I am ready...

The kids and I received our sandals I had ordered online in the mail yesterday. Lucas really didn't give a rip at all about his. However, Sophie, Nicky and I spent the entire afternoon traipsing around the house in our new sandals. Sophie begged me to buy her more...just two more pairs of sandals...please, mommy! She has, unfortunately, inherited my affection for shoes. Nicholas was very excited that he and I both got Teva sandals...they had matching "hands" on them and he thought that was way cooler than cool. Feeling the air on my toes, the freedom of sandals, I am SO VERY ready for spring...and even more ready for summer to get here. It truly cannot come soon enough for me.

I am ready for fire pits and barbecues. I am ready for green trees and flowers and fresh tomatoes. I am ready for flip-flops and shorts and bathing suits (actually, I am entirely NOT ready to put on a bathing suit myself, but I think the kids are adorable in theirs). I am ready for marshmallows roasting on sticks, trips to the zoo, and picnics on blankets at the park. I am ready for restaurants with patios. I am ready for hosing off in the back yard before being allowed in the house. I am ready for wading pools, playgrounds, and sidewalk chalk. I am ready for tricycles, bikes, and wagons. I am ready for bubbles and sprinklers. I am ready for hot dogs and hamburgers and corn on the cob. I am ready for walks to the local ice cream shop that serves THE BEST ice cream in town...sea salt and praline ice cream is to...die...for! I am ready to sit on the front porch with Ruanita drinking a beer after we put the kids to bed. I am ready for a rousing game of "ironman" badminton in the back yard...Ruanita and I are WAY more athletic than we appear (ok...not really, but it sounded good). I am ready to see curious kids squatting down to get a good view of the ants making their way across the sidewalk. I am ready for little ones collecting rocks and other special "treasures" on our walks around the neighborhood. I am even ready for bug spray, sunscreen, weeding, yard mowing, and kids that smell like sweat and dirt. Bring it on!! I am SO VERY ready!