It's the most wonderful time of the year.

I don't think there's any time of year that I love more than the spring. I love the bike rides. I love all the baby animals out with their mothers. I love the option of wearing a sweater OR a t shirt and being comfortable in either. I love putting back on my flip flops. I love the kids being out on the trampoline all afternoon long. I love the clocks being set forward and an extra hour of sunlight in the evenings. I love eating outside again. I love the tulips blooming. I love walks after dinner to the local ice cream shop for dessert.  I love it all.

Even though we won't be here for the "harvest" Matt wanted to plant a little garden with the kids so they can watch it grow.  We're excited to garden on a much LARGER scale when we get to Oklahoma.  We have gotten to enjoy the tulips blooming though.  

My kids love planting.

Saturday we broke out the bikes for our first big bike ride of spring.  Hallie is finally able to hold her own on our rides.  We were out for 2 hours and she did so good.  Didn't even complain once.  

I'm really going to miss these kinds of bike rides.  It's just so beautiful here.

And here is Flat Stanley.  My nephew Owen sent him to Hallie and Stanley has some pretty exciting adventures coming up.

It's a good thing Hallie can hold her own on our bike rides now, because we needed to free up a seat in the trailer for this little girlie.  She was an angel for our ride and even took a nice nap.

Flat Stanley loves bike rides.

Flat Stanley also loves chocolate brochens from the local bakery.  Hallie loves them too.

Happy kids.

Chocolate face.

Caught being handsome.

I call this Chase's "The Grinch who stole Christmas" smile.  

I am addicted to this baby girl.  

As winter draws to an end there are a lot of other things drawing to an end.  One of the most exciting is the end of Matt's masters degree.  Last class is next month and this is the stack of books he started selling on Amazon.  There was another stack equally tall that he already returned to the education office (that he borrowed) and the library.  Seeing these books leave my house brings me MUCH joy.  Maybe we can have a little break from education for a while.....