You know it's REALLY spring when...

.

...the bluebells are up!

You just can't get enough of the beauty of this place.

While you're there, it's almost too beautiful to appreciate fully.  It's only in looking back through these pictures that I begin to realize the glory by which we were surrounded.

 The bluebells themselves range in color from bluest blue to pinky-purple.  The little baby white flowers are spring beauties.

 I have a soft spot for them, b/c I always feel they're overshadowed by the glories of the bluebells.  But the spring beauties are exquisite in themselves.

Okay, blah blah, poetry, beauty, etc.  The REAL reason we came?

To throw rocks in the water.  OF COURSE.

 It's hard taking a picture of a baby on your back.

 We only made it a few yards down the trail before we came to our favorite "beach."  There were a couple other homeschool families with kids getting soaked too.  We had invited several friends to come along, but only one was able to make it.  We had a blast!  The kids played, the moms talked.  Our little friend won the prize for getting the most soaked.

 I spent an inordinate amount of time rolling up Daniel's pants legs.  I needn't have bothered.

Our poor citi-fied children don't have nearly enough opportunities to do stuff like climb on fallen tree trunks and scare the bejabbers out of their mothers.

Apparently we just missed the frogs by a couple days (it's an amazing thing to hear -- gazillions of frogs all croaking and peeping at the same time).  But we did see...

tadpoles tadpoles everywhere!

 After the kids got thoroughly soaked and muddy, we headed back down the trail to the playground for lunch.

eeny meeny miney moe...

 And then we headed home.  I think everyone (except Mom) fell asleep in the car!

from this picture it's hard to appreciate fully the total grubbiness of the boys' socks.  they were ORANGE.

Until next year...

sighhh...

(photo credit for actual shots of bluebells: Miriam!)