Welcome, Spring!

For those of you who have been emailing, asking for updates and, specifically, a lot of pictures ~ here you go! :)

Spring is off to a good start in the Buckler household. We have been having a lot of fun, and this post is a random assortment of a handful of the things we have been doing to stay busy. Spring has been beautiful and nice ~ except for the unbelieveable pollen this year! And that was just the first wave of "Augusta Snow" this year.

Boots has started doing something we call "Coy Eyes" on a regular basis.

We have had fun with puzzles ~ especially those with LETTERS! Boots loves her letters these days, and we can't drive down the street without her hollering out letters and colors that she sees.

Alli Lane and her new best friend :) , Lacey Kate Talley, cannot get enough of each other. Literally. They are in class together at school, in Sunday School and Church together on Sundays, and in Choir and Mission Friends (these days, known as Singers and Seekers/Servers) on Wednesday nights ~ and that's not enough! Their playdates are record-breaking, and they have a blast ~ playing outside, watching movies, doing puzzles, playing hide-and-seek, playing dress-up, princess, and everything else you do when you are a 5 year old little girl!

Alli tells me that LK is lucky ~ for several reasons. For one thing, LK has 3 older brothers, and AL has always wanted an older brother ~ hence, her imaginary brother, Damon, who is older than her (not sure how Brad and I are supposed to have managed that one ~ adoption, perhaps?) but doesn't live with us. This is what she tells people, and I have actually had people ask if we have or had a son. Uh...NO. If you ask her further, she will tell you that Damon lives in the hospital (think: that's where she thinks her Daddy lives, so that makes sense) because he has the flu. But she clarifies for us that LK has real brothers, which is apparently even more cool than a pretend brother.

The other reason LK is lucky is that both of her parents are doctors. Apparently, I haven't proven myself as capable of taking care of the daily boo-boos that plague us these days, because she seems to think she needs her Daddy to "fix" it every time, saying "But Mommy, he is a doctor and will know how to take care of me!" Well, LK is lucky. She has a Daddy who is a doctor and a Mommy who is a doctor. AL has a Daddy who is a doctor, but he is gone all of the time, and her Mommy is "... (exasperated sigh) just a Mommy."

;)

Okay, once again, I am having trouble with blogger not rotating some pictures. So, bare with me, as the next 2 are sideways.

And yes, you can go ahead and make fun of me. Yes, I have my dogs in rain coat and (gasp!) booties. And no, I am not generally a person who dresses her dogs. But, I am desperate. I have 2 children, 2 dogs, and a house on the market. I am in real need of anything that will keep my house clean and not smelling of wet dog!

Another plus: they do look pretty cute ~ and they will at least bring a smile to your face. :)
Behold ~ Stanley and Doc, in all of their rain-geared glory!

When the pollen isn't completely unbareable, we spend time outside. We have been grilling out a lot.....

...and playing in the backyard.

I've been picnicking with the girls several times, as well. Here are some pics from one gorgeous afternoon at Covenant ~ a church playground we frequent!

The dinosaur, better known as "Tree-ah" that AL has loved to ride since she could walk!