Well, it's a dreary, miserable spring day

But wait, there are some signs of spring! Are those flowers trying to sprout?

Yes! Michelle and I planted hundreds of bulbs last fall. Michelle might remember what went where, but I haven't got a clue. In other words, here is a picture of some kind of plant.

Look at all of these little green fellows, gathering around the rocks like baby chicks huddling around two large rocks.

And, best of all, look at this - color! The beginning of a flower! Why, I think spring is really here.

Trip to the Zoo

Since there was no school yesterday, we decided to make a day trip up to the zoo. Keeping track of four kids limited my picture taking time, so there isn't much to report. Kelson tried to get up close and personal with this ... whatever. Some small dog, I think.

Milena is dangerously close to cockroaches.

Eli is next to some random person. It was in a dark hallway, and she was as surprised as I was when the picture was taken. My guess is that she has been living in the darkened hallway of the Tropical Trail for years now, having adapted to the low level of light. You can tell by the knees of her pants that she spends time crawling on the ground, probably looking for food dropped by children in strollers. Just a guess.

Proof that Koleman came with us. And also proof that Koleman is part chicken.

I'm guessing the Madagascan Pygmy Hippopotamus became extinct because of the shame of having the word "EXTINCT" branded across its back.

And finally, I offer this sure sign of spring.

Santorini?

For some inexplicable reason, it appears that Santorini has emerged in our back yard. Bizarre.

Old Business

Nothing much here, just some pictures of kids falling asleep in the van while driving home from the cities a couple of weekends ago.

It was a very, very rough day. :-)

At least one of the kids was able to stay awake! As you can see from outside the van, there wasn't any snow. That sure isn't the case now.

Yes, We Are Insane

We wanted to have something for the kids to get more exercise indoors, so we went to IKEA (which was an experience in and of itself) and got some of their equipment for children. Here's a funky swing that can spin around.

The rings are definitely one of the favorites right now.

We have this weird looking thing that can be used as a bridge...

... or a rocking toy. Good for working on your balance!

This trampoline actually wasn't from IKEA. But it's still fun!

There's also a rope ladder. As you can see, attaching the equipment required us to modify our ceiling a bit. It doesn't look great, but the kids love the result.

I can do this too, but the kids aren't able to take a picture of me doing it.

OK, OK, everyone but me can do it.

We also got mats to help in case of crashes.

Not that anybody would ever crash.

Oh yeah, there's a hedgehog too. He's good for balancing on and bouncing on.

Yes, a fun time is had by all. We should have done this four months ago to last us through the winter. But better late than never.

Oh yeah, We Had Snow

So we did have a good six inches of snow here in St. Peter. And that generally means one thing for sure - a snow fort at the bottom of the driveway where the snow gets piled the most. Koleman looks exhausted from his digging.

CRASH!

You need to be careful on the slopes, or you might just get run over.

Let's see, Milena just lost her sled, but Koleman is making a great run. I think he'll get the Gold.

You know, it's a wonderful thing to have nice neighbors with snowblowers. Thanks, Dave!

Oh, That Snow

Snow? What Snow?

It's so odd. Everyone has been talking about this big snowstorm we're supposed to be having, but I certainly haven't seen anything. I took these pictures this morning. I don't think Milena could run this fast in 8 inches of snow!

Oh no! Kelson is stuck in a huge snow drift! Nope, he's just looking at birds.

Eli told me to take a picture of this plane.

Yes, Eli is wearing gloves, but not because of snow - it was just a little bit cool out. If there was really snow, I would definitely have him wear a jacket!

Some photographic evidence of Eli's full-contact running. When he wants to get somewhere first, he knows how to push and run at the same time to get in the lead.

Hey! There's the snow everyone is talking about! Doesn't look too bad to me.

The kids try to play King of the Metal Thing.

Everyone shout, "Snow storm!"

Kelson drives his Big Wheel through three foot drifts of snow on the driveway.

It's amazing that Koleman can ride his bike so fast in all this "snow" that we're "having."

Kelson set up an emergency gas station. He can fill up your tires with his special pump.

And now he has a patron! Milena needs her bike pumped up. Otherwise she couldn't drive through all the snow! I don't know - it sure seems like everyone is getting all worked up over nothing.

Being Four is Hard

It just is. After a morning of playing, an afternoon of school, and an exhausting trip to Sam's Club, Milena just needed to take a little nap in the van.

She didn't wake up when all the boys yelled at her or when I emptied the van of hats, jackets and foodstuffs. After 10 minutes she popped up her head, got out of the van and went into the house, happy as a clam (at least until she started fighting with her brothers).

Freaky Friday!

It is Freaky Friday at Koleman's school today. He went with a slightly reserved look compared to some of his classmates.

Backwards jersey, hat and shorts over his pants. Although the hat did end up getting left at home because it was itchy. The kids at his school were really into it, with lots of crazy hairstyles (at least two mohawks by boys) and hair coloring. Before we left in the morning Koleman wanted me to make sure that he had the day right. I think he was very nervous that he would end up at school being the only one dressed differently.