Weekending

There is a great sense of excitement at the end of the week when Ava wakes up and realizes "it's Friday!" Ava has declared Friday her favorite day of the week because she knows that when Dada gets home from work after nap time our weekend begins. His arrival is greeted with "Dada's home!", a running leg hug, often a hand off of the babe, a bit of a communal snack and perhaps some dada beer. We chat, catching up on our week, then begin dreaming of how we'll spend our precious next two days. This past Friday was particularly exciting given the promise of incredible weather and the accompanying ideas of potential outdoor weekend adventures.

Will denies that his presence is novel given the extra time he's been spending at home to help with mister Eli; still, there is such a different feel to those weekend days when we are all together. Sharing meals and snacks, taking family walks to the lake and around town, helping each other with cleaning and chores, plenty of opportunity for music time, mama and dada staying up late (actually, we're lucky if we make it to 11 without passing out) to eat cookies and watch replays of Poirot, and lots of time for play, reading stories and trying to identify the birds that visit our bird feeder. The weekend always seems endless on Friday eve and far too short on Sunday nights when we're cleaning up from dinner and getting ready for bath time. 

This weekend seemed to signify even more as warm temperatures melted much of the ice on the lakes and lured neighbors and their lawn chairs outside. Last year's nubs of sidewalk chalk were dug out of storage, reminding us that it's time to stock up again. Parents called out reminders of caution as their kids raced across the street to join in on the play. The sounds of Will's banjo wafted through open windows, mingling with chatter from clusters of folks up and down the street. Even the buds on the trees and wispy blades of grass made appearances. Not only is spring well on its way - we were given an early taste of summer. 

I have a feeling we will see that frost again; we may even see more snow. But sitting here in a t-shirt as I type I revel in knowing, yes, we have made it through another winter. 

Enjoy your Monday and have a beautiful week.