Life is Marvelous.

Easter Sunday could not have gone more fabulously!
We took the girls to the park, and after a short bit of playing on the playground, they decided the pavilion was where the fun was at.

 And once Daddy showed up on his bike and decided to take Scarlett for a spin... Well, she was just smitten.

And I am just in love with her shy smile :)

Spring is full of all sorts of awesome wonders. Perhaps one of the more simplistic ones - yet one that never ceases to lift my spirits - spring clothes. After being bundled up all winter long, cozy beneath over-sized sweaters and goose down jackets, fewer things are more liberating than feeling a the warm breeze swish your skirt, or feeling the hot sun on your bare shoulders. 

 

Fall has been my favorite season for as long as I can recall. I love the excitement of pulling that gooey pulp out of hollowed pumpkins in anticipation of your jack-o-lantern creation, the giggles of littles bumping happily on a hay ride, that smokey smell of bon-fire, and wandering clumsily through mazes of corn, towering above your head on either side. There is something special about fall. Yet, I find myself beginning to fall in love with spring this year in a new and wonderful way. While fall has fun festivities... Spring has LIFE. Oh yes. Raw, real, resounding LIFE. 

It's breath-taking. Yesterday evening we went to my in-laws for an Easter celebration. When we move, I will miss being able to walk the three blocks or so to their house. I picked a dandelion for Scarlett which she proudly gripped the entire way there.

It was a magical day. After stuffing ourselves with sweet potatoes and green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes, delicious breads and meats and corn in an act that could only be considered pure gluttonous delight, we wobbled our round bellies outside to enjoy the wonders of spring together. And Scarlett is growing up. We picked some flowers, ande in a very Arielle-of-the-little-mermaid way, Scarlett plucked pretty pink petals off one by one and watched them flutter to the ground.

 

 

 

But after that, it was see-you-later ma! And off she ran with her uncles and cousins to bounce on the trampoline, play with silly-string, and swoosh through the air on the rope swing. So Cecilia and I found a nice spot on the grass in the back yard and listened to the shrieks of delight and swells of laughter coming in waves from happy children on the other side of the big house.
  

And in that moment, I felt like I was in the garden of Eden. The setting sun's golden beams slipped through the magnolia tree's blossoms and cast a glow on the earth. Sitting there with my beautiful little girl, surrounded by brilliant hues of green and pink and purple and red, filled with the zest of spring, satiated with delicious foods, and enveloped with family, friends, and LOVE - I was blissful.
 

I hope you all had a spectacular Easter! For us, the Easter merriment is not quite over - today we're venturing to Grandma and Grandpa's house where Scarlett, Cecilia, and their spunky cousin Oliver will be having a grand Easter egg hunt!

Life is marvelous. Be happy.

Flowers, Sidewalk Chalk and Bare Feet

Yeah, you heard me. Flowers, Sidewalk Chalk and Bare Feet. It can only mean one thing: SPRING!

Just in the nick of time, too. Winter chill and mounds of fluffy snow is nice around Christmas time and all, but I mother nature out did herself this year. I'm just glad she decided to give us entirely glorious spring week! I am pretty sure the girls and I spent every day this week out under the sun, and it's been nothing short of magical! I love watching them discover the world in the spring time. So I decided to share :)

And so I've found a new form of therapy:
SIDEWALK CHALK!

Don't think I'm joking, either! Try it and I bet you'll agree! Something about getting that chalky pink dust all over your hands and knees, it's rejuvenating! And I don't think it's a coincidence that our yellow piece of chalk is the most worn. Sidewalk chalk calls for sunny, happy colors.

This spring I've also come to a decision that has been quite liberating, and so I suggest you try it too. Bare feet. Yes, I've made a promise to myself: unless we are leaving the neighborhood, we will go barefoot. When you give birth, the nurses, doctor, and lactation consults will all give you this nugget of advice: Skin to skin contact. They say it is very key to bonding with your babe. I've definitely found that to be true. And now I am a firm believer in skin to earth contact, too. There is something about walking, running, skipping, frolicking, etc... BAREFOOT all across the thawing earth that is healing. Like an affirmation of life. You are connected to the earth in a very real way. So. We're bare foot and we're loving it.

This weekend we also went on a little exploration with Daddy. It's amazing how little kids re-discover the world around them when the seasons change. It's magical, I swear. Exploring the world through the eyes of a child is the best spirit-lifter I know! This Saturday we took the girls for a walk through the park and oh did we explore! We found lady bugs, and spiders, and flowers. Daddy even let Scarlett dip her feet in the creek before our little picnic.