spring beauty!

Today is the 9th of April. 2 weeks ago we had enough snow to make a snowman. And today we were in shorts, with temperatures in the 80's! Crazy mid-Atlantic spring weather. But great to be outside in today!

To celebrate spring (summer?) being here, the boy and I went off adventuring to the U.S. National Arboretum, which is on the outskirts of D.C. but inside the beltway, a wonderful oasis of green and beauty as you head into the city. It's cherry blossom time, and last year we had a wonderful time exploring around the tidal basin. This year, however, I was more in the mood for the natural side of things, so the Arboretum was perfect. Last time I was there, I had the double stroller along! That tells you how long its been...4 years, I think!

Anyway, the pictures really do speak for themselves. It was a gorgeous day. We had a wonderful hike. And I had fun with my camera. Adventuring at its best!

bees were everywhere...love a healthy apiary! mmm...honey.

amazing all the camellias in bloom!

a type of clematis, related to the buttercup

fiddleheads = spring in the woods!

the old U.S. capitol columns

 Happy spring, everyone!

Easter happenings

He is risen! We have enjoyed this Easter weekend very much so far, and are looking forward to spending the afternoon with family. Last night we dyed a few eggs, using a kit from the Dollar store, which advertised, "a touch of gold"! We were quite pleased with how vibrant the colors were and the gold accents really did make them something special:

 

Then this morning we spent at our church, celebrating Jesus, that "HE IS...the resurrection and the life". We have been doing a sermon series on the statements of Jesus, so these "HE IS" statues have become a fixture in the church the past few months, each week, they have been decorated a little differently:

 And, as usual, the Easter Bunny usually arrives at our house while we are at Church, and he did not disappoint this year, bringing chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, a movie and other goodies for the kids:

We pray that you, also, are celebrating the Risen Lord, Jesus, today as you celebrate Easter with those you love!

march moments

The days are long, the weeks and months and years are short. So true! In the past few weeks we have:

...enjoyed "Blasting off with a good book" at the preschool's annual reading night. A great theme for my astronaut boy!

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...enjoyed homemade shepherd's pie and apple pie from the pie filling I canned last fall, all to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day:

 ...gone on a preschool Easter egg hunt...

...enjoyed seeing Cassie and Dora snuggling together:

...and enjoyed a "spring break" snowstorm, on Grandma's birthday!

We have also seen my sweet girl through surgery to repair the hole in her eardrum that never healed after her second set of tubes, kept her quiet for the past 10 days (and at least 10 days more) and prayed over and over that it would be successful, since we won't know until the next recheck.

We have had a quiet but relaxing spring break from school, with books and movies and playdates with friends.

We have seen daffodils bloom, both before and after the snow.

And we have approached Easter...

a parade...with dancing!

Today was our local St. Patrick's day parade...the "first annual", which hopefully means many more to come! It was fun to march the parade route with my girl's Irish dance group, the Maple Academy of Irish Dance. It was her first performance with the group after changing dance schools in the fall. This school includes not only girls from our area but also classes in Bethesda and northern Virginia. The girls all seemed to have a lot of fun! Here are some of my favorite photos from the day:

Grandma and Grandpa came to watch with hubby and the boy.

love those tongues sticking out in concentration!

Happy (early) Saint Patrick's day, everyone!