Shifting Seasons

It's been nearly a month since my last post!  After our sunny sojourn in March, we returned to the slowest.spring.ever in Maine.  Looking back on pictures from the last month has proven this point - snowgear and wintry landscapes far outnumber sunshine and shades.  But the middle of April has come and gone and I do believe we've turned the corner.  We still have large patches of snow in our yard, and we're all hoping that they disappear by month's end (our friendly family wagers predict a last melt date range of April 28th-30th).  In the meantime, we're finding the green(ish) grass, tossing the baseball, and soaking in that Vitamin D we've missed for so long. 

A look at the last month: 

Mom and I got away for a ladies' weekend in Manhattan.  We celebrated our sister/daughter-in-law-to-be with a glorious spa day, walked around Central Park, caught a girly (sort-of) movie, visited the Botanical Gardens, and generally enjoyed some time together.

While I was away, Ben took the boys to Bridgton.  In addition to celebrating Grandpa's birthday, they got to observe some very cool machines undertaking a major logging expedition.

Of course, they each needed a "gun", just in case the loggers turned out to be from the dark side.

From what I can tell, these boys had a busy and active weekend.  There was ice golf...

and let's not forget hockey!

All that activity called for a snack break.

Then the last weekend in March, the boys ran their very first 5k!  Ethan took off with his usual competitive spirit, finishing the race in under 35 minutes.  I stayed with Adam, and we alternated sprinting and walking (the whole jogging thing did not compute) for 3.1 miles.  We finished in about 47 minutes, and more impressively, with smiles and without tears.  I was really proud of the boys' effort, determination, and confidence that they could do it!  I was thrilled that they proved this doubting mama wrong. 

On Sunday the 29th, Moxie joined our family!  I lost the battle to keep our home pet-free, and was instantly smitten with this little lady.

She is (now) a 12-week bundle of love and fits right into our family.

Moxie's foster mom described her as "playful", and that she is.  But she is also adorably snuggly and sweet. 

The boys took to her instantly and embrace their new responsibilities as pet owners.

I guess I was proven wrong again...

Easter was a wonderfully relaxed day this year.  We enjoyed hosting both sets of grandparents for an afternoon of celebration.

The weather was less than spring-like, but we still managed to get outside for some baseball and kite-flying after dyeing eggs.

And then it snowed.  Again.  4 inches on April 9th...ugh.

But then it melted!  And by the weekend, spring was back.  We celebrated with a trip to Hadlock Field for our first Sea Dogs game of the season.  Our Dogs didn't look so good, but our baseball fanatics loved the game and we loved basking in the sunshine.

This past weekend also included a very cool animal show at our middle school.  Who knew you could carry around a wallaby like a cat?!  We got up close and personal with a crocodile, a boa constrictor, a hedgehog, a screaming bird, and many other cool critters.

Spring days=climbing trees=battle scars

Although our little Van Gogh can attest to the fact that indoor antics can also lead to war wounds.

And springtime means its time for spring concerts!  We were lucky enough to see Blue Point's concert two nights in a row this year (Tuesday for Ethan and Wednesday for Adam).  The boys and their classmates put on quite a show. 

Happy Spring!