spring!

The weather was just beautiful this weekend, and all four of us were happy to be out in the sunshine. Saturday morning, I cleaned the inside of my car (which was pretty messy from a whole winter of little fingers smudging everywhere) while the boys rode their bikes and played with sidewalk chalk, and Mike took out all of the mesh we had put over our bulbs when we planted them to keep the squirrels from eating them. There are a lot of plants starting to sprout, which is such a fine sight after the endless cold and snow. Liam and I took the car to vacuum it, then we picked up some lunch and headed over to my Gram's house to eat with her while Mike and Max ate at home and then took a couple of much-needed naps.



Sunday was even warmer and sunnier. I ended up having a couple hours of work to do in the morning, but Mike and the boys made the most of their time outside. Liam made a couple of new friends, even: a boy who lives down the alley (both of our yards back up onto the alley, although our house is on the opposite side of the block from his) came down with his dog, and ended up staying to play for a couple of hours. They made up games to play on the swingset and played a few rounds of soccer. Mike kept an eye on them from the deck, where he was planting seeds for some flowers. Max and I had to go and do a little shopping, and on the way back, we drove by Laura's house and saw that all the kids were outside playing (plus Maria and Cassidy!), so we stopped and hung out there for a while. Max and Jimmy had a good time attempting to assemble a folding picnic table, and there were popsicles all around. What could be better on a warm, sunny day?


Sunday night, my mom and Loni stopped by for a visit before they went out to dinner -- with my dad and brother in Washington D.C. at the National Fire Academy, it was the perfect opportunity for them eat Chinese food (which my dad hates) and enjoy some mother-daughter time. As for us, we enjoyed a feast! Mike made corned beef, potatoes, and cabbage, and we definitely did it justice. Both boys had worked up quite an appetite with our outdoor adventures. Also, they worked off plenty of steam, so they went up to bed and crashed shortly after dinner, which gave the grown-ups time to actually sit together and watch a whole movie (a rare occurrence). Based on that alone, I would call the weekend a definite success!