Springing

Oh, I am so ready for spring! I'm tired of the cold shadows and I'm craving bright colors, especially yellow, reflected in bright sunshine. So when I saw these bright yellow clothes in the store, I had to buy them for the girls' Easter outfits. On Easter morning, we dressed them in their new outfits and took them to church. When we got home, Elizabeth went down for a nap while Evie decorated some eggs with Mommy and Daddy.

While she finished with that, Todd and I hid candy-filled plastic eggs all around the back yard. We saved some aside for when Elizabeth woke up, but most of them were hidden for Evie. We armed her with a huge basket and let her loose! Following her around with my camera on video, I got some funny scenes!

Once all of the eggs were collected and opened, and Elizabeth had woken up, we moved around to the front porch to enjoy the bright, warm sunshine and the yummy treats. I must say, though, that as bright as the sunshine and the yellow clothes are, they are still dimmed by the brightness of my sweet girls' brilliant smiles!

Yesterday, a couple of weeks after Easter, our family had our pictures taken. Once again wearing their complementary yellow outfits, the girls looked very spring-like, and Todd and I dressed in white to match them. The girls cooperated with the photographer better than I even imagined, and as a result, we got some of my very favorite family pictures so far!

Oh, my girls are so sweet and pretty!

This is the first professional picture of just the two of us since our wedding almost 4 years ago!

And look what those 4 years have brought us!

20 bare piggy-toes, ready for spring!

Who could resist picking up such a sweetie?

I'm always amazed at how smart and funny Evie is.

She loves standing up now and showing off her new skill!

That's my happy girl!

And my other happy girl!

"Shhh! Don't tell anyone about how cute I am; it'll make all the other babies out there jealous!"

Our precious family.

She's been practicing cocking the one eyebrow.

Cute from every angle.

This grin sometimes seems like a permanent fixture of Evie's cute little face.

Sisters!

I'm always impressed that, despite their different coloring, it's obvious my girls are sisters.

I defy anyone to look at that face and not smile back.

I love the sweet innocence in those bright blue eyes!

A close-up of the cuteness!

Evie's turn in the chair.

I also love how such dark eyes can radiate such joy and light.

I can't remember my life before this smile started lighting it up!

Spring is now here, chasing away the shadows of winter. But I'm grateful that well before the weather turned warmer, I had such sunbeams in my family, lighting up my life!