Spring has sprung

You know it is spring in the Oregon Coast Range, when the temperature hits 50 + degrees and your children are in their bathing suits, jumping into the creek and requesting sno-cones and popsicles. "Can we set up the kiddy pool and put Forest in it, Mama?" asked big sister last week, when the temperatures soared beyond 60 even.
The kiddos were gone from the house without any breakfast before I'd even done the first diaper change of the day, with grand plans to 'walk the creek', which I think involves getting your boots filled with water. "Can't we get out our summer clothes?" "Where are my sandals?" Yes, indeedy folks, that big yellow thing in the bright blue sky does indicate that the seasons are a changin'. I am never one to complain about the rain, I love how everything is so green, especially at this time of the year. The greens seem to take on a whole new level of green-ness. The moss is happy, the usnea is silvery, the ferns are beginning to uncoil, and all with help from the rain. Nevertheless, it always cracks me up and makes my heart sing with the young 'uns around here welcome the first sunny days with these crazy requests.
Forest has discovered the great outdoors. Recently, he went out, clad in his 'snow suit' (mostly it's just a protective coating against mud at this point) (Thanks, Susi!) and it was quite comical watching him put his hands down to crawl and then lifting them up to examine the damp surface of his pudgy palms with a quizzical look on his face. Soon he got the knack of crawling around in springtime weather, testing out several new delicacies: soil from potted plants, woodchips, sticks, rocks, moss, and today, black oil sunflower seeds. I like to take him with me while I feed the birds. I pull him around in the wagon delivering seed to our two feeders. Today I had to jump several times to grab the branch so I could put the feeder up and he just cracked up giggling. Apparently white mamas can't jump either.
Each of the big kids has been welcomed into the realm of camera-toting Doggetts, and as such, we have had our first 'photo assignment,' which was to capture something of the spring. So, watch this space for the results of that assignment, which will be posted after we weed through all of the photos (one of us took 4000 photos! that's a lot of weeding!) Until then, Happy Spring!