Spring flowers -- and smiles!

After a long snowy winter, and the rainiest March on record, spring has finally arrived in Princeton! To celebrate, I've been taking Joshua out on walks during his playtime, to introduce him to sunshine, flowers and birds. To think, until a week or so ago, all he knew was snow and cold... It's so much fun to teach him about warm weather. Even if he still seems mostly unaware of his surroundings. :)

Princeton really is absolutely gorgeous in the springtime. There are tons of magnolia and pear trees and these amazing yellow flowering bushes (which I always mean to ask someone about -- any botanists out there able to identify them based on the photos below?) all over town, including in our little development. Here are a few of our favorite shots from a recent walk with Joshua:


A profusion of flowers!


A wee little tree in front of the next condo building over


I'm afraid Joshua wasn't terribly impressed...

Later in the week, David had a dinner meeting on campus, so we decided to make a family excursion of it -- we all drove into town, and I put Joshua in his stroller and enjoyed a beautiful spring evening with him. I love walking around campus this time of year!


Magnolia blossoms by the Woody Woo fountain


More magnolia blossoms in the Woody Woo plaza


Joshua's still not terribly impressed...
While we waited for David, Joshua noticed the lamp just outside of Campus Club, and was totally fascinated with it. (Of course he loved the lamp, and not the flowers. I guess he really is a boy...) I pulled out the camera again and got a fun series of Joshua facial expressions -- including a smile!


Ooh, what's that light up there?


It appears to be a lamp of some sort...


Must... get... closer... to it...


I wish I could reach the lamp...


Maybe if I smile at mama, she'll let me play with the lamp!

[And from a photography perspective: I'm pleased with finally getting a smile on camera (though note, he has bigger and even cheesier grins for us!). But I'm almost more pleased with managing to nail focus in that fourth photo above -- check out the catchlights in Joshua's beautiful eyes!]

We're loving this spring weather, and the opportunity to take fun photos of our little guy outdoors!