SPRING IS HERE!

Finally!! Does anyone know what kind of tree this is? I want one someday. I don't even care that they only blossom for about a week and make a big mess when the petals fall off. I love trees that blossom, LOVE them.

Beach BBQ

Saturday was gorgeous, today it is cold and rainy. At least we made the most of the good weather and spent lots of time outdoors yesterday. Dave came up with a last minute plan to head out to the beach for a bbq. We went to the kite flying beach, but this time around there was no need to take shelter in the playground. The weather was perfect, the food was tasty, and the kids all had a nice coating of sand by the end of it.

Yeah, the food was super good. Thanks to Dave for cooking!

Swimsuit Deals

We are approaching swimsuit season folks... if you are looking for a good deal check out the overstocks at Lands' End.

Happy Easter!

We had a very happy Easter full of egg hunts, baskets, and we even had a delicious dinner with friends. Hope yours was happy too!

Owen checking out his basket on Easter morningHe really loves the chair. It doesn't seem to matter how many times he falls out of it.On Saturday we had an egg hunt with some friends in our little neighborhood. Once Owen found one for each hand, he didn't bother hunting for any more. Fellow egg huntersThis year we were lucky and got TWO Easter weekends. We drove to Maryland to have some early Easter celebrations with Dave's family. Owen loved pretty much everything about the trip- cats, dogs, chickens, mud puddles, tractors, cousins, grandparents, egg coloring, candy... what's not to love? It is always great to see family, and we got to enjoy perfect weather! We even came home (to snow) with little sunburns (including Owen...oops gotta put a hat over his wispy hairs I guess). I love that they plant flowers along the freeways there. There were hundreds of yellow daffodils, and that made me happy.

Chasing the cats while yelling "OWWWWW" (his cat noise) pretty much guaranteed that he didn't get to pet them much.He got really into coloring eggs.
Finding his egg that happens to match the house in the background.Cousin group shot
Last years cousin group shot... a lot can change in a year, especially when you're one.One more from last year...couldn't help revisiting the "egg bed"

Kirtland

The last day that my family was here we headed to Kirtland to see some church history. We had some ancestors there, and it was fun to look up records in the store to see what they bought. We also found the grave of an ancestor in the little pioneer cemetery across from the Kirtland Temple.

At the Kirtland Temple
The grave of one of my ancestors. The Cahoons come from my dad's side.
Lookin good guys...is it weird that I love this photo so much?
Trying to convince Owen it's time to go. He was too busy dancing to the church bells.The N.K. Whitney store in Historic Kirtland. This is where we found records of my ancestors buying odds and ends.
Odds and ends like these... they didn't have "right" or "left" shoes, they made them all the same. Comfy, right?



If you're interested in some more info about Kirtland, click here
For information about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints click here

Kites

We were really into kites. Dave has a little stunt kite, and my dad bought a big stunt/power kite to fly at the beach. Don't worry that it was so cold the driftwood was covered in ice...we were gonna fly those kites. It was super windy, which not only made things even colder, it made my dad's kite pull us around on the sand. Unfortunately, it also made my dads kite pop like a paper bag when an especially gusty wind gave the kite a mind of its own and drove it straight into the ground. It was cold and windy enough that we dressed like bag ladies, and had to take shelter in the playground for awhile. You might be wondering if it was worth it...it was.

Ann Arbor

My cousin lives in Ann Arbor with her husband. My brother-in-law was flying in and out of Detroit, so the day he flew home we went to Ann Arbor to see our cousins. I love love love Ann Arbor. I think the campus is amazing, the city is so charming, and so many tasty places to eat. We ate the most delicious pizza...organic pizza even. One had mushrooms and truffle sauce, one had ham and asparagus, and one even had potatoes on it. They were all amazing...really.

Gorgeous University of Michigan campus
Inside the law library. I don't know how much studying I would get done in a place like this. On campus with my sister and cousin
Group ShotStripe FamilyApparently everything in Ann Arbor is the biggest, best, first, fastest, tallest etc... So I found it fitting that Jonah was reading the "biggest" Corduroy book at the "first" Borders ever built.Owen was clearly puzzled by the little hairs on top of my dads head. He made faces and pinched at them while he was up there. Also, the theater in the background is very cool.Jonah in a hat that my cousin knit for him.