Spring Means...

Warming our faces in the sun, playing at the park, flying a kite, making water balloons, walking slowly to and from lunch downtown after a bowling match that Anna's been planning all week, running into neighbors outside before dinner, talking while the kids play, the sun still warming the breeze despite the fact that it's dinnertime.

She's pretty happy to be making water balloons again.

And flying kites. I have so many kite-flying pictures, but...I can't help myself.

She was so proud to be doing it all by herself.

When you're pregnant, Spring also means NESTING and CLEANING. I'm almost 18 weeks along now, and while the physical fatigue still seems to be hanging on a bit, my mind is not stopping. I'm suddenly in full blown list-making, planning, dreaming mode (mostly dreaming). While we played outside just before dinner, Blake and I discussed plans for our garden and dreamt about fixing our weathered deck. I'm dreaming about a swing set for Anna for her fourth birthday. Also on my mind is the exterior trim that desperately needs painting, the landscaping that needs clean up, flowers that want to be planted, the garage that needs organizing, and the basement that needs some work, too.

I'm thinking this needs some major work before a little one crawls around on it next spring.

I'm thinking about the nursery, too, of course, but we've been holding back on any major decisions until we find out (hopefully) if we are having a boy or a girl on Friday. Although, as I say that, I think the color scheme will be the same regardless. When I know that, I'm going to finally get a shower curtain that's the right size for the Jack and Jill bathroom and maybe some pictures, too. I'm itching to go through the baby clothes to see what will be kept. I've also started a list of things we'll need to purchase, which I hope won't be lengthy for the second child.

Jessica and my dad visited this weekend, and they generously donated their old flat screen TV (note: an old TV for my dad is 3 or 4 years of age, so we're actually inheriting a relatively new model). Blake and Papa Mox spent Saturday morning hanging the Heaviest TV In The World in our "study." Up until now, we've been watching our television as it rested on a dining room chair. It's so wonderful to have the television finally mounted on the wall! Now we just have to figure out how to hide the cords. I've added it to the other long nesting list that's constantly evolving. Then there's the decorating wish list, the items that will mostly have to wait: new light fixtures, seating for our TV room, dining room furniture, which I've been informed will likely be ten years from now, a dresser for our bedroom, decor in general.

I'm tiring myself out just re-reading what I've written so far, but I do have a feeling that Spring will be a beautiful blend of play and productivity. After all, when I'm 8 1/2, 9, 10 months pregnant and it's 83 degrees outside, there will be little productivity. Anna and I will be spending most of our days staying cool at the pool.