A busy Spring Break... in pictures

Pink HydrangeasI love Spring! All the pretty blooming flowers, wonderful fragrances, and the warm weather- it all puts a smile on my face. One day I would love to plant Mountain Laurels (the ones that smell like candy) that bloom in the spring and hot pink Crepe Myrtles to bloom in the heat of the summer. Although I love to gaze upon lovely gardens and manicured lawns, I myself do not have as much of a green thumb as I would like. That being said, I am giving it a go again this year. This Spring Break week, my mom came over and helped us plant a flower garden in the shady spot off our porch. Of course the kids wanted desperately to help...

It took me 2 whole days,but I also managed to rake our yard. We have never had such a big yard, and I now remember why- my muscles are still sore! On trash day we put out 17 lawn refuse bags- much more than anyone else in the neighborhood, I was a little surprised that they picked them all up.

Later in the week, a friend and I took our kids to the San Antonio Zoo. During spring break the zoo is apparently always SUPER crowded! Here are all the kids loaded up in the van.The big girls getting on their sunscreen

We love the zoo!

That evening I played slowpitch softball with both of my brothers and my brother's fiance. It was a family affair... even my parents came to watch. We did win the game, but again my muscles are so sore!

For the weekend we packed up and went out to Llano to stay with some friends at their parent's ranch. It was so fun- the kids loved seeing all the livestock. Right after breakfast they went out to feed the cows from the front yard. Benjamin even let a huge heffer eat right out of his hand (the cow's tongue wrapped all the way around his arm!)

We didn't go straight home from Llano... we went to San Antonio next to attend cousin Payton's birthday party, and did some cleaning at our San Antonio house. Finally that evening we headed back to home. Sunday, we got back to our normal routine: made it to church, class, and even went out to lunch with some friends!

Whew! This has been a busy week!!

to explain the following Videos

Last Thursday we had some major water heater woes, which thankfully have been resolved. We had to spend all Friday morning at the house while the plumber was here so we were looking for something to keep everyone occupied. It was the perfect opportunity for me to video-document some of the newest things that the kids do.

To explain the videos:

The first one is the ABC's... please pardon the barking dog in the background, the plumber was making Barkley a little anxious.

Set up for the second video: the current favorite game to play is Hide-and-go-seek. Although they only have 2-3 hiding spots accessible (without the help of a parent) Ash & Ben play this game together well. It has taught Ben to count too- to 20! However the "Counting" video only shows them counting from 1 to 18. I take what I can get...

ABC's

Counting