Spring? Is That You?

We, like you, have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Spring. There are a few things around here that give us the impression that it's getting close.

The first is the arrival of our baby chicks! We have had chickens for years. The kids gather the eggs for a nickel each. Last year my sister raised some baby chicks and then gave them to us when they got too big. They all turned out to be roosters! This year, the kids talked Jeff into getting them each a baby chicken.
They each got a different color, and we were told they are all hens. The kids run out to check on the chicks several times a day.

Proudly displaying the box of baby chicks.

...and the happy chicks huddling together in their new home. Baby chicks definitely mean spring.

Our next clue that Spring is here is Jeff's birthday! He had to be to class early that day, so the kids got up early too. We made him an 'egg sandwich' for breakfast (using farm fresh eggs, of course) and sang "Happy Birthday" in our just-woke-up voices.

Later, his mom made his favorite dinner and we celebrated with the fam.

Clue #3 that Spring has arrived: going to the park. (Bonus! Aunt Jamie came too!) Playing at the park is a favorite spring time activity. The swings and slides get too hot to use in the summer! As you can see, Isaac was thrilled to be playing outside. He puts on this gummy grin whenever he sees the camera. How would it be to know you are adorable?

Daisy and Jamie had a 'pumping' contest on the swings, and Levi asked me to push him "high to the moon!"

After he tired of swinging, Levi decided it was time to climb the tree. Since he thinks he is Spiderman, climbing a measly tree should be no sweat.

...but it turned out he needed a little help from mom in the end.

Aahh. The sweet smile of success.

Looking on to higher goals.

Spending an afternoon at the park with my kids is somewhat therapeutic. It reminds me of the things that are really important. As I watched and played with them running from one thing to the next, I thought about priorities in childhood. I thought about blistered palms from monkey bars and the metallic smell of swing chains. When you're a kid on a swing, you're not thinking about the laundry you've got to fold, the dinner you've got the make, and the phone calls you need to return. You're thinking about swinging. You're thinking about how it feels to breeze through the air and feel that nanosecond of weightlessness. You're imagining what it would be like to soar up to the moon. Since this afternoon in the park, I've been trying to take this lesson from my kids. When I am reading to them, I am enjoying the story instead of wishing they would have picked a shorter one. When I am driving her home from school, I am really listening to Daisy telling me about her day instead of the news on the radio. When I am building blocks with Levi I am trying to use my imagination (what a concept!) instead of trying to sneak off and finish the laundry. When I am nursing Isaac I am enjoying nurturing my baby instead of counting down the days until I'll be back in a normal bra. I am not saying "Wait," "hold on," "one minute," or "maybe later," as much as I'm saying, "I'd love to," "thanks for inviting me," and "I love you." And I'm listening.

As Spring breathes new life into the earth, I hope to have new resolve to be a little better and enjoy each of the blessings in my life a little more. And tomorrow's forecast? Snow.