May These Precious Days Last Forever

Over the weekend, the bright sunny weather we were having turned cooler once again. The clouds rolled in, and with it came the cloudy, gray, gloomy skies, and eventually the rain. Off and on. For days. After such a long winter, these little bits of gorgeous weather mixed in with cooler, rainy days is such a tease. The kids were stuck indoors -- staring out the windows and begging to play in the grass. Pollen coated everything. Our porch turned yellow, the toys and picnic table covered as well. There were no chalk drawings on the concrete to speak of.

Finally, Thursday, the weather broke. The sun peaked through the clouds. Life perked up a bit, and we were all warm, and happy, and free again. The kids and I sat for over an hour at the park -- just taking in the moments childhood is made of. We shared some Teddy Grahams and a drink, pushed each other on the swings, ran around the slides, and dug in the dirt. We came home, only to spend even more of the morning outside, spraying the first signs of spring/summer off the house and outdoor furniture. M cut the grass for the first time this season. We walked to see the tadpoles swimming in our ditch, and watched the horse in the small pasture across the road.

Come afternoon, we went for a wagon ride to visit the horse, as we do almost daily now. The kids are always so concerned that he is lonely and just needs a friend, now that the owners got rid of their second horse. I must admit -- most days, he does look a bit sad. When we got back to our yard, the kids ran around barefoot, collecting sticks, climbing on things, and running through the grass. We ate a quick dinner and came back outside yet again, turning on the hose to rinse a few more things, soaking the kids feet at the same time. Just before the sun set, we came back inside to don pajamas and climb into bed, thoroughly worn out from all the fresh air. Worn out, and yet happy.

These are the days that life is made of!