berries.

and here begins the picnic season! (had to splurge on the berries to pretend like summer was coming... they were gone in five seconds flat!)

kicking.

it might give you a clue as to how warm this weekend was that we (the kids, i mean) could be outside in only our skivvies. we have been spending every waking hour possible outside, soaking up the warmth & the sun! a perfect opportunity for lj to learn to kick a ball. ;)

warmth.

well, this was a day for the recordbooks! the johnsons' books, anyway. nearly every hour of the day boasted its own highlight: waking up to uncle o & auntie c in our house, boiling down the maple syrup, dancing/lounging in the sunshine on the deck (sans jackets!), a baby boy in carhart overalls & baseball cap, a wild minnesota girl running barefoot through a patch of snow, a last run down the beloved sledding track, crowded runs on the lakewalk, a long long playtime at playfront playground, trying out the new canal park brewery, playing with pizza dough at vitta pizza, running into many-a-friend in the magnetic canal park sunshine, thawing & devouring a peach pie with vanilla ice cream, playing trains til late at night... hard to ask for more! thank you, Lord, for this day.

five.

five kids five & under in our home today - hurray for friends! and for naps. ;)

neverending.

well, if it feels like all we're talking about on the blog this month is snow, it's probably because that's all this city is talking about this month. as the mayor said, "hello february 70th!" and yet, this girl still smiles at the sight of the beautiful white flakes floating effortlessly down from the heavens above. hard to stay angry for long with a sight like that...

deep.

we still have deep snow around here! and yet, the sun shining on our bare heads is life-giving, and the driveway is clear enough for new discoveries/old favorites like sidewalk chalk & bike riding. praise the Lord!

rain.

nevermind that there was a blizzard raging outside, we were dreaming of & learning about rain with our little learners' exchange this afternoon! completing the scene with raincoats, rainboots, rainhats, umbrellas, cloud shakers, and lots of singing, raindrops fell on our heads & we splashed in (masking-tape) puddles like it was a wonderfully rainy day. i'm so thankful that these kiddos have great imaginations! ;)

snowfamily.

believe it or not, this is the first time this season that we've been able to make snowpeople in our backyard! it is generally too cold for good packing snow, but given that it's nearly spring, today had the perfect conditions for making a snowfamily. and it was only fitting for this year that 3 hours later, the family was covered in snow once again. happy spring, duluth.

finishing.

it is so sweet to watch the joy kj gleans from being helpful. and i'm thankful for the many ways she makes my day easier! here she is finishing up lj's "getting ready for the day" routine! by self-appointment, she is now in charge of putting on his socks & shoes! and she's figured out quite the strategy for keeping that little guy under wraps while she accomplishes said task... hey, it's a good lesson in patience for him, right? (he actually is surprisingly cooperative. we see how long til the novelty of this game wears off...) ;)

dye.

green hands luke!