A Surprise Visit to Papa "Tractor's" House

My dad's birthday was last week, so I took the boys down to the property this past weekend for a surprise visit. Vance loves to ride the "tractor" there (it's actually a lawn mower), so my dad's nickname from Vance is now "Papa Tractor." Caden loves to play on my mom's computer and WII in the trailer. Even though we have the same at our house, I think the cute trailer environment makes it more appealing to him. It is neat to see the new house take shape, and with the newly added stonework, it is starting to show personality. The area is so pretty, and I love watching the squirrels and the many species of birds. Mom has done a great job making the trailer feel warm and inviting, and I love the mini gardens and water features that she has set up all around. Here are just a few of the many pictures that I took this weekend.

This and That

Eden, Rick, and Lincoln came down for a short visit last week. I didn't fully realize how much I missed them until I saw them again. Lincoln is growing up so fast, and he has the cutest fake smile for the camera when someone tells him to say "cheese." Caden really enjoyed seeing his little cousin. Lincoln enjoyed sitting on my lap and playing the piano for a few minutes (He looks sad in the picture, because he just hit his head on the piano).

This past Saturday, we went with my family (minus Emilia and Scott) to the Bass Pro Shop for lunch to celebrate Dad and my brother's birthday. They were each buying new bows, so most of the time they were hanging out in the archery section. The rest of us just tried to kill time while we waited for our turn to eat in the restaurant (it was a ridiculous hour-long wait).

As spring is arriving this week, I have had a desire to play Mozart's works on the piano. I don't know what it is about his music that reminds me of spring- perhaps, it is the light, bouncy melodies- but this time of year doesn't feel right if I don't get a chance to sit at the piano and stumble over some of his works.

Aunt Genesis Visits

Genesis and her boyfriend, Forrest, came for a quick visit last month. We really enjoyed visiting with them, and I am so happy that the boys were able to visit with Aunt Genesis again. Unfortunately, the visit was short.