Spring is in the air!

Though we've had a few flurries of snow in the past few weeks, the arrival of BEAUTIFUL weather has lifted all of our spirits and has allowed us to spend lots of time outdoors!  We LOVE Spring!

Our good friend Mr. Dave called us up on one of those beautiful days and asked us if we'd like to take a flight in his two-seater aircraft!  Would we???  (Well, Josh and the boys would...I'm happy staying on the ground to take pictures!)  The boys got to fly over their new home town, saw our house and all the town land marks and had a blast.  Jack even got to fly the plane for a while!  

At the end of February, we celebrated Toby's 12th birthday!  He loved his Star Wars Lego set and Star Wars-themed birthday party with friends!

 And he got to talk to Grandma Barb on the phone while opening her gift!

And then....just at the beginning of March...the first signs of Spring!

These beautiful crocuses were the first to bloom in our front yard!

 While the boys spend much of their time outdoors, but they've had fun doing other things like building their own finger puppet theater out of old cardboard boxes!  They spent HOURS on this project, working together.  It is still standing *gloriously* in the corner of our family room!  :-)

 One sunny day, I took the boys to a nearby skate park.  Jack brought his skateboard and the other boys rode bikes, borrowed scooters, tried roller blades - it was a lot of fun.  Some older kids took Jack under their wings to show him some moves.  He soaked up every minute of it.

 And Joe discovered a passion for riding a scooter!

 With warmer temps, the bikes came out of the back garage and Jack spent an entire day fixing up his bike.

 For me, spring has meant a second session of online classwork as I use my GI Bill benefits to earn a degree in English.  While I try to do most of my work when the boys are asleep, I do occasionally have to do some work while they are playing.  Joe lets me know he'd rather have me playing with him than writing essays on literary movements since the Renaissance!  :-)

Our big spring project has been giving our kitchen a make over!  While we love our house and the kitchen, we were not fans of the white tile counter top.  My wonderful dad flew up for a week to help us get rid of the old and finish up the new installation!  

Here's a before shot: 

 Let me tell you - taking out tile is NOT an easy task.  Please, I implore you, if you are thinking of installing tile counter tops - DON'T!

 Jack was in heaven helping with the tear out.  He said, "This is the best day of my life!"

We lived with ply wood counter tops for a few days...

...and after Dad and Josh finished up the plumbing, we had a brand new kitchen!  Quartz counter top, under mount stainless steel sink, industrial-strength faucet....and a new microwave, thanks to Dad!  :-) 

 Thankfully, his visit wasn't ALL work!  We got lots of time to have fun and relax!

 We had picnic lunches...

 ...went to the movies, and played many rounds of Mexican Train dominoes! :-)

 We are so grateful for Papa's visit - not just for the tremendous help he provided with the kitchen (and countless other little fix-it jobs around the house,) but for the investment of time in our boys and in us as a family!  Thank you, Dad!  We love you!