March came in like a lion...

He's so dapper.

Not really! I just thought "March update" sounded boring! Haha.

I'm not sure it came in like a lamb, either, but looking back at these photos we were obviously outside a bit more this month than had

Love these tulips 

from my favorite flower shop. 

become usual. The month was still overwhelmingly cool and cloudy, but at least we did not have the freezing cold temperatures of January and February. And there were a few nicer days sprinkled in.

Tulips were out in all the stores and flower shops, pansies began appearing at garden centers, it's beginning to feel like Spring finally! Snowdrops appeared in our yard, as did crocuses. The crocus festival took place in the Jasne Błonia the third weekend in March, though we did not attend (Emmy was sick on Saturday and then it rained on Sunday so we stayed home). Anyways, by the time we returned from our Easter break travels (more about that to come in future posts), it felt like Spring had actually arrived!

Saturday morning fun. Giddy-up! 

Charles was out of town again for the middle two weeks of the month.  We plugged along here at home. Tuesday the 8th was International Women's Day.  Here in Poland, women receive flowers from, well, lots of people! Emmy's classmates brought flowers for the girls, and for the children to bring home to their mothers. I saw people

Daddy makes a fun horse.

handing them out to ladies at the mall. My landlords brought a bouquet of tulips to me. What a lovely tradition! Some of my friends and I were discussing how this is something we should get behind in the U.S. and really play up this day, celebrating all women, rather than Mother's Day. Not that you shouldn't celebrate Mother's Day with your mom, but it seems to have become such hugely commercialized day with so much attention given to it, and yet it is a day that can be hard for a lot of people  who have lost their moms or children or who long to be a mother but cannot. (Speaking from experience).

 On Wednesday the 9th, I was able to attend a cooking class at culinary school. One of our friends set it up, and it was a lot of fun! The chef appeared on the Polish version of Top Chef or Master Chef, I'm not sure which, but after that he said there was a lot of interest so he opened this school. The cusine for the evening was "modern Polish fusion" and the food was delicious! I'm pretty sure we each ate 200 grams of butter a piece though, there was so much that went into the dishes!  The first course was a beet salad with goat cheese, the second course was a Jerusalem artichoke soup with  parsley pesto and bacon, the main course was cod with a pea puree, and the final course was a flour-less chocolate cake. Wow. I'm hungry thinking about it again! 

Walking to dinner in Old Town on the weekend when Daddy was home in between his trips. Such handsome dudes.

Look, Mama!

Strolling through the garden.

The next week the weather was a bit warmer a few days so Matthew and I enjoyed more time in the garden. He loves to pick up these tiny pine cones in the yard, and he found he has pockets. Time to check pockets when I wash clothes now!  

Snowdrops and Rags

St. Patrick's Day was a BEAUTIFUL day, and the kids enjoyed playing on the playground after school with some of their friends. 

Emmy, Freja, and Claire

Mark, Freja and Emmy

Sweet friends

Some days just call for fancy.

Trying on his new hat, again in the garden...

...picking up pine cones. This was over the weekend, you can see Daddy's hand so he was back home! 

Sunday morning breakfast. Eating European style, breads, cheese, meats, fruit, some pastry, yum! 

We missed the crocus festival since Emmy was sick, but I drove by one afternoon the following week to take a peak and snapped a couple of photos. Beautiful!

Crocuses in the Jasne Błonia. 

The end of March involves our Easter Break travels, so that's up next! 

Spring is...springing!

Cheese!

Like much of the country, we've had a mild winter and spring is arriving a little earlier than usual (so we're told).  We've had some really beautiful weather and it's been great to get out and enjoy blowing bubbles, playing with chalk, hiding Easter eggs, and going for lots of walks.

She did an excellent job putting soil in the
peat pots.

A couple of weeks ago we planted some seeds and Emmy not only had fun planting, but she has enjoyed checking on them each day and watching them grow! We also planted some violas and other herbs in pots, so it's nice to have some green stuff on the front porch and the back patio. If our seeds continue to do well, hopefully before too long we'll have some zinnias, peppers, okra, jalapenos, dill, and chives to add to our yard.

Little gardener in training

  

Dandelions seem to be the state flower of Kansas, or at least the flower of Ft. Leavenworth, because man, are they everywhere! Our house is only about a year old, so the yard isn't quite established yet, allowing for lots of weeds and dandelions. Emmy enjoyed picking a few and I showed her how to put them behind her ears. Isn't she lovely?

With the lovely weather, we also had a lot of rain last week.  It rained every day Monday-Friday. Fortunately, the sun came out for a while on Thursday so we could get out and walk and play outside. Hello sun, it was good to see you!


So, we hid some Easter Eggs!

 

Spring also means new shoes for growing feet, so we took a trip to Legends (an outdoor shopping mall in Kansas City, Kansas) to add to Emmy's shoe wardrobe.  We had not walked around where most of the shops are before, but now that it was getting nice, it was a perfect late afternoon to enjoy the fresh air. Emmy was thrilled to discover the fun fountain in front of the movie theater.

It is on a timer, and when it started up, she was thrilled!

 

Trying it Daddy's way.

Showing her how to use her thumb

It's been a fun spring so far!

P.S. Sorry folks, I started this post on the 24th, but it has taken me that many days to finally sit down and upload the photos I wanted to include. I have several other posts mapped out in my head, but those will just have to wait for now, we have company in town! Much more to come soon, I promise!