The Hamilton Family: Spring is in the air

Ah Spring! It's just been the past few years that I've actually started to appreciate and love the beauty of Spring. Besides buying a house, we've been doing a few other fun things this season!

We went to Happy Hollow Zoo in San Jose with ~~Jude's girlfriend~~ our neighbors. It was much more fun now that Jude is bigger and can actually ride the rides. He loved the "train" (it was a dragon ride, but we just called it a train). He also loved the animals; he kept asking to see a giraffe, which sadly they don't have. But there was a jaguar!

For some reason Jude didn't want to ride an animal on the carousel.

St. Patrick's Day at the park!

We've been to the park a lot lately. The weather is getting really nice and Jude is becoming more independent. He's started climbing up all the monkey bar things and trying to test his abilities.

First ride on the swing

Jude's obsessed with bubbles right now.

Here, Jude serenades our neighbor with his bubble gun.

Figured out how to put them both in bath!

Jude thinks it's great fun to "sit in the back!" Ellie is not always so sure...

I feel like every other week this year I've been hit with a bad cold. Thank you, germ-magnet toddler. On one day of exhaustion and sickness I couldn't take the battle over the trains, so I improvised...Berlin Wall style.

Eleanor didn't seem to mind. (She got the side with kitchen access)

Peter's youngest sister, Brooke, got married in the Salt Lake temple! Jude LOVED being at the temple. We have a picture of the SLC Temple on our wall and Jude always tells me "I go temple" or "I live temple." So, he was pretty stoked to see it in person. The wedding was beautiful and fun, and of course, we loved every minute with our family!

photobombed by the go cart guy.

Grandpa promised Jude weeks before a ride on the Trax (train). I thought he had forgotten about it, but after the pictures were done, Jude ran up to Grandpa asking for the "Papa See See choo choo!" It was the best ride ever for a two year old. Jude just adores his Grandpa!

The bride and groom... kissy kissy!

Grandma was also a big attraction. He asked for her almost constantly!

One of Jude's many favorite things is asking people to draw him train tracks. Usually he pesters me all day; Grandpa and Grandma got most of the attention this trip. They definitely are the best grandparents!

My sisters and I got the wonderful opportunity to attend the 1st annual Women's Conference of the LDS Church in the Conference Center.

I don't think I've ever gotten a picture taken with the beautiful Belize, so I had to share!

Conference selfie

Eleanor and cousin Emma are two months apart, but sometimes they look like twins!

We even got the chance to (very briefly) tour our old stomping grounds at BYU. We saw the beautiful Carl Bloch exhibit at the MOA, drank delicious ~~nectar of the gods~~ creamery chocolate milk, and took a little tour of the Clyde engineering building. I tried to explain to Jude that he was born in Provo and that I used to take him for walks in his stroller around south campus. The rest of the day he told me: "baby Jude! Walky stroller!" We also showed him the Y on the mountain. Now Jude will just randomly start chanting "B Y U!" (big emphasis on the Y. He even did it today during the middle of church.)

Had to check out the duck pond.

They finally put in a railing, thank goodness! (Jude would have been swimming otherwise)

Chasing the ducks was the best part of the day.

Of course, Jude was beyond excited for the plan rides. We somehow managed to arrive super early for both our flights, so he just entertained himself by running up and down the terminal to each window to see the planes. He was very convinced that Grandpa was on every plane we saw. He also tried to board a flight to Montana.

Jude seemed to enjoy the safety insert.

Back at home, we've been having lots of fun just enjoying the warm weather, the Easter season (with mom's giant supply of Easter candy), and the excitement of getting ready to start a new chapter in our lives.