so long winter,

hello spring equinox!!!!

Are there words for how excited we are around here today?!!  (The following 4 billion photos might offer a clue.)  With temps plummeting to the 20's by tomorrow night, I knew we had better soak up every last ounce of sunshine available today.  

In Camilly's words, "It's sunny time!!!" (And you must know the volume at which this proclamation is made... At the volume at which every thing is said.  She did not come equipped with a low volume.)

First thing after morning nap, the Littles and I headed off for a 'Spring walk'... all 4 baby dolls and 2 strollers included.

We even did a bit of off-roading when the going got tough.

I was on a mission to capture every ray of sunlight, every baby smile, and every little presence of Spring's appearance that I could find.  And despite one very intense meltdown, it was a success!

While I'm quite anxious for the warm temps and ever present sunshine that my beloved 'Southland' is experiencing, I've made my peace with this northern Spring.  (I totally realize that Virginia is not exactly considered northern.  But by-golly, it's northern to me!)  

I've decided that I quite enjoy this slow entrance into Spring.  It's akin to taking your time when eating an excellent meal.  Every little bud, every little chirp, every day that hits the 50s or 60s is positively soaked up with all our might, with great pause and wonder and JOY.  

A nest that Maria spotted on our walk this past weekend.  We're hopeful that a pair of robins will lay their gorgeous blue eggs here soon!!!

And those birds!!!  How they do chirp, heralding Spring before any sign of buds are visible.  I've never before noticed how glorious of a song they sing!  I assure you, I used great restraint when choosing bird photos, as I took gobs of them on our 'Spring walk'.

I really had trouble deciding between a series of pics I took of this little guy.  Maria settled on this one, "Because he looks so proud."

These Cherry Trees are some of my favorites, as they were the first to put out buds.  And what exciting cranberry red buds they are!  We picked 5 small branches this past weekend, assigned one of our names to each, and are eagerly anticipating who's will bloom first.  A fabulous tradition shared with us by our Austrian/German friends.  (Thanks!)

Maria's favorites.  I couldn't pass them up.  When Maria was littler, she couldn't pass one without stopping to pick and blow them... even if it was just in the grocery parking lot.

Apparently neither can Camilly pass them by.

Today was also half-day-fun-day-Wednesday (as it's affectionately known around here).  Maria has a half day of school.  It's a treat for all of us.  Today we headed off to our favorite park/woods for some good ol' swinging!  

Oh yeah, and in honor of all this sunshine, I wore my Chacos... even though my toes let out a bit of a protest at the 50 degree temps!

Happy Spring Equinox!