April 6- Spring is springing

Today we had unbelievably beautiful weather. It was warm enough for sandals (and no tights for Ella)! We took the kids for a walk down to the fishing hole. The lady who runs the bait shop down there was very excited to see Ella and Sterling. She is one of their many new friends around here who have come to know them through their walks with the nanny. This must've been the first weekend the fishing hole was open, as it was very crowded. From what we can gather it's a no-cast pond, with a trout/salmon combination type stocked fish. We didn't try to catch anything, since we had the kids with us and everyone seemed to be enjoying the peace and quiet, which we certainly would've disturbed. In any case, it was a great day for a walk and some fresh air.
Sterling has had a growth spurt lately. You can really feel the difference in weight between Sterling and Ella now. When you pick up Sterling he feels like a rock, then you go to pick up Ella and she's light as a feather. Also, his feet seem to have grown. These are size 3 shoes, and they fit like a glove! At Christmas I had to tighten the laces very tight on his size 2 shoes (same Angel brand) to keep his shoes from falling off. That's Ella tiny little foot in the corner...still a size 2, but I'm sure she'll be into 3's very soon.
So, the walk was great fun, but getting back up the hill into the neighborhood was not so much fun. I was very happy to relinquish the stroller to Michael to heave up the hill...certainly the downside to living in such a mountainous area.
Just had to include this picture of our very big girl. They really start to seem less like babies and more like toddlers once they're standing up by themselves and walking around. The newest thing we see both of them trying to master is standing up without pulling up on anything. They'll go from a seated position to standing touching their toes with their little bums up in the air. They try and they try, but neither one of them has managed to get all the way upright just yet. They end up having to find something to push themselves off of. They lack the strength to get the first 3 or 4 inches off the ground. Something as little as a thick book is all the boost they need to push themselves into the upright position. They're also both really getting into this walking business. They now spend a good deal of time walking the spaces from toy to toy.