Seems like we really look forward to May in the Prekker family. Especially the < 6 and > 65 year old members, who kick off the month with a shared birthday. The grandparents drove out to visit in late April, and stayed through Erin's and Grandpa's birthday. They left behind a winter weather warning in Minnesota, and enjoyed sun and 70s during an unusually warm stretch in Seattle. The girls and their grandparents had a blast.
'Boppa' and Erin shared both a birthday and a birthday cake this year (notice the candles). We had a great dinnertime party and were thrilled that Naty could join us. Below, the birthday girl struck first and blew out all the candles (were we even finished singing yet?).
One of the girls favorite activites during the visit was running downstairs to snuggle with J&D first thing in the morning, complete with storytime. They do the same thing when Grandma Beth visits!
Speaking of Grandma Beth, we also enjoyed a visit from Beth, Ken, Muggy, and Jan last weekend. A cousin of Fran's was getting married nearby. Fran took Erin to the reception where she had an absolute blast, and stayed up until nearly 10 p.m!
Fran asked for a hike on Mother's Day again this year, so after feasting on whole wheat flaxjacks we were on the road by 8 a.m. It was cloudy and cool in Seattle. We stayed inside the ferry boat on our way across the Sound. Our destination was the northeastern tip of the Kitsap peninsula-- the Point No Point Lighthouse and park. 
I learned that Point No Point got its name in 1841 when an explorer thought it resembled a place on the Hudson River by that name, because the both "resemble much less of a promontory at close range than it does at a distance." Anyway, the first lighthouse on Puget Sound was built there and has been in continuous operation since 1880.
The beach was at low tide, so Erin and Nora took full advantage by hunting for interesting shells and rocks. We saw a few harbor seals two dozen yards away. People had built driftwood shelters along the sandy beach-- Erin thought these were fantastic, and wanted to "help build them" by adding one new stick to each.
Nora did some exploring too. We walked down the beach a ways to the big boulder in the photo below. It was covered in mussels (Erin had just learned about barnacles on pirate ships, so this was very topical) and underneath Fran discovered more sea creatures-- including a couple starfish.
We turned inland to escape the windy chill. There was an ~1.5 mile hike back through the forest to a dirt road that led back to the lighthouse.
Nora really tries to emulate Erin by walking and scampering around, but it eventually tires her out. She had a little meltdown at this point in the hike, but sat up enough to fake a smile for the camera.
Certainly one highlight of the walk was crossing by this pasture. A friendly horse trotted over to say hi. I especially like this picture-- not sure why I'm getting the stink eye from both Erin and the horse!
