Gardening

During the month of April, Jason traveled 17 days, which has more than made up for the lack of travel in the first quarter of the year while I was traveling and working all the time.  (Only three more weeks, and we're all actually getting on an airplane together for the first time in more than six months!)  Sunday was the last "Mommy and William" day for awhile, and we enjoyed a quick gardening project to plant the daffodil bulbs that Ryan gave us at Easter.    It doesn't take much convincing to get a little boy to dig holes in the dirt!  He didn't want his picture yesterday, so I had to get this one from behind.  I just couldn't resist documenting his pajama bottoms, rain boots, and gardening gloves. 

 



Quick Trip to the Zoo

The weather on Saturday was beautiful, so we made a quick trip to the zoo between our morning of lounging around in our pajamas and an evening of princess partying.  We took the jogging stroller so I could get some exercise, and so we could make quick work of all of our favorite exhibits.  First stop was our favorite: the giraffes!

After a trip to the far north side of the zoo to see the penguins and crocodiles (both recent additions to the must see list), we went by the fountain to see the giant dinosaur.  Last year it was BUGS! and this year it is DINOSAURS ALIVE!  We didn't have time for the special dinosaur exhibit, but Will was very impressed by this one that moved and roared.  I was shocked he wasn't afraid.  Lots of kids walking by were afraid. . . .

Near the end of our trip, we got the urgent request for a stuffed seal for the birthday girl, so we headed over to the gift shop outside the dolphin arena.  We checked out the dolphins from the underwater viewing area before completing our shopping and racing home in time to get showered and changed for our Princess Sofia Party. 

Princess Sofia Party

Will had another princess party this weekend with the regular crew.  Birthday girl Hannah was SO EXCITED by the whole event.  She was in love with every single one of her presents and announced that very expressively when she opened each one up!  It was great!  Will and I were able to save the day by locating a stuffed seal (her newest, most favorite animal EVER!) at the zoo that we could pick up on her grandma's behalf and deliver before the party.

There were actually three boys at this party since our friends Julie and Chris were able to make it with their two boys this time. Although Will doesn't mind the usual 6 girl to one boy ratio, the 6:3 ratio worked out great this time.

Life After Taxes

We have survived yet another tax season!  This is my (and Jason's) 12th year and Will's 4th year.  Will was lucky enough to have Grandma Joni come stay and play with him for the final week leading to the filing deadline as Mommy was working crazy hours and Daddy was traveling abroad for his work.  Thanks to the deadline falling on a Monday, I was actually (mostly) done before the weekend.  On Sunday the weather was beautiful, so we hit one of our favorite parks.  Will looks so big here thanks to brand new shoes and a fresh haircut.  (Interesting (horrible?) side note on the shoes:  this is at least the fourth pair of the same Target shoes we've purchased.  The last three all had the left shoe - always the left - velcro strap break.   But, they're cheap and meet my requirements of no characters or lights, so we just keep buying them every few months. . . )

We drove to this particular park at Will's request.  Ironically we ran into my co-worker and her daughters in the parking lot as soon as we got there!  The girls were riding their bikes around the trail for most of the time, but we did have some shared rock climbing and swinging time, so I did get to chat with my friend while pushing Will "really high and really fast."

When we got home it was dinner time, but we couldn't resist taking advantage of the sunshine for a few more minutes to play in the sandbox.  I can't wait until it is consistently warm (and dry) here so we can play in the sandbox and grill on the patio. 

The wet weather really got out of control today.  The rain started yesterday and never stopped!  Schools in our district were cancelled due to the flooded streets; trains were delayed; and parts of the expressway between here and downtown were closed. That meant I got to work from home today.  My office ended up closing at 2:30 as well, so it's a good thing I didn't try too hard to get there after I encountered the flooding just trying to leave my neighborhood.

Easter Sunday

We had a lovely Easter at my brother's house.  As always, he put together a fantastic meal (check out the butter lamb!), and we love getting to enjoy some spring sunshine in his yard after the meal.  

After a rousing game of horseshoes that Will won (of course he did; he makes the rules!), we went back inside for the cake that Will and I baked on Saturday.  I decorated it myself on Sunday morning while he hunted for Easter eggs in the living room.  He did choose purple as the accent color though. 

Will was very impressed with the contents of his Easter basket.   I was excited that his summer Old Navy order arrived in time, and I could put new character t-shirts that he was already going to get in his basket as gifts!   He also got Walt Disney World maps that I ordered on the Disney website for our upcoming trip.   (Note to parents: complimentary maps available every six months!)   He had such a good time last night looking at the maps for his old favorites (Tomorrowland Speedway and Astro Orbiter)  and new-to-him attractions (Toy Story Mania and Lights, Camera, Action).   After our discussion last night, I may have to tweak some of my daily park plans to make sure we see the things he mentioned.