Spring Babies

Spring has sprung and with it has brought a lot of fun outdoors. After spending the winter peering out the door and waiting, we have been spending as much time as possible outside. We’ve had to refresh the rules of where to dump your sandy shoes, wear shoes not just socks outside, don’t draw with sidewalk chalk on  your sister’s head, stop picking all of the leaves off the bushes  - and STOP eating various plants in the yard!

Our little yard has boasted plenty of nature this spring. We’ve watched ferns uncurl, tiger lilies shoot up, bleeding hearts bloom, spiders weave webs and even some fuzzy little visitors…one afternoon as I was getting Lily up from her nap, I heard a ruckus in the backyard. I looked out the window and saw a duck flapping around. I was worried it was injured since it wasn’t just flying off. Then I remembered…Lola was out…eeeee! Lily and I raced downstairs, out the door and corralled our cat. And when I saw the duck flapping around, I noticed that she wasn’t hurt, she was trying to get her flock of baby wood ducks out of the yard! Not sure where they came from, but they were so cute, peeping around. Lily loved them from afar, but when one of them scurried over her foot, she freaked out a bit. Mother duck had gotten herself over the fence and the babies were trying to find a way out. Lily and I made a little ramp with sandbox toys, and a few used our ramps and most of them used their amazing jumping ability to get over the landscaping wall. They were very fun to watch!

Later on, we were off to enjoy some more suburban wildlife in the form of a petting zoo at the early childhood building. What a deal, donate some food, pet some livestock! Ella loved the pony and wanted to ride it badly, but there was no saddle so no rides, she settled for petting and talking to it. I was never really a horse girl, but Ella adores them. I was actually surprised to see that Ella was very excited to pet the animals and not shy at all. Lily, our in house animal lover, was a little more reserved but did enjoy herself quite a bit.

Ella was checking out the big puffball sacked out in the lawn. Turns out, it was a very content dog.

Once we were done visiting all of the animals, we were off to the playground. Swings were the first stop, and always one of the favorite. Then, off to the slides. Up the climber, down the slide, repeat. Over and over and over. Loran and I enjoyed watching the two busy girls.

Eventually, the sun was setting and the moon was starting to make and appearance… It was time to pack up the two busy girls and head home for the night.