March: In Like A Lion...

So this is what our front lawn looked like just a little over one week ago, when I took this picture.
Each time we'd walk to or from the car to the front door, both boys would somehow veer off the sidewalk and into the snow. Or the squishy muddy grass. Or both.
Ollie can form and throw a mean snowball.
The front of the house is almost always in the shade. So we were really waiting for the temperature to increase to melt it all.
Which means more time playing inside!!!
And trips around the kitchen in the laundry basket!!!
Cheap thrills are the best fun, right?


Not his best angle...
"Whaddya want? I'm helpin'!"
Moving on to nicer weather... The sun finally decided to come out last week. Oliver was all excited about wearing this jacket, as he could clearly see Elmo on the front of it. He also says "Cookie" and "Bg Bd".
I have him enrolled in a mommy-and-me music class once a week, while T is at school. He generally likes it. Plays with the instruments at the beginning then bangs on the drum with the group later.

Bells and shaker eggs are his favorite.
By the last 20 minutes (the class is 45 minutes long), he's lost it, though. Usually he runs around the room, acting as the leader of the other babies. I actually saw him "talking" to another baby, then pointing to the door, then walking over there and trying to turn the handle to escape!
Today he was all about the ladybugs that were crawling all over the window. (How do they get inside? Vents? We have them all over the kitchen, as well). I watched as one poor bug was caught and crushed between two little fingers all in the span of ten seconds. Yuck.

Ah ha! And YOU thought WE'D forgotten!
Well, we kinda did. Jim had to remind me a week late...
But we can pretend!
Here's Trenton, wearing his Illini shirt for the fourth year in a row, standing on our bed.
You can see his hands through the holes this year.

Last weekend, we were at the Konopacks' for an early Easter dinner. They're leaving soon for a fishing trip to Canada, and won't be around for the actual Easter Sunday.
The boys had a great time finding the hidden eggs. Especially when hidden alongside mounted former live animals!
T was especially happy when Chrysanne hid the eggs again later that day.

And the next thing you know, it's St. Patrick's Day.
Mom gave us a little book about the origins of St. Patrick, which I've been reading to T. He was especially interested in the page that described leprechauns as "pretend".
However, when he got to school on Wednesday, there seemed to be leprechaun sightings everywhere. They turned the pudding green, left footprints in the hallway, and were even seen running outside on the sidewalk! So he came home telling me that the book was wrong, and that "Leprechauns are REAL, Mom!"

Yeah, and, so is Hop. To Ollie, anyway.
He is very excited that Hop is no longer buried by the snow.
He says hello to him each time we pass by. Above, he tries to give Hop a kiss.
Below, he feeds him rocks.
Not too much of a stretch, considering the thing is made of ceramic.

And of course, with warm weather, comes our return to walking to school. I brought the camera with me and allowed T to bring his as well. He was taking pictures of trash and the sidewalk for awhile, then turned to birds and trees.
Here's hoping there's nicer weather wherever you are, too.
It is supposed to stay warm-- around 70 degrees-- this weekend. My plan is to spend as much time as possible outside with the kids. :))))))