At last, yesterday we woke to find a blue sky and sunlight. The world is transformed into a glorious, springy delight. Even better, the kids were released from their prison (our house) and ran wild around the yard. Davey shed his sneakers time and again, prefering, as always, to walk barefoot up and down our packed gravel driveway. I know! But it doesn’t seem to bother him. I do put shoes on the kid, but he just hates them. We stopped buying him any footwear that costs over $12 since he’s lost the mate to two moderately pricey pairs of shoes. A single Stride Rite boot, no matter how cute, doesn’t cut it. He was doing better about keeping shoes on over the winter (but still hated snow boots) but now that warmer weather is here, off they go.

Dex is home, both from Vegas and from work. We took the kids to the park this morning. It was mobbed. Seems all those other school-vacation suffering, house-bound, rained-out moms had the same idea.  Jules went down the various slides many times. Mae prefered the zebra on a spring - you know those animals things you sit on and you rock back and forth until your teeth snap in your head. I always did love those. The girls cried out “wheee” whenever they saw a new corner of the playground yet unexplored. Davey and Edward climbed and slid. Edward joined a couple of kids on the baseball diamond and Davey hung out in his favorite, the big green swing. We gotta get him one of those. He loves to swing and this one is made for kids like him - kids who can’t manage the regular swing. It’s like a big plastic easy chair, and he settles down in it, crosses his legs, and waits to be pushed. When he slows down, he signs “more, more, more.”

I am feeling surprisingly satisfied. Why surprisingly? I have a lot I could and should be doing… phone calls, folding laundry, cleaning something, there’s always something to clean… but the spring air and sunshine are lulling me into a drowsy contentment.