Spring has sprung, and that makes us very happy! Not only that, but our dear friends in California had a frost the same day that we had a high of 73! Haha...sorry, y'all, but I can't help it....

Warmer weather means that we can be outdoors and actually enjoy it! No more running to the car, hoping that it's warm inside, no more wearing layers and layers of clothing. The coats have been packed, and white is being worn again. The days are getting longer, and the crickets are chirping! I never thought I'd grow to love the song of a bug. :)

Now, for those who don't know us very well, we sometimes do silly things...wearing flip-flops when the weather man says we're going to have high of 62 for example....especially when it's warmer up here on the bluff. Prairie weather is a totally different matter. Maybe one of these days, we'll learn.... :) And no, I don't want to hear the weather report for tomorrow...I've heard some nasty rumors of cold and rain....

Here's a peek of what we've been up to:

A creation by Abigail and Grace. Guess who!

Mrs. Ryken is happily testing out her new toy.
As seen by Mel.

I think it did a fantastic job!

The gathering for the very first community dinner in our neck of the woods.
As seen by Caleb.

Teaching some new songs.
As seen by Caleb.

Hurrah!!! The grill is going again! Scallops Alfredo is the first grilled dinner this year.

The King of the Grill...a.k.a. The King of the Castle....a.k.a. my amazing dad.

My dashing Little Man...who lost his hair today. We won't be going back to that salon.

Happy colors. Green grass.

A great friend, an amazing sister.

A wonderful friend....and a girl who should have been my sister! :)

Three girls in the soft green grass.
Mel was on a walk...which is why she's missing.

Deep thoughts...I'm sure. :)
As seen by Jess.

So long...farewell!

And remember...flip flops are your friends!

A feature that came with my new computer (which I absolutely love, if you haven't figured that out yet, the computer, that is... :)), is the web cam, which I like too. Now, with a web cam, one can video chat and Skype. I thought that was just about it...then we discovered something else! It also takes pictures! You know, like one of those silly photo booths in the mall! When one is surrounded by their amazing family and very fun friends, it doesn't take much to get carried away with a web cam. These selected pictures are up for your viewing....just don't laugh too hard, okay? :)

This was just the beginning....

Hey, even my wonderful Dad came down to join in the fun! :)
Love you, Dad!

Very good friends...I'm gonna miss y'all so much!

*cough* Does this fall under the category of making a joyful noise?

No? Well, moving on...

Yeah, so we even got into the silly cartoon fists.

The little man wanted to be photographed too.

A somewhat normal looking group of girls.

We didn't do it...honestly! It was Sarah...

Do you have the Force?

WOW!

Caleb meets his twin.

132 pictures later, and we're ready to hit the sack!
Until next time!

Yes, I'm still alive and as busy as ever! No, I take that back...I'm busier these days. The snow is just about gone now, but these were pictures I had planned on posting awhile ago... Because they were so fun, I decided to go ahead with the blog post. So besides saying that we really enjoy sledding and had a good time, I shall leave you to view the pictures...

Em's face speaks volumes in this picture. Do you really think she's having fun?

Picking up speed.

The epic shot of Caleb.

William's daring feat...he climbed to the top of that mountain.

Dad and Em returning to the top.

Jess wasn't sure that she'd like the old wooden runner sled, so dad became her hero and took her down the hill.

Caleb discovered that a sled wasn't needed. He could sled down the hill in his rubber boots!

Wipe out.
Methinks that this pink-hatted California boy should spend more time in the snow. :)

Here they go again!

Jess and I headed down the hill.
Thanks for getting this one, Mel.

Flap your wings harder! Maybe you'll be able to fly!!

There's the pink hat again...

The tag-along almost made it all of the way.

Now, who do you think won this race? The snazzy girl in the shades? Or the pink hatted guy way back there?

Grace tried to keep up.

But she couldn't. So she caught a ride with dad.
Isn't his hat cute?

Boys will be boys...

They're going for the surfer look.

Okay, never mind that idea. Now for the bottle rocket look...only Jess decided to go for the blown away pose.

They all look happy, wouldn't you say? Caleb looks like he was pasted there.

Like I said before, boys will be boys!

Caleb returns the favor.

Jessica and William, on the other hand, are playing nicely.

His expression says it all.

Good game. I think they were both awfully cold at this point.

And I shall bid all y'all farewell with one last picture of us standing on the lake. We don't recommend that you try this now...the warmish weather that we've had helped the lake to defrost a bit.