Back yard fun

The week -- a recap

We had a special outing on Thursday. We went to the zoo, a favorite, with Alexandria, who had the week off for spring break.





The sea lions performed for us:




Today we returned to another favorite, Lake Guntersville, to enjoy more magnificent spring weather. While we enjoyed the spectacular views of the lake, the girls' favorite continues to be the playground by the new lodge:

"Baby Blowing Bubbles"

Two sisters + bubbles + a windy March day = squeals of laughter. Granted, they poured their bubbles onto the ground within the first minute, but we still had an enormous, 5 gallon bucket (practically) left. They ran and giggled so much that the walkers and joggers were stopping to laugh. I never understood the allure of flying a kite (no offense to those who like kites; I'm sure it's great), but two toddlers enjoying bubbles in the wind is a great time. It was the best $6 (bubble investment) I have ever spent.

More jumping and playing at the park

A recurrent theme is emerging that reveals that our Grace loves to jump and/or be tossed into the air (carefully and without any harm whatsoever). If she later pursues a career as a stunt person, her propensity and aptitude for heights and dare-devil activities can be traced back here. (Or, she can simply point her therapist here...) Since I had never explained any of the pics showing her in mid-air, I thought I would do so now.

Yes, Lauren likes these activities, too, although perhaps not quite as much.

Feeling spring in the air

For those outside of our region, spring was, indeed, in the air this weekend, with temperatures in the high 70's -- a sharp contrast to last weekend. We enjoyed some good, quality zoo time.







If you look carefully at the last picture, you can make out that the stroller is a triple stoller. Needless to say, we kept glancing at that lovely family with a mixture of awe and respect. :-)

Day of discovery

Today I found some pics on my mobile phone from almost two years ago. They are, of course, not of great quality, but I could not resist sharing the above.

Winter Wonderland

Today was one of those rarest of days in Alabama when there is snowfall and slight accumulation. We awoke to find a "dusting" of snow across our lawn. To our surprise, snow was actually still falling. We ate breakfast in a flash, climbed into our car and headed for the highest point of elevation --- Vulcan Park, sitting atop of Red Mountain, where we discovered more snow than we experienced at home. We bundled the girls in the stroller and had made one good lap through the park before running into a very friendly security guard. He had returned from closing the entrance gate to prevent people, such as ourselves, from entering the park. (The exit gate was still open.)

Our side yard:



Views of the back yard:






Views from Vulcan: