Spring Has Sprung

Spring seems to be here. It is 72 degrees outside, the sun is shining and my spring bulbs are up, blooming, and Paul mowed the lawn already. But....the weather forecast calls for rain with possible snow within the next 3 days. Thursday's high is forecast for only 55 degrees. Oh well, April showers bring May flowers, right?

On Saturday we went to Jennie's and the boys played in the back yard. Here, Ryan is pushing Hayden in his swing.
Ryan and Jackson on the seesaw swing.

As it warmed up, we took off the sweat shirts and put a hat on that blonde head. They all got "bathed" in sunscreen.

Mid-afternoon we went to Thanksgiving Point to the Tulip Festival. Acres and acres of spring plants. Below are some of the tulips, narcissis, and daffodils, along with some pansies and hyacinths. They were BEAUTIFUL.

At the top of the hill, we could see flowers in every direction. We rested here for a few minutes, then trekked on. It is about 3 miles around, up and down the hills. From this vantage point we could also hear the waterfalls, which Ryan was anxious to find.

We climbed 1/2 way up this flight of stairs. Ryan and Jackson were facinated by the water falling into each "bathtub" all the way down this hill. Of course, they wanted to play in the water. We had them on leashes, and were able to keep them out of the water, though.

Ryan LOVED the waterfalls. He posed on this bench long enough for a picture.

And I was lucky to get Jackson's face in this one.

Perched high on the ravine was this owl in her nest. She was about 1/2 way down about a 100 foot sheer cliff. Sorry I did not get it centered very well. She moved out of the nest as I went to take the picture. The nest is pretty well centered, but not the bird. And trying to take pictures and keep toddler safe takes 3 hands. I am only equipped with 2.

When we got home, the boys had to tell their Mom about the waterfalls, fish, and the owl. 2 days later, and Ryan is still talking about them. They were exhausted, as were the rest of us, but they really enjoyed being outside and being able to run. Hayden was in the stroller, and was really good. He stayed awake the whole time, though.

I was not able to get a good picture of them all together. No one would hold still long enough.