Spring, and even summer, are in the air here in Bethel. We have thoroughly enjoyed a season with many sunny and unusually warm days. This makes for a good combination with a busy toddler who loves the outdoors. We have spent many afternoons on our deck letting Zeke run around with Kiah and ride his "bike." It's on the best side of the house to have the sun heat up the temperature just a few degrees warmer than the rest of the air, and it's blocked from the North wind. So even some of the cooler days can feel nice and summery on the deck. We have also been riding our bikes more than ever this year. Last year we bought a chariot at a garage sale for Zeke to ride behind us, and it has worked out great. He enjoys the ride, whether long or short, and we get some exercise. I also got a new camera last week, which explains the multitude of pictures. It's been fun to experiment with and was definitely worth the upgrade to capture more non-blurry photos of a very busy little boy. We're not at 100% with the non-blurry photos, but it's much better than before.
The river broke up a week ago, which is about a month earlier than last year. Aaron is working on getting a different motor running for our boat with the goal of being out on the river by next week! We've thought about selling our boat but every time we do, we remember how much we love to get out on the water for some downtime in the outdoors.
When we are at home, Zeke has found a keen interest in the pantry. If we leave the door open for a minute, he will rush in and find a snack as quickly as he can. The third shelf up just doesn't cut it anymore. We often walk back into the kitchen to find this:
Some days, the snack choices are healthier than others, but we usually let him indulge for a few minutes no matter what after all the hard work of getting the package down and opened. Otherwise when at home, books are always customary, and Zeke and Kiah have found a playful kinship recently.
We had a fun, relaxing Easter with friends that included some grilling, soaking in the sun, and of course, an Easter egg hunt with a basket full of goodies.
Perhaps the biggest news of all, which is really not news at all anymore:
Baby makes 4 in August! Baby "A2" is well on his or her way into the Anderson family. This pregnancy is flying by and all is going well. When I questioned Aaron about all his sweet and salty cravings lately, fatigue, nausea, and headaches he replied, "Well, someone has to have some pregnancy symptoms around here!" All that to say, no major real pregnancy symptoms to bring us down beyond the first few weeks. The third trimester could be different, but I am hoping the long days and summertime activities will keep the energy high.
Two years ago on Mother's Day we found out we were having Zeke. We bought the Alaska Grown shirt with no baby to show for it yet, and now we have a little one that can actually fit into it and another one on the way! It's crazy how quickly time passes.
This is how Zeke feels about becoming a big brother
Okay, really he doesn't understand, but we say the words baby, brother, sister, and big boy a lot these days. Boy or girl, we're as excited as can be about adding a new little one to the family.