Today was another gorgeous day! I think it’s safe to say that the nice weather is finally here…to stay. Taylor had her first day of school today, after being off for spring break. She said she had fun with her friends, but she would rather stay home with Mommy next time. I’d love that too, my girl. When I asked her if they did anything fun at school today, she excitedly replied “Yeah, Mama! I found bird poop on the bench!” I’m really glad to know the tuition money we spend is being put to good use!

When we got home, we broke out the sandbox and toys and the kids played for a few hours, while Ranger and I “supervised” them. He’s the best helper.

I can’t wait until it’s a little bit warmer out so they can have hose baths after they are done playing. Bringing three sandy kids through the house and getting them into the bathtub is kind of like an Olympic sporting event. Then, the backwards motion of vacuuming their steps has to be done as well. They are only little once, and they enjoy being outside so much.

It’s so funny to me to watch my three kids interact with each other and play separate from each other, as well. Taylor and Jackson are mostly content to sit in the sandbox for hours on end building things and making “meals.” Joseph enjoys playing in the sand for all of five minutes before he has to leave to dig up some rocks, climb our hill, chase bees, or purposely throw balls into the neighbors’ yards. He’s going to be a blast this summer!

Since it is so beautiful out, all the neighbors have their windows open. The girl on the street behind us was practicing piano, and the sound of music filled our backyard. Taylor looked around and yelled “Hey! What’s all that noise? Knock it off, you piano player!” I guess she doesn’t appreciate Beethoven unless he’s in dog form. She proceeded to loudly out-sing the piano music with her own version of some made up song. I know she’s my kid, and I love her unconditionally, but the girl is tone deaf. One of our neighbors (a man named Jerry) stopped over to help me with something. She looked at him and said “Hi Jerry!” and then went back to playing. The next time he walked past, she said “Wait a second! If that’s Jerry, where’s Tom? He must be missing.” She might be cartoon obsessed with her Daddy. Tom & Jerry is one of their favorite things to watch together.

In between all of the playing, all three kids stopped to pick flowers for me. We have a bunch of weeds and wild flowers in our backyard, but they were the most treasured gift I could receive today. They handed them to me and said “Love mama, love!” I melt.