It Won't Be Long Now...

Last week I wrote about looking for signs of spring, and I'm happy to report I found them. Last Friday the temperature got up to nearly 60 degrees, and it felt hot as a summer day in July. (Strange how when I lived in Florida, 60 seemed so cold.)

Jack and I were traipsing around the backyard (picking up dog poop, if you really want to know), when I came across these gems. They grow right in the middle of the (mostly dead) grass, and I have no idea what they are. But I'll take them. Aren't they pretty? I'm sure it's a sign...it won't be long now until spring is really here.

  



We also found these bright green stalks coming up through the dead leaves. They looked so pretty with the sun shining on them.




Lucy had a nice romp around the yard, and before long, she and Jack were sitting on the stairs together.

OK, that's not entirely true. Jack was sitting on the step, because I told him to sit for a picture, and then we corralled Lucy and held her down. Jack and Lucy have a "strained" relationship. Jack loves Lucy...but I think Lucy still holds a grudge about the time Jack pulled her down the stairs by her tail.

And the time he tried to stuff her in a paper sack.



We also had a visit from our little red-headed friend last week. Gracie is the daughter of one of my friends from middle school. I am so jealous of her ginger ringlets and clear blue eyes.



The three of us went to Hobby Lobby, and the kids got to pick out a little something to buy. There was a sale, and I had coupons. First Gracie wanted some big metal keys. So Jack wanted big metal keys. Then Gracie changed her mind. She wanted a craft. Jack still wanted to the big metal keys, but he also needed a craft. I finally got him (forced him) to give up the big metal keys, because what on earth was he going to do with big metal keys that are a purely decorative item? There were many tears, but then Grace found a blue Easter bunny she wanted instead of the craft. And then Jack forgot about the big metal keys and also wanted a blue bunny.  [sigh]

Unfortunately, we only saw one blue bunny. Jack didn't want a yellow bunny. He didn't want a pink bunny. Or a green one. Reluctantly, and graciously, Gracie offered to let him have the blue bunny. She would get a different color. But I think we all know what would've happened if she had done that. Suddenly, Jack would've wanted the alternate color. Thankfully, we dug through the bin of bunnies, and Gracie found another blue! So Jack was blissful instead of blue. That afternoon, they both snuggled on the couch with their respective bunnies. Seriously, the softest stuffed animals ever, and pretty cute, too.

 

See the little peacock pillow behind the dog? I made that. I love the fabric. (I designed my whole living room around a picture of a peacock, but I'll save that story for another day.)  Sadly,the pillow, and it's matching counterpart, are very lumpy. I didn't want to over-stuff them, but I couldn't get the filling to behave. Any pillow makers out there know where I went wrong? I am open to opening them and refilling. I think it might be the quality/consistency of the stuffing? It was a polyester something or another.

...

To celebrate the warm weather last week, we decided to barbecue burgers and buy a swing set. I got out the grill, the charcoal, and had the meat ready to make into patties. Just before Ken got home from work, I went out to start the grill. Alas, we were out of lighter fluid! So sad. Instead we went to Jack Straw's a take out hamburger joint in downtown Wheaton. It was our first time there. The burgers were greasy, big, and delish. The fries were salty, greasy, and fried to perfection.

I felt like I needed a digestive cleanse when we were done.

Ken says we are definitely going back.

We had more success with the swing set than the barbequing. I saw a used swing set on Craig's List, but it was on the small side...and used. I emailed the lady, found out she lived nearby and the set was only a year old. But the price wasn't low enough for me to justify getting a used, small, swing set. So we ordered a fairly big metal set from Menards. It was on clearance, but the website said our local store had them in stock.

The next day, the Craig's List lady emailed me to say she decided to cut her price in half(!) I was kinda sad we had ordered the set from Menards. But then, I got an email from Menards. They were out of stock on the set, and they were CANCELLING my order! They said I could get one from another Menards, but they couldn't transfer from one store to another.

It seemed like divine intervention. To make a long story short, we went with the smaller, used set. It's a perfect size for Jack and some of his little pals, and in a couple years when it's all rusted out he'll be ready for something bigger. Plus we saved more than a hundred bucks by going used.

Ken went to the people's house, disassembled the set, loaded it in our minivan (love how much stuff fits in that thing), brought it home, reassembled it, and wa-lah... Jack's dream come true!



 

Seriously, could that slide be any smaller? I have a feeling it will turn into a launching pad for stunts, or something of the like.

Now if we could get some more warm weather (it was 20 last night and more snow tonight), little Jack-Jack could actually play on it.
...

Every night after dinner, Ken and Jack have playtime. They usually play Hide-n-Seek, Quick Hide--the Giants are Coming, or some sort of shadow game with a flashlight. Tonight they did a craft, with only a teeny tiny bit of supervision from mom. (i.e. "Here's the glue, the paper, the cotton, the stickers, put them here, no not there, etc.")

While they made Noah's Ark and pasted in the animals, Ken told Jack the story. It was pretty neat that when we bought this kit last week, we had no idea Jack would be learning about Noah in Cubbies the very next day. So he got a double dose of Noah, which I think made it more interesting for him.

 

I absolutely love watching my boys play and work together. Ken didn't have much experience with kids when we got married, but he is so patient and kind with Jackson. A few days ago I asked Jack, "What is the name of one of your friends?" He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Uhhh, Daddy!" But of course. I asked him the same thing later in the day, and once again he confirmed that daddy is his bff.
 

 

I was washing the dishes and cleaning up from dinner while they worked on their project, and my favorite moment was when Jack dropped the glue stick and shrieked, "CATASTROPHE!" Seriously, where does my kid get this stuff? Six months ago he could hardly talk!

Here is the almost-finished project. I was sternly told not to look yet, because "it isn't done, Mom!" But I snuck a few pictures anyway.


 

 ...

Before I sign off, a bit of a housekeeping item: A few Facebook friends have left comments and/or sent messages to me and Ken expressing concern about the breaking of my FB fast. They wondered if I had gone back on my word--because they saw a link to my blog on their FB newsfeed.

Oh dear friends. I thank you for your concern about the state of my soul, but as I mentioned in the aforementioned blog, this blog can post automatically to FB with a simple click of a button. I get comments emailed to me.

The good news is that if I should I find myself falling into dire sin of the "break my fast" sort or any other unthinkable evil acts, I will now know who to call upon to set my crooked path straight.

 Looking forward to spring~

-Luann