April 20, 2008

Spring, Glorious Spring!

Just about a week ago I woke up to snow outside my bedroom window. It was a fluke. I mean, really. Snow? In April? So depressing.

After a long, extremely cold winter, I prayed for Spring every day. Dawson felt my pain. Every morning since January, he has been asking me when he could go outside to ride his bike. I kept telling him once the snow melted and the weather was warmer. He got his wish this weekend.

It was so warm and wonderful that we spent most of our weekend outdoors. I ignored the housework nagging at me, I tried not to worry about all the things I should be doing and instead decided to play outside with Dawson.

We went to three different parks and playgrounds. We took two bike rides. We took a long walk (3 miles) this afternoon. The temperatures averaged about 65 to 70 degrees and we took advantage of the first real days of Spring.

Dawson got to ride his bike, he was so excited to petal all by himself with no pushes from Mommy, not counting the part where he went off the sidewalk (we’re chalking it up to being the first bike ride of the season).

Murphy (our dog) was in heaven. He’s been dreaming about warm weather and a leash for months.

As for me, I was just happy to spend some time outdoors with my boys. (Okay! Okay! And to take many awesome photos with my new camera.)

It’s a brilliant camera. Here’s the proof:

Enjoying Spring at Mead Park

Snowbank in January, Duck Puddle in April

The Doodlebug

For the Love of Mother Earth

The Pensive Child

Thankful for Days in the Park

My Beautiful Boys

Petal to the Metal

May 4, 2006

Blossoms

 

Your dear blogger, Dana, did something really dumb. I forgot to pay the cable bill. But it wasn’t my fault. Charter Cable has been screwing with me for months. I paid online one time and they stopped sending me my ‘paper statement’. Needless to say the cable was turned off for two days because of this mess.

Anyway, I don’t miss television. I’m tempted to call the jerks and tell them to disconnect it because my husband and I actually spent time as a family yesterday with NO DISTURBING TELEVISION NOISE.

You’d think I discovered a new invention the way I’m carrying on about this. When I got home from work last night, Doug had the house in the same form as when I left– CLEAN! And he had dinner in the oven, Dawson was playing nicely in the hallway and Murphy was chewing on his dog bone.

Doug even agreed to go for a walk with us to the LPR park (this is our favorite thing to do). He never likes to go for walks. I was so happy to have him along, not only so that I didn’t have to tackle the stroller and hold Murphy’s leash at the same time, but because my husband was actually spending time with me!

For dinner he made BBQ Ribs. This isn’t a surprise, he does most of the cooking (he was a cook for many years at a restaurant). What surprised me was that we actually ate dinner — are you ready for this? AT THE TABLE!

I couldn’t believe it. Usually we grab our plates and eat near the TV to watch the news and other junk. But this…this was new, THIS was wonderful.

See what I mean about no TV? I thought I’d miss my favorite shows, but I didn’t. I’m sure Doug was a little irked about missing the news and Seinfeld, but I couldn’t be happier.

Our little family is blossoming. Just like the pretty white flowers we saw on our walk. After dinner Doug took us to get ice cream at the little shop down the road. I almost had a heart attack. This is something he’d never do.

I think I should not pay the cable bill more often.

May 2, 2006

A Visit With Mr. Owl

It rained again yesterday, but when it stopped for a bit, I bundled up the Doodlebug and grabbed the stroller and umbrella and took him for another walk in the woods near our home.

We both love to be outside when the weather is nice, and even after a misty rain it was still warm. When we got to the path by the river, we heard several 4-wheelers on the trails. The Village of Plover was lining the river with dead trees. I asked one of the workers why and he explained this allows beavers and other animals to make homes and nests in these areas.

There were several pine and evergreen trees that were freshly cut however, because it smelled just like a Christmas tree. Visions of my childhood and helping decorate a REAL tree came flooding back. We always have an artificial tree as my husband dislikes needles in the carpet. I don’t blame him. It’s a real pain to vacuum those off the floor.

Doodlebug and I saw the owl again and he was fascinating. His wingspan seemed enormous. When Mr. Owl called out, “whooo” my little Bug was listening intently and pointing his finger at the ginat bird. “Lisat, mumma!” he said. I think that translates to “listen” or “what’s that” (I’m not quite sure) and I smiled, listened and enjoyed the moment.

After Mr. Owl relocated to another part of the woods, we decided to head for home. Just when we got to the paved path it began to rain again. Good thing I brought that umbrella and rain hood for the Bug.

I just love spending time with that boy. I have a tear in my eye thinking about all the fun things we can do this summer.

April 30, 2006

Rain, rain, go away!

It’s a rainy, windy and cold Sunday here in Wisconsin. I wish it didn’t have to rain today, even though my husband says we really need it. Yes, we need the rain, but can’t Mother Nature choose a day when I’m working? I really wanted to enjoy my day off, not worry about getting rained on when I go run my errands.

Oh well…soon it will be summer and hot and I’ll be begging for rain. I shouldn’t complain.