I am blessed to be able to call these three my sons.

Mother's Day weekend began when we picked Dean up after work Friday evening with a loaded van and a packed lunch. By the time we were finished with our supper, We were almost out of the state. We hadn't been at grandma's house long before Uncle M picked Jeremy up for an adventure scheduled for Saturday. He was ready, but he had no idea how much of an adventure or how tired he would be at the end of the day. It was successful and by the end of the day he had something to show for his efforts.

Justin wasn't able to go on the fishing trip since his foot is still in a cast so this picture from a previous trip will have to do.

JJ didn't go fishing either, but he had plenty of fun with cousins and of course I didn't get any pictures of him with cousins.

On Sunday my brother was preaching a near-by church and we wanted to go hear him. We managed to surprise him and it was good to hear him preach.

Since we were gone over the weekend, FedEx delivered flowers from the boys this afternoon. That way they didn't sit in the house over the weekend while we were gone. I am thankful for the flowers, but even more thankful for my boys.

As a family, we love our adventures. We look forward to family days whether they are a part of a day or as long as a four-week vacation. Some of our adventures take more planning than others and obviously some take more money. Our most recent adventure took very little planning or money on our part even though it's one of those items we've had on our to-do list for some time.

JJ came home from school with an invitation for his family to join all the other second and third grade students with their families and teachers with their families for an all expense-paid trip to Monticello. We didn't do the planning. We didn't hire the charter buses, we didn't order the packed lunches from Subway, we didn't pay for any of the tickets. All we had to do was RSVP and show up at 8:00 which is exactly what we did.

When we pulled into the school parking lot, there were six charter buses lined up and ready to go. Teachers were waiting with clipboards and lists of students complete with cell phone numbers and body counts. As soon as possible I asked who we could thank and discovered that it was the "Sunshine Lady" who is known in this part of the country for her philanthropy that involves, in part, children's activities. We are very thankful that she included us in her desire to give back some of what she has gained.

The buses were not crowded since there were some families who weren't able to make it at the last minute. (I overheard someone telling a little girl that since her mother was in the hospital they needed to take a lot of pictures.) We had plenty of room for the boys' long legs and my restless ones. Dean and I had something to read while the boys watched a children's movie that was playing on the bus's monitors.

Monticello has a new visitor's center where we browsed while waiting for our timed house tour. It seems that Thomas Jefferson liked small things that he could carry in his pockets. I saw numerous diminutive books - he must have had excellent eyesight - as well as a pocket-sized set of drafting tools. I also discovered this mini notebook which had pages of made of ivory which could be easily erased.

It was fun to discover a detailed map of Virginia and we were able to find our stomping grounds. We live in the area labeled Mattapony.

The guided house tour was full of great information and even though there were more adults than children in our group, our guide related well to the kids and kept them engaged. Even though the house is beautiful, I would not want to sleep in Jefferson's bed. Justin was able to try out a model of Jefferson's in the discovery room.

Evidently Jefferson had no lack of pen pals since he wrote over 15,000 letters in his lifetime. I can't imagine doing that all longhand, but with his polygraph or copying machine that task may have been more manageable. JJ got to try a kid-friendly version in the discovery center.

Since this was not my first visit to Monticello, I didn't hear a lot that had changed from the last trip, but I did come away with a new appreciation for his mind. After all, it's hard to dislike a man who says, "I cannot live without books." And what's not to like about a free adventure?

Almost 25 years ago as I was beginning my senior year in college, I found myself in a friend's dorm room near the end of the day with several friends. I don't remember what we were talking about but as we realized that we needed to bring our day to the close and head off to our respective rooms, someone suggested that we pray. I don't remember if we prayed about anything in particular - possibly we prayed about what we had just been discussing - but when we were done praying, we decided to meet again the following week.

The next week, we all met in my room and several had joined our group. We had a time of sharing and prayer and then we decided that we would limit the size of our group to the seven that were there that evening. For the rest of the year we met every week for prayer. We had a notebook and each week, we would record our requests for the week. We decided to call ourselves Philippians 1:3. "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you." In addition to praying together, we made a list of all the other girls in the dorm and each of us took one day of the week to pray for two girls who weren't in our group. We would also write notes of encouragement and occasionally leave small gifts. We always signed our notes Philippians 1:3 and we never revealed who we were - until now.

Even though most of us didn't have classes together and our paths didn't cross much during the week, we knew we could count on that time of prayer together each week. Three of us were seniors working on senior projects or student teaching. One was planning a wedding, two were dating, most of us were education majors. We were from six different states and one Caribbean island. We all had jobs- some on and some off campus. We grew to love and appreciate each other as we gathered for prayer at the end of the day once a week.

A year after our last prayer time, I returned to Florida to watch three more members of the group receive their degrees. I didn't realize at that time, how long it would be before I would see these dear friends once again. We tried to stay in touch by keeping a round-robin letter going, but it died a slow painful death along its journey from one to the next. We would hear from each other at Christmas and once in a blue moon there would be a phone call or a few hours together. Some returned to work near or for the college while others made it a point to visit occasionally. More recently several of us connected again through Facebook and even though we weren't having much contact, we more or less were able to keep up with each other.

Several weeks ago, one of those dear friends contacted me and said that she and her family were going to be vacationing nearby and wondered if it would work out to get together. Of course I wanted to see her, so we made arrangements for them to join us on Sunday for church and the afternoon.

Twenty-three years and a husband and three boys apiece later, we were tickled to spend time catching up. We pulled out our folding tables and we enjoyed lunch and the afternoon together. After the boys ate, they headed outside for the rest of the afternoon, while the rest of us visited. We said our goodbyes with hopes that it won't be twenty years before we get together again. Many miles, years and experiences have separated us, but we still thank God when we remember each other.

We were driving down the road this afternoon when I heard the distinctive sound of air blowing across the top of a soda bottle. I knew that one of the boys had a bottle and assumed that he was the source of air until I looked in the side mirror and saw this.

Justin wondered if the pitch would change if we sped up, but when I accelerated he didn't get the anticipated effect. This looked like a science moment so I handed him a water bottle and told him to pour the water into the soda bottle. Ah-ha! The pitch changed and as we drove down the road, he emptied a little at a time and all the boys listened the the change. It wasn't long until I heard JJ exclaim, "It's science-y!"

Soon after we got home, I looked outside to see a fire burning on a stump in the yard and the next thing I knew, Justin went racing towards the driveway with a torch in his hand.

Justin loves to experiment and it's not uncommon to discover that he's done something on the dangerous side. Often his plan of discovery involves fire and this evening was no exception. When I walked into the kitchen after tucking all the boys in bed I discovered the remnants of his latest experiment. I found a plastic bowl containing a little oil that he had drained from a lawn mower and an empty can of spray paint on the counter. I'm not sure what he was doing with them, but I think he needs a warning about pressurized containers being used for science-y things.

It may sound a little crazy to plan a trip to the beach in February, but that is just what we did the first week of February. We were smack dab in the middle of a long, cold winter and we felt like we needed a change of pace and a chance to re-boot. Even though we packed swimsuits, we didn't pack any beach towels- the heated, indoor pool would have to suffice.

We spent a good part of a day at the Virginia Aquarium where the boys wanted their picture taken with a manta ray gliding over their heads,

and JJ pretended to be eaten alive.

He had to stand in line to get his turn with the bronze dolphin.

We really enjoyed watching the river otters where Jeremy discovered that they wanted to play with him. He would drag his sock cap along the glass and they would follow along moving up and down with the cap.

The next day we joined a group on a whale watching trip sponsored by the aquarium.

We didn't see any whales but Justin and JJ loved standing in the bow of the boat with the spray in their faces as we bounced along,

and Jeremy discovered that he still has a tendency towards motion sickness.

We returned from our short visit in Virginia Beach with a forecast of snow on the way. We made it home saftely and even had a couple of normal days before the best snow of the winter arrived.

The boys finally had enough snow to make snowmen and they had great fun in it.

They worked long and hard to make a fort and a pile of snowballs. They claimed that they didn't know that I knew how to have a snowball fight when I gave them a run for their money.

By the time the day ended, it was obvious that they had spent a lot of time outside.

There was a huge pile of snow in the middle of the yard with a burrow in it, and wet boots, gloves and pants were all over the house drying for another day of play. Winter was only half over, but we'd packed in a good portion of winter fun.

After waiting for almost a month to open gifts, the boys did not make me wait until the evening of my birthday to open them. We all sat around the table before Dean left for work and I started unwrapping.

Justin gave me a Newton's cradle. I've always loved these little scientific machines and am glad to have one. I've already untangled the string multiple times as the boys seem to love it as much as I do.

Jeremy blessed me with a sand picture. This little thing can be as time consuming as any electronic toy. Each time I turn it over, the scene changes as the sand drips down through the water. Mountains rise and little volcanoes appear.

JJ's gift was the only one I had guessed. I don't know if it has a name, but we've all had fun with the images that hundreds of little pins make. And I don't know either why he decided to wink when I snapped the picture.

My gift from Dean was the one that had us laughing before I opened it. It felt like a catnip mouse. Now why would I want a catnip mouse? We have a cat, but she wasn't celebrating her birthday. When I opened it, I discovered a shiny silver dollar wrapped in bubble wrap. A new coin for my collection.

Dean and the boys have helped me to celebrate my birthday for almost a week now, We had a meal out before my birthday, gifts the day of my birthday and the birthday dessert is still to come. See, I have something else to anticipate.

More than 25 years ago I happened to overhear a conversation between a married couple. They were discussing whether they should let their parents know that they were planning a visit in a few months. (The parents lived on the opposite coast.) The wife spoke words that I saw as wisdom when she said, "Let's tell them. Anticipation is half the joy." Yes, there is joy in anticipating an event whether great or small.

For almost a month, a small pile of wrapped packages and cards has been sitting near my desk. Each of the boys wrapped a birthday gift for me so long ago he may have forgotten the contents. Each time I've looked at them, I've calculated how long it is until my birthday, but I haven't picked them up - until today. I just had to give each one a gentle shake and feel the package. I have a faint idea what one of them might be, but I'm completely baffled by the others. I can't think of anything that I may have told them I wanted except chocolate and I don't think they contain sweet treats. I've waited long enough and I'm ready to see what they contain. There's just one problem. Today's not my birthday.

I'm still in anticipation mode. Even though the contents of the packages remain a mystery, the anticipation has been building. I don't need a great birthday celebration, but Dean and the boys are extending the celebration by giving me a month of anticipation. The stack makes me smile. A little joy each day as I think of my family planning to bless me.

When I was in the library before Christmas, I found a book that I had loved as a child. I checked it out and enjoyed it all over again. I enjoyed it so much that I purchased a copy to give to one of my great-neices.

As I enjoyed my way through the story of Ferdinand the Bull, I remembered watching an animated version of it when I was in elementary school. The black-line drawings were dredging up memories of another book I had loved as a child and I began to dig in my boxes of old books.

Sure enough, there it was - Simpson and Sampson The cover was less than exciting - no pictures and the title was only on the spine of the library-bound book.

Evidently I had been reading this book when I borrowed some sunflower seeds from my brother and he insisted that I write a promissory note. There is no record of payment, but I have given him bags of sunflower seeds over the years, so I think the debt has been paid.

The inside cover promises a story of chivalry and excitement.

The title page,

and the opening page of the story complete with old scotch tape and childish scribbles.

Another illustration and there's that blue colored pencil again.

And this is one of my favorites from the book. Sometimes I fear I look like this when things haven't gone well in the day. When I looked for other books by this author, I discovered that this title is something of a collector's item. It's listing for $99.00 on Amazon this morning.

In my searching I discovered another book by the same author and illustrator. I put a bug in Dean's ear and one of the boys gave me a copy of Wee Gillis for Christmas. I also received a copy of Ferdinand. Even though these are old books, their age hasn't diminished the charm of the story. I enjoyed them as much today as I did 45 years ago.

After a couple of inches of snow last night, Justin showed up this morning wearing a pair of socks that my grandfather made. I have no idea how many pairs of socks he knitted, but every time we visited he encouraged us to pick out a couple of pairs. Some how I managed to hang onto three pairs without wearing them out and I put them away for the boys.

As I sat there and looked at his socks, I began thinking about other things that I had in the house that were a part of my growing up years and I went digging. The first thing I thought of was my miniature cast iron stove. I don't know when I got it or where it came from, but I had great fun playing with it when I was young. The inside is soot covered because I thought I had to boil water in the little kettles. The chimney is long gone along with several other items.

When I pulled it out this morning, JJ was taken with it and the next thing I knew, he was cooking a tire from one of his trucks in a pot and the coal scuttle was jammed into the firebox.

While he played, I kept digging and found a tin box that always hid in one of my dresser drawers. At first sight, it's nothing special - just a red tin with well-worn stickers adorning the lid.

But open it up, and memories come spilling out. Even though I found the expected assortment of hankies I was surprised to find an old plastic rain bonnet. What was I thinking when I put it in there? And why in the world did I put a picture of my great-great-great-great grandfather in there? My Grandma Skiles had written on the back of the picture or I would have never known who it was.

In my trip down memory lane, I also located my penny book. Grandpa Kintner started the book for me and filled it with hard-to-find pennies and let me add a few of my own. When he would visit, he would want to see my penny book and would add one or two to my collection.

It holds more than pennies though. I found my certificate of baptism and several postcards from both of my grandmothers. The squeaker on the dolphin postcard still squeaks even though it's 35 years old.

And one more thing fell out of the penny book - a newspaper clipping announcing my mother and father's engagement.

I think that one of these days, I need to go through everything and organize some things. It seems that my childhood filing system leaves something to be desired. And speaking of needing to file things. My mother recently sent me my polio vaccination record. I think the nurse got mixed up on the dates, but I have been immunized against polio.

And while I was dredging up memories, I had to get a picture of Lambie. I think I got him for my first birthday so he'll soon be 52. He kinda has that velveteen rabbit look. His fur is pretty thin and his rubber nose is mostly gone, but he spends his days hanging out with other animals that are 13 years old at best.

Even though I didn't even walk to the mailbox today, I had a pleasant stroll down memory lane. Little scraps from the past reminded me of people I loved and things I enjoyed.

When I was growing up in New Mexico, my paternal grandparents lived in California and my maternal grandparents lived in Indiana. I learned early that building and maintaining family ties can be a challenge and it takes a lot of effort. Both sets of grandparents faithfully wrote letters to my family and both of my parents faithfully wrote letters in return. We didn't have a phone in our home until I was a teen so phone calls were very rare.

Both sets of grandparents made the trip to New Mexico when I was born and this was before the Interstate system was in place. From that point on, both sets made regular visits and we traveled as a family in both directions often alternating years. We were rarely together for birthdays and holidays, but they didn't fail to remember us with cards and gifts. Even though I spent most of my life physically separated from my grandparents, we loved each other and built up a repository of memories. Aunts and uncles got in on the action by traveling many miles (even from Australia) to visit or by opening up their homes when we were in their state.

Half a century has come and gone and many miles now stand between my children and their grandparents. In the past twenty years, we have made at least 15 trips to New Mexico and I can't even begin to count the number of trips we've made to Pennsylvania. Some may question the wisdom of putting so many miles on our vehicles, but family ties are worth the wear and tear on our van. We want our boys to love spending time not only with grandparents, but with cousins and aunts and uncles. They look forward to times together and soon after good-byes are said, they begin talking about the next time.

In the four weeks between November 29th and December 27th, we made five trips to Pennsylvania and opened our home to my sister and her family for three days. Our final trip was for a wedding when Dean's oldest niece was married. Packing so much into four weeks, left us somewhat breathless after the last trip, but we had continued to strengthen family ties and added to memory banks. We are blessed.