Spring Sabbath Fun

Today Kayla went on her first real picnic. We took a picnic basket, a checkered tablecloth, sandwiches, apples and peanut butter, crackers and of course, food for Kayla. She got Cheerios and mashed banana with oat cereal (the celery stick was for her to chew on). I didn't notice until just now, but I caught Jason's apple slice in mid-air in this photo.


After lunch we tried out the backpack my parents found for us at a yard sale last summer. This was Kayla's first ride in it and she loved it! We'll have to do it again sometime when Mommy remembers Kayla's sun hat and sunscreen so we can actually go for a real walk.

No April Fools'

This was a perfect shot for this week. Sunday is Easter and I found the Easter Bunny. Jason and I ate at Lions Park today and he saw this little rabbit hop out of the bushes. I decided I wanted to see how close I could get to it, and I got a lot closer than Jason thought I would. I am under the impression that this rabbit is domesticated. Here's why:

1. It let me get this close. I am not zoomed in AT ALL. This photo was taken with my phone.
2. It was clean.
   
3. It's the colour it is. Most wild rabbits (at least, in this area) are light grey in colour.

Regardless, this little rabbit was adorable and I was so excited to be able to get a good picture of it. Happy Easter, everyone!

Sabbath Walk

This afternoon Jason wanted to do something outside, so he suggested walking up the hill at Yantis Park. That is quite a walk...especially when you're pushing a stroller up that steep hill. Jason had Raina for the steepest part, so she basically pulled him up. At one point we saw a snake curled up on the path, but when we got up to it, it wasn't quite what you'd call "alive" anymore. Jason kicked it off the path and we continued on our way. It was a small snake (not a rattler), but we couldn't identify it, as it wasn't a simple garter snake, either. Once we got to the top, we stopped to rest where there used to be a covered bench (now there's just a covered slab of cement), and Jason walked down a narrow trail to take a picture of what was at the end of it. What IS at the end of it? Not much. About where that tree is (the yellowish shrub at the bottom of the tennis courts) it drops straight down. Raina was quite concerned that Jason hadn't taken her along. The view from the top is quite lovely, actually, especially in spring. It was windy, but not cold.

Spring

You can tell the seasons are changing - the ducks are back in the park. I love the white one...I think there were two in the whole flock. This was taken at Lion's Park in College Place.

Sabbath

Today I took Kayla to Sabbath School for the first time. Because she was a new baby and it was her first time to Sabbath School, they put her in a cradle and all the kids rocked her while we sang a welcome baby song. It was really cute, and Kayla really enjoyed the cradle! One little girl named Elizabeth (not pictured) was especially fascinated with Kayla and kept coming back to stare at her, even when the other kids were eating a snack. I left Kayla in the cradle for a little while because she was actually happy there. The adorable dress she's wearing was made by Nana St. Clair and matches a dress Katrina and she made for me. (It started out as a maternity dress but never got finished in time so they fixed it so I could wear it now.)

This evening I got stir-crazy and bored and decided we should all go to the park. So Ruth packed crackers and sliced apples and Jason loaded up the stroller and diaper bag while I changed Kayla's diaper and grabbed sweaters for all of us. Then we headed to Pioneer Park where we looked at the birds (and a turtle and a little black bunny!) after enjoying a snack on a blanket in the grass. It was nice to get some fresh air, and the temperature this evening was fabulous! We stayed until it was just about sundown - which was much earlier than we expected!

Meals on Wheels

Today instead of Jason packing a lunch to eat alone, Kayla and I brought a hot meal to him at lunchtime and we ate on the grass in a park just a block from campus. It's the local Kiwanis Park and it was the perfect day for a picnic. Not too hot, not too cold...just a perfect day with a lovely breeze. And great company, too! We enjoyed a pasta dish with corn and peas and an apple with peanut butter for dessert. Yummy!

After we ate, this is what we did. I laid on my back for a while and watched the leaves in the tree above us rustle in the breeze...and watched some birds fly back and forth between fences and trees in the park. It was so relaxing. Especially with a sleeping baby!

Outdoor Church

When I was in high school, we had outdoor church a couple of times. On Sabbath morning they'd drive carloads of students to the mountains and we'd have a church service and outdoor activities all afternoon. It was great! I loved the change of pace, and church in the middle of a forest in jeans was a lot better than wearing uncomfortable dress clothes and sitting in a stuffy church with other teenagers who smelled funny. Today, instead of church (since it was campmeeting and our church wasn't meeting), Jason and I went to Rooks Park. We took the camera I showed you yesterday and had fun taking pictures of the beautiful area. There are a ton more, but here's a small sampling of what we took.

Photos by Jason

(This one is best viewed if you open it and zoom in.)

Photos by Becky

(See the heron?)

Spring Babies

My parents are here visiting this weekend, and after Sabbath lunch and a nap (for some of us), we decided to take advantage of the sunshine that had appeared after a grey morning. We grabbed our collection of old bread and headed to the one park we know of that has ducks and doesn't have signs saying not to feed them: Lions Park in College Place. The above sight greeted us at the far end of the pond. There are nine of them there, even though you might only see eight. They were so cute! And they were close enough to touch...though I resisted (it was tough). Finally, enough people gathered that it made Mama Duck nervous and she hopped off the rock where she was keeping an eye on her sleeping babes, plopped into the water, and quack-quacked until all nine of them were safely behind her. Then she led them into some overhanging branches at the edge of the island in the middle of the pond. There they waited, presumably until the crowd went away. The ducks didn't eat much, but it didn't matter...we enjoyed our time at the park thoroughly, thanks to these adorable babies.