Friday, April 26, 2013

How Much Did You Miss Spring?

So, I know spring has been long in coming this year around here.  If you're from the area, did you miss it?  Were you waiting for it with bated breath?  If you know me, you know that I have been.  I've been ready to head out of town and find anywhere warm and spring-like just to be done with the eternal winter!  Well, today spring came...at least for a day.  I showed it just how much I missed it, too.  You know how?  Well, I took a deep breath and then bundled up not one, not two, not even three but FOUR boys to head out and play in the puddles.  Here is the photo (mostly) essay of our welcoming of spring...

On our way to the last known location of large puddles...ever welcome by teachers...the school yard!

There was a lovely, long puddle on the sidewalk, and you can see on Evan's face just how much he doesn't want to carpe diem.  I had to convince him that it was OK to get mud on him...that's what rubber boots and splash pants are for!

Even Bradley "played" in the water.

Xander: "You know what my favourite part about playing in this puddle is?  Throwing rocks."

Eventually, he did carpe the diem and we even got some smiles from him!

Jonathan's favourite part?  Splashing!!

Somebody's having fun!!

I wanted to get a photo of my four boys so I made the others come over to the stroller.  Jonathan wouldn't look at me.  Finally he tells me "it's too bright" and that he'd smile but only with his eyes closed.  I think they're all pretty cute, anyway.


No need for those silly vitamin D drops today...we got us some real sun!

Brothers...racing...as always.

Then, they hit the mother lode...the puddle mother lode, that is...big, deep and full of ice.  At least, when I was a kid, the icy puddles were always the best, especially when you had to break through the ice.  We got many a booter that way.

Truthfully, I think this entire puddle was deeper than Jonathan's boots but he seemed to be having fun in it.

Walkin' on that ice.

Taking a break and enjoying some of that sun.  It sure felt warmer than the 5 degrees Environment Canada said it was.

Look!  I was there, too.

This precipitated the end of our trip.  Jonathan fell (for about the third time) and then he couldn't get up.  I do not have rubber boots.  By the time I convinced Xander to help him and then convinced Jonathan to let Xander help him, Jonathan had been sitting in icy water for a little longer than I was comfortable with.  Time to go home and get warm!

Here's the water line...flooding was that high! :)

Well, at least only one boy needed Mom's jacket to keep him warm on the ride home.  Jammies, blankies, lunch and a show managed to warm him up, but boy, there was a LOT of water in his boots!  Check out that thrilled face...

Now, though it be warmer than this morning, the sun has gone and the clouds have come.  It does not feel like spring as the morning did and it is, once again, time to bury under the covers and wait for the warmth of Mr. Sun to shine down on us.  Maybe next time, he'll stay a bit longer and I can quit threatening to leave town.

Until next time...

Monday, April 15, 2013

The End of An Era

We have now moved from this...

to this...
Yes, that time came.  It was time for a new vehicle.  I was a little nostalgic as this progressed because I loved my Mazda (also, it's been paid off for a while).  In fact, it was my very first vehicle and it truly was MINE! :)  It was the car that I had seen in the European market and had waited for it to come to the North American market.  I was so fortunate that it came right when we decided to upgrade our car.  It was compact but with enough seats to make it useful (just not that much cargo space) and I would totally buy it again.  However, with 6 people filling the six seats, it was time to move on to a new era.  I'm sure I will love my van eventually because I like it now but I am still getting over my much loved car.  I did do some grocery shopping and that new vehicle has a FANTASTIC amount of cargo space but it's weird driving an automatic again.  My hand keeps twitching :).  It's a bit wider and a lot longer so I have to get used to that but it has some fun upgrades...like the power driver's seat, the backup camera and all the cup holders.  I'm sure that, in 10 or 15 years, I will be saying I'm sure sad to see this vehicle go, too.  So, such as it is...goodbye little Mazda and welcome to the family Honda...

Until next time...