Spring Photodump!

Ohhhh, lordylordylordy do we have some updating to do!  Since today is Mother's Day, I ought -- at least in theory -- to be able to blog uninterrupted (ha!) and let you in on what we've been doing with ourselves the last few months.

just the usual silliness

Well!  Where to start?  Sacraments?  the annual Illness?  Spring (achoo!)?  Easter?  The baby?  Blimey Cow?  Too many options!  Maybe I'll just go binge-watch Netflix instead.



Aw, just kidding.  I'm just OCD enough that I feel compelled to pick up where I last left off with GOOD GRIEF HAS IT REALLY BEEN SINCE JANUARY??? (not including baby updates)

January

Okay, so in my post about Snowmageddon, I neglected to mention that the morning that the blizzard hit, THIS arrived on our doorstep:

Yeah, baby!  An indoor bounce house and ball pit!!  Who're the coolest parents now??

Technically, it's the coolest grandparents, since they're the ones who gave us some money to use on the kids.

hey, has anyone seen Daniel recently?  He's just vanished...

The bounce house's arrival was PERFECT timing -- when the kids weren't playing in the snow, they were in the basement while their snow stuff was drying.

Dominic is withholding judgment

 The kids have gotten TONS of use out of the thing.  And the blowy motor isn't loud.

Katie at the "beach".  (That's a ballpitball -- you know, instead of basketball -- hoop in the corner.)

And then... it's all fun and games until a seam splits:

Thankfully it shouldn't be too hard to fix. At least now the weather is mostly decent so extra energy can be burned off outside, instead of on one's siblings.
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February

Our parish managed to pull off another grand Mardi Gras party, despite having almost no volunteers to start with (thankfully they came out of the woodwork at the last minute, as they always do!) and the threat of more snow (which melted in time).  I was in charge of the helium tank as usual, so we got to bring home alllllll the extra balloons.

two airheads are better than one?...

what you all laughing at?

 Happy Valentine's Day!

baker-in-training

 resident five-year-old male, keeping things real

itty bitty tracks in the snow

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March

So this is an unusual view of our back yard -- ours is that first house with the awning.  How was this shot taken, you ask?

By a resident monkey!

our neighbors are so nice in loaning us their tree for climbing

The kids went through a chess phase. Joseph was teaching Andy about the different pieces.

this peaceful moment was worth recording 'cause usually these two spend the first half hour of the day screaming at each other until they've finally eaten breakfast.  they are wayyyy too much alike.

Finally finished a sweater for Andy!

just in time for warm weather!

Don't be too impressed: I started it when Joseph was 3.  Still, it's satisfying finishing off something that's been sitting in my knitting tote, mocking me, for years!

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April

Ahhh, April!  Spring!  Flowers!  April showers!

wait, WHAT??  Not THAT kind of showers!

Just. WRONG.

 THAT'S better.

hooray for the first warm days of spring!  and water cannons!

We didn't make it out to Bull Run to see the bluebells this year -- something we've done every year for a while.  Too much family stuff, like homeschool coop and Annual Spring Illness and potential root canals, going on.  At least we have one token bluebell in the back yard!

there.  we saw bluebells.  it can officially be spring now.

In April there was a huge windstorm, and lots of branches got blown off of trees in our neighborhood.  One tree trimming company made out like bandits -- one neighbor hired them, and then everyone else kept coming up to them to ask them to trim their trees, too.  So for about two weeks we were surrounded by the sounds of chain saws and wood chippers.

The most fun was when the next-door neighbors had their huge oak tree cut down.  Those guys have this down to a science.  Lots of applied physics.

bombs away!

It was awesome when the trunk finally fell -- the whole house shook.

This last one is entitled: When Daddy Returns From a Business Trip

because Mommy is boring and won't wrestle

The End.