Quite Possibly My Favorite Picture....Ever

This morning we took our kiddos on a hike to see a beautiful waterfall. The day was perfect! 70 and sunny and oh so fine.

We ended at a lake where I begged for this shot. You know what I see?

A whole lotta kids who love their dad!

This dad who just today...

got up early to take a middle school son out to talk life, love, and sports over a stack of hotcakes

held his "baby girl" while she sobbed her heart out this morning...injured

explored every rock with his 1st grader

and did not panic when his 4th grader found a snake on the trail!

I love this man....and this picture proves I'm not alone!

BASKETBALL!

Time for a little masculine blog intervention. :-) We are in one of the most fun weeks of the year for sports fans. MARCH MADNESS has begun! The three weekend college basketball tournament of 64 teams began yesterday. For several years, our nuclear family has joined with my brother and his family and my parents to have a little inter-family competition. We each fill out a "bracket" picking who we think will win each game and ultimately the whole tournament. A computer program (through ESPN.com) keeps score of our picks, and at the end, we award the winner with a traveling trophy and a sweatshirt. N. won last year, and we hope to keep the trophy HERE. Even M. got into the action this year. I read the team names and she randomly picks the one that "sounds" the best to her. Fun. After the first 28 games--she's beating me, though some of her "final four" have already lost. :-)

Perhaps even more fun is the fact that the tourney usually inspires US to play a little basketball, too. The boys and I often go out and play in the driveway. They're getting taller each year, and it won't be long at all before three-on-one will no longer work in my favor. :-)

Fun in the Sun

We're finally tasting spring here in Connecticut! We just couldn't resist the park yesterday. All was going well...

With M being her sweet and silly self...

Until...

A dreaded LADYBUG appeared on the slide!

Gasp! Shiver! Shake! Quake! This girl is not going down...EVER!

At Last! The coast is clear!