spring in our step.

Spring seems to have taken its pretty little time getting here.

Lots of rain.

Cold temperatures.

Even late snow.

But that's life in the mitten, and we went on celebrating the season, whether it showed up for the party or not.

We continued our tradition of "Baseball Day" on Opening Day. Unfortunately it was the same day Chris's first comp started, so it wasn't quite as festive as usual. But we got dressed up in our Cubbies best, enjoyed festive cupcakes, and even found daddy a figurine of one of the Cubs' best players on the clearance shelf at Target for $3 (talk about random; Chris said "You bought me a baseball figurine?" Ha!). My Cubbies kids just get cuter and cuter.

[what a difference a year makes.]

We also hit the great outdoors the instant it was acceptably warm enough. We dug in the dirt and discovered chalk and tried out swings. The babies LOVE being outside, rain or shine. One day we went out to play in the rain and they all just loved it, but watching Q gave me the strongest deja vu back to Carly at the exact same age, playing in the rain in the exact same place. Time really does fly, doesn't it?

We also decided to beautify the front of our home a bit. There was this big outdoor basket and cute pillow at Target I was drooling over, and my mom was kind enough to get them for me as a "hostess gift", you know, since I blew up her air mattress and let her use our shower. We went to Lowe's for flowers and, surprise, surprise, Carly picked a pink pot and purple flowers. We planted them and they are currently clinging to life since this mama has a black thumb and baby sis REALLY loves to attack them. And last but not least: the rainbow stepping stones. My mom and I got them when she was here, hauling them out of the car in the pouring rain, which was totally fun.  But it rained the remainder of her stay, so we had to wait for the sun to come out before we could paint them. I spray paint all 10 with multiple coats, and by the time I was done I was pretty much cursing the rainbow under my breath. But they turned out really cute, and are a fun little addition to our home.

We got Carly a new bike for her birthday in August, and she promptly grew out of it over the winter. Talk about frustrating. We pulled it out when the temps warmed up and knew we'd have to find a new one. Luckily we have another girl to ride the little one eventually. Chris took a morning off and he and Carly headed up to Walmart for a bike-finding daddy-daughter date. I told Chris one rule: if at all possible, no characters. They came back with the perfect pink and purple bike, and the cutest little basket to match. Chris informed me there was one with Princesses all over, even on the training wheels, a second with a giant Barbie face, and this one. He didn't even let her see the other two. The new bike fits her perfectly and she can actually pedal with ease! She also goes significantly faster with the bigger wheels, which has led to some big-girl crashes. She has been hesitant to try again here and there, but she is doing really well and loves it for the most part.

Last week we decided to hit the zoo. It was on our list of things to do while Mimi and Grandpa were here . . . but that dang rain. Some friends joined us and we had a pleasant morning scoping out animals, showing off our loudest growls, and watching a lot of peacocks walk around (seriously, there was a peacock whenever you turned around). 

Despite Chris's intense schedule, we've also managed to squeeze in some family time. One Saturday we enjoyed MSU's Small Animals day, where we met a cow named Chocolate, petted little animals, got a horse painted on Carly's cheek, and tested out her cowgirl roping skills. Quinn had a funny and adorable fascination with the lambs; she stared at them excitedly and then reached for them when I pulled her away. It was pretty much the cutest ever. I, for one, was tempted to slip a baby chick in my pocket. Too bad they don't stay that little. Another Saturday daddy came from campus and met us at a park for a Boston Market/McDonalds picnic. It was such a beautiful evening, and we were all so happy to have him there with us. And apparently Quinn got her mama's affinity for rotisserie chicken.

I felt like we were waiting forever for the sun to came out. We were on a walk with Carly once on a chilly rainy day and she randomly started screaming "I WANT SPRING!" I didn't stop her. I wanted spring, too, and maybe nature would hear her cries.

And it did. Because the sunshine is here and shorts and sundresses have been broken out. Lately we have been coming in each evening for bath time dirty, rosy-cheeked, and skin-kneed, with a little spring in our step.