On undoubtedly the worst day of allergen density, we hiked around the Cerrillos National Monument, the oldest historically documented mining district in North America. Besides going through almost a whole box of tissues and sneezing constantly, it was pleasant.
We had 3 birthdays in the last month, so lots of partying! In late March, Otis had an outerspace birthday party, and for his actual birthday, he requested chocolate covered strawberries instead of cake. Kid's got taste. 
We had a great trip to Phoenix where we met up with Jordan (Brian's cousin) and Rebecca and their 4 kiddos. A good time was had by all, and we even made it through an entire baseball game with everyone. Lots of fun! 
My parents came out for a week to visit. They brought out an awesome 2-piece balance beam that my dad made the kids for Christmas. We had lots of fun with them, and they were a great help since Brian was out of town for 5 days. Here's my mom reading to Charlie.
I've always thought Otis would make a good jockey--he's tiny and wild. So he tried it out at Chuck E. Cheese. Not too bad for a lil guy.
Thanks for the great visit, Grandma and Grandpa!
At the beginning of the month, I heard Miles say, "Mom, look what Charlie did" which usually gets my imagination spinning wildly. Charlie came in holding up his first Lego project: a tower. He did it all himself!
Here are a few of our egg creations from Easter. We had a fun egg hunt, but Otis was insistant to remind us that the Easter bunny is just the fun part of Easter and it is really about Jesus being resurrected. He's such a spiritual giant!
Charlie had a fun birthday at the beginning of April and was very excited to open his presents. We can't believe he is already 2 years old!
Miles is such a great reader. He especially loves The Boxcar Children and Magic Tree House books. And tonight we dug up a Choose Your Own Adventure from a box of books that a neighbor gave us a couple years ago. The white chair is his favorite reading spot, and Charlie decided to join in the scholarly endeavor by climbing into the nearby laundry basket for a good read.
Finally, Brian just turned 36 yesterday! Most of us were sick, so it wasn't the most exciting of birthdays, but he got some things he wanted and, most importantly, made a smooth transition into his LATE thirties. I'm happy to report that he wasn't at all disturbed by this fact that he almost enjoyed pointing out: He is now closer to 50 than to 20. Zoinks! (And I am soon to follow...)
Thanks for the great visit, Grandma and Grandpa!
At the beginning of the month, I heard Miles say, "Mom, look what Charlie did" which usually gets my imagination spinning wildly. Charlie came in holding up his first Lego project: a tower. He did it all himself!
Here are a few of our egg creations from Easter. We had a fun egg hunt, but Otis was insistant to remind us that the Easter bunny is just the fun part of Easter and it is really about Jesus being resurrected. He's such a spiritual giant!
Charlie had a fun birthday at the beginning of April and was very excited to open his presents. We can't believe he is already 2 years old!
Miles is such a great reader. He especially loves The Boxcar Children and Magic Tree House books. And tonight we dug up a Choose Your Own Adventure from a box of books that a neighbor gave us a couple years ago. The white chair is his favorite reading spot, and Charlie decided to join in the scholarly endeavor by climbing into the nearby laundry basket for a good read.
Finally, Brian just turned 36 yesterday! Most of us were sick, so it wasn't the most exciting of birthdays, but he got some things he wanted and, most importantly, made a smooth transition into his LATE thirties. I'm happy to report that he wasn't at all disturbed by this fact that he almost enjoyed pointing out: He is now closer to 50 than to 20. Zoinks! (And I am soon to follow...)
We also had fun visits this spring from Aunt Darlene (my cousin) at the end of February, and then from Auntie Elin and Hans just a bit ago. We love visitors!
