Wonderful, wonderful warm days

First I have to apologize for not getting out my camera and chronicling the past couple of days. I sometimes struggle with this dilemma of whether to get behind my lenses and shoot or live in the moment. I know there is a way to do both at the same time but it is a balance I am struggling with a little.

Anyway... over the past couple of days it has been in the 60's in New Jersey. It has been heavenly. It feels a little like waking up from the best sleep you ever had feeling rested and ready to take on the world. It is cleansing. The girls and I have done very little except be outside breathing in as much fresh air as our winter weary lungs can take. Yesterday we spent three hours outside and then went back out after dinner in the pitch black to rides bikes (safely in our court) under the street light.

The wonderful thing is that the girls have "joined" this lovely little "gang" of preschoolers. At one point there were 10 children under the age of 6, four content Mommas keeping a casual eye, 18 bikes and scooters and 5 misc. toys (little lawn mowers, teeter totter, etc.) littering our court. No cars came or went. No kids fell or cried or whined. Snacks were supplied from our garage likes fishes and wine. Cookies were had by all. Children ran and laughed and rode and played. It was magic. Pure freaking magic.

After LONG, LONG months of being inside or sneaking outside after almost an hour of suiting up for snow WE WERE OUTSIDE. In the warmth. In the sun. In the FRESH AIR. PLAYING. I wanted to close my eyes and lay down in the middle of my driveway and soak up the happy sounds of children running and playing and eating cookies when they should be inside eating dinner. Instead their sun-starved Moms ignored dinner hour and focused instead on feeding our children's spirits. (I didn't, however, wanting to avoid being the "crazy lady" in our neighborhood.)

Slowly the neighbors went inside, left for dinner or drifted away with crying children. Our next door neighbors and the girls and I were the last men standing. It was dark. We were all hungry. But knowing that tomorrow would bring in an unwanted cold snap was enough to keep us outside until the very last bittersweet moment of warm was to be had. We talked and laughed and quietly dreamed of the warmer months ahead. The picnics in the lawn that are in our future. The late night sprinkler runs. Catching the lightning bugs. Glasses of wine for the grown ups and popsicles for the kids. Warm days in February is natures best way of foreshadowing what is to come.

Spring is coming. I am ready for it. Bring on the sidewalk chalk. Bring on the bubbles. Bring on the sprinklers.Bring on the long walks after dinner. I AM READY. I AM SO READY.