It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

All winter we look forward to spring. We love spring. There's so much to explore in spring. The pansies blooming in the snow, tulips starting to pop up, the grass starting to turn green, the perennials starting out as tender green shoots, and the robins digging for worms and making their nests are all much anticipated spring time EVENTS for us. The seeds we started are now plants that we can't wait to plant outside.

Cookie Time

Cookies are a big deal in our house. When the kids were younger, they wanted to help me make cookies. As they got a little bigger that wore off. Then they just wanted to eat the cookies. Now that they are much older and terribly sophisticated they want to make their own cookies. Nicko had a friend over during spring break and they...made cookies. However, they were very tough and manly about the whole thing.

Thank Heaven For Little Girls

Alyssa found a friend this past weekend. Great Nana and Alyssa each found a new best friend...each other. Alyssa was thrilled and Great Nana just loved Alyssa. Great Nana dried Alyssa's hair after a round at the water park, they were busy with Alyssa's favorite 'Flower Fairy' sewing cards, and there were lots of hugs. I don't know who was happier, Alyssa or Great Nana.

Spring Break 2009

The kids were on spring break this last week. We managed to relax, work and have a lot of fun. On Saturday we went to Wisconsin Dells. We had a great room that was a gift from our neighbor. The kids were very excited about going to the water park with Dad this time. And as an extra special treat, my Mom and my brother, Matt, picked up my grandparents and brought them along for the weekend as well. We had so much fun. Here are a few group shots of us. My favorite picture is the four generations of ladies.

We did a few other things as well, Alyssa got a hair cut, we went to the library and checked out a TON of books, we did some yard work, and we re arranged some furniture. But nothing compared to the Dells.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter

Eggs to Decorate

A Day of Celebration

Spring Time

Time With Family

Easter Clothes

Risen From the Dead

We love Easter. (We love all the holidays.) We made it to the early service at church....a first time ever for Easter morning. We had a spring time lunch complete with a bird nest made out of cheese and herbs. (Gotta love those Wisconsin cheese farmers.)

The kids had decorated Easter eggs and they had several Easter egg hunts with Dad in the back yard. I don't know who enjoys those egg hunts more, Dad or the kids.

Spring Water

The picture above is one week ago
These two pictures are one week later of the lake thawing out!

I went for a walk with my camera and got some great photos of the beautiful scenery around our house. When I asked the kids what I should write about I got some very interesting answers. Isaac went into a long narrative about fish and when he could start fishing and what fish he wanted to catch the most. Alyssa started talking about how water was a renewable resource because the ice has melted making more water. I was thinking more along the lines of how everything was starting to thaw and look like spring.

Different Strokes

Isaac is the third of our children to start band. He is jumping the gun ever so slightly by starting to practice now. He does not offically start band until next fall, but he's not letting a little thing like that stop him. Isaac is playing the clarinet. We picked it up from the music store last night and he has been practicing all afternoon.

When Nicko got his saxophone, he took it to his room, shut the door and played as quietly as he possibly could so no one could hear him. When Daniel got his trumpet, he pulled everything out of the case, blew into it a few times and then walked away leaving a trail of pieces from the living room to his bedroom. Isaac opened up his clarinet in the living room and followed me around the entire house while he 'practiced'. You may notice the music stand is in pieces one the couch behind Isaac. He was so excited to start playing, he didn't even take time to set up the music stand.

It always amazes me to see how different each child is. In a few years, we'll see what Alyssa's reaction to starting band will be.