The Day and LOTS of pics

I am technically full-term tomorrow, which means if the baby came, all would most likely be well.  I've heard of women having babies two and three weeks early, but sadly, I have never experienced that blessed state.  I call it blessed because the last four weeks of pregnancy are my least favorite due to many factors: being large and not in charge and never knowing when my body will kick into labor being the two most prominent ones. Only my second baby came on her due date; all the others were late, so from the beginning of pregnancy I tell myself that the guess date is at least four days later than the actual due date, but it doesn't really work.  I know what the "real" date is, and I also know full well that from tomorrow until four weeks later, the baby can come at any time. Thankfully it's easy to stay busy and the weeks do pass quickly.  It's not uncommon for people to comment on how active and busy I stay, but really, I can't just sit around being fat and uncomfortable and waiting for The Day to arrive.  But it would be really, really, really great if The Day was a week early rather than a week later.  One less week of pregnancy!  How cool would that be?!?!

In other happenings, but birth related as well, we have a cute family of squirrels residing beneath our storage shed.  They are cute and little and more light gray than their brownish parents.  Since we've moved in, I've noticed a squirrel who likes to pop his head up out of the bush outside our entryway.  I used to notice him only around 3 or 4 pm, but now I see him all day long.  I think that he's the dad, looking out from a higher plane to make sure that his little family is safe from danger.  I even saw him training his son (another assumption) to do the same.  It was darling.

Father squirrel watching out for his family.

Squirrel lovin', I guess.

We enjoy all sorts of wildlife out here, including coyotes.  Okay, maybe I don't enjoy those; in fact, they worry me a little bit.  I had two sightings in the past couple of weeks, one in the hazelnut grove and one along the field below our house, but this past Sunday there was one right in our yard, right in the middle of the day!  I don't ever let Little Sis outside on her own, but I need to be more diligent and vigilant now.  I don't want any of my children being a coyote snack. We've taught the kids to stay away from them and come into the house.  Normally I would think that coyotes would stay away from people, but when one is so bold to come into our (unfenced) yard in the middle of the day, I hesitate in that thought.

If you live in the West, I'm sure your spring has spring a month or two early this year.  We have had TWO days of 80 degree weather in April.  April, people!!!  The past two years we had a couple of days of 80 in May, and the strawberries were a month early.  Will they be two months early this year?  I need to stop having babies during strawberry season.  It makes jam-making difficult. :)  

Cooling off at a splash park on a hot day.

We went to grandparent land for Easter, which was fun.  HH's brother and his family were there for a day that we were there, so it was fun to be with all of HH's family.  Goombaw's friend hosted the biggest egg hunt ever.  There were some 450 eggs hidden; each kid got 40-50 eggs.  It was wild.

 

Sorry that Middle Sis isn't shown.  Her pic wouldn't upload for some reason.  But she loved the golden egg she found.

I recently took the kids to a local tulip festival, which is fun, but not so exciting that I go every year.  Every other year seems to do it for me.  Maybe it's because I take the kids by myself and it's a big chore to do that.

The girls pretending to be famous people.

My sister and her family brought their ATVs for a fun morning.  Good thing we have an acre and a poor lawn so we didn't mind riding around on it.  The kids loved it!  I think one ATV had four or five kids on it at one point.  Little Sis was so funny to watch riding around.  Her face was completely impassive, but she kept wanting to get back on, so she was obviously enjoying herself.

 

 

 
Enjoy this picture of our tree, Blossomer, so named by Big Sis.  It's pink blossoms were so fun to enjoy.  We also have two lilac bushes, hooray!!!  I brought some flowers into the house and it smelled so good.  We are looking forward to trimming trees and bushes this fall or next spring so everything can look a little prettier and grow a bit better.

Welcome May!  Your weather has been here a month already. I hope you don't give us too warm of weather.