I love you, March.

For whatever reason, I have waited until the last day of this month to note how much I have loved waking up every morning and seeing this on the calendar in my bathroom:

Through the years, I've sometimes pondered the seasons, questioning which might be my favorite if forced to yield and answer. Spring is typically my first reaction, but then I question whether I really enjoy the wet, the wind, and all the MUD. Maybe it's summer that I really love, when all the produce is in season, and being outdoors is a way of life, rather than a sporadic thing. Winter is clearly not my favorite. And while everyone I  know seems to love fall, the quiet melancholy of summer's end, and earnest foreboding of the long, cold winter yet to come has always cast a shadow on my enjoyment of fall. 

This month I paid such close attention to the seasonal changes, and really embraced the fact that spring is indeed the season I love the most. We have cold days, here and there, but the warm days also return. We find ourselves outside, seeing neighbors for the first time in many months. The kids stop asking if they can watch t.v. or play Wii, and start playing basketball and riding bikes again. Birds! The birds come back! Our friend the blue heron visits the newly thawed pond. Killdeer are back, screeching their telltale cries. Goldfinches start turning yellow, bugs appear. Tree buds bring the promise of spring flowers and scents. We hear frogs croaking on our family walks, awaking from their long hibernation. It really feels as if the earth is waking up and coming to life, and the anticipation of all this awakening brings is sometimes more joyous for me than the actual bustle of full-on warmer months. And it doesn't hurt that my birthday is in March, so the start of spring has always felt extra sweet to me. 

We've been making visits to a nearby wetland area (a very, very small one alongside the bike trail) and listening to, and watching, the frogs. 

Chorus frog, ready to croak

Chorus frog

Cricket frog

Leopard frog

Our buddy Blue

For the first time some geese ventured into our yard. They didn't stay long, and likely won't be back since they had a hard time finding their way back to the open gate. 

In the middle of all this lovely springyness, Gavin and his classmates celebrated their 100th day of school. They are now "100 days Brighter"!

Pisces birthdays are awesome

I got to celebrate the 39th birthday of my friend Jenny, a fellow Pisces, and some other awesome women today.

Tidy

If this were somebody else's house, or a Lego store, I would find it inspiring. But in my house, I find it anxiety-inducing. I really, really like things to be tidy. Part of me wants to run out and buy some toolboxes or craft boxes and get to work organizing these suckers by color and shape. Oh, that would be lovely. And also a lovely waste of time. Because the system I had used prior to this, where each set was in a properly marked ziplock bag, complete with instruction manual, is now what you see on this table (with a pile of a dozen instructional manuals lying under said table.) So, I am reduced  to spending hours of digging through this bottomless pit, helping to find the exact piece for each set. (Sigh)... bonding time?

Quarterly Feminist Forum: Spring 2015

Had a lovely day today with Samantha, Carrie and Kenda in Des Moines. Love that we keep these quarterly gatherings going!

At Exile Brewing Company

Pappajohn Sculpture Park

One big play date

Spring break has been good for us, and we've fit in play date after play date with kiddos that we don't see as much as we'd like.

We started out Day #1 of Spring Break with breakfast at one of my new favorite local spots, the PerKup Cafe. 

We enjoyed the 84 degree day of the week by taking Jack's friend and neighbor, George, with us to the zoo. 

I finally figured out how to run the grill. Life moment.

We went bowling at Bass Pro in Altoona with the Giles boys.

Both Benji and Jack has friends over from a simultaneous, 5-boys-in-the-house, play date. Henry is in Benji's class now, Valdon was Jack's classmate in kindergarten at Brookview and still attends that school, so they don't see each other much but on school breaks.

Firetrucker

Our family visited my parents today for a little birthday celebration. After a wonderful brunch, cake and park play, we walked down to the new brewery near their house that went into a restored fire station. It's aptly named Firetrucker, and all their brews go by related names (i.e., Wildfire, Ladder 317, Cat in a Tree, 2 Alarm, Search and Rescue, etc.). They had a great patio, and we enjoyed the warm, windy day trying their offerings. A very nice way to end my birthday week!

Proof

Mike and I tried out the 10 course Second Saturday Supper at Proof Restaurant as a belated birthday dinner for me. Oddly, we weren't full after 10 courses and two hours. Still, it was a fun experience and I got to take some new culinary adventures. It was fun!

37

First robin sighting two days ago, first buds on trees spied yesterday, and first bug of the season spotted today. I've always considered myself a spring birthday, although I recently realized that although in March, my birthday actually falls in the winter season. But with weather like this, I will continue to think of myself as a child of spring!

Today was wonderful. Breakfast with Mike and Gavin, some shopping in the East Village, a walk around the neighborhood, champagne cake from a bakery that makes the best I've ever had, and dinner with 11 amazing, inspiring women friends. And these are just the amazing, inspiring ones in the Des Moines area-- that could attend this evening. There are so many more that I am blessed to call friends. I am a lucky gal.

My long-coveted Story People sun for the wall by our dining table. The story printed on it says, "Time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life."

We did some tee-shirt shopping at Locally Grown Clothing Company and RayGun

I promise that Jack and Benji were actually around before and after school. But they were more interested in playing soccer at the park after school than posing for cake photos!

First robin sighting of the year!

Going to celebrate with a local beer....or 3.