Spring has sprung in Portland

So says our gorgeous tree and that beautiful blue sky. We've waited a long gray winter for this!


This picture of Josh under the tree reminded me of something:


Which was this picture of Josh under that tree, two years ago, in the same shirt! He really loves that shirt.

(you can double-click on the photos to open a larger version and see Josh closer-up for comparison purposes!)

Look at little 2 (almost 3) year old Josh in April 2007. That round baby face is just killing me.

Some random pictures

I've got a few random photos that don't have much of a story, just the boys enjoying their daily activities.

Here's Josh playing baseball with Dad at the school playground down the street:


Lucas on the big boy swing:


Josh at the skate park (where he dreams to run the walls and ramps like the big kids but is too scared to hardly even just move forward. But the big kids think he's cute and try to teach him anyway):



Lucas watching Brobee on his very favorite TV show in the world, Yo Gabba Gabba. It's the only show he'll stop and sit and watch, and he gets up to move for all the dances. He just loves it.

Josh showing off his block tower:

Happy Easter

The day before Easter, we went to the Rabbit Romp at the Zoo. Josh remembered this from last year, and was really looking forward to seeing the Easter bunny there and giving him or her a high five (because he remembers doing that last year). Fortunately, in only an hour at the Romp, we hit all the Easter highlights and had an extended trip through the Great Northwest area all by ourselves (everyone else was at the bunny areas).

Here are the boys in the farm area, trying out the tractor (and perhaps fighting for position):



Then onto the egg hunt grounds, where we found our first easter bunny, and Josh gave her the daffodil he had brought from home and carried around carefully all morning:



Next, Peter Rabbit:

Just as with Santa, Lucas was having none of it with the scary spectacle of grown men in disguise:

Easter Part 2

After the Zoo (and naps), it was time to color eggs (or time to lay eggs, as Josh kept saying: "can we lay the eggs now?") My artists at work:






Our finished products, waiting for the Easter bunny to come and hide:



The post-Easter bunny, pre-egg hunt spread:
Josh read the card himself, and since he can't read yet he made up the words based on what he thought the Easter bunny would write to him: "Dear Josh, thanks for the flower, I brought you some treats and a batman toy, thanks again for the flower. Love, The Easter Bunny." I have to say, it was pretty close to the actual card contents.



One of the Easter Bunny's more clever hiding spots (for young boys, anyway):

Easter Part 3

Starting the egg hunt (which, to be honest, he started even before he got to his basket, but we made him go get his basket and slow down so Lucas could have a fighting chance too):



Lucas found one! In the end, Lucas found several, he did pretty well for being under 2.



Of course he much preferred getting to open them and eat the contents, leaving the searching to Josh:



Josh found the last egg!



Over-smiling, but I'll take it:

We went to church after the egg hunt, and tried out a new church with our friend Michele and her son Hayden, who is Lucas' age. Josh was invited to ring the church bells to open the services, so he got to pull on the big rope coming down from the rafters and ring the bells, which was very fun! The only downside was that Lucas occasionally slipped away during the services thereafter, back to the rope to try to ring them again, so I had to be ever vigilant.

This church also has a children's portion midway through, where the children are invited to the front to talk about the sermon in language kids can understand. The first question was what Easter means. Josh went first (not shy at all despite this being the first time we'd ever been there). He answered that it meant the Easter bunny would come. I turned red (though the pastor was totally cool about it). The discussion moved on to Jesus and beating death and celebration, and then I noticed Josh was sitting there with his hand raised. The pastor called on him, and Josh volunteered, "Easter also means the Easter bunny hides treats around your house." Redder still. But I was really proud of him for wanting to participate, and hey, he's only 4, he doesn't understand religion yet. Easter does mean the Easter bunny to him.

We had a great day. Hope you did too. Happy Easter!