A Friendly Visit (and...the snow is gone)!!

It seems much earlier this year than last, but the snow has all disappeared!! We had some days in the 40's last week with lots of rain that accelerated the melting process, I suppose. Today was super windy, but the sun was shining and the kids were crabby indoors, so we went out for a couple of hours this afternoon. We walked to a nearby park and hung out. Twas glorious. Owen is in a completely different life-stage than the last time we walked to that park (7+ months ago), so it was fun to watch him explore on this own two feet. He loved it. Ava had a sudden need to go potty, so we headed over to the park restroom facilities with fingers and toes crossed, hoping it would be open this early in the year. It was. whew. Crisis averted.
I also wanted to share some pics from the Hartke's visit last month. It was such a wonderful blessing to have them here. Coop and I felt refreshed and encouraged by our dear friends. : ) We had some outings and lots of food. Seriously--I didn't have to cook for a week after they left because there were so many leftovers. I planned some meals ahead and had the groceries on hand--which is funny because their family also came up last winter, and I don't recall planning any meals whatsoever. Owen was in his "I-will-never-ever-sleep-longer-than-45-minutes phase" and I was in survival mode, so it did not occur to me to feed our guests. I honestly don't know what the poor Hartke's lived on last year while they were here...but I guess it worked out because they came back! Here's the gang suited up and ready to go sledding. We'd been hoping and praying for good sledding conditions, and it worked out! I stayed back with Owen, who was feeling a bit under the weather, but all reported back that much fun was had. Ava got super brave on this outing and decided that she wanted to go down the hill in the saucer sled by herself. And she wanted it to spin. This was certainly a new development! Since I did not go...there are no pictures. ha! Meanwhile, back at the homestead, this was Owen's excitement for the morning. He makes the motor noises as he works Thomas around the track. Love. it.
On Sunday we all went to the Domes and it was a splendid outing. We toured through the tropical dome and the desert dome first, then had a sack lunch picnic, and then moved on to the showcase dome with the model trains exhibit. It was SO great because it was warm, sunny, no wind, and smelled like a spring garden. Ahhh.... A little bit of heaven! Plus, the kids were super entertained by the elaborate trains whizzing through the flower beds. Here's all the munchkins taking in the trains. Even Owen got in on the action. This is near the mission control shed for the trains. Aren't they so cute all lined up at the railing? Ava was getting a good look at the waterfall and fish swimming beneath the bridge in the tropical dome. And here's Coop getting a good look at the miniature village square. Yes, he was on his belly on the ground. The babies were happy little lambs on this trip. In fact, baby Wah slept through most of the touring. Amazing. Wish O-Boy would do that!
Ava was also happy. In case you were wondering. Or in case you couldn't tell from this face!
We spent the rest of the day making making and eating food for the "Big Game" and watching the commercials. We had some bacon-wrapped, smothered-in-brown-sugar little smokies. y-u-m. Wowsers those were delish! Thank you Mama J for that recipe! The smokies were lovely, but the crowning dish of the night was hand-tossed pizza! The Hartkes brought up pizza dough from our favorite pizzeria in St. Louis, and we made our own pizzas! He could really toss it like a pro! Here's a picture of a sweet little moment when Dan started playing the guitar. My little ones were awestruck...they never hear that from Coop or myself!! Ava and O-boy were drawn to the music and sat, entranced, while listening to a serenade. It was cute.
The weekend together was great, and it really got me thinking that some form of community living situation could be beneficial. We're so isolated in our culture. I miss the community you could experience at college or on a sports team. You would certainly want to be picky about who you would partner with on something like that, but as a stay-at-home mom with young children, it would be so great to have another mom with you throughout the day. Diving chores, cooking together, encouraging each other, offering support and accountability. It would be lovely. I think. Well, the novelty would probably wear off pretty quickly if the set-up wasn't a good one, but even if you lived next door to each other and had meals together 3-4 times a week with a time of fellowship afterwards, that would be a big improvement! Anyone want to move to Colorado together? : )