Spring Has Finally Sprung!

Clayton, ready to blow out his candles!

Really happenin dude, Clayton....but what happened to your teeth?

Towels and sheets from Mom...

OOOOhhhhh, who let those scary party guests in? Maryn and her boyfriend, Jake...

....and an iron from Aydan....do I get sense a theme here?

More towels and a blanket from Brinna....

....and what the heck did Bret give Clayton? (two deer in headlights)

...Then its off to the main event, the parachute throw! (note great photo of the parachute man in the middle of the picture....floating down)

Quick, catch it....its right above you!

Brinna to the rescue!

Easter eggs smell funny, Mom...

....but then, they make lovely accessories, too!

Aydan, excited by his decorating skills.

Easter morning picture...Shawn and Bret....Aydan is getting to be a great photographer!

....And a picture of my two hunky boys, Aydan and Bret...

Lavender was the color for the day...Shawn and Aydan.

The beautiful twins...on Easter Sunday....love the bonnets!!

Lane and Lucy, the twins, being held by Ethan and Mila, posing at Easter with their Arizona cousins....

....and then back home again, "sitting" in their strange chairs! It's the "what the heck are we doing now, Mom?" look...priceless.

Aydan, after he read his report on Grizzly Bears.

The Grizzly diorama....note all the detail....

Aydan, on the far left, at his Spring Concert for chorus.

The bridge that Bret built....

....sitting in front of a virtual forest...

....created by none other than Shawn....

...."if you go out in the woods today, you better not go alone..."

Brimfield die-hards, Bret and Aydan, in matching hats....

....and Aydan, comfortable, in his choice transportation!

Puppies, Musette and Mignon are along for the ride!

....And here we have a hunting lodge....

Aydan, doing "The Sound of Music" proud...the view in New Hampshire.

We always know that spring is right around the corner with Clayton's birthday! This year it has been a wet and cold spring, but every once in a while we get a taste of warmth and relish in it.
Clayton's birthday was celebrated with all the siblings (except Hailey), and we spent the afternoon eating ice cream cake, wearing "Happy Feet" masks, (and tap-dancing) wearing scary teeth from our treat bags and then....the highlight of the birthday party....spent several hours throwing "parachute men" in the yard! Absolutely the best times!

Easter was fairly simple this year, as there were only three of us around and it feels strange to only have one child at home now---especially on the holidays. But we got some glorious pictures of the G-babies and the twins, so that made our Easter weekend!

Bret and I worked on the set for the Acton Boxboro High School set of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Bret designed and built it, and I painted the rocks in on the bridge, while the students filled them in and painted the 15 foot trees on the flats in the back. It was painstaking, but there was a bit of money involved, so I guess it was worth it... All in all, the set was "brilliant" and I thought it turned out great!

Aydan has had lots of school fun this spring as well. He was able to "write a book" and read it for his school mates. It was about where he would go if he could go on the "Magic School Bus". Of course, it was into the body (where he was fascinated with ear wax..."Eww, what is that, anyway?")....my little doctor in training. He also did a great report and diorama of Grizzly Bears, and the whole family pitched in to help make his diorama realistic....down to Bret carving out a bear and Aydan painting it! Then, we went to his Spring Concert where the first graders recited poetry and songs about how important friends are.

Another sign of spring is our annual trips to Brimfield. This is an Antique and flea-market show that we go to...with 3000 vendors, in the middle of Massachusetts. It is great fun to walk around, and this year it was sunny and wonderful! We take the wagon and the puppies and get lots of comments about our "babies". We usually look for one item each time, and this year it was a bookshelf, but were not able to find anything.... Aydan and Bret each got several small items, but it wasn't a great Brimfield time for me! (meaning that it was fun, but I didn't get the item that I was looking for...)

I love spring! I love the new growth and re-birth! It's good to live in New England this time of year, as the beauty is breathtaking! We were also able to go up in NH to our friends "hunting lodge" this last Sunday...the views were amazing! The quiet was intense and all you could hear were birds singing...a perfect way to spend an afternoon....