite-four years old, Kent and Natalie invited George and me to go to a community event which included fishing in a well-stocked fishing lake near Gainesville, Florida. We were very excited about the day, and definitely Ethan could hardly contain his excitement.
Ella came along, too. She was still just a little one . . .
The greatest - Three generations of fisherman all having a great time together!
But then, everything suddenly changed. Right after this picture was taken, Ethan cast out
and I heard George say calmly, "Oh, he got me." I'm thinking Ethan got his shirt or pants or whatever. When he turned around, I saw the hook planted right in George's forehead! 
Fortunately, there were paramedics on hand. The picture above shows the third
paramedic trying to get the hook out!
Ethan got so upset about hurting his
grandpa, he started throwing up. I rushed him over to the lake to do it there,
then we put him in Ella's stroller with a cold rag to get him calmed down. Wow! What a chain of events!
The
paramedics told us we were the only ones who hadn't caught a fish in a stocked
lake, but we were the only ones who caught a grandpa!
Yes, I guess you can say
it was a much calmer day yesterday. But sadly, the result was the same. No fish
caught!
Well, I had to take a picture of something since no fish were caught, so I snapped these beautiful flowers growing by the river.
Two more trips to the river with the same results--no fish. But finally . . .
Yesssss--success! They tried another place which had a beautiful little dock, and took the advice my dad told us many years ago--none of this fancy bait--just use good old worms or night crawlers, which they did!
And the results were tremendous! Ethan caught the big one first and it really put up a fight! George was so proud how he stuck with it and reeled him in. After finally getting the results they wanted, they have decided to just do "catch and release" in the future. The fun is in the catching!
Enjoying New Animals in Nature
Yes, the wildlife is definitely different than we have been used to. Here, Ella and some of her friends found some baby Killdeer, I think they were. We laughed at her shirt she was wearing when she found the little birds . . .
When she sat the little guy down, he started following her. I think he thought she was his mommy since she had that shirt on!
Outdoor Activities
We have loved having Ethan and Ella for overnight stays at our house. Natalie bought a badminton set, so we set it up in our "huge" backyard. I think the goats were getting a big kick out of us.
I can say I was definitely better at this than George, only because he couldn't look up to see the "birdie," but I still wasn't that good.
I will definitely need to do some more practicing!
And More Fishing
With Ethan having so much success now, Ella decided she wanted to join in the fun. See how much better this "fishing hole" is? Can't get any better than this--lawn chairs on a beautiful deck, drinking Diet Cokes (Grandpa), and just waiting for those fish to bite!
Ethan has this down now! Every time he goes, he catches something!
Like I say, we do the catch and release so others can have the same fun! Ella is so proud of Ethan, but now we need to help her catch one!
So many of the grand kids have heard about this new past time of Grandpa's, they all want to join in the fun! George really has his "work" cut out for him to help them all catch a fish!
George, in a moment of weakness, decided he wanted to clear out some of the debris that had backed up by the dock. He got in up to his knees and was a real mess to take home!
Oh, we were all so excited when it looked like Ella had a big one on the line, but it ended up only being some moss or a big one that got away. Hopefully, soon, she'll catch one, too!
Ballgames
After all the years of watching our kids play most all kinds of sports, we haven't ever tired of it. We love to go to the kids' games and cheer them on.
One day we were able to go to an all-day soccer tournament. The games were shortened, so every minute counted. We were so excited when Ethan and his team played so well!
As a matter of fact, Ethan's team took first place after having to go into overtime and then shoot-outs. It was so nerve-wracking, but Ethan's team won out!
Very satisfying day for father and son!
Mother's Day
This was my post on Instagram on Mother's Day. I have been so blessed to have two fantastic daughters and five fantastic daughters-in-law. They all do such a wonderful job taking care of our 26 grand children. They truly are wonderful mothers. I put my mother in the middle as I imagine her to be looking like this now without the ravaging cancer that took her life. I know she continues to be a great "mother" and "grandmother" to those who have already gone on, and continues to watch over all of us.
Ethan and Ella (and their dad) planned a really fun Mothers' Day Dinner for Natalie and me. It was great!
In addition to talking to all of our children and some of their family members, I was excited to see that they had all gone in together and purchased something for both George and me.
And to our great surprise and delight--the families all got George and me Fitbits! Ethan was explaining it all to me. Good thing for the younger generation to help us out with the understanding of all the computerized items in our lives!
Thanks so much to all the families for these wonderful gifts! Dad and I will surely use them!
My Birthday
Just a few days after Mother's Day, it's my birthday, so I get all my fun for the year in about a two-week time period.
Kent and Natalie had a little surprise birthday party for me that was so fun!
Thanks so much, Kent and Natalie, for the thoughtful birthday party. It really was so sweet! In addition to again getting to talk to all my kids, I heard from all my siblings, as well as George's. It truly was a birthday to remember. Thanks to everyone for making it so special!
Community Carnival
This past Saturday, Kent and Natalie both had obligations and weren't going to be home, so George and I took Ethan and Ella over to the Community Carnival. As per usual, you just pray the rides hold together after being constructed so quickly, and they charge exorbitant prices, but the kids were very excited to go.
However, after riding two or three rides, Ethan wasn't looking so well and thought he could only ride one more ride.
Ella was just fine and was ready to ride ten or twelve more rides.
But after this ride, Ethan was ready to go and looking a little peaked. We took them home and let them rest awhile. We had fished all morning, and along with all the carnival rides, I think they had pretty well maxed out their energy for the day. But, it was fun and thoroughly kept George and me entertained!
Well, that's a wrap-up of May activities. In a couple of days, we are headed to Dallas for little Dawson's baby blessings, and to spend some time with the grandkids there. We are really looking forward to our time there!
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