A spring in my walk

This morning I walked out of the house with only a shoulder bag and my camera. No diaper bag, no extra clothes, no kids. Just a walk in the park to photograph the spring.

Across the street from us is the wine shop specializing in Spanish wine. And season-appropriate flowers and decoration.

They love to hang these eggs. Are the flowers pansies?

I continued my walk down the street past the church with the Most Atrocious Easter Decoration Ever. I've probably shown you this before, but I have to do it again.

Easter exploded on this poor fountain.

I walked down the street, talking quietly to myself and listening to the silence surrounding me, remembering to do my Kegel exercises (TMI!) since I never think to do them amid the babbling and screaming that usually accompanies me. At the playground, I watched the moms playing with their little ones (most pre-walking age) in the sand or holding them and talking to other moms and thought about how it can be a nice time while they can't move themselves.

The other side of the playground is the park. Daffodils are decorating the ground under trees that are already shedding their flowers and are now budding tiny chartreuse leaves.

Around the corner is my magnolia, the tree whose name I constantly forget. My friend told me the other day just to think of Julia Roberts but it doesn't help; my brain thinks the name starts with a "C" and I spend arduous minutes trying to think of THAT name before Julia Roberts brings me to the right one. I have photographed this magnolia for the last three years and I will probably continue to do this every year to document its beauty.

I had to walk into town, so I continued down the path through the park. Spring was everywhere, new life in new colors like a facelift for the earth.

red branches+green leaves=visible spring

THE Easter/spring flower.

Flowers alongside the highway.

Later they played on the scaffolding at the house. It's not a jungle gym, but has similar qualities - and is just as irresistible. It's amazing how much they learn doing what they're not supposed to: after this, they were landing properly when jumping from a height of one meter (important!), and swinging and jumping from a bar. Postscript: I saved the flowers that could be saved - three tulips growing close to a pole. The rest were done for the season anyway.

Still a learning experience.

She's even coloring spring.

For all my complaining, I do appreciate the time I have with my kids. I love sharing things with them. I love seeing them have fun. I love watching them learn stuff - whether I've had to pull teeth to get them there, or they've done it all on their own. But three little kids are a big energy expense, and the spring in my step is often disguised as the race to the next scream or diaper change. And sometimes it's hard to remember that the good times are just as numerous as the difficult.

Things to do when you're naked

Or, The Mischief They Got Into While You Were Showering.

1. Clean up chocolate milk powder spilled by son.

2. Clean up* broken jar of Nutella (dropped by son). This one is especially challenging because the children also have to be kept away from chocolate shards.
*Don't forget to put on shoes first.

3. Wipe up pee in the middle of the living room.

4. [ASAP after #3] Redress child who removed pants and diaper before they pee on the floor again.

5. Find beads from the broken necklace before the cats chase them to the far corners of the house.

6. Comfort screaming child who fell off the couch.

7. Clean up vomit of child before other children step in it and track it all over the house.

8. Clean up cat vomit before children try to eat it.

9. Prepare snack for older child since she's already late for preschool.

10. Replace underwear in drawer after children have used them as hats.

Please note the absence of activities such as having sex, taking a bath, or watching television. These things are done either clothed, quickly (with nudity passing only briefly) or not at all.