To Grandmother's House We Go!

Over the river, through the woods, seven states, and 2500 miles later; we have arrived back home from our visits with the Grandparents. I know it seems insane to attempt this with three little ones, but they were the biggest troopers ever. With the exception of the occasional "are we there yet?" (a vacation wouldn't be a vacation without those four little words) the kids were angels and did very well on each day of travel. The days spent with extended family were what made this trip worth each and every mile.

Our first stop was to Albuquerque, where the girls had a day on the town with Grandma Darden including a visit to the tram (it's the largest in the world you know), shopping, and ice cream. Grandma's - gotta love 'em!

We then headed for Utah and enjoyed great weather and time with Grandma and Grandpa Ballard. We played in the sand dunes, had picnics at parks, and hiked at Zions. Steven and I LOVE Zions. Whether tackling hard trails alone or easy trails with the kids, you always end up with a beautiful view.

The weather was great for flying kites. An actual airborne kite was a first for the girls. Despite our many attempts in the past, it took great Southern Utah weather and an awesome Uncle about 10 seconds to put us to shame. Now we will forever have to hear: "Why can't you get that up Mom?" or "That's not what Uncle Robert did, Dad" anytime we brave an attempt at home.

Steven also enjoyed a fun day mountain biking with Dad, and of course we made time for some R and R just visiting and enjoying this time with our families whom we love and miss dearly.

The Power of the Post

It's Murphy's Law. Spring is on our heels and our neighbors haven't seen snow in six years, with the exception of occasional flakes in the air. I guess we cursed Tennessee in blogging about our excitement for spring's arrival, because within the week we were experiencing the coldest and snowiest day here in years. Despite this we loved the weekend. The kids went crazy playing in the "snowstorm" on Friday and it's aftermath Saturday.

We live in a cove which has been so great for playing safely without worrying about traffic. The neighbors' kids all came over and assisted Ryley and Kadyn in building a snowman. The best thing about playing in the snow, however, is warming up afterwards with gourmet hot chocolate and marshmallows- Love it!

Breakfast is Served

Ryley is six years old and nearing the end of her kindergarten career. She has grown in many ways this year, physically adding an inch or two and becoming second shortest in her class as opposed to first (she has Mom and Dad to thank for that.) She has also grown in maturity and self reliance. Recently we have found her on Saturday mornings "cooking" up breakfast for the entire family. Steven and I have had the opportunity of sleeping in until 7 AM while Ryley prepares breakfast for Kadyn and Thatcher. She can get the bowls and spoons, the cereal and milk, and does a great job preparing each order without spilling a drop. The other morning Steven decided to go out and join them for breakfast, but on this particular morning Ryley and Kadyn had decided to broaden their breakfast choices. Luckily Steven entered the kitchen before "breakfast" was enjoyed, but the truly funny part is that both girls couldn't see anything wrong with their order.

Hidden Treasures

It's officially day 70 of winter and Memphis, TN has yet to see one speck of snow. I know, all of you in the West, Mid West, and East have been buried up to your eyeballs this winter with more white stuff than you'd like. Don't worry, we see the news and we know your pain - last winter Colorado Springs saw more snow then ever before and we were lucky enough to be there to witness it.

So, do you want to know one of my favorite parts of moving to a new house? It's all the fun hidden surprises you find over that first year of living in your home. Hopefully they are good surprises; not like a termite infestation, or lightning strike (which did happen to our neighbors), or tornado disaster (but a funnel cloud DID pass over our house last month).

We didn't move until the end of June last year so by the time we arrived things were beautiful and green, but we had missed spring. It had never crossed my mind when purchasing the home to ask if any of the foliage in the yard blossomed with flowers. Still, it's an important question and one to keep in mind next time you move! Anyway, back to my point.

With the lack of winter and the current warm tempuratures we have had the greatest time seeing plants and trees in our yard begin to bloom these beautiful blossoms. The kids have been going crazy, each day running out to check for new buds and more blossoms. As spring continues we will keep you posted on any further blossoming activity.