Scenes from a lovely March

Goodbye March. Goodbye Winter. Hello Spring.

Though we're so excited for April and warmer weather, we won't leave March behind without fond thoughts. 

It was really good to us this year, with it's blooming pussy willows,

abnormally glorious weather, providing for numerous outdoor activities,

(including Spring-cleaning and prepping the garden (and eating dirt, in Ben's case)),

rain boot-wearing opportunities,

evening sunset views from our back hill,

precious time spent with old friends,

mama kisses,

and lots of dada time.

So, thank you March 2012. You were spectacular and cherished.

Welcome April. 

xox

tulips for March

Hello pretty little things

Spring is in the air

 And in the grocery store floral department.

I couldn't resist these tulips, which are fast becoming my favorite blooms.

If I had it my way, I'd have these lovelies lazing around our home all the time.

But with the amount of diapers and whole milk that we go through in this house, it's not feasible to buy fresh flowers all the time. 

Which is why I planted this variety this past fall. And now their pretty little heads are poking up from the earth.

Spring is in the air....

Do you feel it too?

xox

green & laughing

Happy St. Patrick's Day:).

This has been a crazy week. The kind of week where I rush out of the house and have to dry my hair with the car heating vent and still end up 30 minutes late to work, sans breakfast. The kind of week where Ben decides to be fussy at 2am and 'cry it out' lasts for 3 hours. But.... today, St. Patty's Day, was a good day.

Ben gave us his first laugh. A full-out belly laugh. And he did it again. And again. And again. And guess who he was laughing at?

:) His mama! So all of that rushing around and bad hair day bit.... totally worth it:).

Benji with Grandpa! :)

This weekend we'll be starting our vegetable seeds indoors. Which only means one thing- Spring is a-bloomin;). Hope you're seeing signs of it from your home too:).

xoxo

In like a lion....

Happy March!

Signs of Spring are slowly appearing. The snow is melting, the chipmunks run circles around the house, teasing Luna. Spring is on it's way; we can all feel it. And it feels gooooooood:). 

Yesterday was the year anniversary of the day that we found out I was pregnant. One year ago I found myself eagerly, yet cautiously breaking into my secret stash of pregnancy kits, assuming another let down.

But this time was different.

And for every blessed second of this past year, I feel forever grateful.

little bear

xoxo

Spring is on it's way...

Lately, he's taken to calling you Pumpkin Seed.

And you just think he's the coolest. He walks into the room and your face lights up and you're locked in. Completely & utterly smitten.

Like a little pumpkin seed, you're constantly growing. Thirteen weeks old and you're wearing clothes fit for a 6-month old. Your mama nearly cries every time she retires one of your cute little 0-3 month outfits to the basement.

With all of this growing & sleeping that you're doing now, come Spring, you'll be ready to party with the big boys and enjoy the great outdoors.

So for now, just get all of the sleeping in that you need because any day, we'll be outside planting vegetables, chasing pups and soaking up the sun. You just wait;).

xoxo

a weekend at home

We have nothing planned this glorious weekend. Nada. Zip. Noth-ing. And so far it's been absolutely fabulous:).

We started our Saturday morning with cheese & chive eggs; chives from the garden. There is nothing sweeter to me than eating fresh, delicious food out on our back deck on a sunny weekend morning with some jazzy tunes playing in the background.

Ms. Lu was given a bath- the first use of the outdoor shower this season. She wasn't as thrilled as I'd hoped, but she's now fluffy & clean, which means that mama is thrilled;). And I always love the way she looks when she's wet- so small and vulnerable:).

I've been doing a lot of gardening on the weekends, and today was no exception. We haven't been able to harvest anything yet, other than the chives, which grow like weeds, but things are looking good:).

Early Girl Tomatoes

Baby Persian Cukes (aka 'green fingers')

Super Sugar Snap Peas

Sweetie Baby Romaine Lettuce

This little dragonfly in the photo above chilled out on my chives to keep me company the whole time I was in the garden. He even let me get a close-up shot. In return, I gave him some chives:).

And this sweet little mama is one of my favorites. She (or one of her relatives?) stops by this nest every year to lay her eggs and send her little ones off into the world. I'm always amazed at the concentration and efforts that mama birds put into tending to their young. It's what they live for. She didn't even flinch when I took the photo.

I wish you all an enjoyable weekend, wherever you are.

xoxo

A Sweet Surprise

"Seriously? Your blog is pathetic. Work on that!" - Amber, my oldest, sweetest, dearest friend, who is also quite candid and there to provide a swift kick in my ass whenever needed:).

She's right. I have been SO bad about updating my blog. It's not for lack of things to say, in fact, quite the contrary. There has been a lot going on around here lately. The biggest news is that I am pregnant- 15 weeks and counting :). I've been meaning to write about it for so long, but couldn't find a way to express how truly happy and blessed I feel. Some of you know that I've wanted this for a long time. Yet when I finally got those expectant 'two lines', I was actually..... shocked. And I've been shocked ever since. A sweet surprise. It wasn't until we went to see the ultrasound at 11.5 weeks, at which point we also heard the little heartbeat for the first time, that I felt a calming confirmation- 'there really is a little one in there'. Not that the morning sickness and exhaustion weren't clues enough, but having the raw data just sealed the deal. So, here we are today, feeling extremely, extremely grateful for this precious little thing, currently the size of an apple, that's growing inside of me. We cannot wait to welcome this little one to a home that’s brimming with love.

We love you and we haven’t even met you yet.

We’ve also been putting a lot of efforts into our yard lately. We’ve planted our apple trees, hydrangeas, butterfly bushes and our vegetable garden. There is nothing quite like walking up to the garden on a hot summer’s day, pulling a beautiful ripe tomato from a vine, taking a huge bite and knowing that all of this work that went into this delicious tomato was so totally worth it.

I will post some pictures of my garden this week, for those of you who would like to see;). But for now, I’m signing off to watch the end of the Yankees/ Mets game with hubby.

Good night, dear ones!

xoxo

Springing Back

We're now well into spring and new signs of life are popping up every day. I've missed writing here and reading my favorite blogs this past month. One month away and it feels like I've got a lot of catching up to do:). So that's what I'll be doing now; catching up to see how this spring has been treating you and to see what signs of life are popping up in your areas.

As for us, we've been spending as much time as possible outside, rain and shine. Luna spends every waking moment chasing chipmunks, birds, deer. She never seems to have any luck, but that doesn't stop her from trying. This time of year calls for many a bath for the poor pup, as she comes back from an adventure in the woods with nasty scents and sap all over her. If only she could realize cause (rolling in poo) and effect (bath time:)). Siiiigh...

Hubby came home one day this month and surprised me with some sweet pink roses. I kept them out until the last possible second. The peony and bleeding heart bushes have sprouted their little heads from the side of our house. I check their progress every day:).

The end of March also found me potting my indoor seeds (trying to get an early start this year:)). I've potted heirloom & cherry tomatoes, cosmos, many a variety of zinnia, basil. Soon to be outdoors are the peas, lettuce, cukes, cilantro. Oh, and last week our apple trees and hydrangea came in. It's been quite a good planting month:).

I look forward to reconnecting with each of you:). I hope April is treating you well.

xoxo

B