Springtime and fun with cousins!

Maybe it was the fact that I spent so many hours clawing through the hard, but not-yet-frozen earth to plant bulbs for the first time (with a lot of help from my father in law) a little to late in the fall planting season.  I had sores on my fingers, cracked nails, and holes in gardening gloves to prove it...or maybe it had something to do with having our own yard in our very own first home.  It certainly wasn't because we endured a long, bitterly cold winter that year (it was very mild), BUT let me tell you - I was so-o excited to see my flowers start popping up through the earth this last Spring!  I planted tulips, daffodil and crocus.  First to pop up were the crocus of course, followed not long after by lovely orange tulips (called Orange Emperor I believe?)...

 

 

Now this picture of our backyard isn't anything special, but I wanted to include it because I think it will be interesting once we complete our landscaping and hardscaping over the next several years, to see what it originally used to look like:

4/2/12  I don't remember what the occasion was, but I had the chance to watch my niece and nephew for a couple of hours.  Here are all 5 kiddos lined up at the bar during snacktime:

Max, Lincoln, Audrey, Noah, Ezra

We ran around outside, blew bubbles, and just enjoyed the spring weather...but of course I had to get the kids all together for a quick photo too...

Do you think Max was happy to be outside?  Ok, he was, but he's also just a happy baby like this!

4/4/12 Two days later it was even warmer and we headed to the park.  My mom and Audrey joined us too!  Here is a shot of Lincoln and Max:

Max's first time in a swing!

Max really liked the swing...and he thought my mom was pretty funny too (I love that giggle):

Then there's this awesome swing.  Noah and Audrey took a turn first...

It's always more fun when you scream, right?

Audrey and Linc took a turn:

And Noah and Lincoln...

Then there was the tire swing.  I don't know who the kid in the gray shirt is, but then there's Audrey, Noah, and Lincoln.  This is just a 24 second clip, but it makes me chuckle.  I love how at first Noah & the other kid are just trying to talk about how old they are and stuff...Audrey is just holding on tight...Lincoln has his head tucked into the center and seems focused...and then Noah starts yelling that he's going to throw up.  Prompt end to video.

Good times.