At home...

I don't know if it's having kids or living in the northwest, but I'm certain I never paid attention to the forecast or the weather as much as I do now. I kind of feel like the old folks with how much the weather chatter enters my conversations with others.

With snow and rain in the forecast this weekend, we were sure to head outdoors this morning as soon as possible. Nina and Rollin had friends over to play today and by 10am the sun was shining brightly and the kids were quickly shedding their layers.

We've had some very strange and unpredictable weather this year, at least it seems so to me. The temperatures have been more extreme than usual and I'm certain we've had quite a bit more snow than average. But we've also had plenty of clear and sunny days in the mix, enough that although I'm ready for Spring, I'm not near crazy yet. We've had just enough variety in the weather that I've really enjoyed it all this year. The snow, though cold, still makes for a bright and cheery view from the inside.

Today as the kids played, I walked around the yard, pruned back some of our plants and bushes and noticed how much new life is sprouting up all over.

I just love Spring and this year is more exciting because we get to see all we've planted come to life. We worked pretty long and hard during the fall, so it's rewarding to see the buds popping up all over. We already have daffodils in bloom.

Here are the first couple of tiny bits of color/new growth we've seen:


























































































After the playmates went home, Rollin took a nap and Nina followed me around in the yard and we visited. She was asking all sorts of questions about what I was like when I was little. She also wanted to know what Granny looked like when she was little. Was I always older than Erin? Did I like to look pretty and dress up? She told me she was sorry I got paddled in third grade for talking too much :) I explained that we lived in a small German town and there were a few hard core teachers who didn't put up with anything!

When I was working in a garden bed right by the house, Nina cuddled up in her blanket on the patio outside our bedroom like a little kitten to soak up the sun. As I glanced at her all peaceful and happy with her tired little eyes, I was overcome with such a feeling of love for both Nina and this stage of our lives. Childhood is a magical thing and in the back of my mind, there is always a twinge of sadness at how quickly the days go by.














































I wanted so badly to pick Sela up from school early today...knowing how much she enjoys being outside on warm afternoons. And I just missed her. It's been a long week. But before we knew it, we were walking to the bus to pick her up. Let the weekend begin!