I started composing this on the first day of spring, adding thoughts and photos over the last few weeks. And then adding thoughts and photos just before spring and it’s quickly grown to monstrous size but I’m rolling with it. Welcome to the giant nugget post.

(I was reading this to my kids and Ruby has asked if I could change her name to Bob for a while)

Bob emerged from her bedroom, a halo of yellow bed-headed hair. I was on the couch, drinking coffee and reading. She fell into me with her toothless smile. “Finally it’s the first day of spring!” she yawned as she fell onto my lap completely unaware of the coffee.

Question to those with older children: do they ever notice the cup of coffee in your hand before diving into a morning snuggle? I’ve become incredibly skilled at keeping the hot, caffeinated liquid inside the mug with a wiggling child on lap.

Indeed it’s spring. Finally! I think we always feel a bit that way with every season. We love winter. We ski and sled and ice skate. We eat oats my the fire and resist getting out of our warm beds in the morning. And we look forward to spring. We dream of that day when will be able to stand in a non-breezy spot and, if the sun is directly on us, it actually feels warm.

Springish nuggets.

:: The girls designed and made little creatures mostly all by themselves. Margot has decided that even if she doesn’t make enough money she wants to work with owl research and rescue. Specifically she’d like to “study them and cure them when they are injured.” Bob wants to BE a kitty when she grows up.

:: Moody spring hikes with friends have taken us up mountains. Our kids used to be on our backs and shoulders and now they run ahead of us begging us to hurry up.

:: I shared this on instagram but want to share here too because it’s my new favorite trick: you can place the white roots of spent green onions in water and continue to harvest the greens for weeks and weeks! They just keep growing.

:: Andy has been planning to build a bench to sit on Alice’s gardenside grave. We went to Home Resource to find materials and instead found an already-made bench. It’s constructed from salvaged materials and is just perfect. We all sit there often, especially the kids. Here playing a game in caves. I heard Margot say, “Quick! Hide! Wolf 12 o’clock!” as Mabel ambled up to sit. Our dog is quite good at pretend play.

:: Our ski season is wrapping up. We went almost every weekend. We plan for the expense of ski passes all year and it is always a stretch to make the purchase. And it always feels so worth it when we get to spend our days together, outside, enduring all kinds of weather — both literally and metaphorically. The chairlift conversations with my kids are among the best I’ve ever had. It’s what we do and I love it.

:: The secret sister snowball ambush.

:: Andy and I had a ski date, just the two of us, on one blissful, powdery, sunshiney day.

:: Margot, Bob and I made these little birdie biscuits. The recipe is HERE. They were great fun to make and eat. They are slightly sweet and wonderful with butter and apricot jam.

:: Full moon walk with my baby girl. My favorite part was our conversation about the big, bright moon. On the still, dark trail she found a round rock and we used the flashlight on my phone to show how the sun shines light on the big rock in the sky. “Mama, it’s really pretty amazing.” She’s so big and strong and capable now. I like that she still fits in the bike trailer and falls asleep on me.

:: Garden bits.

:: Easter bits.

:: Sisterly bits.

:: Bob loves to help with dinner every night. Completely unassisted, she chops and sticks sticky notes on chairs with our names. She finds great joy in directing where we sit and how we dish up. On this night: she made a salad that looks like a monster and a desert surprise in those muffin cups (marshmallow with chocolate chips). I made polenta with toasted pine nuts and green onion.

:: Our Artful Homestead Gathering has changed shape. Paige Green and I had originally planned a 3 day gathering but received valuable feedback suggesting people didn’t have enough time to plan for a big, expensive trip. This is our first time doing this and we greatly appreciate your enthusiasm and willingness to make suggestions! Thank you. We listened and simplified it: One day: May 28 / Windrush Farm / Chileno Valley, CA / $200. There are just a few spots left. Join us? Read all about it and sign up HERE. (I know that is a ridiculous photo of me but Bob took it and suggested it when I mentioned I didn’t know which photo to use.)

top left photo by Laura Schneider, bottom right photo of Windrush Farm by Paige Green

My kids have spring break this week. We plan to mostly stay home with one little adventure in there. The girls and I are heading into a cabin in the woods for a few days. I am so excited to be unplugged from to-dos and plugged into my awesome kids. Bob plans to collect things, play house and snuggle with me. Margot plans to write a book or two, practice headstands and snuggle with me. Mabel plans to relax and eat and snuggle with me. I plan to be a part of all of that.