A Taste of Spring

A warm weekend in March was a much-needed breath of fresh air after this long winter. We made sure to stay outside as much as we could, went to the playground, and made a family trip to the zoo on Saturday morning. We took our time, played outside on the animal sculptures, explored things we've actually never seen, and picnicked with the ducks.



When we had finished off the trip by wandering in the gift shop (where everything Mierae saw she was sure to tell us it went on her birthday list), we headed to campus to get my free Cold Stone ice cream for my birthday. Mierae wanted pink ice cream with sprinkles. Eric wanted vanilla. Boy was I glad it was MY birthday treat and I could order my very own Ghiradelli chocolate with Reeses peanut butter cup!! We "enjoyed" our ice cream on the patio, Jolie dipping her spoon in everyone's cups at will. :)


Having the weather get warm for one weekend and then get cold again, we have yet again tried to enjoy the time inside together, without the kids, and MOM, getting stir crazy and angry. Eric's mom sent me a cookie cookbook for my birthday, and Mierae was more than happy to help me try out the first recipe. I decided it didn't matter if more powdered sugar fell on the floor than made it on the cookies, and that curvy cookies taste just the same as round ones, so we had a ball! I taught Mierae how to move her hands to make balls out of the dough, instead of pancakes. :) And it felt really good to teach her something she was able to learn immediately. Her eyes lit up, and she was so excited to see that she could do it! As for Jolie, she was happy to eat our spoils. :)



As the the week of colder weather wore on, it wore on the kids. One afternoon we tried to get Jolie to nap twice, with no success. By 5:00 when my hands were covered in chicken that had gone bad and I was already lamenting over dinner, Jolie was crying at my feet. Once I got to the sink to wash my hands, she finally stopped. I looked down and saw this.


This is the reason you want your kids to nap when you first put them to bed!! She was a little happier after sleeping for a while, and went to bed at 10:30. At least it was better than Mierae's 2:00 am bedtime days when she napped at 5:00 pm.

Tonight after a trip to the library, the girls were jumping over Eric's new sleeping bag, hiding under blankets, and running around the house in their underwear. When we told them it was time for stories, they ran down the hall and we found them here.


We are glad they love storytime! And we are so glad the library is close and provides plenty of winter entertainment.

And despite how badly we are wanting the weather to get warmer, I do love those days when you can snuggle together in a warm house when it's cold outside.