Signs of Spring

Pleased as punch to get muddy again

It might be chilly out today (-10°C when we packed the kids off to school), and there might still be banks of snow when you look out the window, but this past week has finally given some hope that Spring is on its way.  Case in point: our "garden" (read: mud pit) is more than half uncovered, which meant some nice, long, muddy outdoor hours over March break.  Highlights included brick/wood building, truck driving, and a paleontological dig site.

trucks and brick buildings

Freshly washed and brushed dinosaur "bones".  Notice the repurposed snowballer.

 March Break itself was as low-key as I had envisioned.  We stayed close to home, spent leisurely mornings lounging in pjs, did some reading and playing... everything you'd expect/hope for.  The highlight for me was a family trip to the movie theatre on Thursday afternoon, to watch The Princess Bride!  The theatre by our house had chosen to show it as their March Break movie, for 3$ a person.  I had some reservations about it being too scary/violent for the kids, but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to see such a classic piece of my childhood on the big screen again.  The kids were a *little* scared at some points, and I had to explain some uncomfortable concepts afterwards ("mom, what is torture?"), but they persevered, and I believe it was worth it in the end.

My amaryllises have finally started to pop their heads out! 

 On Sunday, I was given a nice treat - Clark bundled the kids out of the house nice and early, and I had the day to do a bit of spring cleaning/organizing, walking, and whatever other solo activities I deemed worthy of contributing to my overall sanity.  The downside was that I missed out on what looked to be a pretty awesome trip to Simon and Judith's, where Simon was finishing up with his yearly maple syrup exploits.  The kids, however, took full advantage:

Checking the buckets

Dumping the collected sap into a big bin 

Hauling the load to the boil site

Watching the fire do its job

And now, life seems to be mostly back to normal.  No one is currently ill (knock on wood), March Break is over, and everyone is off to their respective Monday routines.  This will be the first full day of school for Juniper in two whole weeks!  Of course, the week itself will be short, as the kids are off on Friday and then the coming Monday for Easter break.  This will be especially exciting, however, as my parents are planning to drive down for a visit to celebrate with us.  It is a never ending carnival ride around here, folks!