Kids' pen

Every year, the Children's Festival comes to Schenley Plaza.  This year, for the first time, Gracie wanted to see, pet and feed the animals.

I'm so proud of my growing girl!

Spring Shots

Some things I am thankful for this past Spring:

1) Having little kids at my house:

2) Lilacs in bloom by the carport and peonies in the front yard:

3) Happily reading siblings (and a girl who "spelled her name" for the first time:

4) The first outside tea-party of the season, with great books from the library:

5) A new buddy for Gracie (with two older brothers who are sweet to my kids), plus a baby who plays peek-a-boo while eating blueberries

7) And so many other blessings:

Me: That's a dandelion, Sheldon
Shel: Roar

Nursing her baby

Going to a "Where the Wild Things Are" Tiny Tots concert

A great find at the consignment sale

Braids and bows

Delicious baby curls

And . . .we're back!

I've emerged from my spring weather-funk to bring you happy photos of the children!

Winter this year was quite nice. A couple of snows, enough to give the kids a chance at sledding, but lots of sunshine and nothing too bitterly cold.

Spring, however.

You know that "if you can't say something nice" motto? Spring is why I haven't blogged in months.

Spring started with a snow on March 1. (Perhaps that was winter still.) And it was fun and G went sledding:

She mastered this bunny hill, so we went to the real slope at Schenley.  She was awesome!  She even trooped up by herself, dragging her sled, since I was at the top with Sheldon.

But this is what it looked like on March 26.

I wrote a whole post, which I will spare you, on the torment of spring and how my mental game is shot and when I see daffodils, forsythia, lilacs and tulips, I just want the season to follow through on its promise.

But it doesn't.  Do not trust spring.  Here we are at Easter, hunting eggs in down.

Okay, we were the only two in down.  But still.

Also, do not watch the children of friends who are moving.  This aids them.  Next time, note to self, somehow sabotage their move.  We've said goodbye to good friends. (I've helped five people/families move in the past four months, with two more to go in July.  Gracie said, "All my friends are moving, and I don't like it."  She thinks moving is something that happens to one and she informed me that she didn't think it would happen to us.) 

But there were of course lots of blessings:  visits from Nana and Papa and Essie.  We had outings to the Zoo and Science Center.

And three cheers for summer!