Spring Fever?

It happens every spring!!! Along comes this sunny day with temperatures above freezing and the blood starts pumping. Yep, pumping so hard it floods our lethargic, frozen brains causing us to FORGET how to pace ourselves. The day started VERY early with Mari's first soccer game of the season. Can you say frigid?!?!? I was miserably cold and therefore there is no photographic record of the exciting 1-1 tie (read sarcasm here!). Well into the second half I had a passing thought of sunscreen but what the heck it was only 9am and it's April so nooooo I decided to stay wrapped in the blanket wishing she was still a dancer....where Moms sit INSIDE watching. The game finished early enough for us to race to the complete opposite end of the town to catch the second half of Julia's game. By the time we got home the damage had been done! The sun and wind have left me with a scalded face for Easter services :( After a quick change and some sunscreen we headed off to start clearing the land for our family garden at Grandma's house. Note the baseball cap!!!!!!!!! Decided that I'd better try to stay out of the Emergency Room on a holiday weekend. My helpers here were getting a good lesson on the joys of tree roots :)

The brush pile was almost as tall as them after only an hour of work...by the adults!! There were just too many new things to explore and experience for these concrete dwellers to keep them on task.

One movie too many I'm thinking! Ironically the 'grass' they thought they were chewing was really CHIVES! A remnant from a long ago herb garden that had 'gone native'. Deirdre couldn't spit it out fast enough once the camera went away :)

Mari uncovered a giant mushroom!!!!!!!!! It was actually really old and hard so it now sits on Grandma's porch awaiting the decision on it's future.

An old railroad embankment runs behind the yard and every spring it fills with the rain water and snow melt to make a 'creek'. These two could not get over the ducks who came to swim so close to humans.

A Mallard couple at home in the big city! They stayed for hours and hours even as we worked very near to their pool.

We did get one small square turned over and the girls planted their first 'crops' ever in their lives!!! Well technically they transplanted their first crops. Clumps of chives and Italian onions which had thrived in neglect have been cleared from the tomatoes future plot and tucked neatly into rows and watered in until Mother Nature lets us back out of the house! The first lesson in how to use the bounty of nature comes tomorrow morning when a bunch of the shallot-like Italian onions which we picked today will appear in the marinade for the leg of lamb featured in Easter dinner.

After a wash-up and ANOTHER clothing change we squeezed in another activity!

Yesiree, it's egg dying time!! The 'cool' looking beads and stickers proved to be labor intensive which meant dinner was eaten while eggs soaked up their color. As we ate Julia asked me if they made Daddy's heartburn medicine for kids....ummm why? Oh just because her stomach felt 'sour'.

Took so long for the glue to dry on the beads that they started to doodle on the eggs! Julia who was wearing her North Face fleece then announced that she had 'the shivers'.....no, oh no!!!!

This is how she spent most of the decorating time....holding her head! Then I heard the first wheeze.

After valiantly holding herself together she got through our 'traditional' egg basket picture and then CRASHED! Medicated and with her inhaler on the nightstand she has gone to bed praying that she isn't sick on Easter! I'm thinking I'll be saying a similar prayer tonight.

Just for your viewing pleasure I've put a few photos from "egg dying nights' past!

Note the shorts...because we are usually in FLORIDA on egg dying night!!!!!!!!!!!

We've tried it all, tie-dyed eggs, glitter eggs, and sticker eggs! This picture was the year of paint rollered eggs.

The ONLY bunny picture we ever had! Neither girl really liked the reality of a big furry bunny...just the IDEA of him as he brings his candy.

Mairead came with to Florida that year and ended up at Easter services with a scalded face! I guess it's going to be another one of the family traditions!

The one year we FLEW to Florida! Dyed the eggs in Illinois and then left for the airport after leaving a note for Mr. Easter Bunny telling him where to leave the candy since he might be confused you know!

Mari's first Easter in America! Note the diva was sure even then to strip off the art smock before posing! :)