Spring Has Sprung!

Note: I'm at work on the next post in the series about Josh and Zhenya as promised. However, life never stands still in our house, and I don't want to miss recording the very special day we had yesterday. One of the primary reasons I blog is to create a written and pictorial record of life in our family. About once a year we turn turn this blog into a good old-fashion hard-cover book. Those 21st-century scrapbooks get a lot of reading and rereading, and I'm hoping someday even our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will have them as a source of family history. God has been so good to us; we want to spread the word from one generation to the next!

We live in the upper Midwest, and warmth is just now reaching our area. Yesterday was glorious so we took advantage of the beauty of the afternoon and went for a walk around the lake at our favorite park.

One of the primary things Mr. R and I have tried to teach our children is to serve others. Thus, we were tickled to see evidence of a servant's heart when Christina turned around and came back to help Eliana tie double knots in her shoelaces.

The trail was dotted with delicate signs of spring.

Matt and I were on the watch for wild flowers. Here he's holding one of our favorite finds.

Matt and I also delighted in the blossoms that look like small butterflies.

The best discovery of the day went to the kid's dad. He spotted this family of turtles sunning themselves.

A tree with three trunks growing out of its base made a perfect perch for Hope to rest along the way.

As we walked, the group spread out. This allowed Matt to have some one-on-one time with his dad. As parents of an extra large family, we relish these special opportunities.

Hope (13), Eliana (almost 11) and Faith (15)

  

Some railroad ties holding back a step hill made a perfect place to get a photo of kids. As soon as the photo was taken, the trio of boys entertained us with athletic antics.

After some happy laughter at the boys' bravado, we finished our walk. What joy the Lord had supplied on this beautiful spring day!