May Update

For anyone picking this up through the link at Facebook, you can see this content in it's original form at our blog here.

Our computer issues preventing photo downloads have been corrected so let's see if we can catch up on the Gray's doings for the past couple of months...

In March, Rick and Kathryn went to San Diego for one of Rick's meetings while the boys stayed home with grandma (Rick's mom). We went for four days and stayed at the Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island. We were able to meet up with our next door neighbors who have a yacht there and go for a cruise in San Diego harbor surrounded by dolphins. Here's a photo of Kathryn with John and Donna and their daughters Katelyn and Lauren abord their yacht.


We also were able to visit with our friend Suzanne Swain and her boys, Zac and Josh. Suzanne's husband, Jim, was a resident with Rick and they both came back to Mayo Clinic in Arizona the same year. We ended up being next door neighbors. The Swains moved to Rochester, MN about a year and a half ago. Suzanne and the boys came back on spring break and we had a great visit. As usual, the Gray boys were overjoyed to play with their older friends.


Rick had his 40th birthday in April and Kathryn planned an 80's themed party to combine with the 30th birthday of our friend Stacy Dickerson. Everyone pulled out their best 80's themed gear and had a great time. Here are Kathryn, Stacy Dickerson, and Julie Dickerson in their costumes.


Our boys had a fun Easter egg hunt before church. They found all the eggs (we kept it indoors this year due to a prior year's ant-infestation fiasco) in short order and still haven't eaten all the candy (not big sweet teeth among the Gray boys).


Kathryn and the boys before church on Easter


Rick and the boys before church on Easter


In late April, Rick and Kathryn went to the American Cancer Society Jewel Ball Fundraising Event in Scottsdale. It was quite the gala event with live jazz and dancing as well as the fundraising auction. It was a good time. Here's a photo of us on the red carpet.


Hudson was chosen to play a role in his elementary school's play. He took the role very seriously (as one would expect from our classic firstborn) including the recommendation that he wear a vest for the role. Here is a photo of him on the way to his big debut. He did very well. By the way, the vest is one of Kathryn's...



The next week, Hudson's school put on a "core knowledge" program for parents. Hudson wasn't supposed to play a role (presumably because he was part of the play), but when his classmate called in sick the day before the program, he was asked to memorize her part in case she was out again the day of the program. He looked at the lines once and said he had it down - and he did. The child truly has an amazing memory. Here he is in the program...


And as part of the group program...

Landon has enrolled in pre-K for next fall at a local Christian school. He likes to count as high as he can or say the alphabet and follow it up by saying, "I am soooo ready for pre-K!" He's got quite a personality, still.

But his big adventure last month was the night he decided at dinner to put a corn kernel up his nose "to see what would happen." Rick tried to get him to blow his nose to get it out but in the process just got it pushed up higher. Rick then tried a trick he read about on a medical study to blow through his mouth while holding his opposite nostril closed (it was reported to work on 15/19 children) but that just annoyed him. So Rick took him in to the Emergency Department. They had trouble getting it out and Rick had to go to the OR and get a catheter they use for vascular surgery to bring down to use on Landon. The ER doc called the catheter (Fogerty catheter for you medical folks) a "noodle" to Landon. He told Landon that he and Rick were going to put the "noodle" up his nose to get the corn out. The first try didn't work but it made Landon sputter and spit. When Rick told Landon that they were going to have to try again, Landon said, "But that noodle is POOPIE!!" It came out on the second try.

Here's our corn boy imitating the position of a professional baseball player...


Keaton is getting more and more words going and his still Mr. Independant. Here he is eating breakfast with his brothers...