March Madness!

Contratulations Louis and Shannon on the upcoming birth of your first child and my first grandchild, Henry Louis!!!! We are excited to see Shannon preganant while in Washington DC. I can't imagine Shannon being a bridesmaid 2 weeks after her due date, what if Henry comes 2 weeks late, yikes! 3 of my babies were 2 weeks late, Louis being one of them. It will be a tricky deal, now if Henry behaves and comes 2 wks early, then, everything will be cool. I like the sailboat theme alot. We are praying for Louis extra since he is away in London, Shannon too since she will be alone.
Uncle Bob is coming here for a visit on April 4-7. He will be staying with us in Sharon's bedroom. Beppe is doing worse, she now eats in a separate dining area where she gets more attention, she was falling asleep in her food. Last time when dad visited her she was sleeping in the fetal positon. It's really hard for dad to see his mom that way.
We closed in the Eaton (Shamrock Ranch) Farm last Friday. We discovered that it's really easy to spend alot of money! Now we have 4 more rental homes to manage. Dad wrote letters today to deliver to each renter tomorrow. The rent is going up on some of the homes, each house has it's own details to attend to. Previously the owners were absentee, we will be more hands on than they were. I'm planning to raise the interest on the note with the Rock Creek farm this week. Everyday there are always so many things to keep track of and on top of. We keep trying to be the best stewards possible with what the Lord has blessed us with. Several of the neighbors are reacting to this large farm purchase, it caught us by surprise. The Eaton's had owned the farm for 55 years, change is hard, and it may seem to the neighbors that we are taking over the area. We will try to be sensitive and understand their reacting. Today a fellow dairy lady complained that there was manure on the road left from the trucks! So now that too....
Julia will be coming home late tonight from her CA mission trip. She has school tomorrow morning, she may not get there too early I'm thinking. She is a free woman again, Kyle finally let her go, she had a hard time convincing him that they could just be friends. We missed having her around this last week, dad had fun driving her car around.
Dad and I took the 3 dogs on a long walk this afternoon. We doggie sit Snickers alot, so he went with us too today, he gets high centered on the corn stalks sometimes, and the alfalfa scratches his tummy. Sometimes we must carry him when the terrain gets really rough. The dogs get so happy and dance and sing around when we get ready for the walk, it certainly is the high point of their day.
Jo and Snick went to Boise last night to visit Jo's friend Annie Clark. It was the farthest that Snick has ever been from home. Jo got him a halter collar and leash, which he is insulted by. He used some real bad dirty doggie words for her. He had been running in traffic so something had to be done to keep him safe. We would all be devastated if he got smashed.
G-ma and Papa have asked me to be a director of Koopman's Furniture in CA! It would involve going to CA 4 times per year and attending two different meetings each trip, plus I'd have to meet with papa to get information beforehand. I don't know what my response will be, my life is sooo full already, how could I possibly fit another thing in like this? It's an honor to be asked. I need to find out all that is involved, what it would pay, details. One of my commitments here at home would have to go if I decided to do that. Papa was very close to selling out several months ago, now it seems that he's going to stick with it.
About the DC trip, what do you all think about each family unit to pick a day and place to visit and plan that day out. Maybe could L and S take friday and plan out that day. S and D take saturday. Dad and I will plan sunday(mother's day), Jo and Julia could take monday. Let me know how that sounds to all of you. We could switch up the days if needed. I remember that Sharon wanted to visit Georgetown the last time we were in DC but we ran out of time. If that is agreeable to all, then please choose the place or area you'd like to visit and let me know so there is no overlap. If someone else has another suggestion please let me know. I just don't want to travel that far and not have some kind of schedule. I think that we can pick you all up from the different airports. I'm still trying to find a home for us to stay in, I still haven't come up with anything. I do still have the 2 bedrm 2 bath suite reserved in Mc Leon, it is very close to derek's parents home. It will be a beautiful time of year to travel, only 6 wks till we leave!
Love, Peace and Prayers to All - Love ~mama B~