Saturday, April 26, 2014

Walking from Advent to Easter (Part III)


As March wore on, we saw less of this...

...and more of this, prompting Ev to frequently squeal, "Signs of spring, Mama!"

Seeing those daffodils popping out all over the city towards the end of the month was such a hopeful portent of warm and beautiful things to come:

Splashing in creeks...

...picnicking at Cheekwood...

...playing (and snacking) at the Edwin Warner dirt park...

...hanging out on our deck...

...swinging at the playground...

...squiggling toes in the mud...

...and admiring everything in bloom around us.

What a gift to emerge from a long, cold winter into a beautiful spring!  May you, too, rejoice in the signs of spring all around you this weekend:)


Walking from Advent to Easter (Part II)

We spent time in January and February doing both inside things (like cooking and building and reading and dancing), and outside things (like hiking in the wintry woods and playing on playgrounds whenever the sun peeked its head out and warmed us up a bit):













And then it was suddenly March, which did indeed seem to come "in like a lion, and (after snowing towards the end of the month) out like a lamb."  We took a lovely jaunt down to Atlanta over spring break, and spent a few days hanging out with Aunt Mac and Uncle Eddie, exploring Decatur with Great-Aunt Rosemary, and stopping for excellent meals and leg-stretching in Chattanooga on our way there and back:


We spent a fun afternoon playing at Piedmont Park...

...and then met Rosemary for a snack at a nearby yogurt spot.

We strolled and played along the Belt Line with Mac and Eddie, a fun walking/biking trail that loops around and through the city...

...and also checked out the flora and fauna in their neighborhood.

We cooked some delicious suppers together...

...found a fun bookstore in downtown Decatur...

...ate lunch at Victory, one of our Atlanta favorites...


...and then stopped for lunch on our way back home at an excellent deli on the river in Chattanooga and took some glamour shots in a park next to the pedestrian bridge:)

We also had some good cousin time with Joseph and Estelle, played at parks and playgrounds and the zoo, hiked in the woods, built some outstanding block towers, and visited with the bunnies at Phillips:







Oh, do we love spring break (and the arrival of spring itself) around here!


Friday, April 18, 2014

Half a Year of James!

It is hard to believe, but we marked the sixth-month birthday of our littlest love earlier this week!  James continues to delight all of our hearts with his sweet smiles, his belly laughs, and his chubby thighs:)  For the past couple weeks, he has been on the move (!), scooting on his belly and trying his best to figure out how to get around as quickly as possible while grabbing as many different things as possible, all the while keeping his mama and his sister on their toes.  Although we have tried to sell James on the merits of solid food, he has yet to be convinced, but he generally goes along with most of the other things we suggest:  snuggling on the couch with some books, knocking over towers of cups, chewing on utensils, swinging at the playground, or riding in the Ergo for long walks in the woods.  His favorite activity almost always, though, is watching Ev do her thing.  We are so thankful for the gift of this little man, and can't wait to see where he'll scoot and what he'll learn next!



This was James' first trip to the downtown library, a near-weekly expedition beloved by Ev.  Though James was not so interested this time, he has lately managed to keep his eyes open during storytime:)







I caught these two in the act of napping simultaneously soon after James moved in with Ev; this scene is rare, but wonderful whenever it occurs:)