Welcome Lady Spring!

This past weekend we were fortunate enough to welcome Lady Spring's arrival by celebrating with friends! After what seemed like an eternal winter, it was wonderful to officially say goodbye winter, hello spring! Friday we ventured over to our good friends house to dye some spring eggs. The older boys lost interest pretty quickly (are they really getting to be that age already???), but the younger guys loved every minute of it. The biggest challenge was keeping the two little girls from trying to eat the already dyed eggs!

picking their eggs
the dyeing assembly line

what will it look like?

Half of the final results! The eggs turned out beautifully!

On Saturday, we hosted our potluck Spring celebration. The weather couldn't have been more perfect and it was such a great night! After eating together, I did a small puppet show for the kids while the daddies hid all the eggs. Then it was time to find them! We ended the evening by roasting marshmallows by the fire. We all had so much fun and it was a great way to start Spring.

grown up talk (with no kids!)

waiting to hunt for eggs

the kids did a great job and were able to find all but 1 egg!

marshmallow roasting time

enjoying the fire

I love Lilah's face (I have no idea what she was telling Jacob though)

We have been enjoying the warmer weather and spotting the changes in our neighborhood on our morning walks. There is always a bit of excitement for the kids around the change of seasons. Our spring is already setting up to be busy with camping trips, planting our first garden (however small it may have to be!), birdhouse building and nest watching, hikes and playing in the creek once again, more spring celebrations, visits to farms, birthdays and visits with family!

Blue and Gold Banquet

Last Saturday, we attended the Blue and Gold Banquet for cub scouts. At the banquet, Blake received his Bear badge and Jacob received his Tiger badge. Both boys also earned various belt loops, bead and pins. We were all very proud of their hard work! Grandma and Poppa were able to come up and attend the ceremony with us.

Jacob is extremely excited about now being a Wolf scout and would do all the achievements now if we let him. I told him he needed to pace himself or he would have it all done before summer!

Nine years around the sun (eeek!)

How is that I am already the mother of a 9 year old!!! We spent a long weekend celebrating the life of Blake and what a wonderful (and busy) time it was! Grandma and Papa came up for the weekend to join us in our celebration and then Monday was a party with friends. Blake declared this birthday the best one ever (yea!). I get a little teary eyed thinking about my first born growing up so quickly. It seems that all too soon, he will be making a life of his own out in the world. I am just not ready for that!

the birthday table
checking out some gifts with daddy (specifically, an ipod!)

Papa helping him with his leather pocket knife case

Elizabeth's new clothes- mama knitted her a new sweater and made her a new dress, my first attempt at sewing clothing

silly boys at dinner

the birthday boy!

making a wish

present time- his friends were so thoughtful and gifted Blake with wonderful gifts

I can't even begin to articulate how proud I am to be his mother. Nine years ago, he changed my life forever and helped me to find my place in this world. I was young and had NO idea what I was doing, but he made mothering easy. My sweet, loving, kind, generous, helpful, funny, smart, athletic, goofy son, I love you so, so much!