and the winner is ........

The grandkids came up with some pretty cute names for the two baby doves, who are ready to leave the nest any day, in this photo taken last week (they are now gone). Uncle TaTa, who is the grandest of all birds, an Eagle, has been the official judge of this contest, and here are the results:

The winner for the cutest names, Sweetie and Petey, is Elayna!

The winner for the coolest names, Little Joe and Little Clown, is Dario!

The winner for the happiest names, Chirpy and Sunny, is Kyla!

And the grand prize winner is Aiden! The official names of the birdies, who flew away from the nest, are Mikey and Little Baby Cutie Bird. Aiden, if you see two doves in your backyard, they're Mikey and Little Baby Cutie Bird paying you a special visit!

I love playing in the dirt

Look what's happened in the 3 weeks since I planted my veggie garden! I don't think I've ever had results like this so quickly (there are already baby tomotoes, and we've eaten two salads with the lettuce I've thinned out). I give credit to the rose soil we tilled in, bone meal, and Black Kow Composted Cow Manure.

two new surprises!

Two new baby doves! Mama was away finding food for them. Notice the unhatched egg in the nest.

Mama is back. The babies sure needed her last night when the temperatures plunged down into the 40's, very unusual for mid April in Texas. Just went outside to check on the babies -- they are huddled close to each other while Mama is away finding breakfast. The babies need names, so I'm asking the grandkids to think of names for these little ones, and we will have a contest, with Uncle TaTa picking the winners. I'll post the winning names later in the week.

34th anniversary cruise

Such a fantastic getaway! Carl and I celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary with a 7 day cruise stopping at Jamaica (in photo), Grand Caymen, and Cozumel.

Such a lot of wind! Here I am at the top and front of the ship pretending to be Kate Winslet minus Leonardo. The winds were gale force, and the captain closed off this part of the ship shortly after we entered, and we got locked out! The crew had to get a key to let us back in. Now that's my idea of an adventure.

Such a nice view while eating breakfast and such a challenge limiting forbidden foods (sweet rolls and bacon) for Dad! By the happy smile on his face, you can tell he sneaked in some (1 piece) bacon and a sweet roll.

Such great shows everynight! Here I am telling Merril Osmund how great his show was.

Such interesting decor on board the Voyager of the Seas!

Such nice new friends! We had fun dining together every night, and sharing our adventures for the day.

The Easter bunny came to our house!

The happy conclusion of this year's Easter egg hunt!

Aiden (3yrs.) gets down to some serious business.

Avery (2 yrs.) is an expert.

Little Ava (16 mo.) finds her first egg.

Every Easter weekend, the mommies and daddies put together a fun Easter egg hunt for their little ones, our grandkids, on Saturday.

We enjoyed looking at and eating Lauren's Easter Bunny cake.

the bird family is back!

This is the 3rd or 4th year that one of my hanging flower pots has been a nesting spot for a dove family. This is the 2nd brood for mama bird this spring. I'll post a photo of the little ones when they arrive.

these boots are made for walkin', ya'all!

Who needs boots for walkin' when you can drive around in your own John Deere!

Elayna is wearing the cowgirl vest I made over 20 years ago for her mom when we took her to the rodeo.

Kyla had been begging her mom for these pink boots-- so we just had to take her and sister Elayna -- to the Houston Livestock/Rodeo.