Spring is springing...

I must proclaim Fall as my favorite season.  I love the red and gold leaves on the trees and the chill in the air.  I love the spicy smell of baking and apple cider, pulling out my jeans and thick socks after months of bare legs and flip flops, and feeling snug and cozy in front of a fire with the promise of Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner.  But most of all, I love the relief in knowing that the brutal Texas heat is finally over. 

However, no one can resist Spring!  After months of brown grass and leaves, beautiful bursts of pink and purple, white and yellow, and green, lovely green, are popping up everywhere.  The sun is warm but the breezes are still cool and the lovely smell of spring rain seems to linger in the air.  I've spent the last 16-20 weeks in cozy hibernation but now I feel as lively and energetic as the plants in my garden that are growing at an alarming rate.  I often find myself ambling, lap after lap, around my yard, taking in the beauty and colors that are blooming all around.   Each day I love to see what new bud has opened or what new sprout has emerged from the soil.  And while I know that the sweltering Texas heat is right around the corner, threatening more and more each day to overwhelm me with it's menacing strength, today it's Spring and my peach tree is blooming!

Hush Little Baby, don't say a word...

Olivia was babysitting Enzo and at one point he started crying, so she sang him the "Hush Little Baby" song.  He stopped crying and came up with his own adaptation.  She wrote it down and it goes like this:

If that song is to loud, Mama's going to buy you a drum.
And if the drum was too loud, Mama's going to give you a play cup.
And if that cup is too flat, Mama's going to buy you a friend.
And if that friend is trying to kill you, Mama's going to buy you a book.
And if that book doesn't have any pictures in it, Mama's says you're still a sweet kid!

Our little bird family

 Today, we celebrated Ellie's 10th birthday.  We don't do big parties (they are a lot of work and just make me uncomfortable!), instead, we'll take the birthday girl and a friend or two, out to do something fun.  This year Ellie wanted to take her best friend, Savannah, to Amazing Jake's.  Its a huge place full of video games, laser tag, a rock climbing wall, miniature golf, and an all-you-can-eat pizza and pasta buffet (Ellie's favorite!).  First, we all took a turn at the climbing wall (terrifying!), then the girls went off to play while Scott and I played miniature golf and video games.  After awhile, we met the girls in the movie room where they were eating lunch and watching "The Lion King".  Savannah commented on how it was interesting how animals show love for each other.  I said that it's true, they don't hug and kiss like we do.  They show love by taking care of each other, like a Papa bird flying off to find food and bringing it back to the Mama bird who is sitting on the nest and in fact, we often show love the same way, by caring for one another. 
  Flash forward to home.  We've had dinner and we sang and Ellie blew out the candles on the cake.  She's already opened her new game from Savannah and the nail stuff from Mom and Dad when Olivia runs off to her room and returns with a brightly wrapped box.  Scott and I looked at each other, wondering what it could be.  Ellie opened the box and out popped Atlas, Olivia's pet rat, with a pink ribbon tied around his neck.  Ellie looked up, not understanding, and Olivia, smiling through tears, told her to take good care of him.  We had no idea she was planning to do that and we were all moved by her loving generosity.  Olivia explained that she at least had her horse, Toby, and she wanted Ellie to have something to love too.  Ellie insisted that she could not accept Atlas because he belonged to Olivia.  They finally decided to share him but we were all so touched by her gesture.  Savannah piped up, saying, "You know what you said about birds taking care of each other? I'm so happy for you! You're a little bird family!"  Indeed, and what a joy it is!