Sunny Days

Bonus points if you just sang the Sesame Street theme in your head.  Heck, bonus points all around, because it's Spring Break, the lamb finally kicked the lion's tushie, Hubby is home from back-to-back work trips, and all is right with the world.

Shedding winter coats and mittens, and replacing them with layers of hoodies, sweaters, and vests, and a bit of sand on our backsides for good measure.  Spork learned to slide solo this week.  "Sit, scoot, slide, Beavs," we encouraged.  After a lot of pouty faces and a few frustration tantrums, he got it.  "Sit, scoooo, side," he chant-mutters to himself at the top and he bumps down on his bum.  Dissatisfied with his landing, he whines but immediately rushes to the steps again, eager for another try.

We tried the new campus playground the Nugget has been badgering me about since he first noticed it.  "Too shocky," was the verdict, but once a new friend joined in on the play, the static electricity was forgotten, and he was all smiles and nimble feet.

The awesomest (that might not be a word) thing about this playground is that it is fully fenced with a squeaky gate that toddlers cannot operate!  It is also only busy on football weekends, so it was the perfect place for me to try Mama vs. 3 mobile children at the park.  As you can see, Tater is not going to settle for the Ergo/stroller in the park this year, no sir-ee Bob.

We finished up with a long walk to a campus eatery, and the boys and I enjoyed some wood-fired pizza.  The Nugget was especially pleased that the small amount of ash on the pizza's crust left a smashing mustache.  He asked a lot of questions about college and for a split second, I imagined having pizza with him before dropping him off at his dorm, his lanky body 3 feet taller, and this pizza stache replaced with the beginnings of a real one.  I quickly rewound myself back to this moment, because here and now will be then way too soon for my liking. 

It would not  be going too far to say children are typically beloved on this particular campus, and the kids got a lot of smiles and waves and "awwws".  I received unsolicited door help with the stroller every time, and although the restaurant works on a buzzer system, a student worker happily delivered our trays out to us and retrieved the buzzer for us, before it even went off.  A manager checked in to make sure the kids loved their food and offered to bring me extra napkins if I needed them, "Just holler!"  Oh, how I love raising our kids here!
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Mentioned out of the blue in the car:  "I just can't stop loving Giraffe."

Did I mention that Giraffe has officially finally been named?  While some lovies come with names, many others are nameless because I like to let the children give them a moniker.  Seems an important rite of claiming to me.  So in the meantime, we just call them what they are - cat, puppy, bear.  Well, Bedtime Giraffe is officially Sophia, although the Nugget usually lapses and calls her Giraffe.  Add that to his dog named Katherine, and the Nugget seems to have a thing for classic lady names.

"Mommy, zippers are just so magical."

"I can't resist the taste of this gum."