April wonderful...

This past week has encompassed: an aquarium visit, egg dyeing and egg hunts, campfires with friends,  Easter celebration, a water park vacation, a four-day weekend, and seventy degree days of sunshine.  The grass is brilliant, defining the essence of green.  Trees are in bud.  April is wonderful.

Superheroes invaded our yard this week...

Friday morning we celebrated a day off as a family with a visit to the Cleveland Aquarium.  I'll work on posting the  awesome video trailer that Nat made of our visit.  In the meantime here are some shots of the kids hanging out in the neat "exploration station" on the second floor.

My little reader!  He just sits down with books!  Everywhere!  Its. So. Awesome. 

We dashed from the flats to the heights, stopping at Kan Zaman for takeout tabouli on our way to Melinda and Will's, for a delightful lunch date complete with dyeing eggs, quiet play, and pizza.  And tabouli!  

Friday rocked.

(no pictures of the actual egg dyeing.  there is far too much action going on these days with our crazy crazy egg makers dipping everything in sight...)

Friday night, I drove back west to have dinner with my mom and Bec (delicious Cuban treats, what a grand food day it was!!) and go to Good Friday service at Trinity.  Memories of my youth there... its a good place, Trinity.  They are most likely selling the church soon.  End of an era.

I can't remember when we took this little walk around the block but look!  She's riding Jack's razor scooter!  When did THAT happen??

Saturday:  Annual Egg Hunt at the Gardens.  And then a mad dash to Jack's soccer game.  And then a moment to breathe and clean and pack.  And then we had friends over for an after-dinner campfire. Because why not?  It was so grand we might have to make it an annual tradition.  The Easter- Eve campfire, good stuff.

Magic in the Gardens

The glasshouses were magic. Absolute magic.  They must've released extra butterflies.  And extra good-smellingness.  it was heaven in there. 

Campfire!  Marshmallows!  Wonderful friends!  It was really cold but no matter.

Easter...

Easter Eve is like the new Christmas Eve, I tell ya, what with the staying up late wrapping, the little notes, the sneaking about.  The surprise was almost blown when Jack woke up at 6am to peek at the baskets (at least those were ready!) before I'd hidden the eggs.  Got him back in bed hid 18 eggs in a hurry and no one was the wiser.... one more year of believing in magic: check.

We ran off to the lake for a moment after church.  Because we had to.  Because the day was perfect, the water glassy calm, the children in their Easter best.  

Finally-- off for our first overnight at a water park.  Things couldn't have gone better.  The little water park at Maui Sands was just the right size for our little family, the kids were in love with the hotel room and slept like a dream, and everyone got along.  We threw in a little time touring Sandusky, a tiny "just-us" moment for Nat and I, and a dozen donuts on the way home just for good measure.   While I don't think that we'll be running off to the water parks on a monthly basis, it was worth the trip this time, and might be a fun treat again sometime...