They call this spring?

I have to keep reminding myself that spring here isn't really until late May.  It has snowed every day since the "first day of spring", which seems like more than we got in January or February!  At least most of the December piles have melted now, and the new stuff doesn't stick for very long.  I'm sure we'll still be in parkas for Easter though!

The presence of grass after so many months motivated us to get out in the backyard.  But Owen discovered that his sandbox was still frozen!  That wasn't very fun, but plowing through the remaining snow drifts was.

A few days later, he was able to scoop the sand out a little easier.  We even made it into the 50s for a stretch, which felt absolutely amazing! 

He's already back to requesting daily walks/bikes around the neighborhood again.  I think I can tell how we will be spending most of our time this summer.  Hadley joined us in the stroller.  She doesn't make a peep the whole time unless the wind is blowing, so I think she enjoys it.

We may be becoming some of those people who throw open a window when it's above 40 degrees in the spring!  It really is funny that 46 and sunny can feel so warm after spending a whole winter bundled up.  50 degrees?  Time for some fro yo!

Then there's little Missy.  I've been waiting for her top two teeth to emerge since the new year began.  I think they are finally making their last, torturous descent!  So, this is what we get to see most of the time - Bitter Beer Face:

I just liked this shot of her being my smoothie helper.  She liked the sound of the frozen blueberries rattling around in the bag.

She has been getting up on all fours and rocking quite a bit, but she rocks and faceplants every time.  So maybe in the next few weeks...  I'm okay with her being a roller a while longer though.

Hadley was peeking at us from her car seat.  It was raining, and I had covered her up, or so I thought.  She was just grinning, thinking she was being sly!

And lastly, some sibling pictures.  Owen really is a great big brother!  He uses his baby voice to talk to her and makes sure she has a toy at all times.  And he likes to give me his opinion, "I think Hadley wants to sit in the spider chair and listen to music."  Oh, is that why she's fussing?  Thanks Owen!  Do they look related or what?  :)

Austin

We couldn't be 80 miles away from Austin and not pop in for an afternoon!  So we did.  It was a beautiful day.  The kids both slept in the car on the way to Austin, but Hadley was screaming in the car during the rush hour traffic later.  Lovely.  It was her dinner time, and she doesn't do bottles (see below).  At least she was calmed by the bjorn for the rest of it.

Anyway, we hit up Mount Bonnell, thinking that all of the stairs would tire Owen, but he hardly stayed still, leading us back and forth and up and down the park.  Our good friend, Juan, joined us for the afternoon!  And did I mention that the mountain laurels were already in full bloom and so fragrant, too?  Sigh...  It was a perfect afternoon.

Then we headed down the road to a neat little preserve on the water called Mayfield Park.  It has some gardens, koi ponds, trails down to the river, and a historic cottage surrounded by peacocks. Such a cool place, I wish I'd spent more time there when we lived in town!

The peafowl were everywhere in full plumage.  We nearly walked under one high up in a tree before we noticed him up there.  How many do you see?

Lastly, we headed to dinner with our friends.  It was so good to see them!  We definitely miss Austin this time of year.

A couple of days later, we boarded a plane for the ride home.  Our layover in Salt Lake City was only 30 minutes, and our plane was a little late, we were on the back of the plane, and our connecting gate was at the opposite end of the airport.  Needless to say, we had to run just to make last call boarding.  Owen was riding on Daddy's shoulders during the run, and didn't duck to fit through the gate door.  Thunk!  With blood rushing down his face, we still had to jog down the ground terminal to make it to our little hopper in time.  Poor guy!  We rushed onto the plane late, sweaty, bleeding profusely from the head and wailing, and with two small children.  I'm sure everyone on board was ecstatic to see us!  :)  The flight attendant got us some ice and wet napkins to address Owen's wound while we got settled and the plane took off.  Luckily, it stopped bleeding after a few minutes of compression, and Owen fell asleep on the 40-minute flight.

Hadley, too, slept on the plane.  I had to take a picture because her eyes never really shut!  After checking that she was really passed out, it cracked me up.  She was a great air traveler - woohoo!

She also held her own bottle for the first time!  This was amusing because she still doesn't understand bottles.  I think she's under the impression that they are for teething, because she sticks it in the corner of her mouth and smacks like she's got Big League Chew in there.  Oh well.  At least she managed to get an ounce or two down her throat instead of her chin!

Until next time, Texas!  (Probably next early spring when cabin fever hits, wink, wink.)

Thistle Ranch

Now for the ranch-y part of the trip...  
It must be said that the ranch always makes us sleepy.  It seems to have had the same effect on Hadley, too. Maybe it's the fresh air or the busy work outside or the lack of idle distractions...  Naps are encouraged for all!  :)  I also discovered that the 5 S's seem to help Hadley nap more.  (It's really 4 in her case: swaddle, side, sway, shhh.  The 5th, suck, has never appealed to her.)

Owen enjoyed rides on the mule, though he called it something more like "mee-yule".  There's no better way to see the ranch!  And he was impressed with Grandad's firewood pile and fire skills.  We had a fire in the fireplace every night!  It did get below 50 degrees, after all.  :)

Hadley got a kick out of playing peekaboo under this blanket.  

Owen tried out these historic monkey bars, which were in my backyard as a kid.  He was a pretty good climber considering the gaps were big for his legspan.

It's no surprise that Owen enjoyed taking walks around the ranch.  He called them 'trailers' instead of trails, probably a hang-over from his truck play.  :)  He also enjoyed kicking leaves, throwing sticks into the pond, and moving bigger 'logs' out of the path.  I think he'll make a good ranch hand someday.

And, of course, he requested time on the tractor.  He had a great time pretending to drive it, pushing buttons, jiggling levers and making machine noises.

Most importantly, the kids got some good, quality time with Granna and Grandad.

Houston

As previously stated, we packed up the kids and strategized carry-ons (and checked bags) for a plane trip to Texas to see family and friends in Houston, Austin, and 'the ranch', as we call it.  Unfortunately, I wasn't really on the ball with the camera during the Houston leg of the trip (I'm going to say due to being under the weather), but here are some highlights...

Hadley's first plane flight!  The Bjorn was very necessary in getting her around in the airport.  Good thing she loves it.  And we got lucky in that 3 of the 4 flights had an empty seat next to us, so we could stretch out a bit.  I was worried about her not wanting to be seated for 3 hours, but she did great and even slept some.  Yea!

Across the aisle - the handsome boys!  As long as Owen is supplied with a copious variety of snacks, Bo, and an iPad, he's a great traveler.  And as long as the adults accept that air travel is no longer about their own magazines, movies, or music, all can survive.

We were in Houston for Aunt Loni and Uncle Lampe's reception downtown.  Very nice setting and an open bar.  :)

And back to the kids...  Hadley trying out a Mum Mum for the first time.  We suspect that this may have made her sick later, but remains to be tested conclusively.

Hanging out with Oma.  

Hadley's mobility is making strides, but she's still not crawling yet.  She can rotate, roll, and scooch backwards with the best of them though!  Here, she's wedging herself under the couch.

Aunt Jenn made homemade play dough for Owen!  He loved it, especially making tire tracks from some of his cars.  The top picture is him displaying his "strong face" as he squishes it down.  :)

Uncky Dan, Aunt Jenn and the kids getting some floor time.

Owen likes to "wrestle" with Hadley, wherein he rolls close to her and lets her grab, poke, and pull until he's had enough.  What a good big brother!

Skinny 8 Months!

Miss H celebrated her 8-month milestone in the sky, flying home from Texas.  I haven't even looked at the pictures from that trip yet, but here's a few to mark her new month.  Owen was 'helping' by holding her up for the camera.  :)

I took her in for her monthly measurements, which the doctor requested, and wasn't too thrilled with the results.  She weighed in at 14 lbs, 10 oz, which is around the 5% mark, and her length is 27", which is 50%.  I'm going to chalk up the low weight to her being ill most of February, and I have my fingers crossed that we'll see some more gain before the next 2-week weigh-in.  We're trying to supplement with formula after feeding and even adding butter or formula to her solid foods, too.

She does love her brother!

And I thought this was a funny picture of Owen with all of his cars.  Of course, this does not include any cars usually kept downstairs or any of the larger cars he owns either.  Even so, we were numbering above 70, if I recall, of just the ones pictured here.