Spring's Coming

For those of you in more temperate climates, I'll need to inform you that spring has not yet arrived to South Bend. The hyacinths are just now blooming & the daffodils are thinking about it, but still nervous. Even so, Ali seems to have a good attitude, as you can see from this sweet portrait.
She's certainly enjoyed the couple of nice days we have had, particularly playing in our yard; which she quite prefers to walks now. In fact, if I'd like to go for a walk, with her in the stroller that is, I need to specifically explain in the "stroller." Otherwise, she's expects to "walk" and adventure all around the yard.
And by the way, at the risk of sounding like a bragging mom, I must say that Ali's language development continues to be so fun. It's so wonderful, I imagine for both of us, that she can label, or quickly learn the label for most everything in her world. She'll let me know if she wants to play in the "dirt" and knows that she needs to wear her "grubbies" in order to do so, as a very practical, and still cute example. (On one more "cute language" note, Ali still can't say "music" it comes out as all kinds of variations of "mink-oo" or "miz-yoo." It's the one word I don't try to correct, because it's just so cute. She used to say "perkle" for purple. But it only lasted a day, and now she'll only say it correctly.)
Here's a hearty handful of more pictures from this early spring. Obviously I've not been very consistent with posts. With Andy teaching two classes & finishing his dissertation, coordinating the purchase of our new home and move to Boston, getting this place ready to sell, downsizing, caring for Aliyah, and carrying Theo in-utero, life's been full to say the least. Even so, I'd be crazy not to relish these precious days with my special little girl & "blow" a few afternoons playing in the sun with her.