the dandelion menace

when i got back from Texas the empty lot next to our house looked like this. when i saw it i said, "wow! it's so beautiful!" to which my dad responded "those are weeds." well i still thought they were quite lovely

but as time went on and the lot changed to this i began to understand why they're called weeds.

these things have been mowed several times (in the lot next door and in our yard) but they come back faster and taller every time! dandelions take over! so how do you get rid of them? do you just have to weed them all by hand?

the jenster goes to Texas

last week was my spring break and i had the opportunity to go to texas to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and my nephews and niece! it was a blast. along with just hanging out with them, we ate several amazing meals (including the best sushi i have ever experienced & fresh oysters!), walked around UT, and saw lots of Austin. here are some snapshots (mostly of the family side) of my trip:

dyeing Easter eggs on Easter morning before church

our Easter egg hunt after church- Joel and I hid all the eggs in the backyard and it was so fun. there's nothing like watching kids hunt for candy filled goodness! and then trying to remember where you hid all the real eggs....thankfully the kids found them all!

canoeing on town lake (which is really a river that runs through Austin). we had two canoes that Joel tethered together with a life vest, creating the "Thollander Barge"- we were a force to be reckoned with on the water. see the beautiful Austin skyline in the background!

we went to a dinosaur museum and outside practiced jumping for the camera. the kids really got the hang of it! (well Ben's got a good jump here, there's a series of about 15 of these)

i of course joined in some too

it was so good to see my family!