April in the dirt

April 1st Daddy did a calculation and found that Miriam is now 100 months old. We lost count of her age in months years ago, but she was pretty delighted to celebrate this milestone in the same place we used to take her picture each month of the first year of her life. 

Miriam - 1 month old

Miriam - 100 months old

April 1st was also April Fools Day and EASTER this year! The girls were up and dressed and into their Easter baskets!

Simon slept in a little and barely had time for a bite of chocolate before he was dressed, pictured, and off to Mass.

The weather was finally consistently pleasant and warm! Simon was introduced to the sandbox...he very cautiously stepped in and squished the sand between his toes. Initially he didn't like the feeling, but once the mess was going...he was all in.

Speaking of Simon being dirty...remember Felicity's lovely "friendly zebra birthday" cake? Yes?!? He didn't forget about it either! If only you could hear his "Yuuuuummmmm. MMMmmmm." noises as he shoveled as many bites into his mouth as he could before we stopped him.

April. So many great days of sunshine after so much cold and snow. Spring is the perfect season to be a child. And to watch children grow. They dig and swing and sing because everything feels so good. When people tell us, "You're gonna miss this" we agree. We are going to miss this.

We take our after school snacks outside and do our homework outside. And then we just play and play.

 

Having a Viv around in the Spring is like having a cat...you never know where you'll find her soaking in the sunshine.

We got in a hike with Aunt Bridget and Elijah, taught Miriam to make dandelion chains, and ate our first picnic of the season. 

Daddy also made it outside a few times to play catch with them! Catch isn't something they ask for but they love the time he spends with them!

Spring storytimes and Spring activities with Mommy...

 the Father Daughter Dance at school...

Simon's first haircut...

 and mohawk.

This little Simon is officially strong and tall enough to push, climb, and crawl just about anywhere he wants to go. Keeping up with his busy-ness feels nearly impossible.

Felicity, Mommy, and Simon took a day to visit Sarah's maternal grandma. Grandma is living in a nursing home and doesn't know who we are anymore. But she loves children as much as she ever did and was happiest when a baby would sit on her lap.

Some babies cooperated more than others.

Last, but not least, April means the zoo is open again! We took our first trip after the older girls got our of school one afternoon. More outdoor time. More family time. Exactly how we like our lives.