Spring

We found it blooming among us again, and that was very exciting.

There are more pictures from our spring day (of outdoor snacks and trips to the park) to be found in the March 2009 album.

Celebrating, ummmm, spring

With a week of gloomy weather ahead we decided that a good, cheerful party was in order, and, since there are certainly no birthdays to celebrate this time of year (ahem), we decided that we had just better celebrate spring.  It is always fun to have our families all together under one roof, and we really enjoy playing hosts to such joyous gatherings.  We've also gotten better (much better) at it through the years, and rather than spending all Sunday afternoon panicking about the preparations, it was Saturday that found our home leisurely smelling of fresh bread, and filled with the sounds of the food processor, mixer, etc. etc., so that by Sunday we were able to kick back, wine in hand, and enjoy the festivities themselves.  Calvin, of course, is always the most involved host–more than willing to show, tell, and share with absolutely everyone that walks through the door.  And if you see a cake in the pictures?  We have no idea who that might be for, as there were certainly no birthdays celebrated here, just one really enjoyable family gathering to welcome the first beginnings of spring.  And who really needs a reason to party anyhow, more than just celebrating the wonderful love of family, and the marching onward of the seasons in our beautiful world?  Oh, and happy birthday, mom.

Ahhh, spring

March in Michigan is such a tricky time.  Today it was 65 and sunny, tomorrow it will be cool and rainy, and next week we are to expect snow.  Some will say that spring was teasing us with just a glimpse today, and that she will leave us next week for winter's return, but I disagree; I think she's in on it, she and winter, the lion and the lamb.  We always have at least one month when spring-like days are interspersed with snowfall and bone-chilling weeks.  Yep, I'm sure she's in on it.  And I've always hated warm day teasers because the return to the biting cold and snow is always so much harder as the year wears on, but things are different now.  Now I have a toddler and I have learned how to get the better of fickle tempers - Ignore the bad and take advantage of the good.  So today, on upswing number one (65 and sunny, remember?) we took a long walk, revisited our tree stump and counted its rings (still the same number), tested tree age based on how hard they were to hug (i.e. trunk size), ate lunch on the porch (our first picnic of the year), listened to and watched for birds (they're not very shy about visiting the feeders), and even made use of our ride-on toys (and by our I mean Calvin's, of course).  Yes, I guess I will take spring any way I can get it.

There are more pictures in the March 2009 album.

It may be winter today...

but it was spring (in February) on Tuesday.  I miss the puddles already.

Praising Monday

Weekends are all fine and good, but there's something to be said for the return to routine on Mondays. Weekends often find us running from one fun activity to another, even if just within the confines of our own home, and by the time Monday rolls around Jon is probably happy to be headed off to work, and Calvin and I are happy to return to our quiet weekday routines, such as a good, long afternoon nap. And today was a relatively pretty day. Keep in mind, of course, that we're talking Michigan in February, so when I say relatively pretty I mean it was almost 40 degrees and there was just little enough grayness to allow for very faint shadows on the sidewalk.  So we took advantage of this and took our first walk since last November (shameful, yes, but what are you going to do in sub zero weather???) to get our mail from the box. Getting out of the house without dressing in suits NASA would envy was a wonderful treat this time of year.  Exciting stuff, especially since it's been a long time since it has been warm enough to handle the camera for a good outdoor photo shoot (ah I miss those). Of course the other part of it being nearly 40 degrees? The puddles. Last year I had to encourage him to play in the puddles so I could get some pictures (only a scrapbooker would consider this), but not so this year. This year I had to encourage him to slow down so as not to soak the camera (thankfully I had the longer lens). I am ever so thankful to my mom for getting him those really nice boots last fall; his pants were soaked up to the knees, but his socks and feet were bone dry. Needless to say, he did take that really goooood nap, which allowed me to clean the bathrooms and then make chicken, biscuits, and gravy, healthy style, for dinner (after thoroughly washing my hands, of course).

If you're wondering about the black and white... none of his winter clothes are color matched, and Photoshop is a wonderful thing.  There are more pictures in the Februrary 2009 album, plus I'll be sharing a few more later this week (just to keep you in suspense, or maybe it's because so little is going on and I need to spread out the excitement).