The Birds are Back

So interesting that my last post was "It's Raining Snowballs" and for the past two weeks the kids have been asking me to turn the A/C on in the house. Which I refuse to do.

It's March.

But it's not an unwarranted request. The temperature inside our house has been well over 80 degrees the better part of this week during the oddest heat wave Chicago has ever seen this early in the Spring season. In fact, today is the first official day of Spring and it's normally several weeks before we see any signs of it in this region.

But the trees are blooming,

The plants are sprouting,

And the birds are singing...

...which I love. I just sort of wish they started a little later than 4:30am.

Because the windows are open.

Because I won't turn the air on.

Because it's March.

The bugs are also crawling, flying and generally wreaking havoc. I did mention the windows were open right? It's like an engraved invitation for an insect invasion.

Our shoe bucket is a mix of flip-flops, gym shoes, work shoes and boots. I'm not putting them away until after Easter.

It's March.

We got two feet of snow on Good Friday a couple of years back.

The kids built a snow bunny in the front yard.

The longer, warmer days have been a welcome shot of energy in a jam-packed late-winter season. I was able to get away to Lake Geneva with a couple of girlfriends the weekend before last and we walked around the lake and really relaxed. This past weekend Dan and I went to family wedding.

Outdoors.

In March.

I know this is probably a one-off and I'll never experience summer in March again unless I move to another state, but it's been a welcome reprieve.

In a month that tends to both arrive and leave like a lion, I love to see so much evidence of the lamb.

Especially during lent.