Happy First Day of Spring!

The crocuses are beautiful, but Daisy did NOT appreciate being forced to bend her ramrod-body into a sitting position.

In other news, the boys are like three different-sized models of the same robot.  A robot that thinks it's a roller coaster.  Observe, and note the following:

--stiff machine-arms

--running feet

--"vvvv"-ing motor sound

Irish Celebration

Abraham's school teacher is THE CUTEST.  She is from Ireland, so she had her class put on a little Irish program for St. Patrick's Day.  They sang some songs in Gaelic, recited poems, and did an Irish jig.  It was darling!

The Tale of Benjamin [and] Bunny

I just can't resist putting up a few more pictures of these cute babies. 

I like the progression in this photo shoot, from wariness:

to familiarity:

And of course it all degenerates into leg-biting and ear-pulling at the end:

Sunshine

Malachi is such a sweet little sunshine.  I don't know how he got so good.  He's so tiny, but so convinced that he's a person just like anybody else.  He talks SO much, and very clearly, but it's all in this tiny voice and funny pronunciation that makes everything he says seem cute (even if it's "No, Sebby, eeeets miiiine!").  He's nearly always happy, but when he gets excited about something he seems extra happy and he almost starts glowing.  I have a hard time capturing it in pictures, but the one above shows it somewhat.  Look at those sparkly little eyes!

Riding the "feesh-go-round"

Very small

Holding forth on some subject or other

A vacation, if you can keep it

We tough, cold-hardy types enjoyed the chance to take in the sunshine and some GREEN as we visited Philip and Allison (or as Ky says . . . Phiwip'n OWson.  It sounds kind of like "Philip Nelson," coincidentally).  Abe, my little bright-side-looker, was trying to console Sebby as we drove home.

Seb: I wish we WEREN'T going home.
Abe: But it's okay, our home is fun too!  We get to play. . . and . . . I get to go to school; I love school!  And we get to [long pause; fails to come up with anything]. . . do other fun things at home too.
Seb: But I'm just USED to being at Philip and Allison's now and I don't WANT to stop being used to it!

We had so much fun that home really can't compare, I'm afraid.  Thanks for letting us come!
More pictures:

Rock-climbing

This picture is blurry.  But so was Benjamin!

Daisy looks Philip over with Great Interest

All the boys just LOVED Benjamin (or Beenjameen, as Ky called him).  Good-natured fellow that he is, Benjamin put up with their many attentions cheerfully.

Aren't the colors so interesting and beautiful?  These distinct strips of color seem too well-defined to be naturally (and instantaneously) occurring!

Same phenomenon here.  Blue, blue, white, tan.  Discrete stripes, and so vibrant!

Interesting mirrored swirls in two vastly different media: stone and cloud.

The cousins (3 weeks apart in age) meet and size each other up. 

Philip sizes them both up.  (Just right!)

They like each other!

Enjoying water, in its many manifestations.  Seb takes his building seriously.  And I like the middle picture: Still Life with Yellow Pail.

Ky wore this wetsuit and seemed quite pleased with the round, sleek protrusion made under the fabric by his little round tummy.  He kept stroking it in a satisfied, proprietary manner.

Flowers!!  I can't get enough of them.

Ky loves Philip.

"And this shall be [her] customary attitude."  Allison and I could be found in the above positions many times daily.

Daisy likes it all!  Especially the swings.

A Biting Tour of Southern California

You know those wine- or cheese-tasting tours you sometimes hear about?  This is kind of like that.

"The germs at Disneyland probably aren't TOO bad," said my sister-in-law one day.  "There aren't THAT many things you have to actually touch." 

What do you think now? :)