Spring Surprises, Drawing Crowds, and New Traditions

For a surprisingly delicious meal, check out the blog "For the Love of Cooking," and find the Penne with Shrimp and Roasted Vegetables in a Roasted Garlic Lemon Sauce. Yum...mmm...y.Zac found it suprisingly distasteful that we wanted him to eat the pasta when it was mixed with, well, anything.

But he was surprisingly content with the banana chocolate chip muffin.

It's no suprise that we spend at least one morning a week throwing rocks into the ocean.

But it is almost shocking how fast Zac can zip along in his new trike. He absolutely hates it when I chase him and slow him down.

Zachary has kept himself (as well as many Hyatt guests and passerbys) entertained riding his trike down this hill. He absolutely flies, but don't get upset at our recklessness. It is a very short, grassy ride with low risk of injury.

It's hard to believe that when he takes his wild spills at the end. He does it on purpose, but you wouldn't know that if you were just walking by. He has groups of spectators gasping each time he falls.

Every spring when this daisy field is in bloom, I think it is one of the prettiest views in the whole world.

Saturday night, Brady came home from Conference with three bags of Easter candy. I couldn't think what we needed that much candy for, but all right. We discovered that our idea of Easter--you know, the secular part--was quite different. After 9 years, we are still figuring this stuff out. My family: put the basket on the table with the candy in it. Brady's family: hide candy all over the house and collect it for your basket. I was a little disturbed with the candy-all-over-the-floor bit, but we gave it a shot Edwards-style.

The trail leads to the basket...

Zac saw the trail after breakfast and started eating immediately. That slowed him down too much, though, and soon he was grabbing it and putting it in the basket as fast as he could. Every time he found a new candy location, Zachary exclaimed, "OH, OH, OH!"

Chill out a little about the 3 bags of candy: we gave him 3 eggs with candy and took the rest to Brady's office (aka our garbage disposal).

That afternoon, Matt and Megan, Chad and Mary, and Todd and Megan came over with their kiddos. Dinner was excellent, and topped with a French pastry. It was Megan's birthday, too, so there was no treat shortage. I love, love, love gatherings on holidays!