I feel a little bit silly about being so fixated on this, but above is our jungle of a flower bed in February....
and here it is as of yesterday. Soon, soon I will start planting flowers. And Jan Michael was able to mow the front yard yesterday since we've had two straight days without rain, so the lawn is a little less jungle-y too :)
Geared up for a hard (and wet) day's work.
I sent him off with a hug and "Try to stay dry. Meanwhile, I think I'll take a nap with the boys in front of the fire." :)
Smiles that make me smile
2/3 Pearson men
After two-and-a-half years of non-stop picture taking, Derek has the idea! He said to me two or three times yesterday, "Auntie take picture Derek." So I did :)
Caleb on safari....
Gotcha, giraffe!
Derek spent a good long time practicing his scissors skills. Danny says another favorite past-time these days is potato and carrot peeling :)
A little bit sloppy! Thanks to Derek for lending his house-building clothes.
Brent and Danny's house! So fun to see the progress week to week.
In the kitchen and....
the dining room.
End of the day snuggle
Well, my goodness. How will I ever whip our backyard into shape if it doesn't stop raining? I suppose I could put on a raincoat and galoshes and sally forth anyway, but I'm not that dedicated.
Today my little brother turns 23. I called him an old man this morning on the phone and told him 30 was just around the corner, which he didn't seem to appreciate so well. He lives far away and looking at this picture makes me miss him. Sigh. 
Yesterday was the birthday of my very dear mom-in-law, and I put this picture up, even though it's from last May, because she's surrounded by people that love her, and that's where she deserves to be.
..to the flowerbed in our front yard: A delightful assortment of perennials, including Alyssum, Clarkia, Coleus, Columbine, Echinacea, Forget-Me-Nots, Foxglove, Pansy, Viola, Linaria, Nemophila, Nemesia and Mimulus. Since I'm only familiar with about three of these flowers, I'm excited for things to start growing so I can see what in the world I've planted. One of the best things about this seed mix is that I just had to scatter them around and rake a little bit of dirt over the top. I had enough of digging holes when I planted tulips earlier this year, thank you. (I'm a lazy gardener. The most brilliant, beautiful result for the absolute least amount of effort is my motto.)
I had to crop myself out of this because I have a dumb smile, but Caleb is about the cutest thing ever when he sucks his thumb, so this picture is a must-see :)
Precious father-in-law, precious husband!
This was Derek's immediate response when I asked if he would have his picture taken with his uncle and auntie. Jan Michael was standing nearby with the camera and was able to capture his woe. But then....
he recovered :)
I love my family.
No more garden box, wahoooooooo!
So if it has to snow just when flowers should be blooming instead, it's better to take advantage of it rather than sit inside and sulk.
He was supposed to be building a snowman, but he got sidetracked.
Buried alive!
