Monday, April 2, 2012

.....spring has sprung.....

.....when I hear the phrase spring has sprung, I say it aloud in my head with a lot of emphasis on the sprung part.....I vividly remember my Mom trying to teach me the pecking order of the four seasons as a little girl and when she would say summer falls and winter springs, she would throw her arms above her head and do a little one legged leap across the kitchen as if to emulate a plant that was growing out of the winter snow......conversely, she would also do a full body wilt at the fall part; just as if she was a bright orange leaf about to make its introduction to all of the other leaves piled like mountains......sheer glory for all of the lucky kids in the north and midwestern parts of our country who enjoy the thrill of a new fall day......see, we Floridians needed all kinds of metaphors and visuals to learn the order of the seasons because most of the time it was plain old hot and it was hard to understand why it wasn't always summer......

.....I don't need to teach my children with such dramatic metaphors, although I like to find other ways to emulate the full body explanations because quite honestly, they're funny and every kid likes a funny Momma.....but when the seasons change, we simply head outdoors and whallaaa......

.....spring has certainly sprung....





.....and the special times when we embark on a first new day of the season; the ones in which we really feel it, opposed to the calendar telling us that yes, it is spring, I also like to say the word yes as often as I can.......because being a yes Momma is also a fun Momma and sometimes all rules, worries and concerns about planning and schedules need to go out the window.....

....can we go to the Central Park for lunch?.......yes........can we run wild and scream at the top of our lungs?......yes.......can we ditch our shoes and do it all barefoot?......sure, yes!.......can we skip lunch and graze on snacks all day?......yes.......can we have another bag of pirates booty?.......yes.......

.....and a day with so many yes's and so little rules always equals a euphoric, cheeks hurt from smiling, belly aches from laughing, blissful kind of day......remember those?.....






....I have loved having the change of seasons in NYC......it has been one of the things that Stefan and I discuss with excitement that our children will have the seasonal changes as memories when they are grown......Florida certainly didn't have them and Texas is also a stretch......granted, we had other wonderful things that were seared in our memories from growing up in those states, but a definite, dramatic shift in seasons is still new to us......

.....and spring bears so much beauty and newness......it's the time of new life and dare I say, it might be my favorite?......I mine as well because on our first summer day, I will also tell you summer is my favorite......it's like I tell each one of my babes......they are all my favorites.......and so I will tell the same to all four of our seasons......

......but newness in our spring season also shifts the lenses of how I view my life......I also begin to see my children differently.....I notice newness about them too......how they are growing, a new curl in their hair, a new dimple forming, a new word that they like to use to explain something......


.....the sisters are truly best friends.......they love and fight with passion......but the love days outweigh the fighting days......


.....and I am inhaling all of it because I know this is my last spring in the city......I stop to take pictures of trees and flowers and grass......I allow myself to be late heading somewhere because I have to stop to enjoy something in the neighborhood that I have never noticed so fully before.....




....and the newness has been thrilling for all of us.....


.....we've got a celebration around the corner of a little one who has brought us a multitude of joyful moments......more to come on the first year of having a son, but here is a sneak peek of his cake smash photos taken a few days ago......


.....it won't be long until Brody is also living life to the fullest with an army of friends who make life that much sweeter.....



....although he is off to a good start.....


......and our Daddy is home after two weeks of travel, so we have catching up to do.....he always holds true to a promise and comes to the girls' room as soon as he gets home......even if it's way past their bedtime.....



......and he would head to Brody's room too, but knows that Momma would throw a fit......I wish I could say that Brody is a good, sound sleeper......but with all the joy he has given us, who needs sleep?....


.....or organized cabinets?....


.....or clean kitchen floors?.....

......enjoying the fact spring has sprung in our home in so many ways......






....and hoping yours is too.....