Love from the Lujans: Lovely April

April in Boise proved to be a delightful month with a perfect mix of warm & sunny days balanced with spring showers & even a few comforting thunderstorms. Thunderstorms make Trevor and I very nostalgic for our childhood growing up in the Midwest, and now when Cecilia curls up in my arms while we wait and watch for the lightning/listen for thunder nothing could be more satisfying!

The Easter Bunny sent raisins via the US Postal Office this year- nothing could have pleased Cecilia more than receiving pack of dried grapes! Thanks Nanny & Papa!!

We drove out to the South Fork Easter morning to soak in the springs and enjoy a rock throwing session along the banks of this gorgeous river.

Our Sunrise Service - truly a sacred experience

Three thankful kids

Cecilia trying out her new skis at Bogus Basin

She laughed the entire time

After her lesson, we took out our cross country skis for one last nordic ski of the season

Preparing the worm bin

Cecilia stares down the worms

Solo desert hike

Communing with the nature

The Foothills Learning Center (a 20 minute walk from our house) has a monthly program where they bring in experts to teach the public about a specific topic. Last month it was all about seismic activity and this month it was all about owls! I can't tell you how much this excited our family as we (at least Cecilia and Mom) are pretty obsessed with owls. The lecture proved to be very informational and captivating (all three family members were equally absorbed in the 15 minute lesson). After the discussion, Cecilia had her face painted like a great horned owl and then we went out to the field to observe two adult great horns + their newly hatched owlets. To top the event off, we were offered a small owl pellet to dissect.

Our pellet, which was basically a giant hairball, consisted of fur, teeth and bones from a small rodent.

Spying owls in a nearby tree

Another great thing the Foothill Learning Center has to offer are these ever-changing story boards. They have 10 boards spread out along a short nature trail. Each board has a page or two from a children's book. Cecilia runs from board to board, flips up the pages, and listens as we read the pages aloud to her. It is a fabulous setting for story time!