SPRING(like) weather!!!

Spring? Are ya there?

Oh!! There you ARE!!!!

For a day or two at least.

As you can see a certain tiny tot was a bit excited about being outdoors so much this week. We were blessed with some gorgeous and mild weather this past week. That meant one thing. Play, play, play! But first....I had to drag her away from her Goldfish and Mickey.....

Notice her lovely display of snacks that she dumped on the table. Sheesh!

Monday - I picked Hallie up early from daycare. It was so nice to spend part of the afternoon together. I loaded up the babe in the stroller and leashed up the pup and we took off for a stroll around the neighborhood. The weather was just a tiny bit chilly but not uncomfortable though. I couldn't resist her pleas as we passed by the park so we fit in a quick swing before it started getting too cool....

Her best "blue steel" face

Tuesday - We had the promise of a perfectly warm afternoon. I was thrilled to get outside and relax a bit. Tuesdays are always my "recharge after Monday" day. But that particular Hallie/Mommy day started off a bit rocky though...we were late getting to Shattuck to do therapy with Meme before a very frustrating tax appointment...that followed by a very cranky and tired baby along for the ride as we took Meme on her first big outing back to the store. Take my advice. Please. NEVER, ever, ever take a one-year-old to a tax appointment.....not even if  your CPA is family. Just. Don't. Oh my, I was just a wreck by the time we left my cousin Ann's office in Shattuck. We went to pick up Meme and took a trip down the road to the store. I was thrilled by how great she was able to walk around in the store. On one hand I was a very proud that all of the therapy we've been working on has finally paid off ...but on the other hand I was a little distracted by the fact that Hal's naptime was creeping up on us. lHallie was a little less enthused about the fact that I was keeping her held hostage in the cart. Meme checked out as I attempted to distract Hallie from grabbing for gum and suckers nearby. Have I mentioned just how much my daughter dislikes the word "no"? She was screaming for good reason I guess....she wanted to sleep and be left alone! In the short time it took me to strap her in her carseat, help Meme in the car and unload the shopping cart she was already snoozing....

Hallie slept and Meme sat in the car with her while I ran into the grocery store to grab the stuff on Meme's list. I made sure Meme got back into the house, unloaded the groceries and cleaned up the tornado damage that Hallie had left behind in her living room earlier that morning. By the time we headed home I began wondering if my sleeping beauty would transfer into her crib when we got home. I had high hopes....mainly because I knew that I desperately needed some quiet time to gather my thoughts after a crazy morning. Twas not what Hal had in mind. The 45 minutes she spent sleeping in the car was all I was gonna get. Moms know what I'm talking about when I say that naps in the car don't count. Naps only count when you are home and can use the time to get things accomplished or just sit down for a moment. A couple deep breaths and a minor internal hissy fit later, I was ready to snatch her out of bed for some fun that afternoon. Once the wind died down a bit and the sun started shining brightly both of our spirits were lifted. It was time to bust out the t-shirt and shorts by golly.....

She explored every last inch of the backyard, did a little driving in her car and then we hopped in the blue shuttle and made our way to the park.....

Diva much?? ;)

She moved her exploration from our backyard to the park area. She walked/ran every last inch. I watched contently from the park bench as she had a ball....

Daredevil

A very rough start to the day turned into a very peaceful and relaxing afternoon of laughs and fun with my favorite baby girl. The sun has magic healing powers I'm almost sure of it....

I had spent part of the afternoon baking up a batch of oh-so-sweet lemon brownies. Our friends Troy and Angie took my up on my offer for taste-testers and stopped by for brownies and a chat. It was a nice change of pace to have some friends stop by during the week.

Wednesday - busy day.  More beautiful weather. It actually felt slightly hot, dare I say. Ok, it could have had to do with my malfunctioning air-conditioner in my car. AC malfunction = attitude malfunction. Do ya blame me? Put a woman in a small hot space and just wait for her to melt(down). Sweet little Carmen Jo and Aunt Katie saved the day for us! That evening we met them for a walk at the trails for some much needed stress relief and a nice long walk/talk with three of my favorite girls. By the time we made our way around the trails it had started to get kinda chilly. Carmen was armed with her cute little hat....

Thursday - an incredibly busy day. Are you seeing a pattern here? All I could think about was the fact that Riley had fixed my front bike tire which meant that Hallie and I had a date with the cycle when we got home. We left from daycare and ran a couple errands before getting home and strapping her in the bike. But first we had to free the bike from the pile of weeds it was placed in. Yes, honey....a pile of weeds and sticks would be the most ideal place to park my bike. Once we freed the bike it was ON!!!

She switched between squealing with excitement and angrily trying to push me off of the seat of the bike. Turns out she would have much rather been able to prop her feet up on the seat and I was obviously in her way. ;) She had me laughing as she would grunt and push her hands against my back until she gave up. We are still working on the concept of sharing....guess she didn't get the memo that we were riding a "bicycle built for two." We spent our time out in the fresh air singing and pointing out objects along the way. It was the first of MANY spring bike rides to come!

Friday- I find myself blogging about the week we just had in a zombie-like state. I keep waiting for that "perfect" week. Does that exist? I think I'd just settle for a week that doesn't kick my butt. Work continues to increase at a dizzying pace and I'm finding myself being away from the house way more than I intend to be. While I'm trying to give Hallie the best of what I have left to offer at the end of each day, sometimes I find that it's not much. She seems to still love me so I guess I'm doing something right. We had a great dinner with Nanny and Papa tonight...yet another Pinterest recipe in the books and Nanny picked a good one! Hal agreed. She was more than ready to eat and would run as fast as her legs would carry her to her dinner chair everytime someone would walk in the door. She was a great sport about waiting for Papa to get home though. Nanny fed us, bathed our babe and sent her home happy and very, very sleepy.

I hope you are ready for us, weekend...because we are so very ready for you!!!!