Peeks of Spring!

We had a really harsh winter around here, so we are MORE than ready for spring!  We have been very excited to get outside, enjoy walks and bike rides to the park, play in the driveway, and just generally enjoy not wearing winter coats and mittens all the time.  We had some really nice weather (up to 70s), but are back to a bit chilly weather this week (40s for highs).  It has not stopped us from having fun and getting outside.  

Here are some of the random things we have been up to...

The zipper on Sarah's backpack for school broke, so we had to find her a new backpack.  There aren't many options in stores since it is almost the end of the school year, so we ordered a fun purple backpack online personalized with her name.  Sarah was thrilled!

We were pleased with the quality of the backpack and ended up ordering one for Austin too (in red and blue with sports on it and personalized with his name too).

We have been enjoying frequent trips to the library (usually on Saturdays while Daddy is at work).  Austin is tearing through books like crazy and is reading books at a 4th grade level!!  During spring break, I could barely check out books fast enough to keep up with him. So proud of my little reader!  Trevor has fun with the dress up toys (always wants the construction hat) and the learning toys in the kids' section of the library.

Because everybody at Daddy's work has been working so hard and we had never actually seen Daddy's office before, we made lots of treats and visited briefly one day while the kids were on spring break. Here you can see how Sarah and Trevor pull the chairs from the table over so they can climb up to help bake.  As I took the bowl off the mixer, the kids took the opportunity to climb up and help themselves to the dough on the beater.

We went out to brunch after Church one Sunday and enjoyed pancakes at the Original Pancake House.  Austin talked about getting bacon pancakes for a few days before we went.  He devoured them (and some of Mommy's apple pancake and some sausages).  He has been eating so much lately that he must be doing some major growing!

Trevor is not just walking but running now.  He also likes to chase Austin and Sarah around or run from them giggling as they pretend to try to catch him.  His dinosaur ride on plush is still popular too.

Peek-a-boo around the corner.

Sarah has been doing great in dance class.  Here are a few of the preschool class girls peering through the window of one of the other studio rooms watching the older girls tap dance.  So cute!

(Sarah is the one 2nd from the left in purple.)

Sarah also has been loving cooking with Mommy!  She has been making good use of the apron we gave her for her birthday.

Finally some outside play time!

"Mommy, take our picture!"   

Trevor LOVE LOVE LOVES the Cozy Coupe!  It is a screaming, going-boneless, toddler tantrum whenever we make him go inside. "Car! Car! Car!"

 Playground time!

And some indoor playtime too...

This is what happens when you let a toddler use markers (even supervised - I was about 2 ft away from him).   This is why we buy washable markers!

Trevor and Mommy went shopping the other day while Sarah and Austin were at school and he got very excited when he saw the bunny ears.  He insisted on wearing them for almost the entire time we were shopping.  My cutie little bunny!

Speaking of shopping...Trevor got to try out a shopping cart for the first time when we went to Jerry's on Sunday to get some deli meats.  He was actually a pretty good driver.

We also went shopping at Cub Foods the other day because Sarah came home from school earlier last week talking about "ugly fruit" that they had for snack and insisting that we could go to Cub Foods and find it.  She described it to me as a big fruit with a yellow green bumpy outside peel and a pink or yellow inside that dripped juice on the napkin she had underneath it.  I still had no idea what she was talking about.  After a few days of begging to go to Cub to get "ugly fruit," we made it happen on Saturday.  After stopping at the library to get Sarah her very own library card (exciting!), we went to Cub Foods, drove a kids' car cart around the produce section and found... UGLI fruit!  Here is Sarah holding her treasure!

We asked to produce worker what this was and he said it was a cross between a grapefruit and a tangerine or orange.  He instructed me on how to pick out good ones and we got 2 of them to bring home.  When we were checking out, the checkout lady asked, "Do you eat those?"  I answered, "I don't know!" and explained how we came to be searching out UGLI fruit.  We tried it this weekend it is delicious!  It is much sweeter than a grapefruit, bigger and juicier than an orange or tangerine, and was quite the pleasant surprise.  Sarah, Trevor, and I gobbled it up!  Steve doesn't eat fruit and Austin tried a small bite, made a face, and didn't want any more.  I think they are yummy!

The kids are growing so fast!  I realized this even more the other day when Austin went in his closet and pulled out some shorts and a T-shirt both in size 5/6 - WAY too small for him!  Time to make sure the kids are ready for the nicer weather that is coming.  On Sunday, when Daddy was home to manage nap time, I headed out to outfit the kids for summer.  We needed some summer jammies and I found some cute little girl jammies that all had matching doll jammies!  I didn't know if the kids would want to use them, but these we actually less expensive than the ones without the doll jammies, so I went for it.  Both Austin and Sarah were pretty excited to put the jammie nightgowns on their Care Bears.

My 3 little miracles!

Bedtime stories with Daddy!  

Trevor has been wanting to join the big kids recently, instead of having his own story time in his room before bed.

Daddy has been working very hard both at work and at home late at night in the final push before tax day and we are excited for him to get a break soon.  Easter is coming and we, happily, have some plans on hold depending on when Baby Chester arrives!