The Great Outdoors

March. In like a lion. A break from the rain and temperatures in the 70's led to a day in the front yard. We had a picnic on the driveway while reading history out loud. Then, we raked ten bags of leaves that finally managed to fall from our oak tree. This particular oak drops its leaves in spring instead of fall. We were all so glad to be outside enjoying the incredible weather that raking didn't even feel much like a chore.

My Mom used to tease me about baby clothes. Every time my kids would get a new summer outfit she would remind me that they could easily wear a turtleneck under it and turn it into a winter outfit. For whatever reason, that drove me completely bats. For one thing, I know already, after having been reminded a million times. For another thing, we can just use winter clothes in winter. So now it's become a total joke and we laugh about it and over exaggerate all the time. Mom brought Emma a cute sundress last week, complete with matching hat. I knew she was stopping by to see us, so to celebrate our little burst of spring fever, I totally put a turtleneck under it and let her wear it! She looked adorable playing in the leaves with her "winterized" summer clothes, and my Mom got a kick out of it when she saw her too.

(She just woke up in this photo, which is why she looks dazed and confused. It isn't just a case of complete shock over her seasonal wardrobe identity crisis.)

Here's to turtlenecks. And mothers who remind us of stuff.