Spring Is Here!

We've finally had some nice warm weather here. We're talking a few days in the 70's! It's been beautiful. It's almost like Anna has forgotten what it's like to play outside - everything is new and exciting. This past week we've had a few picnics, went on numerous walks, played in our backyard (Anna even helped rake and weed), and went to the park a few times. Anna loved the swing the most with lots of screaming and laughing - see above. Benjamin slept the whole time we were there- see below.

This weather makes me so happy! It's a relatively small town we live in so we've run into neighbors and friends often in our outings. It's kind of funny, but we don't see our neighbors much at all during the winter on account of the snow and cold. Everybody just stays indoors. So they didn't even know I was pregnant since I didn't start showing until the fall - bundling up weather. I thought it was pretty obvious at the end, especially those last few weeks, but apparently not. Now that the weather is nice and everyone is outside again, three, THREE, different neighbors have asked if Benjamin is our baby. Hah! One of them said they thought I might be having another baby, but weren't sure.

Ok, this is one of my favorite baby items that I heard about from a friend. It's called a Moby Wrap and can be ordered on-line. So I have a "sensitive" back and with Anna I tried using a Snugli, but my back would hurt after maybe 15 minutes. This thing is amazing though. I wore it for two hours the other day on a walk and just around the house. The weight is very evenly distributed over the back and shoulders. This picture shows one of the newborn holds, but it's good for up to 35 pounds and there are different wrapping techniques to hold babies/toddlers during different stages. This is the basic wrap and is very affordable - 39.99. So, new moms out there, I LOVE this product and really recommend it for everyone. Man, I sound like a spokesperson for this product, but I just really love it. (It's machine washable, comes with a nice little carrying case and direction booklet WITH pictures, and the sand colored one - shown above- protects from UV rays. The material is soft and strechy cotton. We're getting a lot of use out of this - even Ethan loves it.)

Here are a couple cute pictures of Benjamin waking up. When he wakes up, which is quite the process, he goes through a wide range of facial expressions that is just hilarious to watch!