Signs of Spring {phfr}

{pretty}

Sweet Cecilia (4) carefully gathered a bouquet of violets from "her" violet patch (there are patches all over the yard) and asked me to give them to Grandma next time she visits. Her Mary statue on the mantel is enjoying their presence until then! 

Meanwhile the daffodils and tulips are blooming, tomato & eggplant seedlings are planted (we'll see about the eggplants - the twins yanked them out of the pot and flung them around the yard, but the roots looked intact?), cucumber/squash/zucchini/snap pea/carrot/pole bean seeds planted, and many a flower seed sown by the children. The garlic we planted in the fall seems to be selectively sprouting and the strawberry patch, for the third year, seems not to want to produce anything so I'm considering just ripping it out... 

{happy}

John Paul (5) held Peter (5 months) and read him board book after board book - Peter was in heaven, since I realized I've never actually read to him alone! He enjoys the books his brother and sisters are read, but when you're the fifth child you don't always get the dedicated reading time the first child gets...

Anyway, he found the board books both fascinating AND delicious! And John Paul, who is an astonishing reader but refuses to read to his sisters, read probably six books to him (until his arm got tired of holding the baby).

{funny}

I have a bunch of pictures of the girls taking horsey rides on Andrew from a few weeks ago - it's become a regular nightly activity to see just how many can fit on his back, and for how long!

{real}

It started out with just the boys reading, but all the girls came and joined in one by one!

Those large families, you know... So impersonal, and nobody gets any love or individual attention!

Linking up with Like Mother, Like Daughter for Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real!