I need a definite answer!

According to my calendar, it is supposed to be spring. Everywhere I look, I see signs of spring, beautiful flowers in bloom, people dressed in pretty pastel colors, sun shining brightly, and children playing outside. Why don't I feel warm, then? I have on socks and sweaters in the mornings, and blankets piled up on me as I read in the evenings. And I know I'm going to be called a wimp when I let you in my little secret, but this morning I had my fire going in the fire place. A girl must feel comfortable when she reads about Paris (since Elijah bought me the ticket to go to Europe this summer, books that involve Paris have been appearing on my night stand out of nowhere; it's bizarre.)

So, I have decided I'm not a California girl. I like definite answers. I get along great with people who are committed and constant. I like my weather also to be one kind or another, and not so fickle. Fashion doesn't work well with this kind of weather, either. I detest layers; I think it's a sloppy style. I love summer dresses, but I hate to cover the pretty frilly sleeves with sweaters. I like wearing sandals adorned with jewels and bows and whatever else is my fancy, but then my feet feel cold. What to do?! Elijah has an amazing answer to all my problems: be grateful.

I am grateful that the sun is shinning; I'm grateful that the roses bloom like crazy all over town; I'm grateful for long fancy pants and ballet flats; I'm grateful for dainty short sleeve sweaters with gorgeous colors and designs; I'm grateful for parks, trees and grass; I'm grateful for stunning sunsets that remind me of God's artistic creation; I'm grateful for my children's laughter as they roll on the ground without noticing that it's cold or wet; I'm grateful for friends who come to visit and cheer me up; I'm grateful for delicious fruit that sweetens my mouth with their freshness; I'm grateful for my camera that helps me record as accurately as possible the happiness in front of my eyes.

There. I feel better.

When I sat down to write this post, my intention was to post some fun pictures I took of the children and my mom as we visited Heather Farm Park. As always, I write totally different things than what I have in mind. Nevertheless, since I am talking about Spring and roses and children, these pictures make for a great visual display of my feelings.

While the kids ran, rolled and jumped, I was reminded by what surrounded me that spring is beautiful even when it's not quite warm. I took pictures of colorful roses and pretty flowers:




I followed mom and Charlton behind as they played and had fun with each other:

And my heart rejoiced as my children posed, teased and had fun with each other:

I couldn't leave the park without taking some shots of the pond attended by its usual graceful friends, the geese, ducks and swans. A few of them had their little ones with them and my children wanted to pet them. I was just on time to warn them of the wrath of mother geese.

My mom is leaving for Sweden in a few days, and I thought this might be our last outing with her. So, I gathered the children together and took one last picture with all of them and mom (at least for this year.)

Although it had been a cool afternoon, my children made sure to show me a good time. I had a coat on, and that helped too.

California is for parks

Tuesday is a long day for Gillian, since she has an after school class. So, I thought we could do something fun and relaxing after we picked her up. Elijah went skiing with his buddies today and he wouldn't be home till late tonight. So, I packed sandwiches, carrots, apples, rice krispie treats, and water bottles into my back pack, and after picking up Gillian, headed toward Gardens at Heather Park. If there is something I love about California, it is its parks. I know what you are thinking. Who gets excited about parks? Well, I do, and if you went to this park you would too. My intentions were to eat our picnic, look at some of the gardens, and then let the kids play at the playground located near the gardens. I didn't think we would spend more than two hours, but in all seriousness we were there from 4:15 to 8:00. We had so much fun being together, playing and enjoying the flowers and the weather, that we didn't even notice the time.

The children wanted to stroll through the gardens first, so that's what we did, and as we were strolling, they wanted to take some pictures, many pictures. Here are some of the pictures we took as we were walking:

After we enjoyed all the flowers, the gazebos, the lake, the ducks, and whatever else we saw on our way, we headed toward the playground. The children weren't hungry yet; they just wanted to play. I felt bad I hadn't brought Gillian some changing clothes and shoes to play in, but she didn't care. As you can see from the pictures below, even high heels didn't prevent her from enjoying herself.They stayed and played for a while. I personally don't enjoy taking them to the playground, unless I'm with some friends. I couldn't read or talk in the phone, since I needed to be watching for them. As a result, I would play with Charlton or walk around the playground. Not very exciting, but you do what you can to make your kids happy. After tiring themselves and trying everything that there was, they were ready to eat. As we laid our blanket on the grass, I saw the pretty contrast between the blanket and the grass. I decided after we finished eating we could get some fun pictures with all the kids together. I hadn't planed on it, but sometimes the pictures you don't plan on are the best.My picture taking started a trend with the children. As we were walking back to the car, they all started to pose for me, especially Gillian. Of course.We all had a wonderful time. When we got home, the boys took a bath. Gillian finished her homework first, and then took a shower. Reading time followed, scripture and prayer, and then the one on one time with each of them. This time the questions asked to me were limited to one. I was exhausted, so I just sat on my comfy chair and read. Elijah came soon after that. What a good day. And I just told you only the second half!