Bradlo

      Last Saturday our friends invited us on a hike to Bradlo, not far from where we live. The weather was perfect. The distance and difficulty were perfect (read: hard enough to push Lily, but doable). The company was perfect. I got a botany lesson and even got to forage a little. Andrejka's snacks were perfect and timely. She has a gift for this. She knows just what to bring and just when to bring it out. This year it was string cheese on the way up and brownies and apples at the top.  Then of course there was the campfire afterwards at the house she and Jurček bought recently. When I went into this house I experienced one of my top three favorite feelings in the whole entire world. The sense of being transported back in time, in a place you absolutely love. I can't even explain it. But the way that house made me feel was amazing. The furniture made me...I don't know...want to grab it and run? The tiles, the carpet, the walls, everything reminded me of a Montana farmhouse built in the 1940s or so. I meant to take pictures but forgot (future post!) Anyhoo, Tomáš' eyes were making indents in the backsides of their sockets with each and every comment and gasp I made. It's disappointing to know that I will never live in a house like this. He does not share my enthusiasm for this kind of interior decoration because for him it's just exactly what you'd find in an old village house. Something in need of a complete redo. Škoda.
     I so desperately needed this day. There's just no replacement for getting outdoors with friends and exploring. And Slovakia is a perfect place to do it. I'm always taken aback at the beauty of the mildness of this country. Montana is a state of extremes. Extreme cold in the winter, extreme heat in the summer, and the landscape reflects that. Jagged, rocky mountains. And it's beautiful. Slovakia is a country of mildness. Mild winters, mild summers, gently rolling green hills. And it's also beautiful. Maybe this summer we'll (finally) get to explore the Montana-like High Tatras in mild Slovakia. It might just be(come) my favorite place on Earth.

Lily's dinosaur egg

Juniper berries. Sweeter than I thought they would be. 

Checking out a crocus. 

Afterparty

I'm guessing this was responsible for my upcoming migraine

Games

Planting strawberries

Feeding the goatsies

Coltsfoot

Wild garlic our friends brought me! 

Easter

     Our Easter was just about everything it should be. Snow, getting doused with water, whipped with reeds, a trip to the mall...Yeah, you know. Actually, the trip to the mall was for the sole purpose of avoiding the whipping and watering. Call me a party pooper, a spoilsport, a wet (and whipped) blanket but I HATE this tradition. Thankfully, T has respected my admonishment that this is not my tradition (so get that Dixie cup out of my face!), for the most part. I will keep my tradition of coloring and hiding eggs, filling baskets with cute and fun little toys, going to church and visiting family thankyouverymuch. The mall will be optional. 

Here's a quick glimpse from Green Thursday through Easter Monday.   

Lots of reading

Loving the old-fashioned wrappers

Egg cookies

Easter baskets

Easter Sunday lunch

Best Lego display ever

All the cousins

Happy Easter!!!

Tidbits

     When your two-year-old is quiet for more than about ten seconds, she's probably trying to eat a whole box of cocoa powder and pouring the rest in the soup she's supposed to be eating. (At least she had a bib). 

     And when you try to capture the cuteness of a morning spent outside, you will likely get a majority of pictures like these.

     And maybe one like this.

     Sisters

Rosy at 9 days old

My, how that sheet has faded!, I-I-I mean My, how they've grown!

     Love watching her draw

Love watching her read

Ready for pre-school

Learning to draw hearts from an M and a V

Me: Who is it?
Lily: That's you, and that's Dada, and that's me...I have a peanut head...and that's Rosy. And we're jumping on the trampolines that were a svadobný dar (wedding present) from Verka. 

Lashes. 

     Going to open house at the pre-school

All dressed up in her best smile.

Already acting like she owns the place.